We wish to thank former host Trent Briles for his many years of dedication and contributions to this site.
Cemetery Census!
Check out a site called "Cemetery Census" for all counties in North Carolina. Randolph County has 121 cemeteries listed in the databases. The site includes directions, both address and GPS, and a photograph of the cemetery. I did a quick check of the survey for some of the cemeteries in the county and NOT all of the people buried are listed in the database. The site does have a date when the cemetery was surveyed and a contact link for the curator. Overall, a decent resource for cemeteries in the county and across the state!
General Hardee's Retreat
The Friends of Trinity held a special event today called "General Hardee's Retreat" at the Albertson House in Trinity. I attended the event had a great time! I took the family with me and watched a real war reenactment. I met a lot of folks involved and took
several photos. The event is schedule through the weekend with a church service and one field battle. A tour includes a field hospital, costumes, and old photographs. Admission and parking is free. Contact 336-472-8207 for more information.
TO VIEW THE PICTURES CLICK HERE!
Word(s) of the Month...Pauper's Grave!
The February word of the month is pauper's grave. A pauper's grave is a free burial for someone that has no money to bury their family. It should be stated that the graves were not cheap, however most are unmarked because the family didn't have money for a marker. You can walk in any cemetery and see temporary markers from funeral homes still in the ground. Due to city and county budgets, the preferred method of disposing the deceased is by cremation. The average cost of a pauper's grave is about $1,325. The cost of cremation averages around $800, however this is a far cry on how much it cost the funeral to perform a cremation. When conducting research in cemeteries, check the death certificate and registry for the cemetery to make sure if the deceased is buried at a specific location, especially if you can't locate a marker.
What is a Daguerreotype?
Recently I was contacted to update a Find a Grave record for James Parsons in Randolph County. Parsons died in 1857, however I did not have the date of birth listed. I logged onto F.A.G. and noticed a picture had been added to the record by Ron Parsons. The photo looked late 20th century, possibly around 1910-1920, so I sent an email to Ron about the date of the photograph since it didn't match the date of death. Ron responded quickly and although he had some reservations about the photograph he did ask if it could be a daguerreotype. Looking at the photograph closely, I would agree with Ron! So I decided to write a short article on what a daguerreotype is, not that I'm an expert in the field of photography. [Picture on the left is James Parsons and on the right is Edgar Allen Poe. Click on picture]
A daguerreotype is a photograph which is often regarded as the first viable form of photography. Some examples of daguerreotypes can be seen on display in museums and facilities which maintain materials relating to the history of photography, and replications of daguerreotypes are often printed in textbooks. Taking information for Wiki, the process was developed by Louis Daguerre together with Joseph Nicephore Niepce. Niepce had produced the first photographic image in the camera obscura using asphaltum on a copper plate sensitised with lavender oil that required very long exposures. The image in a Daguerreotype is formed by the amalgam, or alloy, of mercury and silver. Mercury vapor from a pool of heated mercury is used to develop the plate that consists of a copper plate with a thin coating of silver rolled in contact that has previously been sensitised to light with iodine vapour so as to form silver iodide crystals on the silver surface of the plate. Exposure times were later reduced by using bromine to form silver bromide crystals, and by replacing the Chevalier lenses with much larger, faster lenses designed by Joseph Petzval. The image is formed on the surface of the silver plate that looks like a mirror. It can easily be rubbed off with the fingers and will oxidize in the air, so from the outset daguerreotypes were mounted in sealed cases or frames with a glass cover. When viewing the daguerreotype, a dark surface is reflected into the mirrored silver surface, and the reproduction of detail in sharp photographs is very good, partly because of the perfectly flat surface.-End of source.
Daguerreotypes were only made in a limited number of sizes. While they can be as small as 1 3/8 inch by 1 5/8 inch or as large as 6 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches, the majority of daguerreotypes one will find are 2 3/4 inches by 3 3/4 inches in size. The time period for daguerreotypes were 1840 and 1855 and sometimes would appear blury due to subjects having to sit for long periods of time while the exposure process takes place. You can tell a daguerreotype by the way it's cased and the obvious way it exhibits the characteristics of a mirror at many angles.
My "Readers Digest" version of daguerreotype is just that, a small smidgin of information about this fascinating art of photography. You can obviously hop on the net and learn about the process of daguerreotype. The most famous daguerreotype is that of Edgar Allan Poe! Enjoy!
NCGenWeb Adopts Wiki
The NCGenWeb has adopted the NC Pages on Wiki! FamilySearch web site has implemented a new feature: Research Wiki – a site designed to help guide you to resources for locality searching and also to provide information on a wide array of genealogy resources. Main initiatives includes their Adopt-A-Wiki program whereby societies, archives or other family history organizations can sign up to help enrich and monitor specific pages...thus the adoption of the NC pages! NCGenWeb has placed badges on the each county site on the Wiki pages identifying the NCGenWeb as the adopter. It is the hope that the collaboration with the Family History Library on this project provides you more access points for your research. The benefit of the Wiki is that YOU can contribute directly to the page. A registration is required in order to make changes, but editing is as simple as using today’s standard Word processing programs.
Bob Routh Needs Assistance
Bob Routh contacted the project requesting help with a look-up in Randolph County. Bob is researching the Routh family of Randolph Co, NC. He is trying to find records for Charlie Cletus Routh, b. 1904. Charlie married Lonnie Hall and possibly married Mary Maxine Deaton. On one record showing her death the record list her as married to Charlie Cletus Routh. She was also married to a Vance Edward Breedlove. Bob needs help with locating the records of these marriages. If you can help Bob out, please contact us here at the project. Thanks Bob for the email!
2010 Everybody's Day Video
The Davidson County Gen Web Project, along with the Briles Information Network, decided to take a video camera along to Everybody's Day in Thomasville, NC. Over 80,000 people attended the event last year. 200+ vendors were there as people around the area enjoyed good food, entertainment, and crafts. This year featured a new amphitheater near the water tower where comedians and bands performed. The Thomasville Historic Preservation had a nice booth in the gazebo, which featured pictures and historical facts about Thomasville. We hope you enjoy the video. If you would like a full length video of this event, free of charge, please contact me here at the project!
Good Works in Store for NC!
A pilot program in place since 1997 has expanded that will certainly be an asset to everyone in North Carolina. The NC Vital Records Office has picked Guilford and Cumberland County to join Harnett County in offering services on it's new vital records system. How does benefit you? You can now walk into the Register of Deeds office and obtain a certified copy of your birth certificate, regardless of what county you were born in. This will save time and money by not having to travel to the county of your birth. Eventually all the counties in North Carolina will switch to the new system, however a specific date is not known. The new system also electronically logs all new births without having to go through the “snail mail” process from the hospital, the Department of Health, then to the Register of Deeds.
There are two drawbacks to the new system that has to be mentioned. One, the new system only allows people born in North Carolina to obtain a copy of their birth certificate. If you were born outside the state, the new system will not benefit you. Second, and possibly the most concerning, is the new system only allows people born on or after January 1, 1971 to obtain a copy of a birth certificate from any county. If you were born before this date, you need to visit your birth county to obtain a copy or apply for it by mail. Birth certificates are public record so anyone can get a copy, although it would not be certified. At this time, it's not known if any other records will be available such as marriage or death certificates.
So if you need a birth certificate and don't live near your birth county, travel to Guilford, Cumberland or Harnett County and save some time and energy...hopefully the rest of the counties will follow suit very soon!
2010 Genealogy Jamboree!
The Genealogical Society of Davidson County, NC, will host their 2nd Genealogy Jamboree on Saturday, September 18 from 10 am - 3 pm at First Reformed UCC Educational Bldg located at the corner of East Center Street and North Salisbury Street [abt. 1 block down from court square] in Lexington. The event is free to the public & is designed as a day of sharing genealogical and historical data with those who have an interest. Parking & entrance to the event will be in back of the bldg. For more information please visit the Society web site.
2010 Medlin Reunion Announced
The Briles Information Network is proud to announce the 2010 Medlin Reunion. The Medlin Reunion will be held Saturday, September 18, 2009 at Derek Medlin's house. The Medlin House is located at the intersection of Springs Grove Lane and Fair Grove Rd in Thomasville, NC. Start time for this reunion is 12:00 p.m. Again, we are asking everyone to bring a covered dish. Dickie Medlin will not be cooking this year. If you have questions or need directions, please contact Derek Medlin at 336-476-7377 or Paul 'Dickie' Medlin at 336-476-6067.
North Carolina Yearbook Index
Interested in viewing yearbooks from around the state? What about students who attended college from Randolph County? 13 colleges are listed in this index; some include UNC, Davidson, UNCG, and NC State. The years vary, but most are from 1900-1930. Click here to view the index.
Lexington Dispatch on Google
Google has digitized numerous issues of the Lexington Dispatch to include a new browse feature. Visitors will now be able to see which issues of a paper have been digitized. In the past, it was difficult to see which year was available to view. You can view the Dispatch for the years 1889-2007 (14,000+ issues). I hope you enjoy this new browse feature on Google!
Pierce Chapel Baptist Church Cemetery
The Randolph Project, in conjunction with the Briles Information Network, is proud to post yet another transcribed cemetery in the county. Pierce Chapel Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery has been transcribed and photographed. You can view photos of grave markers, directions to the cemetery and the index. Next up in the series will be Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church.
The Prodigal Son Has Returned!
The Prodigal Son Has Returned! Well it sounded good anyway. Various changes at the NC State level has prompted me to return as your coordinator. I will begin to update the site shortly. Please be patient. Thanks again for allowing me to return as your curator of the Randolph County Project.
Newspaper Digitization Project Link
The NC State Archives announced that the newspaper digitization project is now available online. Many papers dating from 1752-1890s from cities like Edenton (1787-1801), Fayetteville (1798-1795), Hillsboro (1786), New Bern (1751-1804), Salisbury (1799-1898), and Wilmington (1765-1816) have been added to the database. Over 23,000 digital images are available for viewing, which is also keyword searchable. Check this site out today, very cool!
Linthicum Surname Added/Research Ongoing!
Terry L. Linthicum of Green Valley, Arizona has contacted the project in reference to adding the Linthicum family name to the surname page. Of course we were glad to do it! Mr. Linthicum's research is ongoing and has requested help with any information regarding Soloman Linthicum. The project has added a special family page for Linthicum with some lineage information and questions for researchers. We encourage everyone to view this page and contact the project if you have information for Terry. Thank you Terry for contacting the RCGWP!
Another Cemetery Transcribed and Photographed!
The Randolph County Gen Web, in conjunction with the Briles Information Network, is pleased to announce the transcription of a another cemetery in Trinity, NC. Poplar Ridge Friends Meeting Cemetery has been transcribed and photographed by R. Trent Briles. The church is located at 3673 Hoover Hill Rd in Trinity and has over 200 grave markers. The process was done by visiting the site and photographing every marker in the cemetery. No other source was used! You can view the markers, transcription, and directions to the cemetery by clicking on this link. All transcribed cemeteries will be listed on the research page. NEXT UP: Pierce Chapel Baptist Church
Randolph County Natives Killed in WWII
A new page has been created to display the Randolph County Natives killed in World War II. You can also click on the link to view the entire state and also other branches of service. You can access this page by clicking here or by checking out the data link above and looking under the military heading.
Famous Church Transcribed and Photographed!
The Randolph County Gen Web, in conjunction with the Briles Information Network, is pleased to announce the transcription of a very famous church cemeterey in Trinity, NC. Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, now called Mt. Pleasant Community Church, has been transcribed and photographed by R. Trent Briles. Mt. Pleasant is located at 4713 Cashatt Rd in Trinity and has over 280 grave markers. The process was done by visiting the site and photographing every marker in the cemetery. No other source was used! You can view the markers, transcription, and directions to the cemetery by clicking on this link. All transcribed cemeteries will be listed on the data page. NEXT UP: Poplar Ridge Friends Meeting!
Briles Named New Davidson County Coordinator
Well, it's official! Effective September 1, 2009, I took on the task of running two very active counties in North Carolina. The Randolph & Davidson County Project will be under the coordination of me, Trent Briles. I look forward to running both counties and hope that I can continue to provide the best in genealogical information for visiting and researchers to the sites. You can view the new Davidson County Gen Web Page by clicking on this link.
Best Viewed on I.E.
The RCGWP is best viewed on Internet Explorer 7.0 and Apple's Safari browser. The surname page for I.E. 7.0 only and will not work on any other browser. Sorry, I don't have a fix for this. I'm currently working on a text-only version for Apple's Safari and Firefox web browsers.
He who has no fools, knaves, or beggars in his family was begot by a flash of lightning." -- Old English proverb
Navigation Around the Site
As stated above, I want to make the navigation around the site easy and painless. The majority of the research can be accessed by the menus above or by the links on the right.
County projects are required to be updated every 6 to 8 weeks. I plan to update this site everyday by posting death notices and listing queries via mutiple message boards.
Here's the Latest...UPDATE!
- New Cemetery Link-Great Site!
- Word of the Month
- Article on Photography
- Bob Routh's request for a look-up
- Happy New Year
- 2010 Everybody's Day Video
- Good Works Story
- 2010 Genealogy Jamboree
- 2010 Medlin Reunion Announced
- New Link: NC Yearbooks
- New Link: Lexington Dispatch on Google
- New Link: NC Digital Collection
- New Coordinator announced...oh, wait it's the old guy from last time!
State Coordinator:Jo Branch
Please visit the US and NC Gen Web Projects.
