2008 4.pdfDavie Dossier
Issued by
Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society
Mocksville, North Carolina
October 2008,Issue 4
President Linda Leonard
Vice-President
Secretary/Treasurer Frances Beck
Board of Directors Dale McCullough, Diane Webb, Bill Urdanick
Dossier Editors Marie Roth, Doris Frye
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MEETINGS
The August 26th meeting featured Jane McAllister, librarian of the Martin-Wall History Room,
who described the future of genealogical research and collections made accessible by modern
technology, the Internet and computers. She used a Power Point presentation to show examples
of computer-generated research. Fifteen people were present.
The September 23rd meeting was a presentation of a
plaque to Nancy Murphy. Nancy Kelly Murphy has
logged over 30 years of volunteer service to the Davie
County Historical and Genealogical Society and the
Martin-Wall Local History Room of the Davie County
Public Library. Nancy typed the copy of The Squire,
Daniel,and John Boone Families in Davie County, North
Carolina brochure in 1982. She began editing and
producing the Davie Dossier in 1988. She compiled and
produced the Davie County Marriages book in 1998, and
produced the Davie County Cemeteries books in the same
year. In 1999, working with Everette Sain, Nancy
transcribed and compiled the 1860, 1870, and 1880 Federal Census record books for Davie
County.Shown in the photo are Doris Frye, former librarian; James W. Wall, county historian;
Linda Leonard, society president,and Nancy Murphy.
For the October 28th meeting, we will meet at the library at 6:35 pm and go up to Cana, across
from the old school.Betty West will show us a display of it ems from World War II that her aunt
collected, as a military librarian. She will also do a tour of the 1896 house.
Instead of the November 25th meeting, our society will meet Thursday, November 6th at 7 pm at
the library for the presentation by Dr. Elliot Engel: "The Brilliant and Bizarre Brontes".
Davie Dossier 2008 4 October
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On September 14, our Society sponsored a reception and
presentation of a plaque in memory of Andrew Lagle,
creator of the Land Grant Map. A large crowd came to the
library auditorium to share memories of his hard work with
the county and with his creation of a map which shows
original land grants.This map was five years in the
making and has been used by the county records offices
and also by genealogists and historians of Davie County.
Copies are for sale in the history room at the library.
Jane McAllister accepts a plaque for the Martin-Wall History Room in memory of Andrew
Lagle.To the right are Mrs. Andrew Lagle; Linda Leonard, president of Davie County
Historical and Genealogical Society; Mrs. Doris Frye, previous librarian of the history room; Mr.
James Wall, county historian; and his wife, Esther Wall.
The Lagle family was present.The Davie County Singing Seniors sang 2 appropriate songs for
the occasion.Comments were given by Rev. Leland Richardson, the Lagles’previous minister;
Terry Bralley, county manager; Christine Sanders, town manager; Jane McAllister, librarian of
the history room; Doris Frye, previous librarian; James Wall, county historian; Bill Urdanick,
who further enhanced his map; Judge Martin; and several guests who offered interesting
descriptions of his hard work and interesting personality.Refreshments were served.
Update of Lagle Land Grant Map
The Lagle Land Grant Map has been a great help to genealogy researchers from all over the
United States.
Bill Urdanick has taken the map a step further, a five-year project, to coordinate it with current
tax records. This involved much detailed hand work which resulted in an overlay of Lagle’s
map. Urdanick was able to use a current county map while meticulously hand drawing each plot
making sure it matched today’s coordinates on tax records. Map coordinates have to match up
with a U. S. geologic map. If the scale isn’t right, a certain piece of property can’t be located by
the researcher.
Urdanick, in retirement, with his interest in Davie County history, became involved in this
project knowing it would be valuable information for everyone. The map is on display in the
Martin-Wall History Room of the Davie County Public Library. Urdanick is an active member
of the Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society.
PAST PRESIDENTS OF OUR SOCIETY
These beginning dates come from the 71 past issues of Davie Dossier.
1987 autumn Frances Beck
1988 fall Esther Wall
1989 spring Davie Joyner
1990 December Karen Smith
1994 January James Wall
1995 September Frances Beck
1998 April David Joyner
2002 January Frances Beck
2005 July Aubrey Wensil
2008 January Linda Leonard
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Davie County Historian Turns 90
James W. Wall was born in Davie County on August 21, 1918, and except for his years of
education and service during World War II, he has taught and documented history in Davie
County continuously.
He graduated from Mocksville High School and received a degree from Appalachian State
Teachers College and a Masters Degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He taught history at Cooleemee High School, a Charlotte middle school,Mocksville eighth
grade, and Davie County High School for a total of 38 years. This long time period meant that
he taught more than one generation of a family.
When he retired, he did not retire from history interests. Mr. Wall is the author of The History of
the Presbyterian Church in Mocksville, and after years of research of local history, authored The
History of Davie County in the Forks of the Yadkin. The local history book was published in
1969, with updates in 1985 and 1997.The North Carolina Department of Archives and History
published a brief version of the county history in 1976.One highlight of Mr. Wall's local history
research resulted in his co-authoring the booklet "The Squire, Daniel and John Boone Families in
Davie County".He also assisted Kirk Mohney in publishing a history of the architecture of the
county.These two books are available for purchase –see page 7.
Mr. Wall also served as a Town Commissioner and is an active member of the First Presbyterian
Church.At the age of ninety, he still maintains an active interest in local history.
The Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society congratulates James W. Wall on attaining
this milestone in his life and expresses great appreciation for his contribution to the preservation
of history in Davie County.
For more information about Mr. Wall and photos, see
http://www.library.daviecounty.org/information/JamesWall.pdf
OPPORTUNITIES:
If you’re a new member or have lost some of your previous Davie Dossiers, you can now order
a CD for $5 that contains all the 72 newsletters from Volume 1 in 1987 to this current issue.
There is also an index to all the articles, a map of the county and a list of all publication dates.
The four files on this CD are in Adobe Reader (.pdf) format. See order blank on page 7. Detach
the page for ordering.
This Land Was Their Land, NC Genealogical Society Workshop and Annual Meeting, 14-15
November 2008, Brier Creek Country Club, 9400 Club Hill Drive, Raleigh, NC 27617.
Information at:
http://www.ncgenealogy.org/Events/2008/NCGS_2008_November_Program_Mtg.pdf
National Genealogical Society Conference in the States 2009. Raleigh NC, 13-16 May 2009.
For information, visit www.ngsgenealogy.org or call (800) 473-0060. Make hotel reservations
Davie Dossier 2008 4 October
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early; this conference is close to graduation time in Raleigh universities. This is THE BIG
conference –we’re lucky to have it nearby.
Davie County Public Library: http://www.library.daviecounty.org/
For information about the Martin-Wall History room, roll over “Information” and then click on
History and Genealogy. Every word that is blue and underlined is a link to another page of
information. The Davie County Cemetery Book indices are now online. Notice a link to our
Society in the third paragraph. An enhanced Web site is being developed, so check back often.
North Carolina Genealogical Society newsletters are online now.
http://www.ncgenealogy.org and click on NCGS News tab.
Images of Forsyth County: http://www.digitalforsyth.org/
Images of Durham: http://digitaldurham.duke.edu/
Information about research in Davie County: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ncdavie/
To join the Davie County E-mail list:
http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/usa/NC/davie.html
More information: http://www.mynorthcarolinagenealogy.com/nc_county/dve.htm (There is
an underline between nc and county.)
NC Museum in Raleigh has Thomas Ferebee items.Images are online at
www.ncmuseumofhistory.org . In the Search box, type “Thomas Ferebee”.
NC Commemorative markers: http://www.ncmarkers.com/search.aspx Click on Davie County.
Davie microfilms which can be ordered at the Family History Center (FHC) in Winston-Salem
(or other locations):www.familysearch.org . Roll over the word “Library” and then click on the
words “Library Catalog”. Then click on “Place Search”. Then type “Davie” in the first box and
“North Carolina” in the second box. Now hit Enter. Then click on “North Carolina, Davie”.
Then click on the subject you are interested in. Then you can actually go to the FHC and order
these microfilms.
Directions from Mocksville to the Winston-Salem FHC: Drive 158 east and turn left onto
Jonestown Road. After about 2.5 miles, turn left onto Westchester Drive. Go about one-tenth of
a mile and you will see the church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) on the le ft. Go
slightly past it and enter the building on the right end.
The Winston-Salem FHC is open to the public on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays from 9 am -
12 pm and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 6 pm -9 pm.
To locate other FHCs, go to www.familysearch.org and roll over “Library”. Then click on
“Family History Centers”.
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Library Seeks Old Photographs
The Davie County Public Library seeks old photos of Davie County people and places.
A project is under way to document with photos what life was like in Davie County from the late
1800s into the middle 1900s.Anyone in the community who has old photos is asked to bring
them to Jane McAllister at the library.The photo can be scanned and the original returned to the
owner at that time.
If you live at a distance from Davie County and can scan your photos, use 300 dpi (8 inch width)
and save as a .jpg file.Send the scan at full resolution to Jane.mcallister@co.davie.nc.us .Sign
the release form below, scan that page, and send as an attachment to E-mail to Jane, also.
If you can't scan it, you can mail your photo to Jane McAllister, DCPL, 371 North Main Street,
Mocksville NC 27028, and it will be returned very promptly.Sign the release form and include
it with your photograph.If you don't want to cut this page from the Dossier, you can create your
own form with these same words included.
Subjects of interest include local events such as parades, pageants, recreation, Masonic Picnic,
community fairs, famous visitors.Local places are also important, such as Court Square, Main
Street, train depots, roads, ferries and bridges.Other topics include strange weather such as
floods or blizzards or school photos.
Bring anything that was typical or something that was unusual about Davie County for inclusion
in the project.
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Release Form
I give to Jane S. McAllister of the Davie County Public Library permission to use my photographs and
documents or artifacts as desired, including but not limited to use in publications and online sites.
Signature
Name
Jane S. McAllister Date
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Memories of research techniques through the years
Our first Davie Dossier was published in 1987. Let’s ponder that time period for a while...
very few copy machines-if you found one, it was substandard quality and has faded now;
very few home computers;
typing multiple copies using thin paper and carbon paper between;
typing family group sheets & hoping to make no error because it was difficult to correct;
no Internet; no E-mail;no cell phone to use at a remote cemetery;
no computer indexes; no Ancestry.com or other Web sites;
struggling to comprehend Soundex for limited years of census listings;
1920 and 1930 census had not been released for public viewing;
contacting distant libraries, courthouses, and researchers through US Mail;
difficulty in getting clear copies of old photographs;
no DNA;no GPS;no scanners; no color printers; no digital cameras
Wow ! We’ve come a long way in these 21 years ! Sometimes, it’s good to think back to force
ourselves to appreciate the wonderful technology we have now.
What they said versus What happened:
“I think there is a world market for maybe five
computers.”
IBM chairman Thomas Watson, 1943
Today’s new cars have as many as 39 separate
onboard computers.
“Computers in the future may weigh no more than
1.5 tons.”
A Popular Mechanics editorial, 1949
Palmtop computers weigh 1 pound or less and
have thousands of times the speed and memory of
the best computers in the 1940s.
“I can assure you that data processing is a fad that
won’t last out the year.”
A Prentice Hall business book editor, 1957
Data processing is now an entry-level, minimum
wage job.
“But what is it good for?”
An IBM engineer commenting on the microchip,
1968
Intel’s Pentium chips now house more than 5
million transistors in less than 2 square inches.
“There is no reason anyone would want a
computer in their home.”
Digital Equipment founder and chairman Ken
Olson, 1977
Today a top-end computer costs less than a cheap
set of kitchen appliances.
“640K [of RAM] ought to be enough for
anybody.”
Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, 1981
Most computers today need at least 64 megabytes
of RAM —100 times the amount Gates thought
was enough.
from Focus on the Family, January 2000, page 17.Yes, this is 8 years ago and some of the facts
above are already totally wrong.
Where will we be in 21 more years !?!
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DETACH THIS PAGE AND USE FOR ORDERING ITEMS AND/OR PAYING DUES.
BOOKS: Author Price No.Price
Davie County...A Brief History, paperback James W. Wall $7.50
The Daniel, Squire, and John Boone
Families in Davie County
James W. Wall, Howell Boone, and
Flossie Martin
$5.00
Davie County Marriages 1836-1900 Nancy K. Murphy $25.00
Davie County Marriages 1901-1959 Nancy K. Murphy $25.00
Davie County Cemeteries, a 2-volume set D.C. Historical & Genealogical
Society
$55.00
1860 Federal Census-Davie County Nancy K. Murphy and Everette G.
Sain
$17.00
1870 Federal Census-Davie County Nancy K. Murphy and Everette G.
Sain
$17.00
1880 Federal Census-Davie County Nancy K. Murphy and Everette G.
Sain
$22.50
Davie County Heritage Book $45.00
MAPS OF DAVIE COUNTY:
The Historic Architecture of Davie Co.Kirk Franklin Mohney $26.75
Lagle Land Grant $6.50
Hughes Historical $6.50
1887 Alderman $2.50
POSTCARDS OF DAVIE COUNTY
SCENES:
set of 8 $2.50
CD of 72 issues Davie Dossier, 1987-2008 $5.00
TOTAL COST
Postage and handling are included in price. North Carolina residents need to
add 7% sales tax to the total.
Membership for a calendar year is still just $5.00/year. Life Membership is $100 per person.
The number following your name on the address label on the back page indicates the year through
which your dues are paid. Below is a registration form for your use; checks are to be made payable
to the Society.
DAVIE COUNTY HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
Frances Atkinson Beck
1131 Wagner Road
Mocksville, North Carolina 27028
NAME _____________________________________________________________
ADDRESS _____________________________________________________________
EMAIL ADDRESS _____________________________________________________________
Davie Dossier 2008 4 October
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DAVIE COUNTY HISTORICAL
& GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
371 North Main Street
Mocksville, North Carolina 27028
For the Tuesday, October 28th meeting, we will meet at the library at 6:35 pm and go up to
Cana, across from the old school.Betty West will show us a display of it ems from World War II
that her aunt collected, as a military librarian. She will also do a tour of the 1896 house.
Instead of the November 25th meeting, our society will meet Thursday, November 6th at 7 pm at
the library for the presentation by Dr. Elliot Engel: "The Brilliant and Bizarre Brontes".
Davie Dossier 2008 4 October
9