Don't miss the next in the State Archives Civil War Sesquicentennial lecture series Monday May 14 at 10:30. Bill Brown, Debbi Blake, Chris Meekins will present “Sacred Bodies: Caring for the Dead During and After the War.” The lecture is free and will be held in the auditorium of the Library and Archives Building in downtown Raleigh. Visit the Archives hours and parking page for parking and bus information.

If your research takes you to the Civil War, the NC State Archives has many resources covering that period. Individual states maintained records of creating and equipping their armies during the startup of the war. Beginning in 1862, the Confederate States of America took over, and records from that time forward reside in the National Archives. However, the State Archives has purchased copies of many of these resources, and many others have been digitized and are available online.

You can find a full explanation of Civil War resources on the North Carolina Civil War 150 blog.

One of the best places to find information about individual soldiers is the many rosters that have been compiled.

North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865, A Roster, which was begun at the Civil War's centennial in 1966, attempts to list every NC soldier, both Confederate and Union, with information from service records, muster rolls, Adjutant General’s records, pension applications, private collections, period newspapers, and another published roster, Roster of North Carolina Troops in the War Between the States (Moore’s Roster). It is currently up to 18 volumes, and more are planned, including an index. It is published by the Historical Publications Section of the NC Office of Archives and History and is available at many local libraries.

More information on individual soldiers can be found by searching his company or regiment records. The two most complete rosters of NC troops that will provide a company and regiment designations for individual soldiers are North Carolina Troops and The Roster of Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865.

Service records show enlistment and the whereabouts of the soldier at various points of his military career.

The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, which includes official correspondence and reports made during the war, is available and searchable online.  

The activities of troops following their service also creates a paper trail for researchers. These include pension records, the state auditor’s records of the old soldier’s home, and records of the issuance of artificial limbs.  The Governor's Office papers from each of the governors during the Civil War contains correspondence, such as petitions for help from the state, that provide information about the period and people.

Ashley Yandle, an information management archivist at the State Archives, will be giving a lecture August 8 at 10:30 about finding Civil War records online. She will introduce the Digital Civil War Collection available through the North Carolina Digital Collections in the NCDC and discuss how to search the online catalog. This program will be held at the State Library & Archives Building and  is free to the public.  Call (919)807-7310 to register and reserve your seat.

Confederate veterans. Photo courtesy of the NC State Archives.
 

Historians are taking another look at the number of North Carolina soldiers who died in the Civil War. Research historian Josh Howard heads the North Carolina Civil War Death Study at the NC Office of Archives and History. He has looked though official military records, but also the records of hospitals, cemeteries, churches, prisoner of war camps, pensions, and census, as well as newspaper accounts and diaries to determine deaths among the state's Confederate and Union units.

He found that traditional counts did not include African American and white North Carolinians who died serving the Union army.

Howard will give a lunchtime lecture on July 27 at the NC Museum of History, discussing his research and sharing interesting stories of the soldiers' experiences. The program, called Recounting Civil War Sacrifices, is part of the museum's History a la Carte series. It starts at 12:10 and is free to the public.

Confederate soldiers who fought in the Battle of Bentonville and died in the care of the Harper family will receive permanent grave markers at a ceremony Saturday. Assistant State Archaeologist John Mintz headed the team of archaeologists and historians who discovered the location of the graves and will give a presentation on the project. Other activities during the day include artillery demonstrations and a re-enactment of life in camp.

Derrick Brown, an assistant manager at the site, told WUNC radio that all of the headstones say "unknown soldier" since they have not identified who was buried on the site.

The ceremony dedication will take place at 2 p.m.

As part of National Preservation Week, the American Library Association is offering free online training right in the comfort of your own Internet browser. Tomorrow at 2 p.m. Bill LeFurgy, Digital Initiatives Manager for the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program at the Library of Congress, will present a one-hour webinar on Preserving Your Personal Digital Memories. The program is free and requires no previous knowledge of preservation. Go here to register.

Here's what you'll be learning:

Digital photos, electronic documents, and other new media are fragile and require special care to keep them useable. But preserving digital information is a new concept that most people have little experience with. As new technologies appear for creating and saving our personal digital information, older ones become obsolete, making it difficult to access older content. Learn about the nature of the problem and hear about some simple, practical tips and tools to help you keep your digital memories safe.

UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication associate professor Frank Fee spoke last week at Wilson Library about the development and struggles of news and newspapers during the civil war. He describes the evolution of communication during this time and the role played by newpapers and journalists.

This talk was in conjunction with the library's exhibit Home Front on the Hill: Chapel Hill and the University during the Civil War. The exhibit will be on view through May 8 in the Melba Remig Saltarelli Exhibit Room on the third floor of Wilson Library.