Not sure if this is any of your surnames, but, got this in email this morning about a new book in the NC Archives. And this is a great resource, I have ordered several books from them (makes good gifts).
NEW BOOK ON HAYES PLANTATION IN CHOWAN COUNTY
In the nineteenth century Hayes Plantation in Chowan County, east of Edenton, featured as its focal point a distinctive home that became famous throughout North Carolina. The house, designed by British architect William Nichols, was built by James Cathcart Johnston (1782-1865), one of the state’s most innovative and prosperous planters. A handsome new book published by the N.C. Office of Archives and History describes life at Hayes Plantation and discusses the Johnston and Wood families who have lived there.
Written by John G. Zehmer Jr., “Hayes: The Plantation, Its People, and Their Papers” contains extensive excerpts from James Cathcart Johnston’s correspondence and other papers in the Hayes Collection housed in the Southern Historical Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill. Other revealing first-person sources include portions of letters of the Johnston and Wood families and letters and reports from slaves and freed persons.
Excerpts from James C. Johnston’s papers shed light on slavery practices on his plantations. Among other topics explored are Johnston’s intense interest in new farming techniques, his admiration for Henry Clay, his monetary generosity to various family members, and genealogical information about the Johnstons, the Woods, and related families. Of particular interest is a chapter about James C. Johnston’s contested will in which he left his vast landholdings to three friends rather than to family members and about the sensational trial that upheld the will.
“Hayes: The Plantation, Its People, and Their Papers” is a fascinating portrayal of a handsome, timeless house and of the people associated with it. The volume is lavishly illustrated with striking pictures, many in color by photographer John O. Peters, of the interior and exterior of the house and of those people connected with Hayes. It will appeal to local and state historians, architectural historians, genealogists, and anyone interested in the Albemarle region of North Carolina during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
http://store.yahoo.com/nc-historical-publications/.
Becky
