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This blog was written by Sydney Carroll, archivist of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

*sensitive content warning*

“You’ve found answers in four days that I couldn’t find in forty years. You did more than research...you found my family. We gave them back the stories that were stolen from them.” 

Hidden inside the census, slave schedules, deeds, and vital records, Kevin Graham finally learned where he came from. It was not as simple to trace his lineage as one would think, given the intentional erasure of Black names in American historical records. 

Kevin called the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room to find answers he had been searching for over the past 40 years. He hoped to link his maternal third great grandfather, Wesley Shipp (1817-1875), to white plantation owner, Bartlett Shipp (1786-1869). Kevin believed that Wesley (or possibly Wesley’s parents) was the first Black Shipp but could not find the records to prove it. 

He also wanted to link his paternal great grandfather, George Graham (1840-c1910), and great grandmother, Violet Luckey Graham (1840-c1910), to Elmwood Plantation. Both the Shipp and Graham families (Black and white) have roots in Lincoln County, North Carolina. 

To put it simply, Black genealogy is a beast. It is not only difficult to conduct genealogical research due to the lack of historical records for Black Americans, but it is also an emotional road to travel. Many times, the traumatic reminder of slavery is woven into their DNA, resulting in more questions than answers. 

With the assistance of Sydney Carroll, archivist of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Kevin said that together we “made cracks in the brick wall” he hit after decades of searching for answers. Laughing, he described his ancestry as a “family bush” instead of a family tree because his lineage is wider than it is tall. After all that time and trauma, it would be understandable to hold some anger and resentment. But Kevin explained that, “There’s no hard feelings. I just want to know.” 

WESLEY SHIPP | The First Black Shipp?  

Accidental Discoveries 

Kevin first inquired if his third great-grandfather, Wesley, was the first Black Shipp. In the initial stages of researching the Shipp line, we did not find concrete, historical evidence to support this theory. However, while conducting historical property research on Wesley's white enslaver, Bartlett Shipp, we “accidentally” discovered a deed dated April 10, 1852, that specifically named Wesley, his wife, Winnie Abernathy Shipp (1820-1905), and five of their children for sale to pay off his debts to his father-in-law, Peter Forney (1756-1834). [1] 

 

Lincoln County, North Carolina Register of Deeds, Deed Book 42:204 

 

It is unclear when Bartlett Shipp first enslaved Wesley, but census records and deeds indicate that it could have been as early as 1822 after purchasing 249.5 acres of land from Peter Forney to build his estate, The Home Place. [2] At this time, Wesley would only be about five years old, so it is possible that Bartlett’s intention was to enslave his mother and/or father and bought Wesley along with them. It is also possible that Bartlett purchased Wesley later in life as a young adult. 

Bartlett was born in 1786 in Stokes County but moved to Lincoln County to study law under Joseph Wilson, making him the first Shipp in Lincoln County. These discoveries lead us to believe that Wesley or his mother/father were the first Black Shipps. 

 

Winnie Abernathy Shipp (1820-1905). Courtesy of Ancestry.com 

We are still unsure when Winnie, Wesley’s wife, became enslaved at the Shipp plantation. It is possible that the Abernathy family first enslaved Winnie since her son’s death certificate listed “Abernathy” as her maiden name.  

 

 

Death Certificate for Joe Shipp, June 29, 1928. [3] 

Several public family trees on Ancestry list Turner Abernathy (1763-1845), a white farmer, as her father, but no documentation exists to prove it. Turner married Susannah Marie Forney (1767-1850) in 1784, so it is also possible that the Forney family enslaved Winnie and/or her mother, and later sold her to Turner. Or, Turner enslaved Winnie’s mother, whom he raped and impregnated, resulting in the birth of Winnie. This theory would explain why Winnie and her children are described as “mulatto” in the 1870 census. Enumerators assigned “mulatto” to individuals who had mixed Black and white ancestry, a result of the horrendous acts against enslaved Black women by their enslavers.  

Clues in the Census 

Census records that predate 1850 only include the head of household’s name and the number of people ("free white,” “free colored,” or “slave”) living in the household. Similarly, “slave schedules” recorded enslaved individuals separately during the 1850 and 1860 census. Most schedules do not record the enslaved person’s name, but include information relating to their age, gender, and “color.” Below is a general outline of the 1830-1860 census records for Bartlett Shipp: 

• 1830 census-1 male aged 10-23 (Wesley, age 13); 4 females aged 10-23 (Winnie, age 10) [4] 

• 1840 census-7 males aged 10-23 (Wesley, age 23); 6 females aged 10-23 (Winnie, age 20) [5] 

• 1850 slave schedule-1 male aged 33; closest female is aged 26 [6] 

• 1860 slave schedule-0 male aged 43; 0 female aged 40* [7] 

*According to the deed, Bartlett Shipp sold Wesley, Winnie, and their five children in 1852, so this data verifies that they were no longer enslaved by Bartlett in 1860. 

Unfortunately, early census records require genealogists to infer as to whether the person of interest is included in the stated age range or not. Because of the deed that mentions Wesley and Winnie by name, we have definitive evidence of their enslavement by Bartlett Shipp in 1852. 

 

 

Wesley, Winnie, and their children in the 1870 Census [8] 

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that “all persons held as slaves [in the rebellious states] are, and henceforth shall be free.” [9] 

Wesley appears as a “free” man in the 1870 census with Winnie and nine of their children. They lived in Catawba Springs Township, which is about 14 miles from where the Shipp plantation once existed. No other Black Shipp families lived nearby until the 1900 census, when we saw Winnie’s son, William Shipp, and granddaughters, Mary and Agnes Caldwell, living with her in the house she owned. 

Life On The Home Place 

 

Rural Delivery Routes Map, Lincoln County, North Carolina, 1851. [10] 

 

Wesley, Winnie, and their children were enslaved on the Shipp plantation, known to the family and community as “The Home Place.” [11] In August 1822, Bartlett purchased 249.5 acres of land from his father-in-law, Peter Forney, for $1,000 (area circled in red). [12] There is evidence that this is the same land that Bartlett built The Home Place, but there is no definitive evidence due to long lost boundary descriptions written into the deed, such as “the fish trap.” [13] 

Wesley's family likely farmed cotton at The Home Place, but the Lincoln Courier also suggested that the land had “a quantity of gold, as well as iron.” [14] 

“I wanted to know that all of my ancestors made a difference,” Kevin explained. “It strengthens me to know what my ancestors went through. Someone had to survive the boat ride, stay chained up, not risk their life running. My people had to survive Jim Crow, redlining, and the Civil Rights Movement. If they didn’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” 

GEORGE AND VIOLET GRAHAM | Life at Elmwood Plantation  

“I saw George on Zennie’s death certificate. My grandfather was born in 1876, so it wasn’t a reach to think that [his father] could have been enslaved...I googled “Graham Plantation,” which is when I learned about Elmwood Plantation.” 

In addition to researching his maternal line, Kevin also asked for help in linking his great grandfather, George Graham, on his paternal line to Elmwood Plantation. White plantation owner John Davidson Graham (1789-1847) built the Graham House, also known as Riverview, between 1825-1828 with the use of forced labor of those he enslaved. [15] Elmwood Plantation sat on 1,200 acres of land near the end of present-day Ranger Island Road in Lincoln County. [16] 

We began our research by reading John Davidson Graham’s will dated 1847, where we found George listed by name on the second page. John bequeathed George to his son, Robert Clay Graham. At that time, George was 7-10 years old. 

The 1870 census was the first census that recorded the formerly enslaved as people instead of property. In this census, George is listed as a farm laborer married to Violet Luckey Graham, with whom he shared a 3-year-old daughter named Lizzie. 

"The success of Elmwood made the plantation owners prideful and boastful, which gave them the desire to preserve historical documentation to cement their legacy. Thus, it has given me a small glimpse into mine, and for that reason I am thankful and blessed.” 

The 1900 census states they had been married for 38 years. [17] This means that George and Violet were married in 1862, three years before slavery’s end was enforceable by Union troops in the south. This ties Violet to the Graham family through her marriage to George while he was still enslaved by Robert Clay Graham. [18] If Violet was not enslaved by the Graham family before her marriage to George, the year 1862 is when her (and likely her mother's) connection to Elmwood Plantation began. 

On old censuses, enumerators went door to door, so now, present-day researchers can get an idea of neighboring families by looking at who was listed above or below them on the census record. A few rows above George and Violet is Clay Graham--presumably, Robert Clay Graham, son of John Davidson Graham--who is listed as a farmer. 

“Because of you I met George, his father, his mother. Violet and her mother. Their children... [Violet and George] are still family names. It matters. The small details matter.” 

In Clay's household, a 60-year-old Black woman named Lizzie Luckey was listed as a domestic servant--an interesting coincidence that George and Violet's daughter's name was Lizzie, and that Lizzie's (the older Black woman) last name was Luckey, which matched Violet's maiden name. 

The 1880 census shows an Elizabeth Alexander, described as the mother-in-law to the head of the household, living with George, Violet, and their children. [19] This finding confirmed that the Lizzie Luckey on the 1870 census in Clay's household was, in fact, Violet's mother. We believe that Alexander was Lizzie’s maiden name because she was born in Maryland, which is where the well-known Alexander family of Charlotte migrated from in the mid- to late- 18th century. 

“I reached the pinnacle. I’m on the mountain top. I am a unicorn. Only 3% of African Americans can trace their lineage back to Africa. I found my way home. I am an American, but now I know the road of how I got here.” 

As if he could not be more excited about our findings, we discovered that, according to the 1880 census, George’s father was born in Africa. [20] This is an extremely rare find, as only a small percentage of Black genealogists can trace their lineage directly to Africa. 

SHIPP’S LANE AND GRAHAM ROAD | Intersection of Family History 

“One of the white Graham descendants wanted to talk to my aunt, but the trauma was still so fresh that she couldn’t. Aunt Zannie worked in the same field that George probably worked in.” 

 

 

Maps of land surrounding Elmwood Plantation [21] [22] 

 

Shipp’s Lane and Graham Road intersect near the original location of Elmwood Plantation, before Duke Power Company dammed the Catawba River to create Lake Norman. “Grandma Ida lived on Shipp’s Lane and our church was off Graham Road. I connected the two in my head knowing that my people were probably enslaved.” He continued, “It’s amazing that I see Graham Road and it means something to me. I see the name ’Shipp’ with two p’s and it means something to me.” 

Bartlett Shipp’s plantation, The Home Place, sat approximately 7 miles away from this intersection, but he and his descendants owned quite a bit of land throughout Lincoln County. “It’s a puzzle that I didn’t even know connected,” Kevin said with disbelief. 

“We may have gotten our freedom in 1863, but I grew up going to church down the street from where our enslavers went. So really, I was still on their land.” 

Every Sunday morning as a child, Kevin and his family drove past Graham Road on their way to Ebenezer United Methodist Church. Kevin’s father, Zemerie, helped construct the new building, but Kevin recalls the “old white building” and cemetery across the street, where many of his family members are buried. 

Ebenezer is located less than one mile from Unity Presbyterian Church, the church that John Davidson Graham and his family attended and are buried at. It is possible that Kevin’s enslaved ancestors also attended Unity, as people who were enslaved were permitted to sit in a designated area in the back pews. 

 

 

Wendell (brother) and his mother, Vaneva Shipp Graham, at Camp Meeting, c1962 

“People say it’s been a long time, but it hasn’t really been much time at all. My father sharecropped. My mother picked cotton. I lived through the modern Civil Rights Movement. I was living and breathing as they were marching. Compared to them, I live my life with no limitations.” 

THE GRAHAMS OF TODAY | Living in the Legacy 

This We’ll Defend:

 

Kevin at Fort Jackson during Family Day, c2016 

George’s ancestors spent most of their lives defending the country that legally enslaved them just two generations before. Kevin, his older brother, his father, and his five uncles all proudly served in the United States Army. “I served for 27 years, 9 months, and 8 days.” He continued, laughing, “but who’s counting? It was an honor.” Kevin retired from the Army as a Sergeant First Class. 

 

 

Zemerie Graham, Private First Class, 1942 

“My father, Zemerie, achieved [military] awards higher than when I served. At the time, a colored man in the United States Army received awards higher than I received in 27 years of service, but he never got promoted based on color of his skin.” 

“My father had different rights as a Black man in America than I have as a Black man in America. My father was better at everything he did. I benefit from the changes he made. My father was so patriotic. The way he loved his country, and I understand why. That’s why I love this country.” 

 

Kevin serving in Tikrit, Iraq, c2005 

Kevin continued, “People called my father “Little Soldier,” and he called my brother that too. Our family is known for service. We truly love this country. None of what I’ve learned takes away from that--it actually adds to it. George was a hard worker and had dreams of being free.” 

Tucker’s Grove Camp Meeting Ground 

 

Kevin and his family at Camp Meeting, c1967  

Left to right: Stephen (brother), Zemerie (father), Wendell (brother), Andreá (sister), and Kevin 

Founded in the first half of the 19th century by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Tucker’s Grove Camp Meeting served as a religious site for the spiritual crusade and renewal of the enslaved population. Camp meetings continued “after the abolition of slavery and has been operating continuously since 1876 as an A.M.E. Zion camp meeting site.” [23] Wesley, Winnie, George, and Violet may have attended a camp meeting in their lifetime. We can only wonder if their paths crossed. 

 

“I wanted my daughters to connect with their ancestors. The ground is the same. My people walked on this ground. My people sat on these benches.” 

Kevin carries this tradition from his ancestors and passes it down to his daughters. Each August he attends “Big Sunday” with his family for fellowship and worship among the Black Christian community. “[We have] the ability to have conversations about the past. And that means the world to me. You can acknowledge that there is still pain but find that the truth is enriching.” 

DNA Testing 

“My family left breadcrumbs all over for me to make a connection back home. My life is full of that.” 

 

Ethnicity Estimate breakdown, courtesy of Ancestry.com 

“I’ve had three separate strangers think I was Nigerian until they heard me speak. So whatever George had [from his father] is still very present. I still carry it. My ancestors are smiling down on me.” Kevin received the DNA test results above in July 2022, which confirms that those three strangers were right—he does, in fact, have quite a bit of Nigerian DNA. 

 

Ethnicity Estimate map, courtesy of Ancestry.com 

All of Kevin's African genes stem from the "Slave Coast” of West Africa, which is common for people who have enslaved ancestors. His DNA Community profile on Ancestry reveals that his ancestors lived in Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas, all confirmed by what we saw on census and vital records. 

Interestingly, Kevin has an estimated 13% European ancestry. Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., widely known for his show “Finding Your Roots” on PBS, explains that “...racial purity is one more corroboration that the social categories of ‘white’ and ‘black’ are and always have been more porous than can be imagined, especially in that nether world called slavery.” [24] 

 

 

Ethnicity Inheritance Chart, courtesy of Ancestry.com 

(Red-Ireland; Orange-Sweden and Denmark; Purple-Scotland) 

“Well, our DNA proclaims loudly that we are a European people, a multicultural people, a people black as well as white. You might think of us as an Afro-Mulatto people, our genes recombined in that test tube called slavery.”  -Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 

Dr. Gates further explains that “58% of African American people, according to geneticist Mark Shriver at Morehouse College, possess at least 12.5% European ancestry.” [25] This ancestry comes from the result of a white enslaver raping and impregnating a Black female they enslaved—genes that are henceforth passed down from generation to generation. 

We saw evidence of this atrocity while researching Winnie Shipp, who was described as “mulatto” along with her children in the 1870 census. The ethnicity inheritance chart above shows that European ancestry exists on Kevin’s paternal line as well. 

Final Thoughts | No More Rabbit Holes 

“They were living, breathing, loving humans. But back then, slaves were seen as an afterthought. You made them living, breathing, loving humans again. Thank you.” 

The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room policy for reference questions limits staff research time to two hours per patron. Admittedly, I spent more than two hours working with Kevin researching his family history. In fact, he made me promise to not go down any more rabbit holes. 

As mentioned before, Black genealogy is a beast. Kevin faced tough questions and even tougher answers. Because of his courage to learn these truths, future generations of his family will now carry a piece of Wesley and Winnie Shipp, and George and Violet Graham with them forevermore. 

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The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room’s historical and genealogical collections heavily focuses on local and regional materials, providing access to family histories, county and state records, wills, land and vital records, war records, and Ancestry Library Edition. Although Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has access to genealogical databases at every branch, do not hesitate to contact the Carolina Room and speak with our genealogy experts. 

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Citations 

[1] Lincoln County, North Carolina Register of Deeds. Deed Book 42:204. 

[2] Lincoln County, North Carolina Register of Deeds. Deed Book 42:628. 

[3] Ancestry.com, North Carolina, U.S., Deaths, 1906-1930 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. 

[4] Year: 1830; Census Place: Lincoln, North Carolina; Series: M19; Roll: 122; Page: 206; Family History Library Film: 0018088 

[5] Year: 1840; Census Place: Lower Regiment, Lincoln, North Carolina; Roll: 364; Family History Library Film: 0018095 

[6] The National Archive in Washington DC; Washington, DC; NARA Microform Publication: M432; Title: Seventh Census Of The United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29 

[7] The National Archives in Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Eighth Census of the United States 1860; Series Number: M653; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29 

[8] Year: 1870; Census Place: Catawba Springs, Lincoln, North Carolina; Roll: M593_1146; Page: 136A 

[9] National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), "The Emancipation Proclamation, NARA, Revised 2022-01-28, https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation 

[10] United States, Post Office Department. Rural delivery routes, Lincoln County, N.C. [Map]. 1:63,360, Washington, D.C.: Post Office Dept., c1910s. https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id/1799/rec/8 

[11] Lincoln County, North Carolina Register of Deeds. Deed Book 49:99-100. 

[12] Lincoln County, North Carolina Register of Deeds. Deed Book 42:628. 

[13] Foard, Davyd Hood. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Mount Welcome. Prepared January 28, 1991. Accessed July 2022. http://www.lincolncounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/14623/Mount-Welcome?bidId= 

[14] "Lincolnton; Thursday, March 30, 1848." Lincoln Courier (Lincoln County, North Carolina), Mar. 30, 1848. 

[15] Fortenberry, Ken. “Historic Elmwood Plantation.” Lincoln County North Carolina History Facebook Group, 2010. https://www.facebook.com/750601628308901/photos/historic-elmwood-plantation-2010-by-ken-h-fortenberry-although-some-beautiful-mi/772012112834519/?_rdr  

[16] Ibid. 

[17] Year: 1870; Census Place: Catawba Springs, Lincoln, North Carolina; Roll: M593_1146; Page: 157B 

[18] Year: 1900; Census Place: Catawba Springs, Lincoln, North Carolina; Roll: 1203; Page: 6; Enumeration District: 0105; FHL microfilm: 1241203 

[19] Year: 1880; Census Place: Catawba Springs, Lincoln, North Carolina; Roll: 970; Page: 257B; Enumeration District: 100 

[20] Ibid. 

[21] Burke, R.T. Avon, W. Edward Hearn, and Lonn Leland Brinkley. Soil Map, North Carolina, Lincoln County [map]. 1:62,500. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1914. https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ncmaps/id/297/rec/10 

[22] Google Maps, 2022. 

[23] Survey and Planning Unity Staff, State Department of Archives and History. National Register of Historic Places, Tucker's Grove Camp Meeting Ground. Prepared Feb. 17, 1972. https://www.lincolncounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/14649/Tuckers-Grove-Camp-Meeting-Ground 

[24] Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. "Michelle's Great-Great Great-Grandaddy--and Yours." History News Network. Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, The George Washington University, Published Oct. 8, 2009. https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/118292 

[25] Ibid. 

Bibliography  

Davidson College Archive and Special Collections. "Elm Wood (Graham) Plantation." Under Lake Norman. Published 2015. Accessed July 2022. https://davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org/archives/community/under-lkn/elm-wood 

Sherrill, William. Annals of Lincoln County North Carolina. Charlotte, NC: The Observer Printing House, Inc., 1937. (NCR 975.61 L56 S55a) 

York, Maurice C. Our Enduring Past: A Survey of 235 Years of Life and Architecture in Lincoln County, North Carolina. Lincolnton, NC: Lincoln County Historic Properties Commission, 1986. (NCR 975.61 L56 B87m) 

 

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As a native Virginian I quickly learned that barbecue (BBQ) is the root of disagreement in the Carolinas. There are endless "rights and wrongs” to BBQ preparation, sauce, how the meat is smoked, what side dishes to serve... the list goes on. 

It’s a fascinating discussion that all Carolinians should contribute to. Keep reading to learn more about all things carolina BBQ.

How did BBQ find its way to the Carolinas?

BBQ was “discovered” in North Carolina in the late 16th century by Sir Walter Raleigh. In 1585, Raleigh sent men to the coast of present-day North Carolina. While there, John White sketched Croatan Indians “broyling their fishe over the flame—they took great heed that they bee not burnt”. What White witnessed was the Croatans using a “barbacoa”, a framework of sticks that supported meat over a fire. Barbacoas were used by the Spanish in the Caribbean after they saw locals using the contraption to smoke their meat.

Photo courtesy of Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue

 

Historians believe that German settlers who traveled via Great Wagon Road during the mid-to-late 18th century from Pennsylvania influenced the style of barbecue in the North Carolina Piedmont region. Catawba College history professor, Gary Freeze, developed this theory on the basis that Pennsylvania Germans barbecued the shoulder of the pig and braised it in a fruit-flavored liquid similar to the Lexington style North Carolinians pride themselves on today. Freeze further argues that early prominent barbecue-ers had German names (e.g., Weaver, Ridenhour, Swicegood) and that some of the Piedmont’s earliest barbecuing occurred in German cotton-mill villages.

 

North Carolina: Home to the “Original” BBQ Recipe

 

According to Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue, BBQ in North Carolina must meet these three qualifications:

1. The meat must be barbecued, meaning cooked at a low temperature for a long time with heat and smoke flavoring the meat from a fire of hardwood and/or hardwood coals.

2. The meat must be pork (whole hog, shoulder, or occasionally ham).

3. The meat is always served with a thin vinegar-based sauce.

Photo courtesy of Chairgatin

 

There are two main styles of BBQ in North Carolina—Eastern and Lexington (“Piedmont”). Eastern-style BBQ uses the whole-hog (“every part of the hog but the squeal”) with a lemon juice or vinegar, pepper-based sauce. Eastern style incorporates zero tomatoes in its recipe. Food critics are careful to say it is the “truest” form of BBQ, but many refer to Eastern-style as the “original” recipe [Our State article].  

Piedmont-style became popular in the World War I era and uses meat from the pork shoulder with a vinegar, ketchup and spice-based sauce. Five men of German descent are credited with the adaptation of the Eastern-style recipe. 

Sauce is another point of contention in North Carolina. The ingredients for the standard North Carolina BBQ sauce vary from family to family, but the “official” recipe is along the lines of this description found in Martha McCulloch-Williams' recollections:

“Two pounds of sweet lard, melted in a brass kettle, with one pound beaten, 

not ground, pepper a pint of small fiery red peppers, nubbed and stewed soft 

in water to barely cover, a spoonful of herbs in powder- he would never tell 

what they were [of course!],  -- and a quart and pint of the strongest apple 

vinegar, with a little salt.” -Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue

 

South Carolina: Home to the Four Sauces 

South Carolina also believes that barbecue was “founded” in the Palmetto State, so  we will never truly know which Carolina barbecue calls home. We do know that South Carolina features all four sauces throughout the state, a trait they pride themselves on. 

 

Photo courtesy of Discover South Carolina

1) Mustard: Found throughout the midland part of the state toward the lower coastline. Distinct tasting sauce traced back to German settlers.

2) Heavy Tomato: Found in the western and northwestern part of the state. Popularly known and sold in grocery stores (Kraft, Sweet Baby Rays, etc.) 

3) Light Tomato: Found in the Pee Dee and upper part of the state. A light mix of the vinegar/pepper sauce with ketchup or tomato added. 

4) Vinegar + Pepper: Found along the coast. Spicy vinegar and pepper sauce.

Photo courtesy of Charleston City Paper. 

So, what’s up with the tomatoes, and why is there so much controversy around adding them to BBQ sauce? South Carolina farmers began growing “love apples” in the 18th century and food historians believe that German settlers began to add ketchup to the Eastern-style BBQ. The addition of the sugary ketchup made the BBQ recipes closer to the sweet-sour taste that is common in German cooking.  

The only thing both Carolinas agree on? The meat must be smoked. 

“You can put barbecue sauce on it and call it barbecue. You can 

cook it in a Crock-Pot and put sauce on it and call it barbecue. But

 it’s not. Now, I get chastised on that all the time—about being 

old-school and a purist and all that. All I’m saying is, there’s a totally 

different flavor when you’ve got the fat of that meat dripping onto 

live coals. The smoke it creates to season that pig—that makes 

the difference.” -Jim Early, Charlotte Magazine 

We know that Carolinians eat BBQ, but how do we celebrate the dish?  

Photo courtesy of Lexington Barbecue Festival, 2019. 

The Carolinas celebrate BBQ big time. Lexington, North Carolina throws a huge BBQ Festival every October. Lexington felt so strongly about hosting the official BBQ festival that they even submitted a House Bill to the General Assembly in 2005. Two days later, the bill was approved and the Lexington Barbecue Festival was adopted as the state’s official BBQ festival. South Carolina also celebrates BBQ with a variety of festivals.  



If you want to decide if North Carolina or South Carolina BBQ is supreme, take a long drive along the Historic BBQ trails. You can always use the Carolina Room’s cookbooks to find mouthwatering BBQ recipes to try at home, too! 

 

This blog was written by Sydney Carroll, archivist in the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room at Main Library.

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References 

Garner, Bob. “Bob Garner’s Book of Barbecue: North Carolina’s Favorite Food.” Winston-Salem, NC: John F. Blair, 2012. 

Garner, Bob. “North Carolina Barbecue: Flavored by time.” Winston-Salem, NC: John F. Blair, 1996. 

Lacour, Greg. “What’s Our Barbecue Story?” Charlotte Magazine. June 2019. Accessed August 2019. http://www.charlottemagazine.com/Charlotte-Magazine/June-2019/Our-Barbecue-Story/  

Quine, Katie. “Why Are There Two Styles of NC Barbecue?” Our State. May 2015. Accessed August 2019. https://www.ourstate.com/nc-barbecue-styles/ 

Reed, John Shelton. “Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue.” The University of North Carolina Press, 2008.  



"South Carolina Barbecue.” Discover South Carolina. https://discoversouthcarolina.com/barbecue

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The Census: What is it?

The U.S. Constitution empowers the Congress to carry out the census (Article I, Section 2). The Founders of our fledgling nation had a bold and ambitious plan to empower the people over their new government. The plan was to count every person living in the newly created United States of America, and to use that count to determine representation in the Congress.

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/2020-census/about/what-is.html

Why does the United States Government depend on an accurate Census? Why is that important to You and Your Community?

Federal funds, grants and support to states, counties and communities are based on population totals and breakdowns by sex, age, race and other factors. Your community benefits the most when the census counts everyone. When you respond to the census, you help your community gets its fair share of the more than $675 billion per year in federal funds spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs.

Businesses use census data to decide where to build factories, offices and stores, and this creates jobs. Developers use the census to build new homes and revitalize old neighborhoods. Local governments use the census for public safety and emergency preparedness. Residents use the census to support community initiatives involving legislation, quality-of-life and consumer advocacy.

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/2020-census/about/why.html

What is the state of North Carolina doing to plan for Census 2020?

Several organizations within North Carolina are providing educational resources and other assistance to encourage every person in North Carolina to be counted.

https://census.nc.gov/

https://www.nccensus.org/

 

What efforts are being made in Mecklenburg County to make sure every one of us is counted?

Mecklenburg County has several Complete Count Committees which work with local stakeholders and media to educate the public about Census 2020, encourage participation, and facilitate survey access, particularly among traditionally hard-to-count populations.

MeckCounts2020.com

 

Jobs are available through the United States Census Bureau. Apply Now!

https://www.mecknc.gov/CountyManagersOffice/MeckCounts2020/Pages/Census-Jobs.aspx

 

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Title: Your next (or first) novel starts here

Getting into the independent publishing or self-publishing world can be intimidating. Some writers struggle with the internal conflict of loving their work but questioning its validity. With a growing indie author community and increased demand for books from indie publishers, libraries continue to look for ways to work with authors to provide resources and services for aspiring authors.

No matter where you are in your writing journey, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has programs, resources and services available to help you along the way.

Celebrate Indie Author Day at the Brooklyn Collective

Join Charlotte Mecklenburg Library as we celebrate Indie Author Day, when libraries and organizations around the world welcome local indie authors, writers and their communities in for a day of education, networking, writing, open mics, panels and much more.

Indie Author Day combines the best of libraries: books and people. This FREE Library program will take place Saturday, October 12 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. The location, and a brief itinerary, are as follows:

Location

Brooklyn Collective

229 S Brevard St, Charlotte, NC 28202

Schedule

10 a.m. | Coffee + Networking

11 a.m. | Keynote Address by Mark Peres

11:15 a.m. | Writing/Publishing Panel

12 p.m. | Snacks + Networking

 

Writing/Publishing  PANEL

Marisa Wesley | Cover Art, Cover Me Darling

Marisa has worked with everyone from New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Authors, to first time Indie Authors. She has won multiple awards for her Book Cover Design work.

 

 

Debra Funderburk | Publisher and Agent

Debra Funderburk is an author, publisher and an author’s business coach. She also spearheads a local writer’s group. With an extensive background in sales, accounting and business development, those skills allow her to think outside the box and create a platform for an author’s success.

 

 

 

Dawn Michelle Hardy |Agent and Publicist, Dream Relations PR & Literary Consulting

Dawn Michelle Hardy, President of Dream Relations, PR & Literary Consulting Agency has been described as a ““literary lobbyist” by Ebony magazine for her ability to help authors reach their readership using strategic and creative promotions, award recognition, along with national and local media attention.

 

Local Writing Organizations available for networking:

Charlotte Lit: Charlotte Lit is a nonprofit arts center dedicated to elevating and celebrating the literary arts in our community.  https://www.charlottelit.org/

Sistories: We seek to amplify the narratives of Charlotte’s Black women and femmes by publishing their work both digitally and in print.  https://www.sistories.org/

Charlotte Writer’s Club: Charlotte Writers’ Club supports the work of writers and promotes their development through education, recognition, and community in celebration of the written word. https://charlottewritersclub.org/home

Planning to join us at the Brooklyn Collective for Indie Author Day festivities? Register here.

Join a writing group

Many library locations have regular writing groups that are open to new members. Some involve writing as a group around a topic or prompt, and some are critique-style groups where writing is submitted ahead of time.

One group, Write Like You Mean It, meets at Main Library every Thursday from 10-11:30 a.m. This group explores different styles of writing in a fun and comfortable environment, and is open to anyone who is ready to write. Both beginners and experienced writers are welcome.  Join Write Like You Mean It, or find a writing group at the following library locations:

• Beatties Ford Road Regional Library 
• Independence Regional Library 
• Main Library 
• Matthews Library 
• Mint Hill Library 
• Morrison Regional Library 
• Mountain Island Library 
• South County Regional Library
• Steele Creek Library

Click here to find the Library’s full CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

Check out a book or two

Take home some writing inspiration with these books and magazines available in the Library’s catalog:

BOOKS

Writing Alone and With Others by Pat Schneider

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg 

The Right to Write by Julia Cameron 

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott 

Spinning Words into Gold by Maureen Ryan Griffin 

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury 

On Writing by Stephen King

MAGAZINES

Poets & Writers

Writer’s Digest 

LIBRARY CATALOG 

Take courses online (for free) with your library card

The Library offers many online courses you can take that focus on creative writing. Find these and many other resources on cmlibrary.org/resources.

Lynda.com

Writing- The Craft of Story

The Foundations of Fiction

Ninja Writing-The Four Levels of Mastery

Universal Class

Creative Writing

Novel Writing

Memoir & Poetry

Got a library card?

If not, get started with the application now. Your next novel starts here!

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It’s no secret children love the Library. From their first Storytime experience to attending puppet shows, participating in science demonstrations or meeting their favorite book illustrator, these are highlights they’re eager to share with friends and family. Perhaps what most excites children these days is taking an armful of books to the self-checkout stand, placing the stack on the mat and watching as the books automatically register with their RFID tags into their library card account.

Then what happens is children’s use of the library changes. It evolves to checking out chapter books, then young adult books, to using tutoring or study programs and then, eventually, to finding a quiet space to cram for finals or write a term paper.

As children grow into adults, it’s a common trend that Library use diminishes. College, career and maybe even that need to explore something outside the familiar takes over. However, everything comes full circle when adults start a family and return to the Library with their children to attend storytimes, checkout picture books and maybe even find respite in a quiet corner while their children are pre-occupied.

This is almost the same pattern Ailen Arreaza found herself following. A Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board of Trustee member, Ailen emigrated from Cuba with her family when she was a child. When they settled in Charlotte, the Library was the first welcoming place she found. Ailen immediately loved the Library and spent most of her time at the University City Regional Library. Not only was it a safe space, it also provided her a place where she could feel independent, explore new worlds through her love of reading and also spend time with her younger brother.

Now married with children, Ailen wants her children, ten-year-old Lucas and seven-year-old Paulo, to have the same experiences she did. She wants them to discover all there is to explore, learn and do at the Library.

“We’ve spent a lot of time at ImaginOn when my boys were younger,” Ailen says. “The exhibits, programs and toys kept us entertained. Now that they’re older, our use has changed and their love for the Library has moved from storytimes and expanded into reading.” The family calls the Sugar Creek Library their home branch.

This past summer, Ailen’s family took an extended vacation overseas. Before departing, her sons loaded up their electronic devices with e-books. “Lucas puts in his own requests for items on hold and downloaded his books by himself. He has a ONE Access card through Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and knows his ID number by heart. This allowed him to access more materials and the digital resources remotely while we were outside the States,” says Ailen. (ONE Access™ is a program that provides students the ability to check out books to take home for schoolwork and to read for pleasure using their student ID as their Library card number. All CMS students are automatically enrolled in this program and additional charter schools and colleges also participate. See cmlibrary.org/oneaccess for more information).

Ailen’s children aren’t the only ones thankful for their Library card. Aileen’s husband, Tony, learned that by having a Library card he could rent a hotspot for a nominal fee to use for his business, Carlotan Talents. In 2018, he signed up for his first Library card. Using the hotspot allowed him to support his business activities with online financial transactions at remote locations. “I didn’t even know the Library offered this resource, so this was a great discovery. And it seems like every day we find out more and more of what the Library offers. I’m so amazed by it all,” says Ailen.

Ailen is not nearly finished exploring the Library, though. She has a list of what she wants to do next:

1. Visit the IdeaBox, the Makerspace at Main Library with its 3-D printer
2. Explore teen opportunities, especially since Lucas is only a few years away from this age group
3. Research Charlotte’s history in the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room at Main Library
4. Attend a program hosted by Dr. Tom Hanchett, the Library’s first Historian-in-Residence

Even though she already commits up to 12 hours a month serving on the Library’s governing board, Ailen is a staunch advocate whenever she can be. Recently she took a family, that emigrated from Venezuela, to the Library where she knew there would be a large collection of books in Spanish they could use. Additionally, she’s going to tell them about the Mango Languages resource – a free language-learning software with over 70 world language courses and over 17 ESL/ELL courses. Mango is user-friendly and features an engaging user interface, voice comparison, fresh design, foreign language films and cultural anecdotes.

“The Library is truly a great equalizer,” says Ailen. “This is the connecting place where the community can come together. Everyone should have a Library card and discover all the possibilities.”

Ailen Arreaza is the North Carolina Program Director for ParentsTogether, a national nonprofit that provides resources and community to help all kids and families thrive. Before joining the ParentsTogether team, she spent nearly a decade working on issues of equity and access for the City of Charlotte. In that role, she investigated allegations of housing discrimination and led city-wide campaigns to educate Charlotteans, particularly Latino immigrants, about their fair housing rights. Ailen regularly writes about issues related to social justice. She is originally from Cuba and a graduate of The George Washington University. She lives in NoDa with her husband and two rambunctious sons.

Don't have a Library card? It's as easy as 1-2-3! Click here to get carded!

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September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! 

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library values learning, openness and inclusion and the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room team feels a Library card is the key to each of those things!  

Library Card Sign-Up Month began in 1987 when the Secretary of Education, William Bennett, expressed the importance of every child having (and using) a library card.  

The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room celebrates Library Card Sign-Up Month, too. Although our collection is non-circulating (meaning patrons cannot check books out and take them home), we have digital resources that enable you to conduct genealogical and historical research from the comfort of your own home.   

The evolution of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library cards



Below, you can find a list of our personal favorite digital resources: 

• Ancestry Library Edition* 
• Charlotte Observer Newspaper Database 
• ​Daily Life Through History 
• Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) 
• Heritage Quest 
• Historic North Carolina Digital Newspaper Database 
• HistoryMakers Digital Archive 
• Library Science Database (Proquest) 
• NCPediaPolitical Science Database (Proquest)  
• Research Companion (Proquest) 
• Social Science Database (Proquest) 
• ​WorldCat 

*Remember that Ancestry Library Edition is only available at the branches. 

Visit your local Library branch today and #CMLibraryGetCarded!

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Con A de Arte is a rich, cultural festival that spotlights the work of Latinx artists, writers, musicians and dancers, as well as the agencies that support Latinx art and culture in the city.  The festival was celebrated for the first time at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in 2003. Initially, the event began as "The Market Place," and grew so rapidly that it was passed on to other cultural institutions for sustainability reasons. The festival is now hosted by The Mint Museum and Queens College. 

Why is cultural represntation of Hispanic culture and influence so important to the Charlotte community? Keep reading as we take a closer look at Census Bureau data to further understand our diverse neighbors.

The Census Bureau began to record Hispanic or Latino origin among the “foreign-born” in the United States in 1980. At that time, 3,962 persons (less than one percent of Mecklenburg County’s total population) were of Hispanic or Latino origin. Little more than one percent of Mecklenburg residents had been born outside the United States.

Migrants from Mexico and Central America had only just begun to explore opportunities outside the Southwestern United States. The demand for labor in the Southeast attracted workers at a time when a lack of economic opportunity and, in some countries, political instability drove them from their homes.

The following decade saw civil war in Central America, as well as federal legislation on immigration. The 1990 Census figures reflected these factors. The increased number of persons fleeing El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras accounted for the greater portion of the pie chart devoted to “Other” countries of origin. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 provided a temporary status for agricultural workers and a path to citizenship for those already in the country. It was followed by a 78% jump of Hispanic immigration to Mecklenburg County. 

The 1990s transformed the Hispanic and Latino presence in the United States. The languages, food, music and people of Latin America had long been part of border culture in the Southwest and port cities in the East. By the year 2000, the immigrant stream to the Southeastern United States had given a new look and new cultural connections to the Carolinas. The 2000 Census showed an increase of almost 600% led by a twelve-fold surge in immigrants from Mexico.

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library recognized this new element of its customer base and changed collections, signage and programming to meet the needs of a diversifying community. The photograph below was taken in June 2009, at a Main Library "Con A de Arte” (A is for Art) event.

As of 2017, persons of Latino or Hispanic origin made up 12% of Mecklenburg County’s population. For them, and for all, the Library offers the chance to improve lives and build a stronger community.

 

This blog was written by Tom Cole of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room at Main Library, with additional information provided by Irania Patterson.

 

Sources:

US Census Bureau, American FactFinder

• 2000, 2010, and 2017 (Type in "Charlotte" or "Mecklenburg County" and select a year)

Publications of the United States Census Bureau

• 1990 Census of Population: General Population Characteristics: North Carolina,  1990, Table 5, p.22
• 1980 Census of Population, Vol. 1, Chapter B: General Population Characteristics, Part 35: North Carolina, U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census, 1980, Table 16, p.25