New Bern + Kellenberger Room

At the confluence of the Neuse and Trent Rivers lies the town of New Bern. Founded in 1710 by a group of Swiss and German settlers led by Baron Christopher de Graffenried, New Bern is the second oldest town in North Carolina. As the Colonial Capital of North Carolina, Governor Tryon decided to build a permanent capitol building and residence for the governor. Tryon’s Palace was built during the 1760s, but burned in 1791, only the Stable Offices survived. In the 1950s, the Palace was restored and today is a major tourist attraction for New Bern.

During the Civil War, New Bern fell to Federal forces on March 14, 1861, and remained occupied by Union troops until the end of the war, despite several attempts by Confederates to recapture the town. The New Bern Historical Society has plans to turn the former New Bern Battlefield into an historical park.

Today, visitors are attracted to New Bern for its history. The Kellenberger Room of the New Bern-Craven County Public Library does its part to help preserve that history and make it available to the public. The Room contains over 8000 books, 2000 microforms, several hundred photographs, and oral histories/interviews. The library’s Craven County Digital History Exhibit has digitized some of those items, as well as items from the collections of Tryon Palace and the New Bern Historical Society, for research on the web.

Capital Area Greenway -- if you want to step outside a bit during the conference!

Though we know that you are coming to Raleigh for the conference, sometimes one just wants some fresh air and not just see nature through the expansive windows of the Convention Center!

The Capital Area Greenway system is a network of public open spaces and recreational trails which provide for activities such as walking, jogging, hiking, bird watching, nature study, fishing, picnicking and outdoor fun. The trails connect many of Raleigh’s parks and in many cases provide a compliment to the recreational activities at the parks. Many of the city’s major ecological features can be experienced in their natural state along the Greenway. Currently, the Greenway is a 54 mile – 3000 acre system and continues to grow.

You can access a map of the system.

From the Convention Center, you are just a couple of blocks from Optimist Park (#27 on the Greenway map) with easy access to the downtown leg of the Greenway.

And, if you have your car and are a bit more adventure- some, my favorite trail is the one that circum- navigates Lake Lynn (#19 on the Greenway map). It is a two mile trail that hugs the lake -- along the boardwalks you see several varieties of ducks, geese and other fowl, and in the warmer months you see turtles basking in the sun and other wildlife!

Via the Captial Area Greenway system you can quickly and easily seek the quiet and beauty of nature.

Planned Local Event #4 -- Historic Tour -- Life in the Old South Tour

Historic Tour -- Life in the Old South Tour

Tuesday, May 12 8:15a-5:30p

Cost: $55 per person (lunch not included in price)

Experience the Old South at Historic Stagville Plantation, one of the largest in antebellum North Carolina. From the halls of the plantation house to the dirt floors of the slave quarters, you will learn about the realities of a much storied era.

As a contrast to plantation life, we also explore the life of a small tobacco farmer at Duke Homestead. From this humble site, Washington Duke built a tremendous tobacco company. Costumed interpreters will demonstrate 19th century life and southern farming techniques.

After lunch on your own at Cracker Barrel, we tour Bennett Place, the site of the surrender between Generals Sherman and Johnston that ended the Civil War for the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.

The final stop is the charming and authentic Patterson’s Mill Country Store. In addition to their vast collection of mercantile antiques, you may browse their rich offerings of down home foods, crafts and nostalgic collectibles.

Depart by tour bus from conference center

State Library of North Carolina

STATE LIBRARY OF NORTH CAROLINA
~ Genealogical Resources ~

Within a few blocks of the Raleigh Convention Center, genealogical researchers attending the 2009 NGS Conference will find the Archives & History/State Library Building at 109 East Jones Street. In this building the Government and Heritage Library of the State Library of North Carolina offers extensive collections of published and microfilmed resources as well as electronic databases for genealogical and historical researchers.

The Genealogy Collection, located on the West Mezzanine Floor, has earned a nationwide reputation for the scope of its genealogical collected works, the accessibility of its open-shelving arrangement, and the helpfulness of its staff.


Genealogy Collection Focus

• Published materials
• North Carolina
• Colonial and post-colonial periods
• Areas from which North Carolinians came and to which North Carolinians migrated
• Broad collections for VA, MD, PA, SC, TN, and New England

Genealogy Collection Resources

• Family histories
• Genealogy vertical files
• Abstracts of county, state, and federal records
• Military records, abstracts, and indexes
• County histories
• Genealogical periodicals
• Bibliographies, indexes, guides
• Census microfilm and indexes
• Electronic databases (* In-house use)
  1. Ancestry Library Edition*
  2. HeritageQuest (also available remotely to North Carolina residents through NC LIVE)
  3. New England Ancestors.org*
  4. AugustaArchives.com: The Augusta [Georgia] Chronicle (founded in 1785)*

Main Reading Room, First Floor West
Additional resources for researchers

• Microfilm of North Carolina Newspapers
• Federal microfilm including Revolutionary War pension and service records, War of 1812 indexes, and rolls and records of the Eastern Cherokees
• State and federal government publications
• Electronic databases

In planning your research visit, you may want to search our online catalog.

• To look for a family history, use the Basic Search, type the surname and the word family, and choose Subject Browse. You should also use the Advanced Search and type the surname as this will often bring up additional titles for that family. Unpublished materials such as typescripts, family group sheets, lineage charts, and family newsletters, are also accessible through the online catalog and are indicated as Genealogy -- Vertical File in the Library Location line of the catalog record.
• To determine North Carolina newspaper microfilm holdings, use Basic Search by Title or Advanced Search under Newspapers by County or Newspapers by City.

State Library of North Carolina printed, microfilm, and electronic resources complement the original and microfilmed North Carolina county and state records deposited in the North Carolina State Archives, the separate agency with which we share a building. The Archives Search Room, located on the Second Floor West of the Archives & History/State Library Building, maintains a separate website.

Government and Heritage Library staff look forward to having you research in our collections. Please write, e-mail, or call if you have questions prior to your visit.

Essential information: hours, contact information, and e-mail links can be found on our State Library website.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

A moment you have been waiting for has arrived -- information on the NGS 2009 Program is available and online, as is the registration brochure and form! And, soon, you will be able to register online also!

Download registration brochure
Download registration form only
View complete online searchable program
Online registration (now open!)

Registration Fees:

NGS Member Full Registration (all four days)
Early-bird deadline fee if postmarked by 31 March 2009 - $175
Postmarked after 31 March 2009 - $210

Non-Member Full Registration (all four days)
Early-bird deadline fee if postmarked by 31 March 2009 - $210
Postmarked after 31 March 2009 - $245

Single Day Registration Single Day - either Weds, Thurs, Fri, or Sat - $95 per day
After 31 March 2009 - $100 per day

Planned Local Event #3 -- UNC-CH Wilson Library Tours

Research Trip -- UNC Chapel Hill’s Wilson Library

Two research trips:
Monday, May 11 8:a-5:30p
Tuesday, May 12 8:a-5:30p

Cost: $45 per person per trip (lunch not included in price)

Research your southern ancestors using UNC’s extensive Manuscript, Southern Historical and Rare Books collections. Bus transportation will take us from the conference center right to the Wilson Library door.

After an introductory tour of UNC Library’s rich holdings, their excellent staff will guide you to their resources.

Lunch is on your own and can easily be found next door to the library or a short walk through UNC’s beautiful campus to Franklin St.

Use these links to check out the various resources that will be available to you:

• Manuscript Collection
• Southern Historical Collection
• Rare Books Collection

Meet our New Convention Center! Part III

Here are some photos from opening day showing the Ballroom! Future posts will show off other areas of this wonderful new facility!

Come and visit it personally in May 2009!