Hidden Treasures
by Gretchen Beilfuss Witt

In the spring of 1791 our first president made a tour of the Southern States. His intention in making the journey was first to gain “the good-will, the support, of the people for the General Government.” His presence reinforced the distant existence and reality of a central government. This first American hero embodied both political freedom and military victory for all former colonists. The new form of government had yet to prove itself, but its leader was known and loved by all.

Washington left Philadelphia, then the capital of the United States, March 21st and continued on to his home at Mount Vernon. He left Mt. Vernon a week later traveling through Virginia, the coastal area of the Carolinas reaching Charleston by the second of May. He continued on to Savannah, Georgia and then turned inland visiting South Carolina at Columbia and Camden and then back to North Carolina. Washington was a diligent traveler waking early and getting on the road between four and six o’clock in the morning – very early by today’s standards.

Washington spent a day in Charlotte and then arrived in Rowan County on May 30, 1791. He states in his diary he was met about 5 miles from Salisbury by Judge Spruce Mccay, Mayor and Mr. (John) Steel as well as some others. He attended a public dinner at Hughes Hotel and later in the afternoon went to a tea organized by the ladies of Salisbury. As at many other such occasions, speeches and toasts were given to greet the President and he in return addressed the citizens of the town.

In the early 1950’s a spectacular discovery was made. Irvin Oestreicher, a prominent local merchant of Salisbury, purchased from an elderly lady by the name of Fannie McNeely, an historic document kept for many years in an old bonnet box. Miss McNeely and her friends were aware that the document bore the signature of George Washington and those who knew of the paper thought it a letter of thanks sent to the citizens of Salisbury. Mr. Oestreicher was not content with this assumption. Completing some research at the Library of Congress, he discovered the address of welcome given by the prominent citizens of Salisbury pledging their support of the Federal Government. After further research and consultation with the Library of Congress he discovered that the document he had was nothing less than the reply. Experts at the Library of Congress confirmed that the signature was George Washington’s and the text had been written by Washington’s secretary William Jackson who had accompanied him on the Southern Tour.

In all probability, the paper was slipped into Mccay’s pocket after the speeches had been given and remained within the family for years. Miss Fannie’s mother first marriage had been to William Mccay, only son of Spruce. In 1951 after discovering the truth about the bonnet box paper, Mr. Oestreicher graciously determined that since the document had remained in Salisbury for 160 years it should continue to reside here. He made arrangements with the trustees of the library to receive this spectacular gift in honor of Colonel A.H. Boyden, Oestreicher’s former neighbor and one of the founders of the library. The Rowan Public Library still displays the address of the Citizens of Salisbury to Washington and his congenial reply.

NC Live: “Answers: Anytime, Anywhere”

by Betty Moore

“Answers: Anytime, Anywhere” is the motto of NC Live. I hope that everyone with a library card and access to a computer (either through the library or at home) is aware of at least some of the resources, many of them treasures, available to them without charge through NC Live.

Not sure what NC Live is? It is a collection of electronic resources supported by the North Carolina General Assembly. It is a collaborative program of around 200 NC public and academic libraries. To begin with, this collection includes complete articles from over 16,000 newspapers, journals, magazines, and encyclopedias!
But it also includes some hidden gems that go beyond the common usage of a student’s research for a paper or speech. These are a few that caught my interest at a recent workshop.

Did you know that a large number of PBS videos are available to watch free through NC LIVE? Search by title (the list is over 40 pages long!); series (including “American Experience,” “Liberty’s Kids,” “Frontline,” and programs by Ken Burns); or subject, such as African American Studies or Health and Medicine.

The American Slavery database from Greenwood is a powerful collection of life histories, in their own words, of former U. S. slaves. These were compiled from nearly 4,000 interviews with ex-slaves during a WPA project in the 1930s, then stored at the Library of Congress. The collection can be searched by the name of the former slave or master, county, and topics discussed in the interview.
One interview in the collection is of Gus “Jabbo” Rogers, over 90 years of age when interviewed in 1937, who was born at Salisbury, NC on the Rogers plantation.

North American Women’s Letters and Diaries: Colonial to 1950 is another treasure. This fascinating way to learn history and customs contains the experiences of 1,325 women in 150,000 pages of diaries and letters. The materials have been indexed and can be searched in several ways, such as by authors, years, places, historical events (such as the Chicago Fire) or personal events (such as childbirth).

These scanned documents show the handwriting of each writer and often contain other items, such as drawings, postcards, pressed flowers or leaves, fashion ads, hair clippings, etc.

A good place to start is with its “Showcase,” a number of diaries that can be clicked on at the beginning of the database. One of these is “My Trip Abroad 1914,” Ruth Pike’s travel journal. In it she documents a trip through Europe and describes the outbreak of World War I while she and her companions were stranded in Switzerland.
CQ Researcher and CQ Weekly are two great online resources that appeal to anyone interested in current events as well as students doing research.

CQ Researcher offers comprehensive, non-biased reporting and analysis on issues shaping our world. Each week a thorough full-length study is presented on a current topic of interest such as the current financial bailout. Another helpful feature is “Pro/Con,” a collection of timely topics, such as animal rights and urban planning, with experts taking opposing viewpoints on each topic. CQ Weekly is Congressional Quarterly’s online magazine on government, politics, and commerce. It also offers coverage of the U.S. Congress: bills, votes, amendments, committees, etc.

These are just a few of the many resources available on NC Live. To explore further, go to the Rowan Public Library website (www.rowanpubliclibrary.org), then scroll down to NC Live under Featured Resources. On the next page click on NC Live at the top for use in the library, or see directions on using NC Live from home using your library card and PIN number to get the NC Live password.

Once inside NC Live, most of these sources are best accessed by clicking on “Browse Resources,” then “Alphabetic” to see these resources and browse others.

If you need help getting started with NC Live, ask library staff at each location or call 704-216-8243 for help.