Examples of Hair Jewelry from the Museum Collections #civilwar150

This bracelet made of hair is in the Museum of History Collections

Earrings made of hair in the North Carolina Museum of History

 

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February 1863 – “I am prepared to receive orders for Hair Jewelry and ornaments.” #civilwar150

Hair Jewelry

I am prepared to receive orders for Hair Jewelry and ornaments, patterns of every style and descriptions can be seen at my store. Also, on hand a few solid plain gold rings, which will be sold at prices to suit the times.

Otto Huber

Source: Greensborough Patriot February 5, 1863

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North Carolina Five Cent currency, printed January 1, 1863. #civilwar150

During the Civil War, North Carolina state government authorized the issue of over 16 million dollars in treasury notes. Fractional currency, like this Five Cent note in the collections of the Museum of History, were mainly printed by state governments during the War.

For more information on Confederate Currency – visit The Southern Homefront section at Documenting the American South.

The North Carolina Museum of History has many currency specimens, to search the collections, visit their collections search page.  Accession number 1960.36.1.

 

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Image of Lorenzo Bennett of Durham, died October 21, 1862 #civilwar150

Private Lorenzo Bennett of Durham

 

On October 21, 1862, Lorenzo Leigh Bennett, son of James and Nancy Bennett, died of sickness in a Confederate Army Hospital in Winchester, Virginia. He was a private in the 27th North Carolina Infantry. He was laid to rest in Mount Hebron Cemetery in a grave incorrectly marked as L. L. Burnett for more than 125 years until the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Lorenzo Bennett & Robert Duke Camp of Durham, NC discovered the error and replaced the grave marker with a proper headstone so Lorenzo would be properly remembered.

 

 
You can visit the Bennett homestead in Durham and pay homage to James and Nancy’s son.  Visit them on the web or in person! Bennett Place State Historic Site

 

 

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Tintype of John H. Curtis, who just wished his sister a happy birthday #civilwar150

John H. Curtis, whose letter to his sister Kate was posted earlier today. Curtis served in the 3rd NC Light Artillery, the 13th NC Light Artillery, and the 40th NC Troops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Collections of North Carolina State Historic Sites, Accession # 2008.6.15

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October 7, 1862: So now wishing you a Merry Birthday & many happy returns. #civilwar150

Camp of Daniel’s Brigade near Drewry’s Bluff October 7^th 1862

Ma Chere Socur,

This is the seventh of October, your birthday. Allow me to congratulate you & wish you many happy returns, hoping the children won’t hit you too hard, in giving you your slaps in accordance with the old custom.

This is your seventeenth, I believe. I hope you won’t begin to feel too much like an old woman yet, or an old maid either. You mustn’t give up all hope so soon.

Ma’s letter of the 25^th ult only reached us yesterday afternoon. I hope the mail isn’t taking up its bad habits again, after going on as well as it has for so long. But Ma didn’t direct exactly right, she ought to put “Proctor’s Creek, near Drewry’s Bluff, Va.” I’m glad to hear that you’re getting better, but I was hoping you were well.

Go to the Mineral Spring every morning about sunrise, & you’ll be well in a little while. Jon Webb was hurt right badly tother day, just like Eck Hirkland was, only not so much. The horse fell back on him & bruised his knee considerably, but fortunately no bones were broken. The saddle was smashed all to pieces. He’s almost well again now; he walks about a good deal with very little difficulty. He was mighty lucky in escaping as well as he did.

Plenty of “taters” come into camp at a dollar a peck which we sometimes give, by way of variety. We eat you a birthday dinner today of beef steak, but we might almost as well have eaten old shoe soles, twas so tough & tasteless. However it went off pretty fast, although, as Papa says, if it hadn’t been beef, we wouldn’t have eaten it. To console ourselves for that, we went & bought a couple of ducks to have for dinner tomorrow. Persimmons are ripe here. There’s a tree right by our tent of the best I ever saw, & as it’s about the only fruit we can get we make way with them as fast as they fall.

Pa’s letter of the 2^nd came this morning, informing us of his return from Lincolnton. It came right quickly so you may as well keep on directing in the same way that Ma did. It’s been a tremendously long time since you’ve written to me. What’s the matter with you? Ma says you’ve heard from Ashe’s “Tete” lately, & that she’s well, at which Ashe seemed to be delighted. But the Yankees have been stealing their property it seems. They better stay away from there & let our friends alone.

Col. Tew, I hear, was certainly not killed, but taken prisoner. I hope it maybe so, that is, that it may prove to be no worse than that. He has been reported killed three times. I hope it’s the same way this time that is has been before.

Tell Minna Lou thankye for her letter. I’ll try to find time to answer it soon.

How are all the people of Hillsboro? Have there been any improvements lately? Miss Alethea married yet? Carrie isn’t sick much is she? Are the rest of you well? We are getting along firstrate. So now wishing you a Merry Birthday & many happy returns.

Sam &e Nonelum

Source: North Carolina State Historic Sites Collections, Accession number SHS2008.6.12

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Gold Epaulets worn by William Dorsey Pender #civilwar150

Gold Epaulets worn by William D. Pender

Epaulets worn by William Dorsey Pender, now in the collections of the North Carolina Museum of History.

Pender entered the service of the Confederate Army as a Captain but was elected Colonel of the 3^rd North Carolina Regiment in May 1861.  He was re-assigned to lead the 6^th North Carolina in August 1861 and then was promoted to Brigadier General because of his leadership at the Battle of Seven Pines in 1862.  In May 1863, he was promoted to Major General.  Prior to the war, Pender was in the service of the US Army and served as a First Lieutenant, serving on the western frontiers of New Mexico, California, Oregon, and the Washington Territory.

Source: North Carolina Museum of History. Accession number 1914.83.4. North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.  For more on Pender’s life, see his entry in NCPEDIA.

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William Dorsey Pender’s storage box #civilwar150

We have seen quite a few letters from William Dorsey Pender to his wife Fanny. As can be learned from the letters, Pender deeply loved his wife and family and took every opportunity to write her a letter. Unfortunately the only letters we have are his letters home although it’s clear that Fanny wrote him regularly, seeking guidance on family and economic matters. Pender’s letters were stored in this box, now in the collections of the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh. The padlock was inside the box when it was donated to the museum.

Inside view of the chest

 

 

Description: The sides of the chest are made from solid wood sections; top and bottom from one wide board and one narrow board. Top has wooden bands perpendicular to the boards nailed in to hold the top pieces together. Left hinge moved towards center due to prior splitting of wood; remnants of leather handles on each side, held in place by hand forged nails or staples. Paper label on top right partially legible “Delware Ave… Philadelphia, PA.” Latch center front with hasp on top. Interior shallow tray with two compartments and leather handles for lifting.  Large padlock, key missing, has eight point stars at stress points. Lock cover has embossed flower and intertwined letter “C” and “S.”

Source: North Carolina Museum of History. Accession numbers 2002.64.1-2. North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.  For more on Pender’s life, see his entry in NCPEDIA.

 

Padlock found inside Pender’s chest.

 

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Image of Fred Olds wearing a composite uniform from Pettigrew, Ransom, Pender, Leventhorpe, and Grimes! #cw150

Modern museum professionals take great pains to protect the objects of history from wear and tear.  However, many of the Civil War era objects collected in the early 20^th century were still relatively new when collected by men such as Fred Olds,  who helped create the Hall of History (forerunner of the NC Museum of History).  Olds personally knew either the owners of the original equipment or their families.  Let’s not forget that this stuff was less than 50 years old at the time he collected it!   Some curators at the Museum of History have speculated that Olds dressed up in the uniform parts and posed in the studio for this image to serve as a model for the many Confederate monuments that were being erected around the state.  We may never know why he played dress up but we’re certainly glad that he was so very good at collecting!

Photograph of Fred Olds wearing items he collected for the Hall of History in Raleigh.  Olds traveled around North Carolina seeking relics of history to preserve the story of the state’s past.  In this particular image, Olds is wearing James Johnston Pettigrew’s coat, Robert Ransom’s cap, William Dorsey Pender’s pants, holding Collett Leventhorpe’s  sword, and looking through Bryan Grimes’ field glasses.

Fred Olds

Source: North Carolina Museum of History, accession number 19xx.328.67. North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

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More details on James Johnston Pettigrew #civilwar150

James Johnston Pettigrew, lawyer, scholar, and Confederate general, was born at Bonarva in Tyrrell County, eighth of the nine children of Ebenezer and Ann Blount Shepard Pettigrew. At the beginning of the war, Pettigrew went to Virginia as a private in the Hampton Legion but he soon accepted election as colonel of the 22nd North Carolina Regiment. During the Battle of Seven Pines, on 31 May 1862, Pettigrew received a rifle ball through his throat and shoulder while advancing on an enemy position.  Reported dead in the Confederacy, Pettigrew was picked up from the field the next morning by Federals, made prisoner, and gradually recuperated from his wounds. When exchanged he was assigned to command a brigade consisting of the Eleventh, Twenty-sixth, Forty-fourth, Forty-seventh, and Fifty-second North Carolina regiments. With these troops Pettigrew fought in a number of small battles in eastern North Carolina between September 1862 and the spring of 1863. In May 1863 Pettigrew’s brigade joined the Army of Northern Virginia for the Pennsylvania campaign. On the third day of battle at Gettysburg, Pettigrew and his division took part in the assault known to history as Pickett’s Charge. In this attack Pettigrew’s horse was hit and he was wounded in the hand. During the retreat from Pennsylvania, at the Falling Waters just north of the Potomac early in the morning of 14 July, Pettigrew was shot in the stomach.  Remaining with the army, he was carried eighteen miles to Bunker Hill, (West) Va., where he died three days later at 6:25 A.M. at age thirty-five.

Visit NCPedia for more information on James Johnston Pettigrew as featured here and in yesterday posts!

Post on Pettigrew’s portrait in the NC Museum of History: http://wp.me/p1qIB8-Zv

Post on Pettigrew as prisoner: http://wp.me/p1qIB8-Zs

Post on Pettigrew as assumed dead: http://wp.me/p1qIB8-S9

Post on Pettigrew’s obituary and his survival: http://wp.me/p1qIB8-Rb

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