Orange County Indexed

Names in the chronology: O

Every person named in the chronology’s entries, by surname, with a link to each entry that names them.

The chronology’s 16,421 dated events and 425 storylines name 10,876 people. 1,260 of them have a page of their own: their names link to it, and to the entries filed under them. Other names appear as written in the chronology, with links to the entries that name them.

For biographies and researched profiles, browse the people directory. For people enslaved in Orange County, search the names in the county’s records.

91 names

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Oakes, Robert 1 entry, 1960
- March 1960: Carrboro businessmen organize a chamber of commerce to seek new industry
Oakley, Catherine 1 entry, 1956
- February 13, 1956: Black women at Mars Hill organize a home demonstration club
Oakley, Claiborne 3 entries, 1952–1958
- July 7, 1952: The Carrboro post office opens in its new brick building on Main Street
- September 1957: The Post Office Department approves home mail delivery for Carrboro
- January 25, 1958: City mail delivery begins in Carrboro
Oakley, Clarence 2 entries, 1946
- October 22, 1946: The first Kiwanis Junior Dairy Calf Show is held at White Cross
- by April 11, 1946: A trailer camp for students opens on the old Chapel Hill High School site
Oakley, Cora 2 entries, 1910–1914
- early 1910s: Durham Hosiery Mills builds a two-story company house on New Hill for the Oakley family
- 1914: A. J. Blackwood recruits Cora Oakley's family from Burlington to the Carrboro mills
Oakley, Roy W. 1 entry, 1947
- by November 1947: A. B. Whitfield and Roy W. Oakley buy Campbell's clothing store in Carrboro
Oakley, S. E. 1 entry, 1923
- May 7, 1923: Carrboro elects Seaton Lloyd mayor
Oakley, Thomas C. 2 entries, 1882
- July 1882: Bingham School finishes new buildings after the spring fire
- November 7, 1882: Orange and Durham send Democrat R. C. Strudwick and Liberal J. A. Cheek to the House
Obama, Barack 3 entries, 2013–2015
- August 8, 2013: Dean Smith is named a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- July 22, 2014: Anne Firor Scott is awarded the 2013 National Humanities Medal
- September 10, 2015: Annie Dillard receives the National Humanities Medal
O'Berry, Mrs. Thomas 1 entry, 1934
- by September 14, 1934: A federal grant restarts the rebuilding of Person Hall as an art museum
Obie, Grace 1 entry, 1913
- 1913: Mebane Chapel is organized in Hillsborough
Obie, James 1 entry, 1913
- 1913: Mebane Chapel is organized in Hillsborough
O'Brien, L. A. 1 entry, 1948
- July 27, 1948: State and university officials approve preliminary plans for the teaching hospital in Chapel Hill
O'Connor, John Dennis 1 entry, 1991
- September 1991–March 1992: William F. Little serves as acting provost
O'Daniel, Delos 1 entry, 1964
- October 13, 1964: E. O. Hardee resigns from the Carrboro board after twenty years
O'Daniel, Green 1 entry, 1836
- April 1, 1836: James Crutchfield advertises a five-cent reward for his runaway apprentice Green O'Daniel
O'Daniel, James 1 entry, 1817
- May Term 1817: The court rebinds Zedekiah and Alexander Husbands, boys of color, after their masters leave the county
O'Daniel, Jesse 2 entries, 1843–1844
- October 5-13, 1843: Jesse O'Daniel dies after Henderson Griffin strikes him with a rifle barrel
- September 1844 term: Henderson Griffin, tried for the murder of Jesse O'Daniel, is branded for manslaughter
O'Daniel, John 2 entries, 1903–1905
- August 3, 1903: Commissioners call a special school tax election in the Chapel Hill district
- about 1905: John O'Daniel builds a Queen Anne cottage on McCauley Street
O'Daniel, Letty 1 entry, 1836
- April 1, 1836: James Crutchfield advertises a five-cent reward for his runaway apprentice Green O'Daniel
Odend'hal, J. 1 entry, 1841
- by January 27, 1841: Hillsborough's town commissioners engage J. Odend'hal to teach the town's English academy
Odetta 1 entry, 1984
- September 21, 1984: Folk singer Odetta performs in Memorial Hall
Odom, James A. 1 entry, 1953
- June 23, 1953: Chapel Hill receives an AAA citation for a year without pedestrian deaths
Odum, Howard W. 40 entries, 1920–1955

See all 40 entries in the chronology
Oenslager, Donald 1 entry, 1936
- 1936: The Playmakers begin planning a new Dramatic Art Building
Oettinger, Elmer 1 entry, 1939
- 1939: Law students Terry Sanford and William Cochrane join the Institute's legislative team
Offley, G. W. 1 entry, 1880
- January 5, 1880: Chapel Hill's AME congregation issues a public appeal for money to finish its house of worship
Ogburn, W. J., Jr. 1 entry, 1954
- by May 6, 1954: The Ogburn Furniture Company of Chapel Hill goes into receivership
Ogden, Jesse 1 entry, 1945
- July 25, 1945: University of Virginia researchers study Hillsboro's Black health club for a book
Ogden, Robert N. 1 entry, 1822
- July 4, 1822: Hillsborough celebrates the Fourth of July with a reading, an oration and a dinner at Faddis's
Ogelsby, Isadore 1 entry, 1943
- August 15 to September 26, 1943: The Navy Pre-Flight band gives a summer series of public Sunday concerts
O'Kelly, Durward 1 entry, 1924
- July 4, 1924: The Standard, a movie theatre owned by and for Black residents, opens on West Franklin Street
O'Kelly, James 2 entries, 1778–1797
- 1778: Methodists divide their North Carolina circuit and form the New Hope Circuit, taking in part of Orange
- 1797: James O'Kelly organizes Damascus Christian Church
O'Kelly, Nelson 1 entry, 1868
- October 1868: Trustees open a freedmen's school at a chapel near Chapel Hill
Okun, Daniel 1 entry, 1976
- 1976: Cane Creek is chosen as the site of a new reservoir and area landowners organize against it
Okun, Daniel A. 9 entries, 1955–2007

See all 9 entries in the chronology
Okun, Mrs. Daniel A. 1 entry, 1962
- fall 1962: Mrs. Daniel A. Okun takes over the special education class at the all-Black Frank Porter Graham School
Oldham, J. B. 1 entry, 1928
- November 11, 1928: Daughters of the Confederacy give Crosses of Military Service to two Chapel Hill veterans
Oldham, Lieutenant 1 entry, 1861
- September 10, 1861: Professor Martin's volunteer company leaves Chapel Hill for camp at High Point
Oldham, S. W. 3 entries, 1917–1920
- April 27, 1917: West Hill Baptist Church is organized in West Hillsborough
- 1918: Baptist pastor S. W. Oldham and his wife nurse the sick in the flu epidemic
- by January 22, 1920: S. W. Oldham leads a law enforcement campaign against blockading in Orange County
Oldham, T. D. 2 entries, 1854–1868
- May 23, 1854: Orange's Whig and Democratic conventions agree to put the liquor question to the voters
- June 27, 1868: The Court of Wardens of the Poor holds its last meeting
Oldham, Thomas 4 entries, 1841–1943
Show the 4 entries
Oldham, Thomas D. 2 entries, 1852–1863
- February 1852: Orange County seats a Board of Superintendents for its common schools
- by February 18, 1863: Farmers of the Oaks neighborhood pledge to sell food to soldiers' families at fixed prices
Oldham, Thomas J. 13 entries, 1888–1904

See all 13 entries in the chronology · Also printed as T. J. Oldham
O'Leary, Jean 1 entry, 1977
- April 1977: The Carolina Gay Association hosts the second Southeastern Gay Conference
Olive, B.B. 1 entry, 1996
- June 19, 1996: Four governing boards hold a unified public hearing on a new landfill next to the Eubanks Road site
Olive, Eugene 4 entries, 1927–1933
Show the 4 entries
May be the same person as Olive, Eugene I.
Olive, Eugene I. 1 entry, 1924
- April 6, 1924: Eugene I. Olive begins his pastorate at the Chapel Hill Baptist Church
May be the same person as Olive, Eugene
Olive, Hubert 1 entry, 1952
- May 10, 1952: Governor Kerr Scott promises $75,000 for Old Highway 10 and urges a western Orange delegation to vote for Hubert Olive
Olive, W. S. 1 entry, 1921
- October 11 to 13, 1921: The Mount Zion Baptist Association, meeting at Bethel, endorses the Washington arms conference
Oliver, Charles Crisp 1 entry, 1946
- 1946: Charles Crisp Oliver builds an auto and tractor repair shop at the Cedar Grove crossroads
Oliver, T. L. 2 entries, 1917–1946
- 1917: Cedar Grove voters approve a special school tax district
- 1946: Charles Crisp Oliver builds an auto and tractor repair shop at the Cedar Grove crossroads
Olivier, Warner 1 entry, 1945
- February 1945: The Saturday Evening Post profiles Coates as 'The Ugly Duckling at Chapel Hill'
Olmsted, Aaron F. 1 entry, 1848
- January 1848: Aaron F. Olmsted takes charge as rector of the Church of the Atonement
Olmsted, Denison 8 entries, 1818–1825

See all 8 entries in the chronology
Olsen, W. A. 1 entry, 1939
- by June 9, 1939: Chapel Hill men organize a faculty club to occupy the Archer house
May be the same person as Olsen, William A.
Olsen, W. C. 2 entries, 1924–1925
- by July 17, 1924: Chapel Hill aldermen hire engineer W. C. Olsen to plan the sewer extension
- May to June 1, 1925: Aldermen move the planned sewage plant farther down Bolin Creek and call for bids
May be the same person as Olsen, William C.
Olsen, William A. 1 entry, 1934
- January 30, 1934: Chapel Hill holds a President's birthday party for the Warm Springs Foundation
May be the same person as Olsen, W. A.
Olsen, William C. 1 entry, 1939
- by February 3, 1939: Cobb and Homewood start the University's new power plant off West Cameron Avenue with a cooling spray pond
May be the same person as Olsen, W. C.
O'Neal, Bart 1 entry, 1953
- July 8, 1953: Ray-O'Neal Motors takes over the Hillsboro Ford franchise from Richmond Motor Company
Oneal, John 1 entry, 1768
- October 3, 1768: Tryon pardons the 1768 protesters except thirteen named leaders
O'Neal, Peter 1 entry, 1776
- summer 1776: Orange County militia join Griffith Rutherford's campaign against the Cherokee
Oppenheimer, J. Robert 1 entry, 1959
- November 12, 1959: J. Robert Oppenheimer gives the McNair Lecture in Memorial Hall
Ormond, J. M. 2 entries, 1913–1949
- 1913: Carr Methodist Church is organized
- June 5, 1949: New Sharon Methodist Church dedicates its new Gothic church
Orne, Jerrold 2 entries, 1957–1960

See all 2 entries in the chronology
Orr, J. L. 1 entry, 1922
- 1922: Chapel Hill Methodists build a new parsonage
Orringer, Eugene P. 1 entry, 1982
- by February 23, 1982: UNC physicians begin clinical trials of cetiedil for sickle cell crises
Osborn, R. D. 1 entry, 1862
- 1862 commencement: Commencement held without its ball or marshals
Osborne 3 entries, 1840–1845

See all 3 entries in the chronology
Osborne 1 entry, 1844

These entries are not linked to the page of the same name: they may name another person, or one not yet identified.
- 1844–1848: Dabney Cosby takes the masonry subcontract for the lengthening of Old East and Old West
Osborne 1 entry, 1845

These entries are not linked to the page of the same name: they may name another person, or one not yet identified.
- 1845 to 1846: Brothers Albert and Osborne, enslaved by Dabney Cosby, plaster the lengthened Old East
Osborne 1 entry, 1845

These entries are not linked to the page of the same name: they may name another person, or one not yet identified.
- February 1845: Osborne begins the masonry on the additions to Old East and Old West
Osborne 1 entry, 1846

These entries are not linked to the page of the same name: they may name another person, or one not yet identified.
- May 11, 1846: Albert joins his brother Osborne to plaster the halls at the university
Osborne, Adlai 4 entries, 1770–1802

See all 4 entries in the chronology
Otey, James H. 2 entries, 1827–1857
- June 17, 1827: James H. Otey, later bishop of Tennessee, is ordained priest in St. Matthew's Church
- June 1, 1857: Bishop James H. Otey opens commencement week with the sermon to the graduating class
Otts, John 1 entry, 1964
- May 24, 1964: The new Orange High School at Hillsborough is dedicated
Outlaw, David 1 entry, 1822
- January 1822: Faculty send ten new students out of Chapel Hill in a smallpox scare
Overaker, George T. 2 entries, 1896
- May 15, 1896: Hillsborough's commissioners take up revised town ordinances and order them printed and posted
- May 4, 1896: Hillsborough elects Mayor Joseph A. Harris and an all-Democratic town board
Overman, Lee S. 4 entries, 1881–1930

See all 4 entries in the chronology · Also printed as Lee Slater Overman
Overman, Lee S. 1 entry, 1918

See the entry in the chronology
Overton, Grace Sloan 1 entry, 1938
- January 23-28, 1938: The Federal Council of Churches holds a Religion-in-Life week at the University
Owen, H. L. 1 entry, 1855
- after 1855: Chapel Hill merchants, John W. Carr among them, agree not to sell to minor students on credit
Owen, John 1 entry, 1830
- June 21 to July 19, 1830: Trustees meet in emergency session over the university's debts
Owen, Mrs. 1 entry, 1864
- by July 6, 1864: The Hillsborough Soldiers' Aid Society, its funds spent feeding wounded soldiers on the railroad, appeals for provisions
Owen, William H. 2 entries, 1835–1838
- late June 1835: Trustees put off electing a university president and keep Elisha Mitchell in charge
- 1838: Senior tutor becomes the university's librarian
Owens, Peg 1 entry, 1963
- 1963 to 1968: Peg Owens takes over Lake Forest and names it Lake Forest Estates
Owens, Sam R. 1 entry, 1958
- August 1958: The Osbunn Theater reopens under a new operator after W. M. Chance's death
Owensby, Kelly 2 entries, 2010–2022
- 2010: Transplanting Traditions Community Farm begins with refugee farmers from Burma
- Spring 2022: Hsar Ree Ree Wei becomes executive director of Transplanting Traditions
Owl, Henry 3 entries, 1945–2022

See all 3 entries in the chronology
Oxendine, Ronald 1 entry, 1980
- by January 1980: Ronald Oxendine is named the school's director of American Indian Recruitment Services
Oxley, Lawrence A. 1 entry, 1924
- 1924: UNC and the state welfare board win a Rockefeller grant for Black welfare work