Orange County Indexed
Every dated entry in the chronology includes a source citation. This page brings those sources together, with links to the entries drawn from each one and to the original material.
The chronology’s 9,083 entries draw on 667 sources. The ten most-used sources account for 4,100 entries. Two Hillsborough newspapers, the Recorder and the Observer, account for 1,749, or 19 percent. The notes below explain the background and limitations of some of the major sources.
Select a title to see its entries in the chronology, or choose “Open the source” to consult the material itself.
No source matches that name.
Digitized newspapers on DigitalNC. The Hillsborough Recorder (1820–1879) and the Orange County Observer (1880–1909) were read issue by issue for this index; other papers are cited for individual articles. Reporting reflects each paper’s editorial priorities and political views. 54 newspaper titles cited in 2,714 entries.
A Democratic weekly published in Hillsborough from 1880. It provides detailed local reporting, with partisan coverage of elections and race. Read issue by issue for this index, 1880–1909.
A weekly published in Hillsborough from 1820, Whig before the Civil War and Conservative after it. It provides detailed local reporting. After 1865 it opposed the Freedmen's Bureau, the Union League and Governor Holden and played down Klan violence. Read issue by issue for this index, 1820–1879.
The UNC student newspaper.
Chapel Hill's weekly paper from 1923, founded by Louis Graves.
A weekly newspaper published in Hillsborough in the twentieth century.
The UNC student newspaper before it became a daily.
Government and court records, official correspondence and testimony taken under oath. 14 records and record series cited in 319 entries.
Published colonial and early state records, including laws, council and assembly journals, and letters. They present events such as the Regulation from the officials' point of view.
The Bureau office's own letters, case records and school reports, transcribed by Smithsonian volunteers. These records reflect the Bureau officers' perspectives on the people and disputes they describe. The chronology names officers, teachers and people whose cases became public; it does not name children bound as apprentices, people who applied for relief, or the parties to ordinary wage and debt disputes.
Sworn testimony taken by a Senate committee. Witnesses offered conflicting accounts, reflecting different political affiliations and experiences; each entry says whose testimony it is.
The record of Governor Holden's impeachment trial, including sworn testimony for both the prosecution and the defense and the court's rulings.
Sworn testimony taken by Congress, published with the committee's majority and minority reports. Witnesses offered conflicting accounts; each entry says whose testimony it is.
The record of Governor Holden's impeachment trial, including sworn testimony for both the prosecution and the defense and the court's rulings.
The record of Governor Holden's impeachment trial, including sworn testimony for both the prosecution and the defense and the court's rulings.
County, town, church and university histories, memoirs and published documents. 132 books and pamphlets cited in 2,831 entries.
The county's bicentennial history, written by many contributors. It draws on earlier histories and questionnaires sent to churches and communities. Some dates conflict with other records.
A lot-by-lot record of Franklin Street drawn from deeds, directories and recollections.
Written by the university's president from 1876 to 1891. It offers extensive detail from an institutional perspective, although some dates require correction.
Written by the university's president from 1876 to 1891. It offers extensive detail from an institutional perspective, although some dates require correction.
Research on historic buildings and districts, drawing on deeds, other records, and field surveys. 61 surveys and nominations cited in 1,301 entries.
Encyclopedias and biographical dictionaries. 2 reference works cited in 316 entries.
The State Library of North Carolina's online encyclopedia; biographies are signed reference articles.
Manuscript and digital collections held by libraries and archives. An entry that cites a finding aid draws on the library’s description of the collection, not on the manuscripts themselves. 100 collections cited in 154 entries.
Articles from local news organizations, grouped by publication. 4 news sites cited in 113 entries.
The news site of WCHL radio in Chapel Hill.
Pages from town, county, university and organization sites, grouped by site. 300 websites cited in 1,335 entries.
Official town pages.
Official county pages.
Official town pages.
