Rockingham County Historical Collections

Rockingham County Historical Collections

In all of us there is a hunger to know our heritage ... to know who we are and where we came from. --Alex Haley

Overview of the Historical Collections
History & Mission
Research Aids
Local Newspapers
Private Papers & Collections
Publications
Digital Photographs
Rockingham Community College Historical Village
Staff
Hours
Contact Information
Miscellaneous Notes for Researchers
Suggested Web Resources for Genealogists

The Rockingham County Historical Collections, funded through the auspices of the Rockingham Community College Foundation, are housed in the Gerald B. James Library. For well over a decade, visitors from all parts of the United States have come here to do genealogical and historical research related to Rockingham County.

The room opened in 1982 as a place to preserve local historical and genealogical resource materials and to make them available to the public. A growing collection of artifacts, newspapers, local histories, deeds, wills, trusts, marriage notices and similar documents are housed here. Click here for a detailed history and mission of the Rockingham County Historical Collections. Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Stoneville c. 1898

There are three essential types of research aids available in the Historical Collections Room (HCR):

Microforms

Microfiche

North Carolina Marriage Bond Index -- A statewide listing of marriages through ca. 1868. The index is arranged by both grooms' and brides' (maiden) names.

Microfilm

Census Records -- U. S. Federal Census for Rockingham County from 1790 and every ten years thereafter through 1920 (with the exception of 1890). Also, statewide indexes for the census from 1790 - 1860. The Rockingham County portions of the 1850-1870 censuses have been published and indexed and are available.

Southern Passenger Train No.44 approaching Reidsville Station, 1909

County Records -- While we are in close proximity to the Rockingham County Courthouse at Wentworth, we do have a limited collection of county records on microfilm. Deeds and wills from the late 18th and 19th centuries, County Court minutes from 1786-1868, and County Commissioners Minutes from 1870 - present make up the majority of county records available.

Local Newspapers -- We do not have local newspapers for the county prior to the 1870s (with a few exceptions). Therefore, one might consult the Greensborough Patriot for the 1820s - 1880s for local news and obituaries. Holdings also include 19th century newspapers from Raleigh, N.C. and from Caswell and Stokes Counties, N.C. For Rockingham County we have the following newspapers:

Leaksville (Eden) -- Herald (1860, 1861), Dan Valley Echo (1885, 1886, 1887), Reporter (1888), Gazette (1896, 1906, 1907, 1910), Tri-City Gazette (1919 - 1924), Leaksville News (1924 - 1956), Daily News (1968 - present).
Madison -- Enterprise (1873, 1874), Leader (1888), Herald (1906, 1907, 1910, 1913), Madison Messenger (1934 - 1961; 1971 - present).
Reidsville -- Record (1872, 1873), Enterprise (1875), News (1875, 1877, 1879), Times (1876 - 1889), Webster's Weekly (1880 - 1916), Democrat (1887 - 1888), Reidsville Review (1889 - 1958; 1971 - present).

Most of the newspapers from the mid and late 19th century are incomplete with many lost issues.

The James Library is working on a project to index historic Rockingham County newspapers. At the present time, indexing for Reidsville newspapers for the years 1879-1906 is underway. The index is accessible through WebCat. Be sure to click the "Catalog Record" tab when looking at search results to see the abstracts of the newspaper articles. Wentworth Street scene, c. 1908

Municipal Records -- city council minutes.

Sanborn Insurance maps -- maps for several towns in the county.

Vertical Files

In addition to microforms, there is a continuously growing collection of vertical files on a variety of subjects related to local history and genealogy.

Rockingham County General Information File -- Filed according to subject.
Genealogical File Drawer -- Filed alphabetically according to surname.
Journal/Newsletter Drawer -- Publication of genealogical and historical societies grouped in alphabetical order and according to location.

Private Papers and Collections

David Settle Reid (1813-1891) Collection -- Governor, Congressman and United States Senator. This collection is second in size only to Reid's papers in the North Carolina State Archives.
Ola Maie Foushee Collection -- Correspondence and records related to the lost town of Avalon donated by famed N. C. artist, columnist and author Ola Maie Foushee.
Franklin Family Collection -- Primarily deals with the African-American community in Madison, N. C.
Bettie Sue Gardner Collection -- Papers dealing with Rockingham County history and information from the 1920s through the 1960s.
Allen Hatchett Gwyn Papers -- Private and public papers of the distinguished Superior Court jurist of the 20th century.
Guy Lewis Collection -- Genealogical papers dealing with mostly western Rockingham County families and history with an emphasis on the town of Stoneville, N. C.
W. Benton Pipkin Collection -- Papers of a prominent family in Reidsville's 20th century textile industry.
Tempie H. Prince Collection -- Genealogical papers dealing with mostly eastern Rockingham County families and related topics.
Floyd Rich Collection -- Private and public papers of Rockingham County naturalist Floyd Rich.
Reminiscences of World War II -- Recordings of the memories of over 50 Rockingham County veterans of World War II.
Rockingham County Oral History -- Audio and video recordings of oral history of Rockingham County collected by the students of Dr. Lindley Butler and Michael Perdue.
R. P. Richardson Collection -- Business and agricultural papers of a prominent Reidsville family.

Allen H. Gwyn (1893-1970) Papers -- Noted attorney and jurist.

Oliver Collection -- Some 3000 negatives made in the Reidsville area during the late 1940s to early 1950s.

Lucile Reid Fagg Collection -- Manuscripts, photographs and books from Rockingham County's leading political family.

Siler Rothrock Collection -- Nearly 1600 slides of historic Rockingham County buildings made by Siler Rothrock and Bob Carter.

There are also smaller collections related to more specialized topics.

Publications Market Street, Reidsville

The Historical Collections contain many publications related to local and state history and genealogy.

Publications of the Rockingham County Historical Society

Journal of Rockingham County History and Genealogy -- Published semi-annually since 1976 and contains articles on local history and genealogy in addition to abstracts of original documents and records.
Rockingham County Historical Society Newsletter -- Published quarterly and contains articles on recent developments in local history and genealogy and genealogical queries.
Rockingham County, North Carolina Marriages through 1868 -- Compiled by Julia Gunn.
Rockingham County Heritage Book -- Collection of individual family histories and short articles on local history with surname index. Perhaps the most important genealogical publication for the county.

Genealogical Society of Rockingham and Stokes Counties Newsletter - Contains genealogical articles and abstracts and genealogical queries

Cemetery Recordings - Listings from selected cemeteries in Rockingham and Stokes Counties by the James Hunter Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Indexed.

Abstracts of Rockingham County Deeds and Wills - From the late 18th and 19th centuries by Irene Webster.

Digital Photographs

View photographs from the Rockingham Community College Historical Collections here.

Rockingham Community College Historical Village

The historical village is comprised of four structures built from the mid 19th century through the early 20th century. The buildings were moved from various locations within Rockingham County to the campus of Rockingham Community College in Wentworth, NC. The structures include a log tobacco factory, a tobacco barn and a corn crib, as well as a one room school house. The village is open to the public during the Rockingham County Folk Festival held in May of each year on the Rockingham Community College campus. View photos and more information here.

Staff

Bob Carter, Historical Consultant ...... ext. 2153

Rita Gantt, HCR Clerk ............. ext. 2291

PLEASE NOTE: The Historical Consultant and the Historical Collections Room Clerk are part-time employees. For this reason, those visitors needing special assistance are urged to call ahead when planning a visit.

Hours

Monday-Thursday        7:45am-6pm Leaksville covered bridge
Friday                         7:45am-2pm
Saturday-Sunday         Closed

Contact Information

Historical Collections Room
Rockingham Community College
P.O. Box 38
Wentworth, NC 27375

PHONE (336) 342-4261 ext. 2153 pr 2291
FAX (336) 342-1203
EMAIL

Miscellaneous Notes for Researchers

There are no public death and birth records for North Carolina counties prior to 1913. For Rockingham County records of this nature, please see the County Register of Deeds Office (phone 336-342-8820) at the Courthouse in Wentworth. Land and marriage records are also maintained at the Deeds Office. Estate and court records can be found in the County Clerk of Superior Court Office at the Courthouse. In addition, the James Library is working on a project to index historic Rockingham County newspapers. At the present time, indexing for Reidsville newspapers for the years 1879-1906 is underway. The index is accessible through WebCat. There are many marriages and deaths reported in these newspapers, as well as other local news. Be sure to click the "Catalog Record" tab when looking at search results to see the abstracts of the newspaper articles.

Prior to 1850, only the heads of households were named in the census records. From 1850 and thereafter, all residents of the household are listed. The 1890 census for Rockingham County, along with most of the United States, was destroyed by fire.

The Rockingham County Public Library in Madison (140 East Murphy St., Madison, NC 27025; Phone 336-548-6553) maintains an excellent collection of genealogical materials from Rockingham and many other counties of North Carolina, Virginia and other states.

Wentworth Post Office and Postmaster Iris Powell, c.1956 Publications, maps and other materials related to Rockingham County history and genealogy may be obtained through the Rockingham County Historical Society (P.O. Box 84, Wentworth, NC 27375). Questions and comments related to Rockingham County history may also be directed to the Society (Phone 336-342-5901).

Suggested Web Resources for Genealogists

Rockingham County NCGenWeb
Genealogical Research in North Carolina
North Carolina Department of Archives and History
North Carolina ECHO: Exploring Cultural Heritage Online
USGenNet - Census records, cemetery information, history, maps and more for Rockingham County.
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet - Largest collection of genealogy links on the Web.
Ancestry Home Town - More than 200 million names from marriage, death, military, land, county and other records may be searched.
FamilySearch - Largest collection of free family history data in the world.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers - This site from the Library of Congress allows you to search and read newspaper pages from 1900-1910 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
Welcome to Leaksville, NC - Site dedicated to the memory of Leaksville, NC which was founded in 1797 and merged with Spray and Draper in 1967 to become Eden, NC. Includes historical information and photos.
Avalon: A Forgotten Town Remembered - Story of the nearly forgotten town of Avalon near Mayodan which was the site of a tragic mill fire in 1911.

Edna Cotton Mill, Reidsville, c.1910