Farmers

by Watson, Harry L. 1830-1850: Antebellum NC Begins Originally published as "Winning the Fight for Progress-- North Carolina's Antebellum years begin: 1830-1850" by Harry L. Watson Reprinted with permission from [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Williams, Wiley J., Hagan, Nancy E., Rhine, Zoe. Adult Education by Nancy E. Hagan, 2006; Revised October 2022. Additional research provided by Zoe Rhine and Wiley J. Williams. See also: Community Colleges; Extension Service;  [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by LeCount, Charles. One hundred fifty years ago, nearly all North Carolinians made their living by farming. And even the majority of those who did not actually farm were still tied to the state’s agricultural economy: [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Bishop, RoAnn. Agriculture in North Carolina during the Great Depression Originally published as "Difficult Days on Tar Heel Farms" by RoAnn Bishop Reprinted with permission from the Tar Heel Junior [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Cecelski, David S. Born in Stantonsburg, in Wilson County, in 1935, James Applewhite is one of our nation's most acclaimed poets and an English professor at Duke University. At his home by the Eno River, he told me [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Cecelski, David S. Watts Auman's peach orchard and roadside stand are just outside of West End, in the pine barrens of Moore County. I try to get by there at least once a summer. Auman grows 18 varieties of peaches, [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Morgan, Thomas S. Dudley Warren Bagley, experimental farmer; state legislator; civic, educational, and farm leader; and assistant comptroller general of the United States, was born in Moyock, Currituck County, to [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Harris, Laura. Barns have been used in North Carolina to protect farm animals and store crops and farm equipment since the early days of European settlement. The design of a barn was strongly related to the [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Steelman, Lala Carr. Eugene Crocker Beddingfield, farmer, legislator, and railroad commissioner, was born in Wake County to Alexander Hanson and Palmyra La Fayette Chappell Beddingfield. His mother's original ancestor in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Roberts, B. W. C. Oscar William Blacknall, business executive and author, was born on his father's farm near Kittrell. His father, Colonel Charles C. Blacknall, served the Confederacy in the Twenty-third North [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bridgers, H. C., Jr. Henry Clark Bourne, attorney, farmer, publisher, and churchman, was born on the farm White Oaks near Tarboro, Edgecombe County. He was the son of Maria Toole Clark (25 Dec. 1859–4 June 1907), whose [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bridgers, H. C., Jr., Graham, Annie F. Henry Clay Bourne, soldier, farmer, merchant, and public official, was born near Portroyal, Tenn., the son of Catherine White Wimberley and Milton Bourne. His mother was a native of Robertson County, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Shore, Dee. Dr. Mike Boyette remembers the kinds of problems that kept his tobacco-farming father up at night—worries ranging from storms and drought to insects and diseases. What he did not imagine as a child, [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Williams, Wiley J. In his gubernatorial campaign of 1948, W. Kerr Scott strongly appealed to voters whose roots were in the soil. Scott called them "Branchhead Boys," referring to people who lived at the head of the [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bridgers, H. C., Jr. John Luther Bridgers, Jr., attorney, farmer, guardsman, and author, was born in Tarboro at the Grove, the home of his parents, Rebecca Louisa Dicken and Colonel John L. Bridgers. He went to school [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Rodabaugh, K. John Morehead Brower, congressman and state legislator, was born in Greensboro, the son of John W. Brower and his wife. His father was a businessman in Mt. Airy. Brower received his early education [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Jones, H. G. Bedford Brown, farmer, legislator, and U.S. senator, was born in what is now Locust Hill Township, Caswell County, the third of eight children of Jethro Brown and Lucy Williamson Brown. He attended [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I spoke with Hattie Brown as we walked through the old graveyard in Goshen, a black farming community in Jones County. She had a story for each of the dead. Her most striking memories were her [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Johnson, Elmer D. Burges (Burgess), Dempsey by Elmer D. Johnson, 1979; Revised November 2022. 1751–13 Jan. 1800 Dempsey Burges (Burgess), Revolutionary [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Huhta, James K. William Butler, farmer and insurgent, was probably born in Virginia before 1730 and was likely the son of William and Frances Watson Butler. He was one of at least seven children: brothers Aaron, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Ingram, Charles M. Charles Fletcher Cates, businessman and agricultural leader, was born near the town of Swepsonville in Alamance County. His ancestors came to America from England and settled in Orange County in the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Parramore, Thomas C. William Cathcart, physician, was a native of Genoch, Scotland. He was apprenticed in 1726 to a surgeon at Edinburgh, and there is evidence that he also pursued some studies at the University of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Anderson, Jean B. By Elizabeth A. Fenn, Peter H. Wood, Harry L. Watson, Thomas H. Clayton, Sydney Nathans, Thomas C. Parramore, and Jean B. Anderson; Maps by Mark Anderson Moore. Edited by Joe A. Mobley. [...] (from The Way We Lived in North Carolina, NC Office of Archives and History and UNC Press.)

by Anderson, Jean B. By Elizabeth A. Fenn, Peter H. Wood, Harry L. Watson, Thomas H. Clayton, Sydney Nathans, Thomas C. Parramore, and Jean B. Anderson; Maps by Mark Anderson Moore. Edited by Joe A. Mobley. [...] (from The Way We Lived in North Carolina, NC Office of Archives and History and UNC Press.)

by . Food, next to water, is the most important need to support human life. Modern American society has grown comfortable with the ease of obtaining food; it has forgotten the long history of food [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Losse, Helen. The Colored Farmers' Alliance was created when an agricultural depression hit the South around 1870 and farmers began to organize themselves into radical political groups. It paralleled the white [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. Before I first visited Velma Coltrain, she let her daughter-in-law send me a long, hand-written description of her life on a farm near the little town of Robersonville, 90 miles east of Raleigh. Mrs. [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Stinson, Craig M., Malo, Jorge. El Concurso Gritos, una feria anual establecida en Spivey's Corner en 1969, celebra el arte de gritar, que, antes del teléfono, era un medio esencial de comunicación para la gente de las zonas [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Durrill, Wayne K. Andrew Jackson Conner, teacher, county and city school superintendent, newspaper publisher, farmer and businessman, was born at Rich Square, Northampton County, the son of Elijah W. and Barbara [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. Listening to her, I felt almost dazed at how much has changed in one woman's lifetime. I couldn't get used to the fact that she was born the year that Thomas Edison patented his motion-picture [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Johnson, K. Todd. Crop Lien System by K. Todd Johnson, 2006 See also: Sharecropping Crop lien system was inaugurated in North Carolina in March 1867, when the General Assembly passed an Act to Secure [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Chestnut, Paul I. Josiah Crudup, clergyman, legislator, and congressman, was born in Wakelon, Wake County, the youngest of the nine children of Josiah Crudup, a Baptist minister, and Elizabeth Battle, daughter of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Jones, H. G. Mills (or Miles) Darden, innkeeper and farmer, was reputed to be the heaviest human on record until the twentieth century. He was born on a farm near Rich Square in Northampton County but moved to [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Steelman, Lala Carr. William Abram Darden, farmer, politician, and Alliance leader, was born in Greene County to William Augustus and Harriet Speight Darden. He was educated in neighborhood schools before he began the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Armistead, Terrell L. Devereux, John, Jr. by Terrell L. Armistead, 1986; Revised October 2022 17 Dec. 1820–10 Apr. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Fawcett, Michael J. Alfred Dockery, farmer, legislator, congressman, and Baptist layman, was born in Richmond County, the son of Thomas Dockery. John H. Wheeler states that the Dockery family was very large and Thomas [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Fawcett, Michael J. Claudius Dockery, lawyer, public servant, farmer, and, briefly, historian and diplomat, was born in Mangum, Richmond County, the son of Confederate Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Hart Dockery and Sallie [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Gatton, T. Harry. Robert Lee Doughton, farmer, banker, congressman, and Democratic party leader, was born at Laurel Springs in Alleghany County, the son of Jonathan Horton and Rebecca Jones Doughton. The family was [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. James Perry Drake, military officer and public official, was born in Robeson County, perhaps the son of Albriton or Silas Drake, the only men of this name recorded in the 1800 census of that county. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Freeman, Margery. [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Butler, Lindley S. Guilford Dudley, Revolutionary militia officer, was born in Caroline County, Va., the son of Christopher and Elizabeth Dudley. In November 1763 his father moved to Halifax, N.C., where the younger [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Edwards, Herman. Alonzo Clay Edwards, farmer, Sunday school superintendent, and legislator, was born in Hookerton, the son of Dr. Grandison C. Edwards, a country physician, and Katharine E. Herman, a schoolteacher [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cauble, Frank P. Ireneus Polycarp Efird, farmer, schoolmaster, and textile manufacturer, was born in Montgomery County. A descendant of pioneer Jacob Efird who came to North Carolina from Pennsylvania abut 1783, he [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . Extraído de Libro de hechos de El Viejo Estado del Norte. La propiedad literaria 2011 por la Oficina de Archivos e Historia de Carolina del Norte, Departamento de Recursos Culturale de [...] (from NC Office of Archives and History.)

by Jones, Lu Ann. Electricity's Impact on Rural Life "The Day the Lights Came on" by Lu Ann Jones Reprinted with permission from the Tar Heel Junior Historian. Spring 1985. Tar Heel Junior Historian [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Cecelski, David S. I visited with Jim Ellis in Fountain, a small town 70 miles east of Raleigh. A retired tobacco farmer and country preacher, he grew up there between the two largest tobacco markets in the world, [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Wait, Douglas A. North Carolina has produced and transported commercial exports since its establishment as an English colony. The primary exports from the colony were products of the forest. By the 1720s naval [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by McGee, Barry. Extension Service by Barry McGee, 2006 See also: Four-H Clubs; Live-at-Home Program(NC Museum of History); Live-at-Home Program (Encyclopedia of North Carolina); Adult [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Norris, David A. Factors, also known as "commission merchants," were commercial agents who handled the exchange of goods on behalf of planters. A factor sold cotton or other crops and made the arrangements for [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bishop, RoAnn. By the 1920s, North Carolina had become the nation’s largest producer of cotton textiles and the leading industrial state in the Southeast. At the same time, it boasted more farms than every state [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Ireland, Robert E. Farm-to-Market Roads by Robert E. Ireland, 2006 See also: Good Roads Campaign One of the key [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stevenson, George, Jr. The Farmers Union, officially the Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union, was organized in Texas in 1902 to improve the educational, economic, social, and political condition of southern farmers. [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hunt, James L. The Farmers' Alliance, formally known as the North Carolina State Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union, was a large and influential organization of farmers and rural citizens that was founded in [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Johnson, K. Todd. Free range for livestock was the common practice in North Carolina and the rest of the South from earliest settlement until the late nineteenth century. To keep livestock-defined as horses, mules, [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Howard, Mary Ferebee. Ferebee, Dennis Dozier by Mary Ferebee Howard, 1986 9 Nov. 1815–27 Apr. 1884 Dennis Dozier Ferebee, Confederate officer and political leader, was born in Currituck County but in 1834 moved [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Johnson, Elmer D. William Few, Jr., member of the Continental Congress and of the constitutional convention, U.S. senator, and judge, was born near Baltimore, Md., the son of William Few, Sr., and Mary Wheeler Few. In [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Field names were used in the British Isles to facilitate identification in farm records, to simplify the laying out of tasks, or in the discussion of seasonal plans. They also were used in wills and [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I visited Alfred Fisher in Pamlico County, three hours east of Raleigh. Now retired from his job as a chemist at a Weyerhaeuser pulp mill, he is active in the county historical society and has been [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Krieger, Marvin. Robert George Fitzgerald, soldier, farmer, educator, and businessman, was born to Thomas Charles Fitzgerald (ca. 1808–1879) and Sarah Ann Burton Fitzgerald (ca. 1818–ca. 1889) in New Castle County, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hood, Davyd Foard. Foard, John Frederick by Davyd Foard Hood, 1986 12 Apr. 1827–11 May 1909 See also: Foard, Osborne Giles (from the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography) John Frederick Foard, physician, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Fox, Charlesanna L. Michael Leonard Fox, physician, teacher, Lutheran minister, legislator, and farmer, was born in Liberty Township, Randolph County, the eldest son of Christian and Charity Moser Fox. After reading [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Farnham, Thomas J. Meshack Franklin, congressman and legislator, was born in Orange County, Va., the son of Bernard and Mary Cleveland Franklin. In 1778 his parents sent their eldest son, Jesse, to North Carolina to [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Branch, Paul, Jr. Richard Caswell Gatlin, soldier, Confederate officer, and farmer, was born at Kinston, Lenoir County. His father was John S. Gatlin, the son of John Gatlin who was one of the early settlers of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Walser, Richard. James Gay, farmer, soldier, and poet, was born in Ulster, Ireland, of Devon forebears. In lieu of a formal education, he avidly read history and the Scottish poems of Allan Ramsay. At age sixteen he [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Hannibal Lafayette Godwin, congressman, was born on a farm near Dunn, the son of Archibald Bryant and Rebecca Eliza Reeves Godwin. He was educated in local schools, attended Trinity College, and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Branch, Paul, Jr. James Byron Gordon, merchant, farmer, politician, and Confederate soldier, was born at Wilkesboro. His family, of Scottish descent, was founded by John George Gordon who emigrated from Scotland in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cheape, Kathleen S. H. Benjamin Franklin Grady, educator, soldier, congressman, and farmer, was born in Albertson Township, Duplin County, the oldest son of Alexander Outlaw and Anne Sloan Grady. His Grady forebears were [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Gass, W. Conard. Robert Davidson Graham, lawyer, was one of the ten children and the fifth son of Susannah Sarah Washington and William Alexander Graham, governor of North Carolina, U.S. secretary of the navy, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Anderson, Jean B. William Alexander Graham, Jr., farmer and state commissioner of agriculture, was born in Hillsborough, the third of nine sons of William Alexander Graham, a governor of North Carolina and secretary [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Zipf, Karin Lorene. The Grange, also known as the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, is a rural organization that promotes community values and serves as a vehicle for farmers to mold and shape state policies. The [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Green, C. Sylvester. John Gaston Grant, farmer and congressman, was born in Edneyville Township, rural Henderson County, the son of William C. and Elizabeth Grant. He attended local schools for a few months and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Humber, John L. Graves, Calvin by John L. Humber, 1986; Revised by SLNC Government & Heritage Library, June 2023 3 Jan. 1804–11 Feb. 1877 Calvin Graves, legislator, lawyer, and farmer, was born in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. John Green, attorney, judge, farmer, and Indiana official, was born in what became Yancey County, probably in that portion that was then Rutherford County. His parents were James and Catherine [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Morgan, Thomas S. Franklin Wills Hancock, Jr., real estate developer, farmer, North Carolina legislator, U.S. congressman, federal official, and county judge, was born in Oxford, the only son and one of four children [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Rigsbee, John Leonard. William Jackson Hicks, farmer, machinist, carpenter, industrialist, and architect, was born in Spottsylvania County, Va., the son of Martin (1789–1848[?]) and Nancy Pendleton Hicks (d. 1830), [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Hog killing in rural North Carolina was traditionally initiated on the first autumn or winter day after the weather had turned frigid. Neighbors often shared in the labor, when perhaps as many as 100 [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I recently visited Helen Hoggard to learn about old-fashioned hog killings. Born in 1917, she grew up on a farm in Bertie County, 120 miles east of Raleigh. Pork was the cornerstone of Southern [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Bridgers, H. C., Jr. George Allen Holderness, businessman, farmer, banker, and state senator, was born in Caswell County near Milton, the son of Sarah Foreman and William H. Holderness. In his youth he was a traveling [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stinson, Craig M. The Hollerin' Contest, an annual fair established in Spivey's Corner in 1969, celebrates the art of hollering, which, before the telephone, was an essential means of communicating for people in the [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Castel, Albert. Holmes, Theophilus Hunter by Albert Castel, 1988 13 Nov. 1804–21 June 1880 Theophilus Hunter Holmes, Confederate general, was born near Clinton in Sampson County, the son of Gabriel and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stokes, Durward T. Michael Holt, III, farmer, magistrate, and legislator, was born in Orange County, the son of Michael, Jr., and his second wife, Jean Lockhart Holt. He was reared on his father's farm and from him [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Doerschuk, M. Elaine. Christopher Houston, farmer, soldier, and town planner, was born in Lancaster County, Pa., the fourth son of Robert Houston, a successful Scottish immigrant wheat farmer, and his wife Martha Worke of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Steelman, Lala Carr. Thaddeus Ivey, farmer, schoolteacher, and civil servant, was born at Ashpole, Robeson County, the son of the Reverend Stinson Ivey, Baptist minister and educator, and his wife Mary Ann King. The [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. I visited Ammie Jenkins in Spring Lake, in Cumberland County, 50 miles south of Raleigh. She is one of the state's most dynamic advocates for black farming and landownership. As the founder and [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Jones, H. G. Richard Jones, farmer, miller, and legislator, was born in Virginia but moved to Caswell County, N.C., where he married Mary Ann ("Polley") Foster in 1811. Beginning with his wife's inherited farm on [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Willard, George-Anne. James Yadkin Joyner, educator, farmer, and North Carolina superintendent of public instruction, was a member of the generation of gifted educational statesmen who led North Carolina in an educational [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. Kingsberry-Burt is a survivor of poverty, child abuse and teen pregnancy. She is a community activist, a minister, a poet, and she fixed me the best fried chicken I've ever eaten. She is also a [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Bell, John L., Jr. Laflin, Byron by John L. Bell, Jr., 1991; Revised by SLNC Government and Heritage Library, June 2023 24 Apr. 1829–20 June 1901 Byron Laflin, manufacturer, army officer, and legislator, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Branch, Paul, Jr. William Gaston Lewis, Confederate soldier, civil engineer, farmer, and merchant, was born in Rocky Mount, the son of Dr. John Wesley and Catherine Anne Battle Lewis, and attended Lovejoy Academy in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Agan, Kelly. North Carolina has always been an agrarian state. Agrarian means related to living in rural areas and cultivating the land. Rural means in the countryside outside towns and cities. And cultivating [...] (from NCpedia K-8 Collection.)

by Brawley, James S. Francis Locke, Revolutionary soldier, farmer, trader, and carpenter, was born in Northern Ireland, the son of John and Elizabeth Locke who moved to Lancaster County, Pa., when Francis and his [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Mills, L. Barron, Jr. John Long, Jr., congressman, legislator, and farmer, was born in Loudoun County, Va., and moved with his parents to the northeastern corner of Randolph County. The family settled at what later became [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Roule, R. Charles, III. Following the War of 1812, North Carolina seemed to  lapse into a “sleep” of comfort. Planters from eastern North Carolina remained perfectly content to raise crops, get them to market, and make [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Cotten, Alice R. McBee, Vardry by Alice R. Cotten, 1991 19 June 1775–23 Jan. 1864 Vardry McBee, merchant, farmer, and clerk of county court, was born in Spartanburg District, S.C., the son of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Parris, Richard W. James McCallum, public official, lawyer, and farmer, was born in Robeson County, the son of Daniel and Sarah Smith McCallum. The extent of his education is unknown. On 14 Feb. 1829 he married [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Parker, Roy, Jr. Charles Washington McClammy, Confederate officer, congressman, legislator, and farmer, was born at Scotts Hill, a farming community on the New Hanover–Pender County line, the son of Luke S. and Anna [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Shelby, Bradford M. Joseph Jefferson McDowell, congressman, was born in Burke (now McDowell) County, the son of Joseph McDowell (of Quaker Meadows)—a native of Winchester, Va., who moved to North Carolina in 1758, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Dunbar, G. S. McDowell, Silas by G. S. Dunbar, 1991 16 May 1795–14 July 1879 Silas McDowell, tailor, farmer, court clerk, scientific observer, and writer, was born in York District, S.C., the natural son [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Boughman, Lee. Alexander McIver, college professor, superintendent of public instruction, and farmer, was born in Sanford, then in Moore County, to Daniel and Margaret McLeod McIver. In 1853 he was a first-honor [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Smith, Maud Thomas. McLean, Hector by Maud Thomas Smith, 1991 18 Aug. 1807–3 July 1889 Hector McLean, Presbyterian minister, teacher, and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Walser, Richard. John Charles McNeill, poet, journalist, and lawyer, was born at Ellerslie, his father's farm near Wagram in Richmond (later Scotland) County. His two grandfathers had emigrated from Argyllshire, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stokes, Durward T. Giles Mebane, lawyer, farmer, and legislator, was born in Orange (now Alamance) County, near the present town of Mebane, which was named for his family. He was the son of James Mebane, and the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Steelman, Lala Carr. James Marion Mewborne, farmer, Farmers' Alliance leader, state senator, and public servant, was born in Vance Township, Lenoir County, the son of Levi and Susan Parrott Mewborne. He became prominent [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. William Dunn Moseley, first governor of Florida, was born at Moseley Hall in Lenoir County, the son of Matthew and Elizabeth Herring Dunn Moseley. A descendant of colonial official Edward Moseley, he [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wall, James W. George Mumford, congressman, legislator, farmer, merchant, and dealer in real estate, was originally from the Fayetteville and Cumberland County area. His father, Robinson (or Robeson) Mumford, owned [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Martin, Sophie S. William Rayford Myers, business and community leader, was born in Anson County, the son of Absalom and Sarah Pickett Myers. His mother was descended from the Raiford family, of Cumberland and Anson [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bishop, RoAnn. Agriculture lies at the heart of the North Carolina State Fair. You can tell that by the many varieties of livestock, produce, and farm equipment exhibited at the annual autumn event. From grand [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by McLaurin, Melton. In the years before the Civil War, North Carolina’s farmers faced many problems. Many were illiterate, and an even larger number were just barely able to read and write. Farmers relied on oral [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Overton, Heather. The North Carolina State Agricultural Society, which produced the State Fair for seven decades before it began officially in 1853, focused primarily on agricultural reform, not attractions. Its [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Cecelski, David S. Loraine Carter Nelson recently sent me a lovely memoir recalling her childhood growing up with eight brothers and sisters in the Blue Ridge Mountains. That was near the village of Democrat, 17 miles [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Norris, Thomas L., Jr. Nickels for Know-How was the title of a program created following World War II to support scientific research to improve crop production and farming methods. Established by legislative action in [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Steelman, Lala Carr. The North Carolina Farmers' Association evolved out of two meetings, the first of which took place in Raleigh on 18 Jan. 1887. Creation of the organization was inspired by a network of farmers' clubs [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. Hoover Jones, a private in the U.S. Army, has been missing in action since the first months of the Korean War in 1950. Last year the Army informed his family that his remains may have been [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Steelman, Lala Carr. Thomas Bradley Parker, agriculturalist, farm leader, and public servant, was born in Goldsboro, the son of William Right and Nancy Parker Parker. He had no formal education beyond the third grade but [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Murphy, Eva B. Zebulon Vance Pate, businessmen, merchant, banker, landowner, and farmer of Scotland County, which was a part of Richmond County at the time of his birth, was born on the Thoroughgood Pate plantation [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, Charles S., IV. Patterson, Samuel Legerwood by Charles S. Powell IV, 1994 6 Mar. 1850–14 Sept. 1918 Samuel Legerwood Patterson, farmer and legislator, was born at Palmyra, the family home located in the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Roff, Carolyn F. Thomas Jenkins Pearsall, legislator, attorney, businessman, and farmer, was born in Rocky Mount, the son of Leon F. and Maryetta Jenkins Pearsall. He was educated in the public schools of Rocky Mount [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Walser, Richard. James Larkin Pearson, poet and printer, was born of English and Scot-Irish ancestry in a log cabin on Berry's Mountain three miles from Boomer in Wilkes County, the oldest of two sons of William [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Pegg, Carl H. Herbert Dale Pegg, teacher, farmer, and conservationist, was born on the headwaters of Deep River in Guilford County, the eldest son of Jabez Gardner and Ellen Gray Pegg. As a boy he attended [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Butler, Lindley S. Thomas Jefferson (Jeff) Penn, investment broker, farmer, and philanthropist, was the son of Frank Reid and Annie Spencer Penn of Penn's Store, Patrick County, Va. In 1874 his father moved the family [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Perry, Percival. William Marion Perry, Confederate veteran, farmer, millwright, merchant, banker, and a founder of Wingate College and the town of Wingate, was born on Niggerhead Creek, in Union County, the third of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Noblin, Stuart. Polk, Leonidas LaFayette by Stuart Noblin, 1994; Revised by Jared Dease, Government and Heritage Library, December 2022 24 Apr. 1837–11 June 1892 Leonidas LaFayette Polk, agrarian leader, [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Kirkman, Roger N. Thomas Gilchrist Polk, political figure and general of militia, was born in Mecklenburg County, the eldest child of Colonel William and Griselda Gilchrist Polk. Among his prominent relatives were his [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Warner, Anne. Frank Noah Proffitt, farmer, craftsman, and singer of traditional songs, was born in Laurel Bloomery, Tenn., the son of Wiley and Rebecca Alice Creed Proffitt. His paternal grandparents, John and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Simpson, Marcus B., Jr. William Olin Puckett, educator and biologist, was born in Cornelius, the son of William Lawrence and Mary Alice Washam Puckett. His family was of English, German, and Scottish descent and his [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Weaver, John B. Purviance, David by John B. Weaver, 1994 14 Nov. 1766–19 Aug. 1847 David Purviance, minister, legislator, and church leader, was born in Iredell County, the son of John and Jane [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Deaton, Joseph Edmund. Edward [J.?] Ransom, physician, farmer, and legislator, was born in Gloucester County, Va. He attended the University of Virginia and is said to have graduated from Hampden-Sydney College, although [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Knapp, Richard F. He landed at Long Island in 1778 or 1779 as a Hessian soldier hired by George III of England to squelch the rebellion of his American colonies. Precise data on Reed's service are lacking, but it is [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Steinhauer, Dale R. Reilly, James by Dale R. Steinhauer, 1994 17 Apr. 1823–5 Nov. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by West, Warren F., III. Charles Albert Reynolds, lieutenant governor of North Carolina, civil engineer, tobacco manufacturer, and farmer, was born in Madison, the son of Dr. Thomas and Sarah Jane Fewel Reynolds. They were [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Plumblee, M. Q. William Anderson Roberts, artist, farmer, and Confederate soldier of English descent, was born in new Prospect Church three miles west of Yanceyville, the son of Elijah, a farmer, and Rebecca B. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Ross, Danforth. James Ross, author, teacher, and farmer, was born on a farm a few miles east of Williamston in Martin County. He was the son of Mildred Yarrell and Elder Reuben Ross, a pioneer Baptist preacher who [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Anderson, Jean B. By Elizabeth A. Fenn, Peter H. Wood, Harry L. Watson, Thomas H. Clayton, Sydney Nathans, Thomas C. Parramore, and Jean B. Anderson; Maps by Mark Anderson Moore. Edited by Joe A. Mobley. [...] (from The Way We Lived in North Carolina, NC Office of Archives and History and UNC Press.)

by Agan, Kelly. Sam Brinkley and His Beard by Kelly Agan, Government & Heritage Library, 2014 21 Sept. 1850-13 Dec. 1929 See also: Beards Standing six feet two with a beard of five feet four inches, [...] (from Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.)

by Whittenburg, James P. Often intended as an insult, the term "Scotch merchant" referred to men, by no means all of them Scots, who functioned as factors and agents for large mercantile companies headquartered along the [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Willis, F. Craig. James Edwin Scott, merchant and tobacco manufacturer, was born in Alamance County, the son of Robert W. Scott. He attended the Bingham School when it was under the direction of Major Robert Bingham [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Ralph Henderson Scott, dairyman, political leader, and legislator, was born near Haw River in Alamance County, the son of Robert Walter and Elizabeth Jessie Hughes Scott. His brother, William Kerr [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Hill, Michael. Agricultural leader and champion of rural North Carolinians or, as his supporters were known, the “Branchhead Boys,” W. Kerr Scott (1896-1958) inaugurated a new era of progressive reforms, chief [...] (from Research Branch, NC Office of Archives and History.)

by Littleton, Tucker Reed. Shackelford, John Williams by Tucker Reed Littleton, 1994 16 Nov. 1844–18 Jan. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Zipf, Karin Lorene. Sharecropping by Karin Lorene Zipf, 2006 See also: Crop Lien System. Sharecropping was the mode of labor that supported much of North Carolina's postslavery plantation economy. [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Beasley, Paul W. Evan Shelby, frontiersman, trader, and militia officer, was born in Tregaron, Wales, the son of Evan, Sr., a merchant and farmer, and Catherine Daviess Shelby. The family emigrated to America in [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cauble, Frank P. Shuford, Alonzo Craig by Frank P. Cauble, 1994 1 Mar. 1858–8 Feb. 1933 Alonzo Craig Shuford, farmer, Populist leader, congressman, and promoter [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. Mary Lea Simpkins grew up around one of the state's oldest grist mills, the Yates Mill just off Lake Wheeler Road south of Raleigh. For more than 200 years the Yates Mill ground meal and flour for [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Sims, E. Thomas. Leonard Henly Sims, congressman and farmer, was born in Burke County, the son of Dr. Swepson and Jane Meriwether Lewis Sims. The younger Sims, who received a limited amount of schooling, moved to [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Tilley, Nannie M. Abisha Slade, tobacco farmer and local politician, was born in Caswell County, the son of Ezekiel, a planter of northern Caswell County, and Mary Hubbard Slade. Reared in a comfortably situated [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Woodard, John R., Jr. Benjamin Franklin Sledd, educator and poet, was born in Bedford County, Va., the son of William Edgar and Arabella Hobson Sledd. Members of both the Hobson and Sledd families had fought in all the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Deaton, Carol Dalton. Smith, William Alexander by Carol Dalton Deaton, 1994 9 Jan. 1828–16 May 1888 William Alexander Smith, farmer, railroad president, legislator, and congressman, was born in Warren County, the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cobb, W. H. The Southern Tenant Farmers' Union (STFU) was created in response to both the deepening economic depression and the reduction in cotton acreage mandated by the New Deal's 1933 Agricultural Adjustment [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by McKown, Harry W., Jr. William Luther Spoon, Jr., engineer, inventor, and farmer, was born near Kimesville, Alamance County, the only son of George Monroe and Nancy Stafford Shoffner Spoon. He attended the public schools [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Kassa, Kemisa. Steele, Murphy By Kemisa Kassa, August 2024  b. 1749-? See also: Thomas Peters, Black Loyalist and African Nationalist, The Black Pioneers Loyalist Company on [...] (from NCpedia.)

by Gatton, T. Harry. Gilbert Thomas Stephenson, lawyer, banker, author, educator, and farmer, was born at Warren Place near Pendleton, Northampton County, the only child of Susan Anna Fleetwood and James Henry [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Perry, Percival. George Marshall Stewart, farmer, merchant, mill owner, banker, real estate developer, and a founder of Wingate College and of the town of Wingate, was born in New Salem Township, Union County, the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Stewart, James by William S. Powell, 1994; Revised by Jared Dease, Government and Heritage Library, January 2023 11 Nov. 1775–29 Dec. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Powell, William S. Montfort Sidney Stokes, military officer, was born at Morne Rouge, the Wilkes County home of his parents, Montfort and Rachel Montgomery Stokes. He was a grandson of Hugh Montgomery, who served under [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Wager, Paul W. Strowd, William Franklin by Paul W. Wager, 1994 7 Dec. 1832–12 Dec. 1911 William Franklin Strowd, farm leader and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by . Sustainable Farming in Contemporary North Carolina by Jennifer Daniel, December 2023 Regenerative agriculture is a sustainable, multi-pronged approach to farming designed to [...] (from NCpedia.)

by Fountain, A. M. Taylor, Simon Bruton by A. M. Fountain, 1996 16 Mar. 1834–27 Jan. 1929 Simon Bruton Taylor, Confederate officer, merchant, public official, and farmer, was born on a farm in southern Lenoir [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Dease, Jared, Putt, Alyssa. The Regulator Movement By Jared Dease and Alyssa Putt, 2022 From the NCPedia K-8 Collection See also: The Regulator Movement on NCPedia, The Regulators Chapter on [...] (from NCpedia K-8 Collection.)

by Parramore, Thomas C., Watson, Harry L., Nathans, Sydney, Anderson, Jean B., Clayton, Thomas H., Fenn, Elizabeth A., Wood, Peter H. By Elizabeth A. Fenn, Peter H. Wood, Harry L. Watson, Thomas H. Clayton, Sydney Nathans, Thomas C. Parramore, and Jean B. Anderson; Maps by Mark Anderson Moore. Edited by Joe A. Mobley. [...] (from The Way We Lived in North Carolina, NC Office of Archives and History and UNC Press.)

by Littleton, Tucker Reed. Cyrus Thompson, secretary of state, legislator, physician, teacher, agriculturist, and orator, was born at Gregory Forks near Richlands, the son of Franklin, Sr., and Leah Brown Thompson. Franklin [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Jones, H. G. The "Tick War" was a term that newspaperman Ben Dixon MacNeill applied to a controversy on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands following passage by the General Assembly in 1919 of an act requiring that [...] (from Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Holcomb, Alison. Tobacco Barrels: Hogsheads "Analyzing an Artifact: What in the World is a Hogshead?" by Alison Holcomb Reprinted with permission from the Tar Heel Junior Historian. Spring 2009. Tar Heel [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Smith, Claiborne T., Jr. John Franklin Tompkins, Jr., agriculturist and physician, was born in Edgecombe County, the son of John F. and Rosanna Spruill Tompkins. His mother's brother, George Evans Spruill, was a graduate of [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Parker, Roy, Jr. Turner, James by Roy Parker, Jr., 1996; Revised by SLNC Government and Heritage Library, January 2023 20 Dec. 1766–15 Jan. 1824 See also: James Turner, Research Branch, NC Office of Archives [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Auman, William T., Tise, Larry E. Bryan Tyson, controversialist and Unionist, was born in the Brower's Mill community of southeastern Randolph County, the son of Aaron Tyson, a relatively prominent farmer, enslaver, and Quaker [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Bolton, Charles C. Before the Civil War, North Carolina was an overwhelmingly rural state where most white citizens lived and worked on farms and plantations. Even as late as 1850, only one town in the [...] (from Tar Heel Junior Historian, NC Museum of History.)

by Trawick, Gary E. Whitfield, James Vivian by Gary E. Trawick, 1996 23 July 1894–19 Nov. 1968 James Vivian Whitfield, foreign service officer and legislator, was born in Seven Springs, the son of James A. and [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Cecelski, David S. Joyce Justice Williams grew up sharecropping on a farm near Wake Forest in the 1960s. Her father, J.C. Justice, was a carpenter and often worked away from home, so her mother Josephine and the [...] (from Listening to History, News and Observer.)

by Bair, Anna Withers. Williams, Samuel Clay by Anna Withers Bair, 1996 24 Sept. 1884–25 Feb. 1949 Samuel Clay Williams, lawyer and tobacco magnate, was born in Mooresville, the son of Thomas Jefferson and Willie [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Butts, Donald C. John Reynolds Winston, farmer, soldier, and politician, was born in Leaksville, the son of Edward and Susan Reynolds Winston. He received his early education in the local primary school and at the [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)

by Stokes, Durward T. Worth, William Henry by Durward T. Stokes, 1996 13 July 1839–6 Feb. 1931 William Henry Worth, Farmers Alliance leader, was born on a farm in the Polecat Creek community in Guilford County. [...] (from Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press.)