LEWIS S. LEARY, a free negro, one of the insurrectionists, who was shot at Harper’s Ferry, was a native of Fayetteville, an infamous scoundrel who ran away from justice, and thereby cheated the rope of a deserving compliment. His father still lives in Fayetteville and is a very exemplary citizen — and his brother has a saddle and harness manufactory.
North Carolina Argus (Wadesboro), 17 November 1859.
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Mr. Cheek introduced a bill for the relief of Sythia Chavis, a free colored woman. (Allows her to sell herself into slavery.)
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Weekly Raleigh Register, 19 December 1860.
$30 REWARD.
Horse and Money Stolen.
STOLEN from the subscriber, on Thursday night the 26th Feb’y, a BRIGHT CLAY BANK HORSE, with a white blaze in the face, low in flesh and limps a little in the right hind leg, has a sore back. He was taken by a free negro by the name of Jacob Goings alias Morgan. There was a free girl with him by the name of Sara Jane Goings.
I will give a reward of Twenty Dollars for the arrest and confinement of Jacob Goings in Lumberton Jail, or ten in any other Jail in the State, and ten dollars for the return of the horse to me. DUGALD McDUGALD. Dondarroch, Robeson Co. – Feb’y 18, 1863.
Fayetteville Semi-Weekly Observer, 16 March 1863.
State of North Carolina, Craven County, ss.
By RICHARD ELLIS, and WILLIAM TISDALE, Esquires, two of the Justices for the said County.
NEWBERN, June 27, 1777.
WHEREAS complaint hath been made to us, by James Davis, that a negro fellow named SMART, very black, about 5 feet 8 inches high, well made, and very likely, speaks broken English, but very artful and insinuateing, is run away, and is supposed to be lurking about committing many acts of felony.
These are therefore to command the said slave forthwith to surrender himself, and return home to his said Master. And we do also require the Sheriff of the said County to make diligent search and pursuit after the said slave, and him having found, to apprehend and secure, so that he may be conveyed to his said Master, or otherwise discharged as the law directs. And the said sheriff is hereby empowered to raise and take with him such power of his County that he shall think fit, for apprehending the said slave. And we do hereby, by virtue of an act of assembly of this state concerning servants and slaves, intimate and declare, if the said slave doth not surrender himself, and return home, immediately after the publication of these presents, that then any person may kill or destroy the said slave, by such means as he or they may think fit, without accusation or impeachment of any crime or offence for so doing, or without incurring any penalty or forfeiture thereby. RICHARD ELMS, WILLIAM TISDALE.
N.B. ‘Tis supposed he is harboured about South River, by one Abel Carter, a free negro, as he has been seen there several times. I will give fifty dollars if delivered to me at Green Springs, or 20 dollars for his head. JAMES DAVIS.
The North Carolina Weekly Gazette (New Bern), 14 November 1778.
CORONER’S INQUEST. – Coroner Wood, yesterday afternoon, held an inquest over the body of a free negro named Bill Gafford, at the Manchester Rail Road Depot, who came to his death by being crushed between a train of cars eight miles this side of Fair Bluff. – Verdict in accordance with the above. – Wilmington Herald.
North Carolina Argus (Wadesboro), 29 August 1857.
FIVE CENTS REWARD.
RANAWAY from the subscriber on the 15th February last, a free negro girl named EDNY MANOR, an indented apprentice. She is tall, of light complexion and about 16 years of age. All persons are hereby warned not to harbor or employ said girl, under the penalty of the law. The above reward will be given and no thanks, to any person who will apprehend and deliver her to me. E. FERGUSON. Newbern, March 7th, 1848.
The Newbernian and North Carolina Advocate, 21 March 1848.
MURDER. – A free colored man named Jordan Petteford, residing in the suburbs of this town, was shot on Wednesday last, in the public street of that part of the town, and in broad day. He died on the following Friday.
A white man named Powell was arrested on suspicion.
A Coroner’s Jury has been in session since the death of Petteford, earnestly engaged in the praiseworthy effort to elicit some testimony to identify the murdered. So far, we learn, they have not been successful.
Fayetteville Weekly Observer, 4 August 1856.
In the 1850 census of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, Jordan Pettiford, 43, laborer; wife Ailey, 36; and children Wm. H., 16, Jas. W., 13, Amos, 8, Cordelia, 7, Charles, 4, Mary J., 1, and Sarah Daniels, 1.
RALEIGH, May 20, 1869.
K.P. BATTLE, ESQ.:
Dear Sir: I have to state that Jeptha Horton and myself purchased of William Smith (free colored) his tract of land (less than 100 acres) lying in the vicinity of Raleigh, and not long afterwards sold it to John Hutchins, of Wake county, who paid the purchase money, and received a proper deed for the same about the year 1853.
I have conversed with Mr. Horton, and he thinks both he and I signed the deed, and that Smith’s deed to us was at the time delivered over to Mr. Hutchins. Mr. Horton was the active agent in the purchase and sale of this property, and my own recollections at this late date of the entire transaction are very meagre and imperfect. Yours, W.W. VASS
The deed from Wm. Smith, barber, to W.W. Vass and Jeptha Horton in fee, is registered and date February, 1853.
Wm. Smith bought of John Suggs in 1838 and 1826, as appears from the registry books. BATTLE & SONS.
The Daily Standard (Raleigh), 27 May 1869.
Remarkable Occurrence, Death by Lightning – A free colored man by the name of Foster, was killed by stroke of lightning in the vicinity of this Town on Thursday evening. He was laying in bed, with his wife on one arm and a child on the other, and while he was instantly killed, neither the woman or child was at all injured. Jeffersonian.
The North-Carolina Star (Raleigh), 13 July 1842.
ATTEMPTED ABDUCTION OF A SLAVE.
The Schr. Dolphin, Samuel Salyear master of this port, left here 15 days ago bound for New York. Shortly after leaving the bar, the cook, James Corbell, a free colored man, seeing one of the crew, a colored man, frequently carrying water down the hold, suspected something was wrong and communicated his suspicions to the captain, who ordered the mate to make search; who on examination found a slave man secreted in the hold, named Edward, belonging to the estate of the late Mrs. Elizabeth Justice of this town. The boy had been concealed on board through the agency of two free colored men, Tom Fortune and Furny Moore, two of the crew. The captain immediately put into Norfolk Va., where the Dolphin arrived on the 10th instant. The captain immediately brought the case before the Mayor, and upon examination Edward was committed to jail to await the requisition of his owner, and Fortune and Moore were committed for trial for the abduction of the slave. Their trial of course must take place here, and the Governor of our State will demand them from the State of Virginia, Much credit is due the captain and the cook for their promptness in this matter. The above particulars we gather mostly from the Norfolk Herald of the 12th instant. Newbernian.
The North-Carolina Star (Raleigh), 28 July 1847.
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SUPERIOR COURT.
The fall term of Superior Court for this county was held last week. The most important case tried was that of a free negro sailor, Tom Fortune, for his life, charged with aiding a slave to escape into a free state. The slave was discovered in the hold of the vessel after she had got to sea, when the Captain put into Norfolk and lodged in jail the slave and the negros suspected of assisting him to escape. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty, the testimony not being sufficient to prove that he knew the slave was on board until he was discovered at sea. Messrs. Stevenson and Sparrow were employed on the defence.
Eastern Carolina Republican (New Bern), 3 November 1847.
Fourth Generation Inclusive 