This Month

From New Bern to Lincoln’s Assassination – A Curious Connection by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society “You can’t make this up” describes our article this month. This story was inspired by an email we received from a computer history researcher in Bulgaria. His email concerned Dr. Joseph Bell Alexander, an inventor of note

Black Soldiers in the Cause of Freedom by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Soldiers at the siege of Yorktown, including 1st Rhode Island Regiment soldier (left), 1781 Illustration by Jean-Baptiste-Antoine DeVerger On March 5, 1770, British troops fired into a crowd of American colonists in Boston, Massachusetts. Five men were killed, including Crispus

Giving Diligence its Due by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Did you know that Founding Father Alexander Hamilton features in one of Gertrude Carraway’s list of impressive New Bern Firsts?* This connection dates back to Treasury Secretary Hamilton’s 1790 establishment of a revenue cutter service, the precursor to the United States Coast Guard.

What’s in a Name? by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society 1862 Plan of the Battle of Newberne “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” ― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet Among the questions we are asked the most are “Why is New

To Love and to Cherish, ’til Death do us Part by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society Photo courtesy of Afroculture.net Our 3d annual History Quest historical scavenger hunt featured the touching story of Zelmyra and Herbert Fisher, a local couple buried side by side in a small James City cemetery. The Fishers have the

Giving Thanks in the Midst of War by Claudia Houston, Historian, New Bern Historical Society   Alfred R Waud sketch, Thanksgiving 1861, courtesy of the Library of Congress via www.ancientfaces.com   During November our thoughts often turn to family, food and home in preparation for Thanksgiving. Although we often associate the story of the Pilgrims’