North Carolinian newspapers referenced Dr. and Mrs. Hunt over 450 times between 1880 and 1924. As Transylvania County’s Health Officer, Dr. Charles Washington Hunt implemented progressive public health reforms and led one of the state's more aggressive campaigns against the horrific 1918 Flu Pandemic. His promotional efforts helped to develop several beautiful mountain resorts, and he successfully advocated for many local civic improvements. His wife, Henrietta Anderson Hunt, was the proprietress of the Hunt Cottages of Brevard, and this narrative provides the most detailed history to date of that popular hotel. Mrs. Hunt also commissioned large construction projects in Hendersonville, NC, and St. Petersburg, FL. The Hunts were dedicated to their region - caring for its residents and welcoming many of its visitors for four decades. (Recipient of a 2018 Book Award from the North Carolina Society of Historians)

"Railroad Builders: The Dunavant Family of Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee" introduced Henry Jackson "Jack" Dunavant (1875-1928) and described many of the large-scale construction projects he completed in North Carolina and throughout the South. (Charlotte's Dunavant Street was named in his honor.) It also introduced his wife, Louise Wert Dunavant (1886-1967), and described how she supervised the initial construction of Charlotte's Carolina Golf Club and successfully launched that project during the Great Depression. This supplemental e-book introduced their immediate family and related families, and this latest edition also recalls how the Henkel - Dunavants of Statesville helped to develop the beautiful mountain town of Blowing Rock. This two-volume work received both a History Book Award and a Family History Book Award from the North Carolina Society of Historians in 2015.

T. R. Robertson was born and reared in Winnsboro, SC. The first decade of his professional career, begun during Reconstruction, was spent in Winnsboro; then, he and his wife, Cora Johnston Robertson, moved their family 70 miles north to Charlotte, NC. *** In North Carolina, a vigorous assault on the practice of racial lynching occurred during the 1905-1909 term of Governor Robert Glenn. Appointed by Gov. Glenn, T. R. Robertson served as Adjutant General of the North Carolina National Guard. During the 18-year period from 1891 to 1909, T. R. Robertson repeatedly used the military resources under his command to prevent lynchings and maintain the rule of law. As Adjutant General, he directed over 2000 men to protect the state's population. As Gov. Glenn’s primary military advisor, he helped to militarily lead the Governor’s successful campaign to permanently turn the state’s tide of racial lynching. *** Cora helped to establish two institutions that remain important to Charlotte today. In 1891, a local newspaper referred to her as “the prime mover” in transforming the disbanding Charlotte Female Institute into Long’s Seminary, which would evolve into Queen’s University. She also became an eight-year officer of North Carolina’s first general hospital, St. Peter’s Hospital, and served as its president from 1894 to 1897. (St. Peter's Hospital evolved into today's massive Carolinas Medical Center.) *** The children of Cora and T. R. provided leadership in the military and in local and state historical and literary associations. They were also co-developers of large-scale commercial projects in uptown Charlotte. *** This book also introduces several earlier Robertson generations of Fairfield County, SC, and related families. Two prominent members of Fairfield's Robertson clan are featured: Confederate leader Judge William Ross Robertson, and his presumed cousin, Union leader Thomas James Robertson. After becoming one of his state’s wealthiest planters, Thomas became an abolitionist, a two-term U.S. Senator, and a major rebuilder of South Carolina’s capital city, Columbia. (Recipient of a 2023 Award of Excellence from the North Carolina Society of Historians)

For over 160 years, the Lutterloh family was prominent in North Carolina. Between 1776 and 1940, family members and their steamboat company were referenced in state newspapers over 14,000 times. The Lutterloh Steamboat Line, which primarily served Wilmington and Fayetteville, was one of the state's largest steamboat operations before the Civil War. The large family of Charles and Eliza Lutterloh of Chatham County survived that war and settled across North Carolina and elsewhere. Their family members included Thomas Lutterloh (First Municipal Mayor of Fayetteville; Owner of the Lutterloh Steamboat Line and Local Turpentine Pioneer) * Herbert Lutterloh (Poultry Industry Pioneer) * Charles Lutterloh II (Landscaping and Gardening Pioneer of Fayetteville) * Grandson Charles Buxton Rogers (Florida’s Largest Wholesale Grocer) * and Son-In-Law Esley Hunt (Accomplished Studio Photographer of Chapel Hill and Raleigh). Charles' uncle was Henry Emanuel Lutterloh, Deputy Quartermaster General of the Revolutionary War. Charles' parents, Henry Lewis Lutterloh and Elizabeth Grantham Lutterloh, became the grandparents of 19 medical doctors (1986 "Guinness Book of World Records"). (Recipient of a 2018 Book Award from the North Carolina Society of Historians)

This biographical sketch introduces a significant Southern portrait photographer of the 19th century. In 1817, Esley Hunt was born in the rural mountainous area that would later become Johnson City, TN. (His childhood home, the Henson Hunt House, is listed on the Carter County Historical Register.) In the late 1840’s, Esley moved his family 220 miles to Chapel Hill, NC, where he would eventually become that town’s first studio photographer. He owned a house in Chapel Hill and 100 acres in Mebanesville (now Mebane). In 1859, Esley purchased a second portrait studio in Raleigh and acquired a 60 acre estate just west of the capitol city. In early advertisements, Esley stated his commitment to create art – notable in an era when many considered photography to be more of a technician’s itinerant occupation than an artist’s profession. By the late 1850’s, he and his artistic partner, painter Joshua P. Andrews of New York, were receiving numerous photography awards at the North Carolina State Fairs. After North Carolina joined the Confederacy in 1861, Raleigh became a gateway for soldiers and Esley continued to operate its primary portrait studio. Civil War portraits by Mr. Hunt and Mr. Andrews remain highly valued by collectors, and are invaluable to historians, genealogists, and descendants. The State Archives of North Carolina have referred to Esley Hunt as "one of the Civil War's most prolific and talented photographers in North Carolina," and some photography historians consider him to have been among the best in the South. (Originally published in 2018, this biographical sketch was the first to describe Esley Hunt's personal life and family.)

This was the first publication to present the Rosenwald Schools of Burke County, NC. With five schools built, Burke County was a full participant in the historic Rosenwald Movement that improved so many lives, families and communities across the South. The historic Rosenwald (Canal) School still stands in Lake James’ Bridgewater community, west of Morganton. A legacy of the Corpening family of pioneer educators that served Burke for over 25 years, it is the last surviving complete structure to represent Burke's early African-American schools. The discovery of an extant Rosenwald school provides an opportunity to document, or preserve, a structure representing the educational achievements of early African-American citizens. (In 2015, this work received an Award of Excellence from the North Carolina Society of Historians. In 2016, the Burke County Commissioners installed a permanent exhibit at the History Museum of Burke County to commemorate the county's five Rosenwald schools.)

Before the Civil War, William Johnston served as president of Charlotte's first railroad, the Charlotte & SC Railroad. After the war, he rebuilt that line and extended it to Augusta, GA, creating the fastest route between New York and the deep South. He was instrumental in connecting Charlotte by rail early to two seaports, Charleston and Wilmington, allowing the small village to grow rapidly. After retiring from railroad management, he served four terms as a transformative Mayor of Charlotte, built the popular Buford Hotel for the region's rail and mill leaders, and co-organized the Commercial National Bank which, through mergers, evolved into today's Bank of America. Beyond these economic contributions, William Johnston successfully proposed an amendment to the North Carolina Constitution to broaden the state's religious tolerance, and also oversaw the creation of Charlotte's first grade school for African-American children. (Recipient of a 2020 Award of Excellence from the North Carolina Society of Historians)