The contributions of the Revolutionary War soldiers of Western N.C. during the conflict of 1775-1782 were immense. The rolling hills of the Carolina Piedmont were as much a battleground as those of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Kings Mountain, Ramsour's Mill, Cowpens, the Indian Wars, and many other conflicts all helped to change the course of American history. Unfortunately, from a historical standpoint, very little written data is available concerning the contributions of the Western N.C. Militiamen. Many of the western counties, though their soldiers contributed greatly to the war effort, are historically "silent". This work is an effort to unravel and to present in a systematic way something about their lives and exploits. The initial two volume will be devoted to Burke County. Each soldier will be written up to his early life (as much as could be made available), his military experiences, his later life, including marriages, children, occupations, etc. Also included will be his land transactions and census locations. Where available, burial sites will be given as well as pension awards. Following completion of the Burke County editions, similar works will begin on the remaining Western North Carolina counties. Early research is now in progress for Wilkes, Surry, Rowan, Mecklenburg, Lincoln, and Rutherford counties.

By: Col. Thomas George Walton, Pub. 1984, Reprinted 2016, 100 pages, NEW Index, ISBN #0-89308-538-3. The articles comprising the first part of this book, page 5 through 67, were written in 1894 and were published in the old Morganton Herald. Those articles found on pages 68 through 89 were copies from manuscripts of Col. Walton; these are now in the possession of his granddaughter, Mrs. Harry Boggs (1924). This book contains sketches of the following pioneers in Burke County history: Avery, Ballew, Bechtter, Bouchelle, Bowman, Bradshaw, Brittain, Caldwell, Carson, Collins, Connelly, Corpening, Dobson, Duckworth, Erwin, Estes, Forney, Graham, Greenlee, Hemphill, Henderson, Herne, Hildebrand (2), Lenoir, McDowell, McEntire, Miller, Morrison, Murphy, Newland, Patton, Perkin, Person, Picken, Rutherford, Stevelies, Tates, Walker, Walton. A New Index was created for this volume.

" ... provides updated county and town listings within the same overall state-by-state organization ... information on records and holdings for every county in the United States, as well as excellent maps from renowned mapmaker William Dollarhide ... The availability of census records such as federal, state, and territorial census reports is covered in detail ... Vital records are also discussed, including when and where they were kept and how"--Publisher decription.

The New York Times Bestseller Set in the Appalachian wilderness and blending legends and folklore with high suspense, this stellar novel, The Ballad of Frankie Silver, is considered one of McCrumb's crowning achievements. In 1833 Frankie Silver was an eighteen-year-old girl convicted of murder in Burke County, North Carolina. Through a detailed investigation, the local sheriff, and soon all the townsfolk, discover reason to question her guilt---but the wheels of justice were mercilessly unstoppable, and she was hanged. Now, more than a century later, another woman is convicted of murder in the lush hills of Tennessee. Her life is in the hands of Spencer Arrowood, a man who begins to discover that the convictions of these two women have deep and haunting parallels. Although Frankie's fate cannot be changed, there is still time to alter the fate of another innocent woman. In a voice that could only be Sharyn McCrumb's, the worlds of these two murders, these two women, intersect in this densely plotted and lyrical novel—and characters, generations, and history are breathlessly painted against an Appalachian canvas.

Materials are primarily for adults with little or no reading abilities who wish to learn basic reading and writing skills.