Two new finding aids have been added to our Private Collections finding aids page:
Barnes and Bardin Account Books, 1839-1843
The Barnes and Bardin establishment opened in the community of Black Creek, Wayne County (present-day Wilson County) at the close of 1839. Soon afterwards, Black Creek became a post office and a station on the Wilmington and Weldon Rail Road. It appears that the principal partners were Bunyan Barnes and possibly Arthur Bardin, Sr. These four volumes represent transactions of a store dealing with groceries, hardware, and general merchandise. They list purchases by individual customers. Items purchased included cloth, ready-to-wear clothing, sewing essentials, buttons, jewelry, toiletries, paper, ink, food staples, spices, fish, pork, candies, spirits, and tobacco. Postage and taxes were also paid at this site. Attached to this finding aid is a table of names of customers of the Barnes and Bardin store. This is a sampling of names found in the four ledgers in the collection. Particular care has been given to list female customers, since women were not enumerated by name in the 1840 Census. (4 bound volumes)
Knudsen, Betty Ann, Papers, 1974-2005
Betty Ann Leonard Knudsen (1926- ) was a trailblazing woman politician and community activist in Wake County as well as an avid butterfly lover. She was the first female chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners (1976-1984); a founding member (1976) and president of the Women’s Forum of North Carolina; and she was a member of numerous boards, councils, and associations on the state and local level since the 1970s. Additionally, she has been an active mentor to other women in politics and leadership positions. She self-published a children’s riddle book in the late 1990s entitled, How Are Butterflies Like Chickens? to aid her butterfly presentations to children, as well as a DVD about butterflies. Her love of butterflies and commitment to the nurturing of women culminated in the founding of an informal group in 1976. Named the Royal Order of the Butterflies, it was inspired by a line from a poem, “you can fly, but the cocoon has to go.” This collection contains correspondence between Betty Ann Knudsen and various politicians on a political and personal level; correspondence related to the Royal Order of the Butterflies; her children’s book, DVD, and butterfly presentations; as well as material reflecting her political and community action and involvement; and personal correspondence with family members and friends from the 1970s to the 2000s. (1.3 Cubic feet;4 boxes)
A finding aid has also been updated on our Organization Records finding aids page:
Dorothea Dix Volunteer Service Guild Records, 1961 – 2009
The Dorothea Dix Volunteer Service Guild, a non-profit volunteer organization, was formed in 1961, training volunteers to work at the mental health care facility, Dorothea Dix Hospital. The Guild helped the public understand the work of Dorothea Dix Hospital, as well as improve the quality of life for the patients of the hospital. The bulk of materials consists of minutes for the Guild committees and Executive Board meetings covering 1961 through 2009. Other materials include the Guild publications Volunteer Ventures, June 1967 through June 2008, and the Yearbooks, 1973 to 2008, as well as scrapbooks covering 1960 to 1991. (8 fibredex boxes, 3 scrapbooks.)

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