Marriage and Death Notices in Raleigh Register, North Carolina State Gazette, Daily Sentinel, Raleigh Observer and News and Observer 1867-1887; Bulletin of the North Carolina State Library

Ex-library with the usual library markings. Pagination is [4], 621-851, [1]. Cover has some wear and soiling. This index was prepared by Carrie L. Broughton, State Librarian. The information compiled from Raleigh papers from 1799-1877 [sic 1887]. The years 1799-1825 were embodied in the Biennial report of 1942-1944, the years 1826-1867 were issued in a separate bulletin under the title "Marriage and Death" notices appearing in the early Raleigh papers. This volume, therefore, is a continuation of the 1950 bulletin. The material has been arranged in two parts: Part 1, Marriages; Part 2, Deaths. The entries have been made as brief as possible, listing each name alphabetically, giving the date of marriage or death, the place of residence in which the person resided, the paper and date of publication. The files possessed by the library are not entirely complete, and there are missing issues now and then, this therefore will explain occasional omissions. Carrie Lougee Broughton (1979-1957) was born in Raleigh, She attended Peace Institute, Meredith College, and the State Normal College. She was the first woman to be appointed head of a state department in North Carolina and the fourth state librarian of North Carolina, Miss Broughton served from 1918 to 1956. She became assistant state librarian in September 1902, succeeding Marshall De Lancey Haywood. The state librarian at that time, Captain Miles O. Sherrill, retired in 1917. A series of men were named acting state librarian, as the idea of naming a woman to the post was not considered by the three trustees, Governor T. W. Bickett, Secretary of State J. Bryan Grimes, and Superintendent of Public Instruction J. Y. Joyner. Meanwhile, Miss Broughton was endorsed for the position by many citizens and organizations, including the North Carolina Library Association; the North Carolina Library Commission; many librarians, including those of Meredith College, Wake Forest College, Trinity College, Davidson College, and the Woman's College; and the president of the state federation of women's clubs. No one disputed her competence. Opponents to her appointment raised the question of constitutionality, but Chief Justice Walter Clark of the state supreme court cleared the matter in a letter to the trustees, writing: "It is true, as someone has said, she is guilty of 'the atrocious crime of being a woman,' but she is a taxpayer, a good citizen, experienced and thoroughly competent. I have found nothing in the constitution of this State which forbids a woman to be appointed to any office. . . ." On 31 May 1918, Miss Broughton was appointed until the General Assembly could meet. In the interim, she had to divide the salary with her assistant and the janitor. Finally, on 13 Mar. 1919, she was officially appointed with full salary. Miss Broughton proceeded to organize what had begun as a miscellaneous collection in the secretary of state's office into the nucleus of a research collection for North Carolina state government and for writers, scholars, and others with information needs. She was also responsible for starting the excellent genealogical collection, which is a popular service of the present Division of the State Library of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. As state librarian, she received many inquiries from descendants regarding marriages and deaths of early North Carolinians. To answer these, she began compiling records and collecting books and pamphlets. The Biennial Report of the State Librarian of North Carolina for 1 July 1926-30 June 1928 contained a fifty-eight page bibliography, "Genealogical Materials in the North Carolina State Library," complied by Carrie L. Broughton and Pauline Hill, who was chief library assistant at that time. Supplements were issued in subsequent biennial reports. Beginning in 1944, the reports also carried compilations of marriages and death notices from 1799 to 1825 from the Raleigh Register. By the time she retired in 1956, Miss Br. …