Research Guides: Guide for English Graduate Students: Editing/Transcription Project

Finding History/Background/Biography

Library Catalog This link opens in a new window
Search for background information. Don't forget you can order books from ASU and UNCA.
Ancestry Library Edition This link opens in a new window
One of your best bets for finding vital statistics, names, dates, family members, etc.

Historical North Carolina Newspapers Research Guide
Your guide to finding historical newspapers on any topic. Many national newspapers will cover NC news, so take a look at the News & Newspapers database in addition to NC newspapers.

DigitalNC This link opens in a new window
Explore the history and culture of North Carolina through original materials from cultural heritage repositories across the state.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collections (1684-1912) This link opens in a new window
Collections include digitized images of daily life from 3,700 American magazines and journals collected by the American Antiquarian Society from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction.
American Periodical Series Online This link opens in a new window
American Periodical Series Online (APS Online) includes digitized images of the pages of American magazines and journals published from colonial days to the dawn of the 20th century.
News & Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Contains the full text of these historical newspapers: the Washington Post (1877-2002), Los Angeles Times (1881-1995), New York Times (1851 - 2015), and Chicago Tribune (1849-1996). As well as The Wall Street Journal 1984-Present and other newspapers.
America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Search or browse the full-text of over 1,000 early American newspapers published between 1690 and 1922. This database includes titles from all fifty states and there are nine titles for North Carolina alone. Also included are several early newspapers in languages such as French and German.

Curated and annotated by Liz Hudson, WCU Student (English/History) and Intern for Hunter Library

Jacob Siler Papers
The Family of Weimer Siler
This is an updated version of the Siler family history published in 1955 at the 100th Siler family meeting, written to be read at future family reunions. In addition to documenting Jacob Siler’s time as a magistrate, it also includes some fun anecdotes about him and a description of his personality. There are pictures of various Silers, including Jacob and both of his wives. Finally, the book contains a very similar (but still slightly different) account of the story of Jacob Siler and the Cherokee’s first meeting as given by Jacob's son, Thomas Swain Siler.

Valley So Wild: A Folk History by Alberta Brewster
Call Number: WCU GENERAL F443.L64 B73
This book’s info about the Siler’s seems to come almost entirely from The Family of Weimar Siler, but it also offers good regional/historical context to the account of Jacob’s entry into North Carolina.
The Siler family
Call Number: WCU SPEC COLL CS71.S58 1926
Publication Date: 1926
A Brief History of Macon County, North Carolina by C. D. Smith
Call Number: WCU SPEC COLL F262.M2 S65 2010
ISBN: 9781149841884
Publication Date: 2010-06-01
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923.
Macon County NC in the 1850 Census by Barbara McRae; Rebekah Leveretle
Call Number: WCU REFERENCE F262.M2 M437 1997
ISBN: 0963893033
Publication Date: 1997-12-01
Also a copy in Special Collections
1830 census of Macon County, N.C. by Carolyn Collier
Call Number: WCU REFERENCE 1830 census of Macon County, N.C.

Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
OED Online contains the text of the OED twenty-volume print edition. Each entry provides a definition, etymology, pronunciation, variant spellings, quotations, and a date chart.
Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive dictionary of regional dialect in the United States. Entries provide a definition, word history, and description of where in the U.S. you might hear words like "antymire," "gum band," or "elbedritsch." Great for linguistic researchers and any writer who wants to apply an authentic dialect to a character.