The latest historical series being added to the North Carolina Digital Collections as part of the LSTA-funded grant, Ensuring Democracy through Digital Access, is the Journals of the House and Senate of North Carolina. Going back to 1822, the journals are a record of the actions taking place on each day of the legislature’s session. These journals are an excellent resource for anyone researching North Carolina law.
For example, in 1831, North Carolina passed a law that made it illegal to teach slaves to read or write. You can read this law in its entirety in the North Carolina session laws, digitized and posted online earlier this year. Now, it’s possible to search online in the Journals of the House and Senate and see exactly which representatives and senators voted for or against this law. The Journals indicate changes to wording in the laws; messages each branch may have received from various officials; motions put before the assembly; and of interest to genealogists, a complete list of each member and the county they represent.
Currently, the North Carolina Digital Collections contain 96 volumes of Journals from 1822 to 1969. More are being added every day so if you don’t see what you’re looking for, make sure to check back. Journals for the House and Senate are also available from 2001 from the web site for the North Carolina General Assembly.
