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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from Archibald D. Murphey to Joseph Graham [Extracts]
Murphey, Archibald D. (Archibald De Bow), 1777-1832
November 27, 1822
Volume 19, Pages 978-979

JUDGE MURPHEY TO GENERAL JOSEPH GRAHAM.

Hillsboro’, Nov. 27, 1822.

Dear Sir:—I rceived on yesterday your kind letter of the 10th Oct. last. It had lain in the post office here for some time. I returned from Tennessee on Friday last and Monday came to this place to attend our Courts.

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I will in a few weeks resume the work I have at heart, Compiling the History of North Carolina. I have collected a considerable mass of materials for several periods of this history, and in doing this have been kindly aided by a few of the officers and soldiers of the North Carolina line, but by none so liberally as yourself. I am glad you are disposed to aid me still more, and beg you commence your work as soon as your convenience will admit. Col. Polk of Raleigh, is engaged in such a work, and to refresh his memory I submitted to him before I went to Tennessee, and left with him until my return, your manuscripts. Maj. Donoho of Caswell, wishes to read them, and I have promised him to go to his house and spend a week or ten days with him and get all the information his memory can supply.

The work which I wish to publish, it is my ambition to prepare in a style worthy of its subject; it will embrace views of the climate, soil, geology, mineralogy, moral and political character, state of society, of literature, &c., of North Carolina. Time will be re

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quired to prepare such a work, but if a few others felt the same zeal you feel, and were as much disposed to lend their aid, the work would progress fast.

It will give me great pleasure to hear from you frequently. Direct your letters to Haw River Post Office, Orange County.

With great regard,
I am, dear Sir,
Your obed’t serv’t,
A. D. MURPHEY.
Gen. Jos. Graham.