The Aging Geek….(And part-time historian.)

Historians have often said that history belongs to NO man. If we accept that premise as “true” (and why would we not?), then it stands to reason that the preservation of history should be a priority among those of us so inclined to discuss it. Over the last several years there seems to have been a “reverse renaissance” of those who prefer to rewrite history so that it more closely aligns with their own ideology, rather than *accepting* history as it actually exists. If this “rewriting of history” were limited only to those who chose to embrace it, the only real consequence of their actions would be their own ignorance. Unfortunately, those who prefer to acknowledge history only through a prism of their own making, also wish to include the rest of us in their misguided interpretation of *actual* history. And therein lies the danger in this flawed thinking.
Throughout history, philosophers, teachers and all manner of “sages” have attempted to enlighten us on everything from our own existence, to the universe around us. Much of what they have told us has turned out to be true, but far more of those early “lessons”, have been shown to be badly flawed, or incredibly misinformed interpretations of reality. Though not intentional, the fact that our early teachers were often wrong in what they revealed to us, meant that searching for the truth often involved temporarily accepting that which didn’t seem plausible, while greater effort was exerted to arrive at what might be described as the “accurate” versions of those various lessons. And this is especially true of our lessons in history. When we “look back” using only what we’ve been told, or what we remember, it’s quite common that misinterpretations arise that lead to an incorrect understanding of history. It becomes necessary under these circumstances to familiarize ourselves with other, more accurate versions of history, including books which contain the written testimony of the people who experienced this history “first hand”. (Your local public library likely has many such books.) 
   Over the last several years I’ve enjoyed what might best be described as a “hobby” or “amateur” historian status. I claim no particular expertise in any designated historical period, although I DO have a keen interest in the “post WWII” era here in the US. To be more precise, I’m particularly interested in the history of my specific geographical part of the country, “eastern North Carolina”. With these thoughts in mind, I hope you’ll join me as I delve into our local eastern NC history, and explore life as my ancestors knew it oh so many years ago.