Researching Locally

I'm scheduled to present a session on the research I did for It All Started at the Masquerade, the novel set in Eastern North Carolina in 1795. Research of Southern topics prior to the Civil War often presents challenges because so many of the records were destroyed. However, since I write historical fiction, I do as thorough research as possible and then fill in the blanks with educated guesses. Since history was one of my majors in college and I taught it for years, I have a good sense of the different time periods. This helps immensely.

I began with online research, and this got me started. Next, I went to the library in Winton, the town where Melanie, the heroine, lives. I found some very helpful information in their vertical files. Alice Nickens's papers were apparently written after 1795, although no dates were given, but I knew if she mentioned unpaved roads from her childhood, they would have been unpaved in 1795, too. I also used a couple of old books in their reference section.

Next, I visited the library at Chowan University, which has a good local history section. I checked out several books that proved very helpful. Still, as I wrote the rough draft, I hit questions that I could not find answers for. For example, the hero lives near Colerain, and I needed to know if there was a dock for ships there. I knew Winton had docks but guessed that passengers would need to tender to the ships at Colerain. I never did find a definitive answer, but Frank Stevenson, a local historian, agreed with my theory, so I wrote it that way. With a historical novel, I always have to do additional research, according to what the story needs as I write.

And as always, I looked up every word that might not have been in use in 1795. I normally use Merriam Webster online dictionary first, since it has an etymology that includes the first known date the word came into use. However, it only has the date for the most common definition. If I need another, I consult English Through the Ages by William Brohaugh. This can be time-consuming, but it's important to me to get my novels right.

Researching It All Happened at the Masquerade was actually much easier because it was set in places near where I live now. I not only had access to local libraries, historians, and historical organizations; but I also could walk the streets of Winton and Colerain, view historical houses, and watch the Chowan River as it flows toward Edenton and then on to empty into the Atlantic Ocean. That's why I often choose to set my novels in places where I have lived or been. It gives a sense of place that no amount of research can replace.

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