In The Web: The Crisp & Woodard Families of 19th Century Burke County

Winner of a 2019 NC Society of Historians award. Judges' collective comments: "This is an incredible book It is well-researched and indexed, with a thorough bibliography. Court cases are included in an appendix as they relate to the families discussed in the book. It is a significant, lovely book and well done " In The Web opens in 1850, in the small town of Morganton, North Carolina, with the marriage of Mourning Crisp, a free woman of color, to Underzine, a slave of the prominent Greenlee family. Their marriage was illegal at the time; nevertheless, it occurred. The Greenlees loaned out their parlor as the venue, and a local justice of the peace conducted the ceremony. Forty years later, this irregular marriage would lead to a protracted battle fought in Burke County Superior Court and the North Carolina Supreme Court. In 1887, Underzine Pelot, former slave, died without a will, having acquired nearly 500 acres of land in Burke County's South Mountains. The civil lawsuit that ensued focused on one primary issue: Was Mourning's daughter, Emily Crisp Woodard, the child of Underzine Pelot or of his former master, Sam Greenlee? The authors' transcriptions of the witness testimony and court pleadings, as well as their research into probate records, apprentice bonds, land records, military records, pension files, and newspaper reports bring together in one spot much formerly difficult-to-obtain information about the origins and activities of this African-American family. Dr. John E. Fleming, a great-grandson of Emily Crisp Woodard, and Director in Residence, National Museum of African American Music, Nashville; Director Emeritus, Cincinnati Museum Center; and Chair, American Association for State and Local History Council] says of In The Web: "The authors have done some groundbreaking work. The book is well-researched, very well-written, and makes a great contribution to African American history, local history, and genealogy. Ms. Page and Ms. Norman have corrected some past assumptions about the family's history, while filling in many missing details." Also by these authors: Glimpses of Fonta Flora (2011) and Yellow Mountain Road - From Kings Mountain to the Civil War and Beyond (2014).