W. L. Saunders
Tarboro, Edgecombe County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
W. L. Saunders. Editor "Colonial Records of North Carolina," Confederate colonel, N.C. Secretary of State, 1879-91. His grave is four blocks east.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
William L. Saunders wore many hats in 19th-century North Carolina: Confederate colonel, historian who edited the monumental "Colonial Records of North Carolina," and secretary of state from 1879 to 1891. His scholarly editing preserved the documentary record of the colony's earliest history. His grave lies four blocks east of this marker in Tarboro.
Why it matters
Saunders' edited "Colonial Records" remains a foundational source for the study of North Carolina's colonial past.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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W. D. Pender
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William Dorsey Pender graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1854 and rose to become one of the Confederacy's youngest major generals. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 and died at age 29. Pender is buried four blocks east of this marker in Tarboro.
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