In 1882, Dewitt "De" Martin Vance (1857-1932), the son of William Martin and Hepsa Jane Vance, married Florella Augusta Crews (1862- 1959). They had 12 children. Descendants lived chiefly in the South, but eventually scattered westward.
"I think that we can hold our position here against any force that the enemy can bring against us, as we have an admirable position & are all ready. I can give you no idea when the general attack will take place. It may be this evening, tomorrow or at any moment as both parties are apparently ready & we have nothing to do but pitch in."--Captain Charles C. Blacknall, "Granville Rifles," Company G, 23rd North Carolina Troops, Yorktown, Virginia, April 22, 1862 This work is a compilation of letters and diary entries (and a few other documents) that tell the Civil War experiences of soldiers and citizens from 29 North Carolina counties: Alamance, Alexander, Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Granville, Guilford, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Orange, Person, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes, Union, and Yadkin. The book is arranged chronologically, 1861 through 1865, and a chart at the beginning of each chapter tells the date, subject, document type (letter, diary entry, or other), author, recipient, and the home county and unit of soldiers.
European settlers came to the area now known as Walkertown as early as the 1750s. In 1769, Robert Walker was granted a license renewal for a tavern. From 1850 through the early 20th century, the local economy was dependent on farming, lumber manufacturing, grain milling, and merchandising. Tobacco manufacturing began early in the 19th century and became a thriving industry for the Sullivan, Booe, Poindexter, and Crews families. The Roanoke & Southern Railroad began serving Walkertown in 1889, and with it, the availability of larger markets spurred the growth of industry. The Leight Lumber Company was established near the depot around 1890 and prospered by making boxes for manufacturers and lumber for construction. The Walkertown Chair Company, begun in 1903, flourished until a devastating fire destroyed most of the buildings in 1940. The Walkertown Roller Mill, built by Robah Payne in 1900, has changed hands a few times and is now the oldest continuously operating business in Walkertown.
The most comprehensive state project of its kind, the Dictionary provides information on some 4,000 notable North Carolinians whose accomplishments and occasional misdeeds span four centuries. Much of the bibliographic information found in the six volumes has been compiled for the first time. All of the persons included are deceased. They are native North Carolinians, no matter where they made the contributions for which they are noted, or non-natives whose contributions were made in North Carolina.