1839
Population of Hillsborough Approximately 525
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Historical Context
Number of States in the US – 26
US President – Martin Van Buren
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1830 -- North Carolina expands slave codes
1832 – South Carolina passes the Ordinance of Nullification
1834 – Cyrus McCormick patents the reaper
1835 – PT Barnum begins his first circus tour
1835 – North Carolina adopts a new state constitution
1836 – Battle of the Alamo/Texas’ war for independence from Mexico
1837 – City of Chicago is chartered
1838 – over 7,000 Cherokees removed from their native lands
1838 – Samuel Morse first demonstrates the telegraph and Morse Code
Based on a Map by William Henry Bailey
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William Henry Bailey (1831-1908) was a lawyer, attorney general, code commissioner, and state representative. Shortly after his birth, his parents, Priscilla and John Lancaster Bailey moved to Hillsborough, where the elder Bailey began the practice of law. William attended the Bingham School and the University of North Carolina. He practiced law with his father for a year in Hillsborough before moving to Yanceyville, NC, in 1852. In 1891, he moved to Houston, TX, where he spent the remainder of his life..
(L.) William Henry Bailey; (R.) Priscilla Brownrigg Bailey
Bailey’s map was entitled, “The Athens of North Carolina.” He created the hand-drawn rendering for his mother sometime between 1871-1874. Although Priscilla had not wanted to leave Hillsborough, she and John had moved to Swannanoa, NC in 1858. Within a year, she was permanently injured by a fall from a mule. She was bedridden for more than a year and used crutches afterwards. The map portrayed Hillsborough as William remembered it appearing in 1839, and was intended to comfort his mother by reminding her of happier days and treasured connections.
Bailey's memory does not always agree with other documentation. In instances where factual evidence points to different businesses, we have used the ones that can be better proved.
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