Hidden in Plain Sight – some remarkable maps of Wachovia/Forsyth County/Winston-Salem
A few months ago, I attended a lecture at the Moravian Archives in Winston-Salem. While there, I had the opportunity to see several manuscript and printed maps of Forsyth County displayed on the walls of the Archives.One of the more remarkable of those maps is a manuscript map of Forsyth County, drawn by E. A. Vogler in 1863:
Vogler’s map provides an invaluable record of land ownership in Forsyth County as of 1863. Virtually every tract of land and its owner outside the confines of Salem and inside the confines of the original Wachovia Tract are shown on this remarkable map. In 2011, one researcher wrote, “Unfortunately, Vogler never completed his map so a few census districts are almost entirely empty.” However, one must know Vogler’s intent to know whether or not his map was complete. The “almost entirely empty” Forsyth County districts on Vogler’s map are those wholly or mostly outside the confines of the original Wachovia Tract (see below).
If Vogler’s intent was to show current, i.e. 1863, land ownership within the original Wachovia Tract, then his map appears complete. Was that Vogler’s intent? The answer likely can be found in the Moravian Archives. Looks like another visit is in order unless someone can enlighten us via the “What’s on your mind?” comment box below.
I need to see this map in person! I have ancestors who had homesteads in the “Broadbay” district at the time of this map.
Can you please tell me if the land owners’ names on the maps indexed and alphabetized someplace? Also do you know if there was any kind of a “connection” between this Moravian community and the Springplace Moravian Indian Mission in NW Georgia?