F.W. Pickens of Edgefield, S. C., served as Minister to Russia from 1857 to 1860, was a member of the South Carolina legislature during the Nullification Controversy, was the first governor of South Carolina after that state seceded from the Union. He was a very successful planter of considerable wealth.

Governor W. B. Seabrook of Edisto was a prominent South Carolina politician who served as governor of his state 1848-50.

I. Waddy Thomson, Fredonia, Union District.  This would have been Waddy Thomson who served in the United States House of Representatives (1835-41) and as Minister to Mexico (1842-44).  As a youth he attended the Old Newton Academy in Asheville . If the registrant was not the above mentioned Waddy Thompson, then it was doubtless his father who bore the same name.

Miss May Wheat, Chapel Hill, N. C. and Miss Susan Battle, Chapel Hill, N. C. Miss Wheat was the daughter of John T. Wheat, Professor of Logic, and Miss Battle was the daughter of William H. Battle, Professor of Law, at the University of North Carolina.  Miss Battle was the sister of Dr. Kemp P. Battle who later served as President of the University of North Carolina.  She was a kinswoman, I suspect, of Dr. S. Westray Battle.

D. H. Jacques, Charleston, S. C.  He was the author of many books, a poet of parts and editor of an agricultural magazine, The Rural Carolinian.  He was a physician by profession.  Sometime in the 1850’s - exact date unknown - the Asheville News published the poem, "Swannanoa," attributing the authorship to Jacques. In his work, North Carolina Poetry, Walser says of "Swannanoa," "No poem written in North Carolina before the War Between the States has been more popular."  Many poets have claimed the authorship of the poem.  Sondley appears to believe that Jacques was the author.  Walser asserts that the authorship "still remains a mystery."  Calvin H. Wiley in his 1851 edition of the "North Carolina Readers" attributes the poem to an unnamed contributor to the Asheville News.  Mary Bayard Clarke in her Wood-Notes (1854) includes it as one of her poems.  A Charlotte poet of about the same time - Shilo Henderson - also claimed that he was the author.  Ramsey is inclined to the view that the weight or available evidence supports Jacques.

W.L. Steele, Richmond, N.C. Walter Leak Steele was a prominent politician of Richmond County.  He served as a member of the North Carolina House of Commons in 1846, 1848, 1850 and 1854 and was a member of the State Senate in 1852 and 1854.  He was a Democratic delegate to the 1860 Democratic conventions at Charleston and Baltimore.  He was secretary of the North Carolina convention in 1861 which passed the ordinance of secession.  He was a Democratic elector in 1876 and served in the 45^th and 46^th Congress.  He declined reelection.

Miss M. A. Morrison, Cottage Home, N.C. and Miss Eugenia Morrison, Cottage Home, N.C. These two young ladies were the daughters of Rev. R. H. Morrison, one of the early Presidents of Davidson College.

Mary Anne Morrison married General Stonewall Jackson being his second wife. She spent the last years of her widowhood in Charlotte and was truly a "grand old lady."

Eugenia Morrison married General Rufus Barringer of Cabarrus County.  She was the mother of Dr. Paul B. Barringer, one of the early Presidents of V. P. I. and the last Chairman or the Faculty of the University of Virginia. Dr. Paul B. Barringer was extremely popular with the Virginia students who affectionately called him "Oom Paul" after the Boer leader “Oom Paul” Krueger.  Paul B. Barringer, Jr., now a prominent New York attorney, married Miss Mary Minor of Asheville, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Charles L. Minor of Asheville.

A third daughter of Rev. R. H. Morrison married Alfonso C. Avery of Burke County who served for eight years as Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and who was the father of the late A. C. Avery who lived in Ashevi1le during the last years of his life.

The Fourth of the Morrison young ladies married General D. H. Hill, C.S.A., a military leader of no small distinction.

From the above it will be noted that three of the Morrison daughters married Confederate Generals.

W.L. Hilliard, Asheville, N. C.
Dr. W. L. Hilliard was a prominent Asheville physician and an ardent Democrat. He served one term as Democratic postmaster of Asheville and fought a bloodless duel with John D. Hyman, the editor of the Whiggish “Spectator” in 1858. This was the last duel fought in Western North Carolina.  It was precipitated by an editorial in the Spectator outraging the mail service in Asheville.  Dr. Hilliard served as a surgeon in the Confederate Army.  He married a Miss Love of Haywood County.  Hilliard Avenue in Asheville was named after him.  He has one son living in Asheville -Hardin Foster.

 [note: annotation below article… “was this perhaps old Dr. Hilliard, the grandfather of Hardin Foster?  Actually, the duel was fought at Paint Rock just across the Tennessee line”]

General J. G. Bynum, Rutherfordton
John Gray Bynum represented Rutherford County in the House of Commons in 1840, 1850 and 1852 and in the State Senate in 1856 and 1860.  Apparently, his title, "General," was due to the fact that at one time he served as Adjutant General of North Carolina.

J. F. E. Hardy -"Swannanoa Hill"

W. M. Hardy -"Swannanoa Hill"

Dr. J. F. E. Hardy was a much beloved physician of Asheville from about 1840 to 1882.  He was a staunch Presbyterian, being one of the pillars of the First Presbyterian Church.

He was a friend of Arnold Guyot who in his famous report on the altitudes of Western North Carolina Mountains named a dominant peak in the Pisgah Area after him. Later the mountain was named "Black Mountain" but recently the Board of Geographic names restored the original name.

Dr. Hardy's son, William Henry was the first soldier from Buncombe County to be killed in the Civil War.  He was just 19 years old at the time of his death at the first Battle of Manassas. Just before this battle he wrote his Mother a hurriedly scribbled note reading as follows:

 "Dear Mother:

We are about to go into an engagement. I want you to know that if I should be killed, all is well.

Willie"

W. M. Hardy 
His sorrowing mother presented a silver communion service to the First Presbyterian Church in his memory.

W. M. Hardy served in the C. S. A. as First Lieutenant of "Buncombe Rifleman."

"Swannanoa Hill" was the name of Dr. Hardy's residence on Biltmore Avenue.

Bishop Ives, Raleigh
Bishop L. S. Ives established the Episcopal Mission at Valle Crucis.  He became a controversial figure.  He was charged with introducing schismatic practices and doctrines at the Mission at first. He denied the charges but later resigned and left for Europe announcing his intention to make his “submission to the Church of Rome.”  Both he and his wife became Catholics.  Returning to the United States from Rome, Ives was dependent upon Catholic bishops for his livelihood until he found employment in a Catholic college as a teacher.  Realizing the sacrifices he had made, Rome commended him to the care of the American bishops.

Charles Ed Bechtler, Rutherfordton, N. C.
Charles Ed Bechtler was perhaps a son of one of the famous silversmiths and gunsmiths who migrated to the United States from Baden, Germany. For years the Bechtlers operated a private mint in Rutherford County, minting coins which    were almost universally accepted as good and lawful currency.  If anything, the coins had a larger gold content than government-minted coins.  They had a rather thriving business because prior to the discovery of gold in California, North Carolina was the largest gold-producing state in the Union. Bechtler coins are quite rare now and are much sought after by collectors.

W.M. Shipp, Rutherfordton
He was a prominent attorney of Rutherford County.  He represented that county in the North Carolina House of Commons in 1854 and in the Senate in 1862.  He was Superior Court Judge from 1863 to 1868 and from 1881 to 1890.  He was Attorney-General of North Carolina from 1871 to 1873.

Joseph M. D. Carson, Rutherford 
Joseph M. D. Carson of Rutherford County served in the North Carolina Senate in 1832,1836 and 1838 and in the House in 1835. His name appears several times in this register. He could have been the Joseph Carson who once owned Buck Forest.

Robert I. Johnston -Waynesville
Johnston lived in Haywood County at that time and he later moved to Buncombe County where he became a substantial property-owner.  He was, Ramsey believes, the father of the late Mrs. Mark Brown of Asheville and of Colonel Robert Johnston who designed the West Asheville bridge – the only bridge on the French Broad River which survived the 1916 flood.

Rev. R. H. Chapman, Asheville
Rev. Dr. Chapman was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Asheville, from 1855-1862. He had previously been slated supply minister.

A. T. Sumney
Mr. Sumney was for 16 years Treasurer of Buncombe County and for 20 years was United States Commissioner. From 1876 to 1881 he was Mayor of Asheville.  From all accounts he was a much beloved and universally respected citizen. Few citizens held more public offices. He was a very devout Presbyterian.

In the party with Dr. Chapman and Mr. Sumney were Rev. William Morrison and Rev. S. C. Alexander. Presumably, they were Presbyterian ministers. This supports the surmise that the four guests were traveling on some church mission.

It will be noted that one person registered all of the guests. Ramsey has a specimen of Sumney's signature and his view is that Sumney signed the register for all.

Cadet Charles C. Lee, U. S. M. A. -New York
Cadet Charles C. Lee graduated at West Point in the class of 1856. He entered the Confederate Army at the outbreak of the Civil War and was killed June 30, 1862 while he was leading his regiment at Glendale, Virginia.  His superior officer in reporting his death referred to him as a "brave, experienced officer and a pure man."

[Note: Annotation at bottom of Ramsey's notes… “He served at the {?} of the war as lieutenant colonel of the first North Carolina Regiment”]

Robert P. Dick, Greensboro
Robert P. Dick was an eminent lawyer of Greensboro. He served as Federal District Attorney from 1853-1861.  He was a delegate to the Democratic Convention in Baltimore in 1860 and was the only North Carolina delegate who did not withdraw after Douglas' nomination. He was a member of the 1861 secession convention. After the War, he was most active in organizing the Radical or Republican party in North Carolina.  He served for four years as Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.  He conducted in Greensboro a private law school, teaching many students who later achieved distinction at the bar. Dick was a staunch supporter of Stephen A. Douglas.  This fact perhaps accounted for the fact that he became a Republican after the War. Curiously enough one of Douglas' sons moved to Greensboro after the War.  Ramsey believes that this son married Dick's daughter.  The Douglases in North Carolina were staunch Republicans.

 James W. Patton
At the time when he stopped at Sherrill's Inn, James W. Patton owned the Warm Springs Hotel at Warm Springs (now Hot Springs).  He was a very successful business man with varied interests.  He operated the Eagle Hotel in Asheville.  He also owned a large tanyard.  For many years he was Chairman of the County Court of Buncombe County.  He was the great grandfather of Frank M. Parker.

G. W. Logan
This was probably George W. Logan who served as a member of the Confederate Congress and as a Judge of the N. C. Superior Court 1868-74.

[Note: Annotation below Ramsey's biography… “He became a very controversial figure in Reconstruction days.”]

Thomas S. Ashe, Wadesboro, N. C.
Thomas Samuel Ashe was a prominent politician and attorney. He served in both houses of the North Carol1na Legislature prior to the War.  During the War he served one term in the Confederate House of Representatives and one term in the Senate. He was the Conservative or Democratic candidate for Governor in 1868 but was defeated by W. W. Holden who was impeached. He served in the 43rd and 44th Congress but declined to run for reelection.  He served as Associate Justice of the N. C. Supreme Court from 1879 to 1887.  According to one account, he was a "strikingly handsome man."

Captain R. P. Campbell, U. S. A.
Captain R. P. Campbell graduated from West Point in 1840.  At the time of his visit, he was Captain of the Second Dragoons. He resigned from the U. S. Army in May, 1861 becoming Colonel of the 7th North Carolina Infantry.  He was killed in action at the Battle of Gaines Mill, June, 1862.

Mrs. [Bishop] Atkinson, Wilmington
Bishop Atkinson succeeded Ives as Bishop of the Episcopal Church and tradition has it that he was much beloved.  He was particularly and beneficially interested in bringing about complete reconciliation between Episcopal churches in the North and the South after the conclusion of the Civil War. While the Episcopal Church did not divide into separate branches, there was considerable suspicion. Bishop Atkinson's efforts were credited with allaying the suspicion and in bringing about concord and cooperation.

John W. Carlisle, Spartanburg, S. C.
He was the grandfather of Charles Wofford of Asheville.

Augustus S. Merrimon
He was one of the most distinguished of the political leaders born in Western North Carolina. He served as member of the North Carolina House of Commons in 1860 and 1861.  He was solicitor of the eighth judicial district 1861-65 and Superior Court Judge in 1866 and 1867.  In 1867 he removed to Raleigh where he resided until the time of his death.  During Reconstruction days he was an unsuccessful candidate for many state offices. Elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate, he served in that position from 1873 to 1879.  He was Associate Justice of the State Supreme Court from 1883 to 1889 and Chief Justice from 1889 until his death in 1892.

Henry E. Colton
 Henry E. Colton was the author of  Mountain Scenery published in 1859 and which was one of the earliest and the best of the books dealing with Western North Carolina.  He was a newspaperman.  He served at one time as Clerk of the House of Commons. In the papers of Jonathan Worth appear two letters to Colton who apparently was Worth’s personal friend and political supporter.  In one letter Worth was subscribing to his paper.  In the other letter Worth was thanking Colton for some brandy and offering to trade some lead pipe for Scuppernong brandy.

M. Erwin
Marcus Erwin was a very able Ashevi1le lawyer. He fought in both the Mexican War and the Civil War . He was a member of the N. C. House of Commons in 1850 and 1856 and a member of the North Carolina Senate in 1860. At one time, he was Editor of the Asheville News. He was a brilliant speaker and writer. He was the father of the late Marcus Erwin of Asheville who served many terms as Clerk of the Superior Court and was Federal District Attorney.
Although Major Erwin had been an ardent, even fire eating Secessionist, he fraternized with the Republican party. [indecipherable]
 

Governor Johnson, Tennessee-
Obviously,  this was Andrew Johnson who served as Governor of Tennessee, [and] President of the United States and as Senator.
Born in Raleigh, N. C. , he migrated to Greenville, Tennessee, where he lived and was buried. The probabilities are that he was en route to Raleigh on a political mission.  A comparison on the signature on the register with the original signature of Johnson indicates that he personally signed the register.