Volume 09: 11 February 1848–17 July 1849

11 February 1848: Detailed account of another local scandal involving the Jones and Devereux families, which Valentine blamed on the influence of reading French novels. 4 March 1848: On the deaths of N.C. Supreme Court Justice Daniel, and John Q. Adams. 7 March 1848: The nomination of Charles Manly for Governor by the Whig Convention. 21 April 1848: Personal feelings about the French Revolution and Bonaparte. 1 June, 6 June 1848: Opinion on the abilities of Judge H. Battle and Judge Richmond Pearson. 14 July 1848: The ineffectiveness of the Free School system. 25 July 1848: Local military muster at which Congressional candidates W.N.H. Smith and Kenneth Rayner spoke. 16 August 1848: Discussion of the balance of political power in N.C. and the coming elections for Governor and General Assembly. 26 August 1848: Valentine a candidate for County Solicitor. 1 October 1848: Described local "apathy" over coming Presidential election. 7 October 1848: Addresses by Thos. Bragg and Kenneth Rayner to the crowd at Gates County Court. 20 December 1848: On the election of Richmond M. Pearson to the N.C. Supreme court; on the personality of Judge Thomas Ruffin. 25 January 1849: Comments on the activities of Northern abolitionists in reference to the newly acquired territories. "Heaven preserve our Union, etc." 10 March 1849: Great optimism for Zachary Taylor's term of office. 23 April 1849: On the establishment of local Poor House; the treatment of the poor in former days. 20 April 1849: Smallpox epidemic begun in Murfreesboro by a Mr. Harrell who contracted the disease in Baltimore and brought it to N.C.