New Bern

Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, Vols. 9-10: Revolutionary Period — State of North Carolina (Walter Clark, ed.)

The official compilation of North Carolina government records from 1774 to 1776, including the Provincial Congress journals and Governor Martin's correspondence. A foundational primary source compilation.

Craven County Court Minutes and Committee of Safety Records, 1774-1778 — North Carolina State Archives

Local government records from New Bern's county documenting the transition from Royal to Patriot governance. Includes committee of safety minutes that reveal the political process by which New Bern's Patriot faction took control.

North Carolina Provincial Congress: Proceedings and Journal, 1774-1776 — North Carolina State Archives

Official records of North Carolina's revolutionary government, which replaced Royal Governor Martin's administration. The first provincial congresses met in New Bern and at other locations, establishing the Patriot government.

Royal Governor Josiah Martin: Correspondence and Proclamations, 1771-1776 — Public Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom)

Papers of the last Royal Governor of North Carolina, who fled Tryon Palace in June 1775 and subsequently led the disastrous Loyalist campaign culminating in Moore's Creek Bridge. Essential for the loyalist perspective on New Bern's political collapse.

Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens: Research Collections — Tryon Palace

The reconstructed royal governor's palace maintains archival and archaeological research resources on New Bern's role as the colonial capital. Research library includes governor's household accounts, inventories, and architectural drawings.

Craven County in the American Revolution — North Carolina Historical Review

Scholarly article on the Revolutionary War experience in Craven County (New Bern). Documents the local political transformation, the militia organization, and the impact of the war on the colonial capital's social structure.

Moores Creek National Battlefield: New Bern and the North Carolina Loyalist Campaign — National Park Service

NPS resources on the February 1776 Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, which broke the Loyalist movement that had been building from the New Bern area. The battle's outcome secured Patriot control of eastern North Carolina.

North Carolina Collection: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries

The North Carolina Collection holds the most extensive research library on North Carolina history, including the Revolutionary period. Finding aids identify materials on New Bern, Tryon Palace, and the colonial capital.

North Carolina's Fourth Provincial Congress, 1776: Establishing Revolutionary Government — North Carolina Historical Review

Scholarly analysis of the Fourth Provincial Congress that drafted the North Carolina Constitution of 1776. Though the congress did not meet in New Bern, its work replaced the royal government centered there.

The History of New Bern and Craven County — Tryon Palace Commission (Alan D. Watson)

Standard local history of New Bern and its county through the Civil War. The Revolutionary chapters are the most detailed scholarly treatment of the town's role as colonial capital and the political transition to Patriot rule.

New Bern, North Carolina -- Wikipedia — Wikipedia

General reference entry. The History section adequately covers the colonial capital period, Governor Martin's flight, and the wartime disruption. Cross-reference with Watson's county history for detail.

Tryon Palace Visitor Guide — Tryon Palace

Visitor-oriented guide to the reconstructed Tryon Palace complex. Identifies the main palace, outbuildings, and gardens as they were during the colonial capital period. Useful for physical site orientation.