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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco

Lena: Hey there, Miles! I was looking into some North Carolina history and came across this name - Kemper Battle Smith. Have you ever heard of him?
Miles: You know, that's interesting because there's actually a bit of confusion in that name. From what I can tell from these sources, there was a Kemper Battle Smith who was the son of Joseph Earl "Joe" Smith Jr. of Belhaven, North Carolina. But there's also a prominent historical figure named Kemp Plummer Battle who was a university president in North Carolina.
Lena: Oh! So are they related somehow? The names are so similar.
Miles: Right, and that's what makes it fascinating. Based on the obituary we have, Kemper Battle Smith appears to be named after the Battle family, which was quite prominent in North Carolina. The Battle family included James Smith Battle, who was a major plantation owner in the 1800s, and Kemp Plummer Battle, who became president of the University of North Carolina after the Civil War.
Lena: Wait, so this is a family with deep roots in North Carolina history?
Miles: Exactly. The Battle family was one of the wealthiest slaveholding families in North Carolina before the Civil War. James Smith Battle owned over 400 enslaved people on about 20,000 acres along the Tar River. And Kemp Plummer Battle, who the university's Battle Hall was named after, was himself a slaveholder who signed North Carolina's ordinance of secession from the United States.
Lena: That's... quite a legacy. I'm guessing there's a lot more to unpack about this family's role in North Carolina history?
Miles: Absolutely. Let's dive into how the Battle family's influence shaped North Carolina through slavery, the Civil War, and the post-Reconstruction era - and how their legacy continues to be reassessed today.