In 1883, in the course of collecting materials for Colonel Saunders, Cheshire visited Philadelphia. While there he examined the records of the Pennsylvania Quakers for information concerning the early Quaker settlements in North Carolina. From his examination of these records he found sufficient evidence to disprove the long-held thesis that the early settlers of North Carolina were religious refugees from New England and Virginia. His conclusion was that the first settlers of the Albemarle section came there primarily for economic reasons and not for religious freedom. He embodied his findings in a pamphlet called "The First Settlers of North Carolina Not Religious Refugees." After reading the monograph, Colonel Saunders wrote Cheshire: "You have not only _proved your proposition_; _You have demonstrated it._"[45] Saunders adopted the same interpretation in his preface to the first volume of the _Colonial Records_. Cheshire's original thesis was further expanded and substantiated by future historians of the state. In 1882 Cheshire edited and published the documents relating to the four conventions, held between 1790 and 1794, which had made the abortive attempt to set up a diocesan organization in North Carolina. The documents of three of these conventions had never been published before. They threw much light upon an important phase of the early history of the Episcopal Church in North Carolina. The Diocese recognized Cheshire's ability as an historian by electing him historiographer at the convention of 1884. The convention of 1876 had created this office, and had elected Dr. M. M. Marshall, Rector of Christ Church, Raleigh, the first historiographer. It had also passed a resolution requiring each clergyman to compile a history of his parish. When Cheshire became historiographer eight years later, only a few of the clergy had complied with the resolution. After examining the histories which had been written, he found that, with a few exceptions, they were of no value. Several months after his election, in an article for the _Church Messenger_, he stressed the importance of preserving local church history. He announced that he was making a collection of old documents and pamphlets on church history for the Diocese, and he requested anyone possessing these materials to send them to him. One of Cheshire's chief contributions as historiographer was the interest he aroused among the churchmen in the history of the church and of their respective parishes.