In 1977, the late Hugh B. Johnston abstracted a newly discovered volume of the records of Wootten and Stevens, the earliest undertaking firm in Wilson County. The result, Funeral Register of Wootten and Stevens, Undertakers of Wilson, North Carolina, November 18, 1896-June 27, 1899 is an unpublished manuscript held at Wilson County Public Library. This post is the seventh in a series abstracting the abstract for entries naming African-Americans.

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• Ransom, _____. Wilson. Colored. Died 19 February 1897 of “locked bowels.” “Was barber for long time.” Length 5’9”. Funeral at church. Buried in colored cemetery. Cost $35.50, billed to Colored Odd Fellows. (Page 36) [Probably Hugh T. Ransom.]
• Rodgers, _____. Near Wilson. Colored. Died 24 April 1897, of whooping cough, aged one year. Child of Stephen Rodgers. Length 2’9″. Buried in Elm City cemetery. Cost $4.50, billed to Samson Sharp. (Page 64)
• Rogers, Marion L. Wilson. Colored. Died 26 April 1898, aged 5 months. Son of Wesley Rogers “who works with the American Tobacco Co.” Length 2’6″. Cost $7.50. Buried in colored cemetery. (Page 237)
• Rogers, Sis. Black Creek township. Colored. Died 15 October 1898, aged 37 years, of typhoid fever. Attended to by Dr. Hoover. Length 6′. Buried in Dr. Brooks cemetery. Cost $5. Billed to Lewis Tomlinson. (Page 358)
• Rountree, Blanch. Wilson. Colored. Died 22 March 1899. Length 5’9″. Funeral at house. Burial at Wiggins Mill cemetery. Cost $5. Billed to W.P. Laster [Lassiter]. (Page 439)
• Rountree, Patsy. Wilson township. Colored. Died 16 September 1898, aged 67 years, of old age. Length 5’6″. Cost $8. Wilson County paid $2.25. John Mobley paid $.75. (Page 329)
• Rountree, Wiley. Near Wilson. Colored. Died 22 January 1899, aged 17 years, of grippe and neuralgia. Length 5’9″. Attended to by Dr. Albert Anderson. Cost $15. Billed to Richard Rountree. Buried in Rountree cemetery. (Page 410)
• Rowe, Annie Bill. Wilson. Colored. Died 16 August 1898, aged 3 months 16 days. “Child was left by her mother with Ben Parks and never came back.” Length 2’6″. Buried in old colored cemetery. Cost $3.50. Ben Parks paid $2 and Wilson County paid $1.50. (Page 303)
• Ruffin, Beady. Stantonsburg. Colored. Died 25 August 1897, aged about 65. Mother of Joseph Jones. Length 5’6″. Cost $15. Billed to J.H. Applewhite. Buried in J.A. Lane’s cemetery. (Page 123)
• Ruffin, Ellen. Gardners township. Colored. Died 9 July 1898, aged 20 years, in childbirth. Attended to by Dr. Walton. Length 5′. Cost $10. Billed to John A. Pittman. Burial on Whitehead farm. (Page 286)