Month: December 2017

Snaps, no. 30: Turner Hines Sr.

Turner Hines (1877-1946).    

On 1 December 1897, Turner Hines, 21, of Gardners township, son of Allen Hines and Frances Mashbourn, married Betsy Bullock, 19, of Gardners township, daughter of Red Batts and Hester Bullock, in Gardners township.

In the 1900 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: farmer Turner Hines, 22; wife Betsy, 23; children Ella, 2, and Allen, 3 months; sisters-in-law Rodia Bullock, 17 and Lucille, 5; and half-sister Lillie Marshman, 12.

In the 1910 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: on Wilson Road, farmer Turner Hines, 33, widower, and children Mary, 11, Allen, 9, Hester, 7, Ash, 6, and Westly, 5, plus sister Lottie, 21.

In 1918, Turner Hines registered for the World War I draft in Wilson. Per his registration card, he was born 1 July 1896; resided on a rural route near Wilson; farmed for Mrs. W.P. Banks; and was married to Pennie Hines. He signed his card with an X.

In the 1920 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: on Wilson Road, farmer Turner Hines, 43; wife Penny, 33; and children E. Mary, 21, Allen, 17, Hester, 18, West, 16, W. Jim, 7, Beatrice, 6, Tommie, 4, Rosa, 3, Francie, 2, and T. Lou, 4 months.

In the 1930 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: farmer Turner Hines, 51; wife Eliza, 50; and children Beatrice, 17, Tommie, 15, Rosa, 13, Frances, 12, Creasy, 11, Turner Jr., 8, Daisy L., 6, Willie B., 4, and Fred D., 3.

In the 1940 census of Old Fields township, Wilson County: farmer Turner Hines, 62, and children Rosetta, 23, Francis, 22, Lucretia, 21, Turner J., 18, Daisey, 17, Willie B., 13, Fred, 11, Freeman, 8, Ederene, 6, and Thelma D., 4.

Turner Hines died 24 September 1946 in Gardners township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was  born 4 July 1877 in Wilson County to unknown parents, and he was buried in the Simon Barnes cemetery. Wesley Hines, East Vance Street, was informant.

Photograph courtesy of Ancestry.com user rogerbarron52.

A pistol duel.

Kinston Daily Free Press, 27 December 1918.

Sherman Bridgers, 21, married Susan Moore, 19, on 25 March 1903 in Saratoga township, Wilson County.

Jesse Price, 23, of Stantonsburg, son of William and Susan Price of Nash County, married Hattie Barnes, 22, of Stantonsburg, daughter of Nelson and Ellen Barnes, on 26 December 1906. Nathan, Sidney and Mittie Locust were witnesses to the ceremony.

In the 1910 census of Saratoga township, Wilson County: odd jobs ditcher Sherman Bridgers, 28; wife Susan, 26; and children Rosa L., 6, Willie, 4, Georgiana, 2, and Nathan, 2 months.

In the 1910 census of Saratoga township, Wilson County: odd jobs farm laborer Jesse Price, 24, and wife Hattie, 23, and lodger John Floyd, 34, a widower and farm laborer.

On 12 September 1918, Gen. Sherman Bridgers registered for the World War I draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 19 March 1882; lived on route 4, Wilson; farmed for I.M. Washington;  and his nearest relative was Willie Bridgers.

Sobrina Robinson Cobb.

On 18 January 1893, Sabrena Robinson, 18, and Richard Cobb, 22, were married in Robeson County.

On 10 April 1917, Jacob Bowens, son of Jim and Frances Bowens married Flossie Cobb, daughter of Richard and Sabina Cobb in Fayetteville, Cumberland County.

In the 1928 Wilson city directory: Cobb Sobrina (c) lndress h 900 Elvie

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 709 Stantonsburg Street, high school janitor Jake Bowens, 36; wife Lossie, 33; and children James, 12, Beulah C., 11, Jacob Jr., 9, Frances L., 6, and Hoover C., 1; plus mother Sobrina Cobbs, 50, widow, servant for private family.

Flossie Bowens died 17 December 1930 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was 30 years old; was married to Jacob Bowens; worked as a matron; was born in Robeson County to Richard Cobb and Sobrina Roberson; and was buried in Robeson County.

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: widow Sobrina Cobb, 60; daughter Lela Floyd, 41; and Lela’s nephew Hoover Bowens, 11.

In 1946, Hoover Curtis Bowens registered for the World War II draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he lived at 1115 Atlantic Street, Wilson; was born 17 June 1928 in Wilson; was a student; and grandmother Sabrina Cobb was his contact.

Sobrina Cobbs died 24 June 1954 at Mercy Hospital. Per her death certificate, she was born 25 April 1881 in Robeson County to Samuel Roberson and Charity McCollum; resided at 601 Stantonsburg Street, Wilson; and was buried in Saint Peters Church cemetery, Robeson County. Informant was Lela Floyd.

Photograph courtesy of Adventures in Faith: The Church at Prayer, Study and Service, the 100th anniversary commemorative booklet of Calvary Presbyterian Church.

The AKAs arrive in Wilson.

“The dream of establishing a graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in Wilson, NC had its origin in the mind of Soror Norma Darden during the late ‘30’s.  As years passed, she decided to organize a chapter in Wilson. However, this was very difficult since she had to have at least seven members for the establishment of a chapter.  After many years of searching for eligible ladies, her task was completed. On February 18, 1940, Gamma Beta Omega became a reality.”

The first members were Sorors Norma Darden, Dolores Hines, Rosa L. Williams, Vera G. Shade, Peggy Cooper, Marian Davis, and Odelle Barnes (a founder and charter member of Alpha Chi Chapter at North Carolina Central University, formerly North Carolina College, in 1932). Soror Darden served as the first basileus. In 1941 the first members to be initiated into the chapter were Sorors Mae Lord, Cora Washington, and Marian H. Miller.

Adapted from gboaka.com, the website of the Gamma Beta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

1113 Atlantic Street.

The forty-sixth in a series of posts highlighting buildings in East Wilson Historic District, a national historic district located in Wilson, North Carolina. As originally approved, the district encompasses 858 contributing buildings and two contributing structures in a historically African-American section of Wilson. (A significant number have since been lost.) The district was developed between about 1890 to 1940 and includes notable examples of Queen Anne, Bungalow/American Craftsman, and Shotgun-style architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

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As described in the nomination form for the East Wilson Historic District: “ca. 1922; 1 story; John Moore house; late example of double-pile hip-roofed form with projecting front wing; has classical porch posts; Moore was listed as both a barber and shoemaker.”

In the 1928 city directory of Wilson:

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: John H. Moore, 45, cobbler in a shoe shop; wife Annie, 31, laundress; and children Lena, 11, Carl, 9, John, 7, Anna G., Odessia B., and Ruth, 1.

In 1940, Carl Moore registered for the World War II draft in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Per his registration card, he was born 23 January 1919 in Wilson; resided at 1113 Atlantic Street, Wilson (formerly 1516 North Opal Street, Philadelphia, and 1750 North Croskey Street, Philadelphia); his contact was mother Armincie Moore, 1113 East Atlanta [sic] Street, Wilson; and he was unemployed.

In the 1941 city directory of Wilson, N.C.: Moore John H (c; Armincia; 4) shoe repr 517 E Nash h 1113 Atlantic Av

Armincie Cohen Moore died 1 July 1974 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 23 May 1899 to Willie Cohen and Sarah Eatmon; was a widow; and was a tobacco factory laborer. Informant was Vernesser Jones, 1113 Atlantic Street.

Photograph by Lisa Y. Henderson, September 2017.

Studio shots, no. 54: Rev. Benjamin F. Jordan.

This portrait of Rev. Benjamin F. Jordan hangs in a ground-level hallway at Jackson Chapel First Baptist Church in Wilson.

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In the 1880 census of Richland, Beaufort County, North Carolina: day laborer Phillip Jordon, 38; wife Elizabeth, 30; and children David F., 10, Solomon, 6, Judy Ann, 4, and Benjamin F., 1.

In the 1900 census of Idalia township, Beaufort County: farmer Phillip Jordan, 56; wife Elizabeth, 49; son Solomon, 26, daughter-in-law Carseary, 21; their child Perline, 1; daughter Julia A., 23; and son Ben F., 21.

In the 1910 census of Lumberton, Robeson County, North Carolina: Benjamin F. Jordan, 30, minister, was a boarder in the household of John H. and Margret Kinnear.

On 26 October 1910, B.F. Jordan, 32, married Maggie E. Dickins, 24, in Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County, North Carolina.

In 1918, Benjamin Franklin Jordan registered for the World War I draft in Bladen County, North Carolina. Per his registration card, he was born 21 April 1879; was married to Maggie E. Jordan; and worked in the ministry.

In the 1920 census of Mullins township, Marion County, South Carolina: on Laurel Street, clergymen Benjamin F. Jordan, 40; wife Maggie, 32; and children Benjamin F., Jr., 6; Marion, 4, Milford, 2, and Odis, 1.

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 1113 East Nash Street, minister Benjiman Jordan, 50; wife Maggie, 44; and children Milford L., 12, Odis, 11, Williard, 10, Irene C., 8, and James D., 6.

Benjamin Franklin Jordan died 8 December 1955 at 717 East Green Street, Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was 75 years old; was a minister; was born in North Carolina to Phillip Jordan and Elizabeth (last name unknown). Informant was Marion J Maultrie, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Studio shots, no. 53: Willie G. Reid Sr.

Willie G. Reid, circa 1920, with what appears to be the one-armed chair.

Willie G. Reid (1903-1963), son of William and Elizabeth Wilson Reid, was one of several members of a large Wayne County who made their way to Wilson. Brothers J.D. and Elijah Reid were his father’s first cousins, and Allen T. Reid, his nephew.

In the 1910 census of Nahunta township, Wayne County: farmer William Reid, 59; wife Bettie, 54; and children Hattie, 23, Milton, 19, Iantha, 16, Council, 15, Vestus, 13, Loumisa, 11, Ghorom, 8, and Madie, 5.

In the 1920 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: tenant farmer William Reid, 63; wife Bettie, 52; and children Iantha M., 25, Council, 23, Vester, 21, and his wife Hattie, 19, Gorum, 17, Mater, 14, [granddaughter?] Marain, 7, and [grandson?] Melab, 15 months.

In the 1930 census of Black Creek, Wilson County: farmer Willie Gorham [sic], 27; mother Bettie Reid, 65; niece Marion, 17; and nephew Abraham, 11.

On 30 October 1933, Gorham Reid, 30, of Greene County, son of Bill and Bettie Reid, married Ada Harriss, 25, of Wilson, daughter of Leander and Rosa Harriss. Primitive Baptist elder Paul Bunch performed the ceremony at L.H. Harriss’ in Black Creek in the presence of David Bynum, G.S. Woodard, and S.L. Woodard.

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 1013 East Nash Street, Willie Reid, 36, and wife Ada, 31. Willie reported that he had been living in Fremont [Wayne County] in 1935 and owned a barber shop. Ada was a teacher at “Farmer’s School.”

Willie Gorham Reid registered for the World War II draft in Wilson County in 1942. Per his registration card, he resided at 1013 East Nash Street; was born 12 August 1903 in Wayne County; his contact person was Mary Artist, 1013 East Nash; and he was self-employed barber working on Main Street, Black Creek.

Willie Ghorum Reid died 28 February 1963 at Mercy Hospital in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 12 August 1902 in Wayne County to William Reid and Bettie Wilson; was married to Ada Reid; resided at 1013 East Nash; and was a barber at William Hines Barber Shop.

Photograph courtesy of Adventures in Faith: The Church at Prayer, Study and Service, the 100th anniversary commemorative booklet of Calvary Presbyterian Church.

The greatest generation, pt. 3.

Each year the Wilson Daily Times publishes an advertising supplement that honors local veterans on Veterans Day. The insert features photographs submitted to the paper by its readership. This post is the third highlighting African-American soldiers and sailors included in the supplement.

  • Nathaniel Jones, Army, World War II

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  • Roma Jones, S.Sgt., Army, World War II

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  • Eddie L. Joyner, Army, World War I

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  • James Calvin Lewis, Army, 1944-46

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  • James Reid, Army, 1942-46

  • Aaron Swinson, Army, 1943

  • William R. White, Sgt., Army, 1941-45

  • Arthur Winstead, Army, World War II

  • Jacelle Winstead, Corp., Army, World War II

U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, [database on-line], http://www.ancestry.com.

The Ques arrive in Wilson.

Nu Alpha Chapter was founded in Wilson, North Carolina, on November 17, 1936. The Chapter was chartered in New Bern on December 5, 1936, with the following officers: Basileus Bro. Boisey O. Barnes (Wilson), Vice Basileus Bro. William Perkins (Tarboro), Keeper of Records and Seal Bro. Aaron Womack (Kinston), Chaplain Bro. D.F. Martinez, Editor to the Oracle Bro. Randolph Armstrong (Rocky Mount), and Keeper of Peace Bro. John Jackson (Goldsboro). The chapter consisted of men from Wilson, Rocky Mount, Tarboro, Greenville, New Bern, Goldsboro, Kinston and surrounding areas. Later, Brothers joined or were initiated from Jacksonville, Elm City, Henderson, Elizabeth City, Beaufort, Plymouth, Scotland Neck and LaGrange. They met monthly on a rotating basis in all the cities represented. (Eventually, as a result of the travel burdens imposed across such a large geographic region, Nu Alpha chartered seven new chapters, including Beta Beta Beta in Wilson in the 1970s.)

Of Nu Alpha’s 61 charter members, these Brothers have been identified as Wilson County residents: B.O. Barnes, John M. Miller, Samuel H. Vick, and Malcolm D. Williams. Over the next twelve years, these men joined the chapter: Spencer J. Satchell (1941), Julian B. Rosemond (1942), Kenneth M. Shade (1945), Charles E. Branford and Ellis Brown (1947), and James C. Ellis and Alvis A. Hines (1948).

Adapted from the website of Nu Alpha chapter, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Early Calvary.

Calvary Presbyterian Church celebrated its centennial in 1989 and, to honor the occasion, published Adventures in Faith: The Church at Prayer, Study and Service, a commemorative booklet packed with details of the church’s history, including these photos of the church’s two earliest edifices.

Heartfelt thanks to my aunt, Hattie H. Ellis, and cousin, Tracey Ellis Leon, for sharing this invaluable document.