Wilson Advance, 30 January 1890.
Month: January 2018
Studio shots, no. 63: Norma Duncan Darden.
Norma Duncan Darden (1895-1987).
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In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 108 Pender Street, Calamus L. Darden, and wife Morma, 30. Their home was valued at $10,000.
In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 108 Pender Street, undertaker C.L. Darden, 45, and wife Norma, 40.
Norma Duncan Darden died 1 August 1987 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 16 October 1894 in Montgomery, Alabama, to Eugene Duncan and Evangeline Howard; had been an English teacher; was widowed; and resided at 109 North Pender Street.
Please thank Ben Mincey of our colored department.
Studio shots, no. 62: Rev. Obra Jeffrey Hawkins.
Rev. Obra J. Hawkins was pastor of Calvary Presbyterian Church from 1942 to 1962.
Wilson Daily Times, 3 May 1947.
Obra Jeffrey Hawkins died 7 May 1982 in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 27 August 1905 in Panola County, Texas to Andrew Hawkins and Lela Simmons; was married; was a minister; and resided at 1310 Marlowe Street, Wilson. Informant was Inez Fisher.
The Bull (1936), yearbook of Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photograph of Rev. Hawkins courtesy of Adventures in Faith: The Church at Prayer, Study and Service, a booklet commemorating the 100th anniversary of Calvary Presbyterian Church, Wilson.
Prominent Sigma transfers to Howard.
New York Age, 20 January 1923.
Fred M. Davis Jr. (1899-1949), like his younger brother William B. Davis, was a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.
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In the 1900 census of Wilson, Wilson County: Fred M. Davis, 33, paper hanger; wife Diannon, 31; children Eva M., 6, Bertha E., 5, and Fred M., 17 months; plus mother Judith Davis, 50, laundress.
In the 1910 census of Wilson, Wilson County: Fred M. Davis, 42, Baptist church minister; wife Dianah, 42; children Eva M., 16, Bertha, 15, Fred, 11, Ruth, 13, Addie L., 8, and William B., 5; and mother Jud., 60.
In the 1920 census of Wilson, Wilson County: Fred M. Davis, 50, church preacher; [second] wife Minnie, 39; children Fred Jr., 20, Berthia, 22, school teacher; Addie, 18, and William B., 16; and mother Judie, 76.
In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 621 East Green Street, Rev. Fred M. Davis, 73, minister; wife Minnie J., 59; [son-in-law] Dr. G.K. Butterfield, 35, dentist; [daughter] Addie L. Butterfield, 34; son William B. Davis, 32, high school teacher; daughter-in-law Hazel M. Davis, 30, teacher; grandson William B. Davis, 4 months; and son Fred M. Davis, 40, home interior decorator.
In 1942, Fred Marshon Davis Jr. registered for the World War II draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 27 October 1899 in Wilson; resided at 621 East Green; his contact was Rev. Fred M. Davis; and he was self-employed.
Fred M. Davis died 7 February 1949 at Mercy Hospital after being struck by a car while riding a bicycle. Per his death certificate, he was born 15 October 1900 in Wilson to Fred M. Davis Sr. and Diana Dunston; resided at 621 East Green; was single; and was employed as an interior decorator/wallpaper hanger. Addie Butterfield was informant.
Please come if you can, no. 2.
Our wires crossed a bit, and I will not actually be speaking on “Neighborhood as Palimpsest,” but come on out anyway, because I will be talking about the development of Wilson’s African-American neighborhoods in response to the city’s burgeoning tobacco industry.
616 East Green Street.
The fifty-fifth 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.
As described in the nomination form for the East Wilson Historic District: “ca. 1930. 1 1/2 stories. Short W. Barnes house; bungalow with engaged porch; Barnes was a carpenter.”
Robert C. Bainbridge and Kate Ohno’s Wilson, North Carolina: Historic Buildings Survey, originally published by the City of Wilson in 1980 and updated and republished in 2010 under the auspices of the Wilson County Genealogical Society, provides additional details about the house: “This classic bungalow was built ca. 1921 for Short W. Barnes, a carpenter. In later years Barnes was the foreman for the building maintenance crew of the real estate firm of R.E. Townsend & Company. Barnes may have constructed this house himself. The dormer balcony is an unusual feature in Wilson bungalows, as is the open semi-circular side porch off the three sided bay.”
616 East Green Street has been demolished.
In the 1908 Wilson, N.C., city directory: Barnes Short, carp h 617 e Green; Woodard Kinney, lab 617 e Green
In the 1910 census of Wilson, Wilson County: carpenter Short Barnes, 50; wife Francis, 50; daughter Maggie, 16; and Mark Ellis, 25.
In 1917, Clarence Allen Crawford registered for the World War I draft in Wilson. Per his registration card, he was born 23 September 1891 in Durham, North Carolina; resided at 617 East Green Street; worked in brick laying for Wilkins Brothers; and supported a wife and child.
In the 1920 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 617 Green, carpenter Short W. Barnes, 60; wife Francis, 62; son-in-law Clarence A. Crawford, 28, brickmason; daughter Maggie L., 26; and grandchildren Verest A., 2, and Clarence A., Jr., 9 months. Barnes owned his house free of mortgage.
In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: carpenter Short W. Barnes, 70, wife Francis, 71, daughter Maggie Crawford, 36, son-in-law Clarance Crawford, 39, and their children Verda, 13, Clarance, 10, and Annie, 8. The house was valued at $6000.
Frances Barnes died 30 May 1938 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born in 1860 in Wilson County to Morrison Woodard and Martha Thorn; was married; and resided at 616 East Green. Short W. Barnes was informant.
In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: carpenter Short W. Barnes, 80; daughter Maggie Crawford, 46, and grandchildren Vertist, 22, truck driver Clarance, 20, and Annie F., 18. The house was valued at $3000.
In 1942, Thomas Elder Ellis registered for the World War II draft in Wilson. Per his registration card, he was born 25 February 1902 in Wilson; resided at 302 North Vick Street, Wilson; his mailing address was Post Office Box 193, Wilson; his contact was Short W. Barnes, 616 East Green; and he worked at the Wilson branch office of Winston Mutual Life Insurance Company, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Short William Barnes died 30 November 1943 at his home at 616 East Green Street, Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 14 February 1860 in Wilson County to Redman and Nellie Barnes; was a widower; was a carpenter; and was buried in the Masonic cemetery. Maggie Crawford, 616 East Green Street, was informant.
Short William Barnes.
Photograph of house reprinted from Robert C. Bainbridge and Kate Ohno, Wilson, North Carolina: Historic Buildings Survey; photo of Barnes courtesy of History of Wilson County, North Carolina (1985).
Remembering Dr. Lawrence M. Clark Sr.
Today marks the sixth anniversary of the passing of Dr. Lawrence M. Clark. Dr. Clark was an accomplished mathematician and college administrator at North Carolina State University, but was equally passionate about following a calling to record the local African-American history of his hometown, Danville, Virginia. Dr. Clark and his wife, Dr. Irene Reynolds Clark, have stood as role models for me for the vital importance of the principle of sankofa and of the value and impact of preserving and presenting a people’s history.
I am thankful to the Clark children, my friends Lawrence Jr., Deborah, Linda and Sheila, for generously sharing their parents with all who know, admire and stood to learn from them. In some small way, I hope that Black Wide-Awake honors Dr. Clark’s legacy.
For the full post excerpting an interview with Dr. Lawrence M. Clark, published by the Virginia Center for Digital History, see here.
Please come if you can, no. 1.
Goldsboro’s not Wilson, but it’s right down the road, and many of Wilson’s African-American families have roots in antebellum Wayne County. On 6 February 2018, I’ll be giving a talk about Wayne County’s free communities of color as part of the Wayne County Public Library’s Black History Month observation. I welcome your support!
1119 East Nash Street.
The fifty-fourth 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.
This house appears to be misnumbered in the nomination form for the East Wilson Historic District. The entry for 1119 describes a two-story gable-front house, which this clearly is not. However, the description for 1117: “ca. 1922; 1 story; L-plan cottage; original brick veneer; builder was Nestus Freeman; contributing auto garage.”
In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 1119 East Nash Street, valued at $2000, teacher Julia Harold, 37; Clara Thomas, 39; brickmason Loyd Thomas; teacher Louise Thomas, 22; and Deloris R. Thomas, 9.
In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 1119 East Nash Street, valued at $3000, Julia Harrell, 44, schoolteacher at Vick Elementary, of Florence, South Carolina; her brother-in-law, bricklayer Loyed Thomas, 44, of Lynchburg, Virginia; her sister Clara Thomas, 54, of Florence; and her nieces Louisa Cherry, 31, of Florence, and Deloris Robins, 19, of Wilson.
Clara Edna Thomas died 18 June 1956 at her home at 1119 East Nash. Per her death certificate, she was born 30 March 1892 in Palmetto, South Carolina, to Dozier W. Davis and Jeanette Edwards; and was married to Lloyd Thomas. Louise C. Sherrod was informant.
Julia Burnette Harrell died 30 January 1959 at her home at 1119 East Nash. Per her death certificate, she was born 28 January 1894 in Florence, South Carolina to Dozier W. Davis and Jeanette Edwards; was widowed; and was a teacher with Wilson County schools. Louise C. Sherrod was informant.
Lloyd Cheatam Thomas died 9 February 1968 in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 15 June 1890 in Forest, Virginia, to James Thomas and Amanda (last name unknown); was married; was a retired brick mason; and lived at 1119 East Nash. Informant was Louise C. Sherrod, 1119 East Nash.
Photograph taken by Lisa Y. Henderson, December 2017.