“The first one I knew to have a car was Dr. Reid, the veterinarian. And the Vicks.”

Hattie Henderson Ricks (1910-2001)

In 1919, the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office published a hefty volume listing the first 112,000 motor vehicles registered in the state. Not surprisingly, Samuel H. Vick was an early adopter, registering five automobiles — by four different car companies — at once and receiving license numbers 685 through 689.

The document is not easily searched, but I was able to find these early African-American Wilson County drivers. Most lived in town, and only two — Chestiney Wilder and Georgia Aiken — were women. (May Locus was a man.)

• 685 — S.H. Vick, Wilson, Chandler
• 686 — S.H. Vick, Wilson, Reo
• 687 — S.H. Vick, Wilson, Hudson
• 688 — S.H. Vick, Wilson, Hudson
• 689 — S.H. Vick, Wilson, Cadillac
• 5278 — Albert S. Gay, 620 E. Green St., Wilson, Ford
• 7563 — J.Z. Staton, 804 Viola St., Wilson, Ford
• 8583 — C.L. Darden, Wilson, Hudson
• 17476 — May Locus, Rt. 1, Black Creek, Ford
• 19608 — Will Artis, Stantonsburg, Oldsmobile
• 26225 — Chestiny Wilder, Rt. 3 Lucama, Ford
• 28151 — Josh Armstrong, Rt. 1, Elm City, Grant
• 29157 — Henry Bryant, 145 Sugg St., Wilson, Dort
• 32649 — Oscar Best, care of Wilson Live Stock Co., Wilson, Dort
• 34116 — S.F. Hargrove [F.S. Hargrave], M.D., 625 E. Green St., Wilson, Columbia
• 47620 — Dr. W.H. Phillips, 530 1/2 E. Nash St., Wilson, Hudson
• 50184 — Neverson Green, Wilson, Reo
• 55819 — Noah J. Tate, Wilson, Buick
• 55820 — W.S. Hines, Wilson, Hudson
• 57201 — Ned Kent, Rt. 3 Box 100, Kenly, Overland
• 57479 — D.E. Reid [Dr. Elijah L. Reid], 650 Viola St., Wilson, Ford
• 57551 — Dr. W.A. Mitchiner [Mitchner], E. Nash St., Wilson, Dodge
• 60503 — Mrs. Georgia C. Aiken, 314 Barnes St., Wilson, Ford (for hire)
• 69272 — Dennis Brooks, E. Nash St., Buick (for hire)
• 71345 — G.E. Tyler, 603 E. Green St., Wilson Ford
• 72510 — Neil Handy, Rt. 6, Box 144, Wilson, Ford
• 73129 — A.N. Darden, Wilson, Dodge
• 85889 — Crawford Darden, Black Creek, Cadillac
• 86536 — Buck Locus, Rt. 4, Elm City, Grant
• 87236 — C.E. Artis, 210 Pender St., Wilson, Ford
• 88103 — Ben J. Ellis, Rt. 1, Box 153, Wilson, Ford
• 89487 — Roscoe Johnson, 634 E. Green St., Wilson, Jordan
• 90310 — Jim Brown, 805 Viola St., Ford
• 90872 — Ed. Artis, Rt. 1, Stantonsburg, Ford
• 90873 — Leslie Artis, Rt. 1, Stantonsburg, Ford
• 91282 — Bud Sims, 624 Viola St., Metz
• 92886 — June S. Artis, Rt. 6, Box 89, Wilson, Ford
• 93517 — J.D. Reid, 601 E. Green St., Wilson, Reo
• 94988 — Wm. H. Baker, 1020 E. Nash St., Wilson, Ford
• 95012 — William Hines, Wilson, Hudson
• 96664 — Rev. E.S. Hargrove, 702 Viola St., Overland
• 97230 — Garry Armstrong, RFD, Elm City, Overland
• 98115 — L.H. Peacock, 141 Ash St., Wilson, Hudson
• 100721 — John W. Farmer, 635 E. Green St., Wilson, Chalmers
• 104807 — Linwood Barefoot, E. Nash St., Wilson, Ford
• 105289 — Turner Hines, Rt. 1, care of J.W. Cherry & Son, Elm City, Ford
• 109186 — Dotson Locus, Rt. 2, Elm City, Chevrolet
• 110274 — Garfield Ruffin, 1007 E. Nash St., Wilson, Ford

From the 1920 supplement to the Registry:

• 113666 — Clifton Best (col.), R. 1, Stantonsburg, Ford
• 114015 — Harry Carter, 517 E. Nash St., Wilson, Buick (for hire)
• 121735 — Dempsey Blount, 516 E. Nash St., Wilson, Ford
• 122953 — George Rutherford, 517 E. Nash St., Wilson, Buick (for hire)
• 124283 — James Sellers, 651 E. Vance St., Wilson, Oldsmobile (for hire)
• 124827 — Bill Smith (col.), care of Tilghman Motors Co., Wilson, Columbia

REO touring car, 1919.

Interview of Hattie H. Ricks by Lisa Y. Henderson, all rights reserved. List of Registered Motor Vehicle Owners — North Carolina (1919); List of Registered Motor Vehicle Owners, Supplement No. 1 (1920).