“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
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).