Month: February 2022

Hat tip to Gig East.

While in Wilson, I needed a “real” work space in which to set up for a panel on which I was speaking via Zoom. I reached out to Gig East, downtown Wilson’s technology and innovation networking center. My thanks to Ashley J. Harris, Gig East’s Community Exchange Coordinator, for setting me up in the perfect location. Consider membership if you have a regular need for coworking space — and check out these nods to historic East Wilson, in the spirit of sankofa, throughout the common areas. (I may have had some curation input ….) 

Samuel H. Vick.

O. Nestus Freeman and Parker Battle and Smith Bennett among a group of blacksmiths.

Sallie B. Howard.

Mercy Hospital.

The death of Sam Allen.

Wilson Daily Times, 23 December 1930.

We read here of the terrible injury Samuel Allen suffered to his foot in 1894.

Allen was a child during the antebellum era, so it’s not entirely clear what McFarland’s “compliment” meant.

“The colored Methodist church” was likely Saint John A.M.E. Zion, and “the cemetery” was most likely either Vick or Rountree Cemetery.

Lane Street Project: Hooks joins Cemetery Commission.

I’m elated to introduce the newest member of Wilson Cemetery Commission — Castonoble Hooks.

Elder, griot, autodidact, social conscience, justice warrior, indefatigable charter member of Lane Street Project, Hooks will be an outstanding asset to the Commission as it enters an era of equity as the custodian of Vick Cemetery, as well as Rest Haven and Maplewood Cemeteries.

Photos of Hooks with section of wisteria vine cleared from Odd Fellows Cemetery and the misnamed entrance to the Vick parking lot, with wild Odd Fellows behind last fall. Copyright Chris Facey, all rights reserved.

Coley v. Artis, pt. 5: Maybe he might redeem it.

The fifth in a series excerpting testimony from the transcript of the trial in J.F. Coley v. Tom Artis, Wayne County Superior Court, November 1908. The dispute centered on 30 acres of land. Thomas “Tom Pig” Artis began renting the property in 1881 from William J. Exum, a wealthy white farmer. In 1892, Exum’s widow Mary sold the land to Napoleon Hagans. Hagans died in 1896, and the land passed to his sons Henry and William S. Hagans. In 1899, Henry sold his interest to his brother William, who sold the 30 acres in 1908 to J. Frank Coley, a young white farmer. Tom Artis laid claim to the property, arguing that Napoleon Hagans had sold it to him. Coley filed suit and, after hearing the testimony of more than a dozen witnesses, the court decided in his favor. (Paragraph breaks and some punctuation have been inserted for better readability.)

Defendant introduces T.F. Jones, who being duly sworn, testifies:

I had a conversation with Napoleon Hagans about this land, the 30 acre piece. (Plaintiff objects to question and answer.) I got after Uncle ‘Pole to see me the land. I told him if he would give me a deed for both places, the Calv Pig, that is the 24 acre piece, and the Tom Pig place, the 30 acre piece, I would take them. He told me he would sell me the Calv Pig place, but the Tom Pig place he had promised to let Tom stay on that as long as he lived, that maybe he might redeem it. That about ended the conversation with us. I bought some timber off this land from Tom. Off of the 30 acre piece. I suppose Hagans knew about it. (Plaintiff objects.) I couldn’t say that Hagans saw me hauling the timber, I guess he saw me. (Plaintiff objects.) Hagans never made any objection. I had a conversation with Tom about this land along during that time, when Uncle ‘Pole Hagans first got rid of that Calv Pig place, about 15 years ago. I asked him if he wouldn’t sell his part, and what would he ask for it, (Plaintiff objects). He said he didn’t want to sell it, he expected to redeem it sometime. Last Fall I told him if he expected to get that mortgage he had better attend to it. He said he had boys in Norfolk, who would take it up; that he had confidence in Will Hagans. That if his boys let it slip out after he died, they could. (Plaintiff objects.)

CROSS EXAMINED.

Mr. W.J. Exum died about 1885. Tom is known as Pig. I don’t know why he was called Pig. I think they got “Pig” from “Diggs”. Some of his people ‘way back there, were named “Diggs”, and they got to calling it “Pig” for short. I remember when Napoleon Hagans died. I was down the Country. I left here in ’94, and came back in 1900. He died during that time. I got this timber 20 years ago. I was buying all I could, I don’t know how much I got. I got it by the tree. I went in 1881 and milled ’till 1890. Either ’81 or ’82. I bought the timber about that time. I didn’t know that the deed from Mrs. Exum to Hagans was executed before 1892.

——

Jones’ guess about the origins of Tom Artis’ nickname is unsatisfying. “Pig” from “Diggs”? In fact, Thomas and Calvin Artis took their nickname from their father, an enslaved man, who was called “Simon Pig.” Artis was the surname of their mother Celia, a free woman of color. (Tom Artis was not a Diggs, but his niece Frances Artis married Wilson (or William) Diggs in 1868 in Wayne County.) I have found no other record of manumission, but Simon Pig Artis is listed as the head of his household in the 1860 census of Davis township, Wayne County. He reported (or was attributed with) $800 of real property and $430 of personal property. The land was almost surely his wife Celia’s; she is one of the earliest free colored property owners appearing in Wayne County deed books.

1860 census, Davis district, Wayne County, North Carolina.

Several Diggs descendants settled in or owned property in Wilson County; see here and here and here.

 

In case you missed it.

Last week’s Zoom talk about Mary C. Euell and the Wilson Normal and Industrial Institute may be one of my most enjoyable to date. I never tire of sharing Mary Euell’s story, and this occasion was made extra-memorable by the presence in the audience of descendants or relatives of sisters S. Roberta and Grace Battle, who were two of teachers who resigned with Euell; of Samuel H. Vick, who spearheaded the establishment of the alternative school; and of Sarah Hines, another resigning teacher, and her husband Walter S. Hines, a businessman who served on the Industrial School’s board. After my presentation, there was a freewheeling question-and-answer session that touched on a broad range of East Wilson matters and ended only because the library staff had to go on home.

My thanks, as always, to Wilson County Public Library, for its support of local history and commitment to amplifying the stories of Wilson’s African-American community. (See this month’s exhibit near the circulation desk prepared by Adult Services Librarian Naija Speight.) Special thanks to Local History and Genealogy Librarian Tammy Medlin and Assistant Director/Adult Services Manager Amanda Gardner. 

1111 Atlantic Street.

The one hundred-fifty-third 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, this building is: “ca. 1940; 1 story; bungalow with low hip roof, engaged porch, and distinctive block-stone facade.”

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 1111 Atlantic Avenue, rented for $16/month, construction carpenter Matthew Barnes, 44; wife Ossie Mae, 30, presser for Fidelity Cleaners; mother Erma Grady, 66, widow, tobacco factory hanger.

In the 1941 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Barnes Matthew (c; Ossie) carp h 1111 Atlantic Av

In the 1947 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Barnes Matthew (c; Ossie) carp h 1111 Atlantic Av

Lane Street Project: Helping hands recover lost Wilson graveyard.

Wilson Times‘ Drew C. Wilson continues his close coverage of Lane Street Project’s important community work in this 13 February 2022 piece on last weekend’s Season II inaugural cleanup. See the original article here for fantastic photographs taken of LSP volunteers working at Odd Fellows and hear Glenn Wright’s moving reflections in the video below:

“George Ward snipped a tangle of vines and pushed away the fallen leaves around what remained of a grave to reveal an indiscernible inscription.

“Leaning over, Ward spoke to the unknown deceased occupant in the soil below his feet.

“‘I’m sorry that somebody forgot about you like that,’ Ward said tenderly. ‘I don’t know what name you are, but you are a precious soul. Whoever you are, God wrote your name down in the Lamb’s book of life.’

“The pastor of Beyond 4 Walls Ministry was among more than 60 volunteers from six denominations to work side by side Saturday as part of the Lane Street Project to help clean up and recover the Odd Fellows and Rountree cemeteries on Bishop L.N. Forbes Street.

“Saturday marked the start of a second year of work to clean the graveyards, once completely overgrown and covered by a thick wall of vines that shrouded the graves of some of the most prominent African American Wilsonians of yesteryear.

“‘Our life is like a vapor,’ Ward said, noting how quickly people can be forgotten.

“Ward lauded the project to recover the graveyards.

“‘It’s about dignity and respect and not forgetting your roots,’ he said.

“Lisa Y. Henderson, a prime organizer for the Lane Street Project that she’s promoted on her Black Wide Awake website, said the plan for the year is to continue clearing the invasive growth of primarily wisteria and privet while locating and preserving the headstones as they’re found.

“‘We are also trying to preserve the plants that were placed there as memorials,’ Henderson said. ‘A lot of people couldn’t afford headstones, so what you will see across the forest floor are yucca plants. This time of year, you will see daffodils that are really pretty that are now starting to bloom across the forest floor. Those would have been planted by families to mark graves, and we want to preserve those.’

“Henderson said the overall effort is to continue beating back the woods.

“Glenn Wright of Wilson said the Lane Street Project is deeper than restoring an old cemetery.

“‘It’s about us collecting and recognizing the humanity in each of us,’ Wright said.

“Jane Hawthorne came back to work around Lula J. Dew’s grave.

“‘She’s a relative of a friend of mine,’ Hawthorne said. ‘I came last year, and this area was totally covered in vines. I found this one last year, and it was a gift. It may be the only one in here whose relative I knew. For me to find this was like a lightning bolt.’

“Brittany Hamm Daniel took 8-year-old daughter Madison Richardson to see the restorative effort.

‘I think it is amazing,’ Daniel said.

“Daniel started helping Henderson organize the project last year.

“‘I think it is great that we are cleaning a historical landmark that needs to be recognized, and I appreciate all the ethnicities and diverse people coming together for this,’ Daniel said.

“Melissa Rees, volunteer community outreach co-coordinator at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, took about 20 adults and youth members Saturday.

“‘We thought this was a great cause and a great project to take on,’ Rees said. ‘With many hands make light work, and there are definitely many hands here today.’

“Volunteer Briggs Sherwood notes the cleanup is a big job and hard work.

“‘Here, it is just a massive discovery for people whose ancestors are buried here that didn’t know that they were buried here,’ Sherwood said. ‘Even Lisa herself was pretty sure her people were here. She has since found her [great-]grandmother’s stone, which was in a pile of other stones piled on top of each other on the ground.’

“U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield of Wilson was also among the volunteers Saturday.

“‘When I read this yesterday in The Wilson Times, I was elated to know that good Wilson citizens are willing to come to the Odd Fellows Cemetery — I call it the Rountree Cemetery — to devote their time and energy to restoring this cemetery,’ he said. ‘This cemetery carries with it a lot of history from east Wilson. My grandmother Dinah Dunston Davis is buried somewhere in this cemetery. I have yet to be able to find the gravesite. I remember years ago when Mr. Ben Mincey, Benjamin Madison Mincey, would come to this location every Saturday morning alone to try to bring the cemetery back to life.’

“Butterfield said seeing the large group of Wilsonians ‘expending their time and energy here to join hands in restoring this cemetery is heartwarming and appreciated.’

“Portia Nicole Newman of Wilson started working on the Lane Street Project last year.

“Newman said the graveyard was a ‘forest’ before the work began.

“‘Now you can walk around and find people,’ Newman said. ‘It is always fun working out here removing a stick and coming across a new headstone.’

“Despite the work, she enjoys coming out to join in on workdays.

“‘I would say what is really cool about this work is that it belongs to everybody. These were all our families, leaders, politicians, doctors, lawyers, you name it, here in the city of Wilson, and regardless of where you were born, there is a connection to the history, and I think that is the big emotional piece,’ Newman said. ‘Every time we find a headstone, I think that is somebody’s family, that’s somebody’s aunt, that’s somebody’s uncle.’

“Newman said some elders have come by to say they had forgotten about the cemeteries.

“‘So it is really impactful to see a lot of older generations come and hear them say ‘You know, I think my aunt is out here. I just wouldn’t know where.’ This work means a lot for Wilson. It means a lot for the history of Wilson. I think people should know about it. People should participate, too.’

“Castonoble Hooks is a regular volunteer for the project.

“‘Just look around at all these young people, these old people, you see all these people out here doing the very same thing, serving a righteous cause,” he said. “This is wonderful. I know these people’s spirits are delighted to see this, to know that this is happening.’

“Hooks said there is a ‘sea change in how we treat each other in Wilson, and I think this project has a lot do with that.’

“He called it a ‘grassroots effort’ by the volunteers.

“‘It makes me know that Wilson has a heart, and its heart is healing,’ Hooks said.”