Though now gone from all but a few industries, porters were once ubiquitous in the service landscape. Responsible for everything from carrying bags or packages to cleaning common spaces to fixing minor maintenance issues, porters were early customer service representatives of a sort, tasked with ensuring smooth public-facing operations in all manner of work settings. The job was almost exclusively reserved for African-American men and generally demanded a facade of deference (or even subservience) that not all were able to consistently display. That said, positions as porters were sought-after as relatively well-paid, clean, and safe, and men who worked these jobs often headed solidly middle-class Black households.
Below, a running list of pre-World War II porters in Wilson:
- James Austin, 1912
- John Arrington, Briggs Hotel pool room, 1916
- Rome Bagley, 1916
- Henry Ball, 1912
- Ernest Barefoot, Turlington & Morrison, 1918
- Charles Barnes, Briggs Hotel, 1916
- Dave Barnes, Briggs Hotel, 1916
- Frank Barnes, Barnes Harrell Company, 1912
- Frank Barnes, 1916
- Howard Barnes, Patterson Drug Store, 1916
- Jacob Barnes, Barnes-Graves Grocery, 1916
- James F. Barnes, Barnes-Harrell Company, 1916
- Zachariah Barnes, 1912, 1916
- Frank Batts, Patterson Drug Company, 1908
- William Batts, 1916
- William Biden, 1912
- Charles Blount, Barrett’s Printing House, 1912
- Thomas Bowser, Dr. Wade H. Anderson, 1912
- Bud Boyett, 1912
- Edward Brewington, 1908
- Hughey Brown, 1908
- Albert F. Bullock, Turlington & Moore, 1912
- Walter Bullock, 1912
- Amos Bynum, 1908
- Mack Bynum, Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, 1916
- Jesse Cannon, 1912
- Charles L. Coppedge, 1912
- Edward Cotton, 1912
- Hardy Cox, 1908
- Morton Crawford, Oettinger’s Department Store, 1918
- Russell Darden, [probably Charles H. Darden & Sons] 1912
- William Day, 1912
- George H. Edmundson, Oettinger’s Department Store, 1918
- Henry Edwards, 1908
- Stacey Edwards, Moore-Herring Hospital, 1916
- Charles W. Farmer, Wilson Drug Company, 1912
- Jesse Farmer, 1912
- John W. Farmer, 1912
- Mark Farmer, Ideal Pharmacy, 1912
- Orlando Farmer, Wilson Grocery Company, 1908
- William Farmer, Barnes Harrell Company, 1916
- Ralph Gaston, 1912
- Charles B. Gay, 1912
- Isaac Hagans, First National, 1908
- Andrew Hargett, 1912
- Samuel Henderson, E.M. Drake, 1908
- Freeman Hill, Strickland & Lewis, 1912
- William Hilliard, Strickland & Lewis, 1912
- Alexander Hinton, Carroll Grocery Company, 1916
- Alex Halloway, Barnes Graves Company, 1912
- Harry Holloway, Strickland & Lewis, 1912
- Edward Hunter, 1908
- Luther Jenkins, 1912
- John Jefferson, 1912
- Roscoe Johnson, 1912
- Robert Kearney, 1908, 1912
- Joseph Lindsey, 1912
- Luther Locus, 1912
- John Lowery, Oettinger’s Department Store, 1912
- Edward McLean, 1912
- Joseph Mercer, 1912
- Otis Mercer, 1912
- Lewis Miles, 1908
- Amos Moore, hotel, 1930
- Arthur Moore, 1912
- Leonard Moore, Levi Jones Barber Shop, 1916
- Richard Moore, Patterson Drug Company, 1916
- Albert Moye, 1908
- Joshua Neal, 1912
- Jesse Norfleet, 1912
- Joseph C. Palmer, 1908
- Oscar Parker, 1912
- Claude Pender, Tabron Brothers, 1916
- Floyd Pender, 1912
- Richmond Pender, 1912, J.H. Gill, 1916
- James Perrington, 1908
- Henry Perry, Patterson Drug Company, 1908
- Jesse Perry, 1912
- William Pitt, 1912
- Edward Roberts, 1908
- Edwin Robinson, Wilson Drug Company, 1908
- James Rountree, 1918
- Luther Sanders, Gilmer’s,
- Edmund Sharp, 1912
- William Simpson, 1908
- Alonso Speight, Patterson Drug Company, 1916
- Walter Stewart, 1908
- Doan Strickland, 1908
- Jesse Strickland, 1908
- Douglas Tabron, Turlington & Morrison, 1916
- Smith Taylor, 1912
- Hezekiah Tucker, 1912
- Peter Vick, 1912
- Aulcer Ward, 1912
- John Ward, 1912
- James Ware, Imperial Hotel, 1912
- Caesar J. Williams, 1912
- Ernest Wynn, Turlington & Morrison, 1916