Month: March 2025

The last will and testament of Susan Richardson Gaston Rattley.

Susan Richardson Gaston Ratley drafted her will on 4 March 1925, several years before she died. She left eldest son John Henry Gaston a “grind rock” (presumably, grindstone) and “Opants bed quilt.” The remainder of her property went to children Ivory Gaston, Charlie Gaston, and Nonia Gaston Carney. Son-in-law George Carney was appointed executor, as well as guardian of Charlie Gaston, who was “of an unsound mind, and not mentally capable of looking after his own affairs.” Ratley explained that she used “some discrimination in the division of [her] humble estate” because her younger children “by hard work and co-operation with [her], enabled [her] to thus save that [she has,] without the aid of [her]oldest son Henry Gaston ….” Thus, “they are justly entitled to the greater part of my estate.’

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On 20 April 1876, Simon Gaston, 25, married Susan Richardson, 20, in Stantonsburg, Wilson County, in the presence of H. Richardson, Ned Ellis, and H. Donell.

In the 1880 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: Simon Gaston, 28, farm laborer; wife Susan, 23; and children Henry, 3, Joseph, 1, and a 1 month-old infant.

In the 1900 census of Wilson, Wilson County: farm laborer John Gaston, 21; mother Susan, 48; and siblings Charley, 13, Ivor, 10, and Mary M., 8.

On 16 November 1904, John Radcliffe, 70, of Wilson, son of Jack and Martha Radcliffe, married Susan Gaston, 48, of Wilson, at William Jenkins‘ residence in Wilson. Missionary Baptist minister William Baker performed the ceremony in the presence of B.S. Jordan, R.B. Ellis, and Henry Mitchell.

In the 1908 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory, Charles, Ivy, and Joseph Gaston, all laborers, are listed at 610 Stantonsburg Street.

In the 1912 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory, Charles and Ivey Gaston, both laborers, are listed at 615 Stantonsburg Street.

In the 1920 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 313 Manchester, oil mill laborer Henry Gaston, 31; wife Dora, 28; and daughter Josephine, 3.

In the 1920 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 618 Nash, George Carney, 30, laborer in auto shop, and wife Nonnie, 28.

In the 1928 and 1930 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Rattley Susan (c) h 408 Manchester

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 408 Manchester, owned and valued at $400, widow Susan Rattley, 74, and son Charlie Gatsin, 23, odd jobs.

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 508 Woodard, Henry Gaston, 42, town laborer; wife Dora, 38; and stepdaughter Josephine Whitaker, 14.

Susan Rattley died 15 October 1931 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was 75 years old; was born in Wake County to Frank Richardson; was the widow of John Rattler; lived at 408 Manchester Street; and was buried in Wilson [probably, Vick Cemetery.] Nonia Carney was informant.

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: Nonia Connie, 45; brother Ivry Gaston, 50, plumber for City of Wilson; husband George Connie, 49; and James H. Williams, 24, tobacco factory laborer.

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: Henry Gaston, 58, clerk in own store; wife Dora, 48; stepdaughter Josephine Ward, 24; and step grandson Walter Whitaker, 7.

In the 1940 census of Raleigh, Wake County, N.C.: at North Carolina State Penitentiary, Charlie Gaston, 47, inmate. [In 1938, Gaston was charged in the rape of a ten year-old girl. A judge accepted his plea of guilty to a lesser charge in consideration of Gaston’s “low mentality,” which was estimated to be equivalent to a six or seven year-old child. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.]

Henry Gaston died 27 December 1940 in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was verb 19 January 1881 in Wilson County to Handy Heart; lived on Taylor Street; was married to Dora Gaston; and was buried in Rountree Cemetery.

In 1943, Charlie Gaston registered for the World War II draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was about 45 years old; he was born in Wilson County; his contact was sister Nome Carney, Wilson; he was “employed” at Central Prison; and he was blind.

Charlie Gaston died 11 December 1949 in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born in 1888 to Simon Gaston and Susan Rattley Richardson [sic]; was single; lived at 502 Manchester Street; worked as a laborer; and was buried in Rountree Cemetery. Nonia Carney was informant.

In the 1950 census of Wilson, Wilson County: George Carney, 61, janitor at private club; wife Nonie, 50, hanging tobacco; brother-in-law Ivory Gaston, 56, fireman at city electric plant; and James H. Williams, 33, tobacco packer.

George T. Carney died 7 July 1958 at his home at 502 Manchester Street, Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 10 June 1895 in Edgecombe County, N.C., to John Carney and Amanda Freeman; was married to Nonie Carney; and worked as a laborer.

Ivory Gaston died 27 May 1968 in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 4 January 1904 to Susan Richardson and lived at 502 Manchester Street. Nonie Carney was informant.

Nonie Carney died 9 January 1972 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 15 May 1896 to Sue Riley; was a widow; had worked as a laborer; and lived at 502 Manchester Street. James Williams was informant.

Studio shots, no. 260: Oswald W. Harris.

Yearbooks can be a valuable source of photographs of community members whose images were infrequently captured or retained. The 1952 edition of Charles H. Darden High School’s yearbook, The Trojan, included this photograph of Oswald W. Harris, who briefly taught math at the school. A native of Warrenton, North Carolina, Harris went on to become a professor of mathematics at Union College-New Jersey and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He died in Pompano Beach, Florida, in 2001.

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In the 1950 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 210 Powell Street, Oswald W. Harris, 40, math teacher at city high school; wife Johnnie, 37, home economics teacher at city high school; sons John M., 5, and Anthony W., 2; and cousin Lucy J. Oneill, 25, “caretaking of home.”

Pettigrew Street exposé, part 4.

In March of 1950, the Daily Times ran a series of articles exposing living conditions on Pettigrew Street. Rampant crime on the block, reporter Vernon Morton claimed, was largely attributable to whiskey and women and constituted a health crisis. The police were doing their job, and respectable “colored residents” were anxious to help, but the larger community needed to be aware of the problem.

Wilson Daily Times, 30 March 1950.

The south end of Pettigrew Street runs from Nash to Barnes Streets. It was an all-white block until the 1930s. Wilson Daily Times, 30 March 1950.

 

Sam Vick buys another lot on Goldsboro Street.

On 15 December 1904, for $2500, James F. and Rebecca J. Farmer sold Samuel H. Vick a lot on South Goldsboro Street in the thick of downtown. The parcel adjoined a lot Vick already owned, as well as the Wilson Hotel Company and Wiggins & Washington. J.F. Farmer had an office on the Wiggins & Washington lot known as the “brick Market House,” and this deed carried a proviso that the twelve-foot-wide alley between the lots would be kept open. (The wording of the deed is ambiguous. Did Farmer retain ownership or use of the office?)

Deed book 68, page 271, Wilson County Register of Deeds Office, Wilson.

Exactly where was this lot? 

This detail from the 1903 Sanborn fire insurance maps of Wilson shows most of the block bounded by South Goldsboro, Barnes, Spring [Douglas], and Nash Streets. The twelve-foot alley into the interior of the block from Barnes is marked (A). (B) is the brick market house. It’s impossible to tell which of the surrounding buildings belonged to Samuel H. Vick. Wilson Hotel Company owned the Briggs Hotel. The building was razed in 1955, and Rose’s Department Store was erected on the site. That building, now home to Wilson Arts Center, occupied a much larger footprint than the Briggs, stretching back to about the location of Farmer’s brick office.

Today, the interior of the block comprises mostly parking lots and the posterior of Wilson Arts Center. 

Photo by Lisa Y. Henderson, March 2025.

The ghosts of downtown alleys.

The edges of Wilson’s downtown warehouse and industrial district were once shot through with tiny alleys lined with duplexes built to house workers and their families. Most that remain have been paved and renamed as “Lane.” In what was once the mill village of Wilson Cotton Mills, however, a couple of dirt tracks remain as Cedar Street and Holly Street. These houses, which have been converted to single-family, were occupied by white families only, but offer a glimpse of what would have been a familiar streetscape to African-Americans living in similar alleys nearby.

Cedar Street, formerly Factory Alley.

Holly Street, formerly Jones Street Alley.

Detail from 1922 Sanborn fire insurance map of Wilson. South Factory Street is now Layton Avenue. Lodge Street Alley (Warehouse Alley) is now Wayne Street. At (A), the house visible above on Cedar Street/Factory Alley. At (B), the house on Holly Street/Jones Street Alley.

Photos by Lisa Y. Henderson, March 2025.

Funeral Program Friday: Walter Haywood Whitted.

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In the 1920 census of Wilson, Wilson County: Cora Beckworth, 42; daughter Dezelle Whitick, 28; son-in-law Walter Whitick, 32; and grandchildren Cora, 3, and Walter Jr., 4.

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: on South Lodge Street, house carpenter Walter Whitted, 38, wife Delzle H., 35, a public school teacher, and children Walter H., 14, and Cora J. Whitted, 13.

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: W.C. Whitted, 47; wife Helen Delzell, 49; son Walter H., 24, and daughters Cora, 23, and Louise, 13.

In 1940, Walter Haywood Whitted registered for the World War II draft in Wake County, North Carolina. Per his registration card, he was born 15 July 1915 in Wilson; he lived at 516 Lodge Street, Wilson; his contact was wife Helen Dezelle Whitted; and he worked for Lewis Thomas, carpenter, in Raleigh, Wake County, N.C.

Walter H. Whitted died 22 October 1993.

The last will and testament of Argent Harper.

In a will executed 22 May 1928, Argent Harper left her daughter Deborah Swindell her house and part of the lot it sat upon on Suggs Street, and the remainder of her property to all her children — Swindell, Charles Harper, Elizabeth Hampton, and Effie Lewis. She nominated Camillus L. Darden her executor.

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In the 1870 census of Kinston, Lenoir County, North Carolina: Thomas Morris, 40, works in blacksmith shop; wife Judia, 30; children Clarissey, 21, Argeant, 13, Allice, 11, and Fannie, 5; Jonah Phillips, 26, farm laborer; Eunice Phillips, 1; and Argeant Morris, 66, midwife.

On 6 November 1879, Richard Harper, 28, of Wilson County, son of James and Cloe Harper, married Argent Morris, 19, of Lenoir County, daughter of Tom and Judah Morris, at the A.M.E.Z. church in Kinston.

In the 1880 census of Kinston, Lenoir County, North Carolina: blacksmith Thomas Morris, 56; wife Judy, 45; children Alice, 20, and Fannie Morris, 6; daughter Clarisa Phillips, 30, laborer; daughter Argent Harper, 22, laborer; and grandchildren Henrietta, 7, Jonah, 6, Sally, 1, and Mary Phillips, 13.

In the 1900 census of Pinetucky district, Laurens County, Georgia: farmer Richard Harper, 59; wife Argen, 43; and children Cora, 17, Dora, 16, Deby, 13, Charlie, 12, Estella, 10, Richard, 7, and Elizabeth, 5.

On 8 November 1917, Whit Lewis, 29, of Wilson, married Effie Harper, 24, of Wilson, in Wilson. A.M.E. Zion minister B.P. Coward performed the ceremony in the presence of Alice Carington, Thomas Cooke, and John Graham.

Richard James Harper died 8 January 1918 in Wilson township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was born 31 August 1851 in Greene County, N.C., to James and Clara Harper; was married to Argent Harper; worked as a tenant farmer for Ashley Young; and was buried in Wilson County.

In the 1920 census of Wilson, Wilson County: widow Argent Harper, 58, and daughters Deba, 25, seamstress, and Elizabeth, 17.

In the 1920 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Harper Argent (c) dom h 141 Suggs

On 30 January 1924, Louis Swindell, 24, of Washington, N.C., son of Lewis Swindell and Selista [no maiden name], married Deborah Harper, 27, of Wilson, daughter of Richard and Argene Harper, in Wilson. A.M.E.Z. minister B.P. Coward performed the ceremony in the presence of Julia Bryant, Effie Lewis, and Whit Lewis.

In the 1925 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Harper Argent (c) laundress h 630 Suggs

In the 1928 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Harper Argent (c) lndrs h 630 Suggs

Argen Harper died 1 August 1929 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was 60 years old; was born in Kinston, N.C., to Tom Morris and Judy Morris; was the widow of Richard Harper; and was buried in Wilson [probably, Vick Cemetery.] Deborah Swindell was informant.

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 630 Suggs, owned and valued at $1000, Debbie Swindell, 40, helper at beauty parlor; roomer [sic; sister] Effie Lewis, 35, widow, servant; roomers [Effie’s children?] Essie M., 10, Mathew, 8, and William J. Lewis, 4; and daughter Deborar Swindell, 6.

Effie Lewis died 14 March 1958 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 15 March 1890 in Georgia to Richard Harper and Argent Morris; was a widow; lived at 413 Stantonsburg Street, Wilson; and worked as a domestic. Effie Mae Fields was informant.

Charles H. Harper died 11 May 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Per his death certificate, he was 29 March 1890 in South Carolina to Richard Harper and Argent Morris; was married to Lucinda Harper; and was retired.

Deborah Harper Swindell died 2 February 1979 in Burlington, Alamance County, N.C. Per a North Carolina Death Index, she was born 24 August 1886.