Church

B.W.A. Historical Marker Series, no. 32: Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church.

In this series, which will post on occasional Wednesdays, I populate the landscape of Wilson County with imaginary “historical markers” commemorating people, places, and events significant to African-American history or culture.

We been here.

EBENEZER MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Founded about 1917 as Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. Orig. a wood-framed bldg. Also known as Weeks Chapel after Rev. A.L.E. Weeks. Remodeled in 1937 under Rev. Charles T. Jones; name changed to Ebenezer. Current building constructed in 1956.

Calvary Presbyterian’s radiant queen mothers!

Calvary Presbyterian Church‘s recent 136th Homecoming celebration brought together these three vibrant nonagenarians!

Wilson County natives Henrietta Hines McIntosh, 98, and Arlean Lindsey Sneed, 99, stand behind Addie Scipio Hagans, 97, who taught English to generations of students at Darden and Fike High Schools.

Photo courtesy of Cassandra Wiggins.

Darden senior preaches first sermon.

Journal and Guide (Norfolk, Va.), 1 October 1938.

Though Leroy Foster did not make his career in the pulpit, he remained a lifelong A.M.E. Zion lay leader.

——

  • Leroy Foster

In the 1920 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: tenant farmer Claud Foster, 37; wife Cora, 37; and children Mammie, 16, Booker T., 12, Maggie, 9, Claud Jr., 7, Carry, 6, Leroy, 5, Sammie, 1, and Estell, 1 month.

In the 1930 census of Jackson township, Nash County, N.C.: farmer Claud Foster, 48; children Claud Jr., 16, Carrie Lee, 14, Leroy, 13, Samuel, 11, Cora, 10, Douglas, 8, and Marie, 6; and grandson Jimmie, 7.

In 1940, Leroy Foster registered for the World War II draft. Per his registration card, he was born 10 January 1917 in Wilson; lived at 303 North Vick Street; his contact was sister Carrie Highsmith, 1910 North 21st Street, Philadelphia; and he was a student at Livingstone College, Salisbury, N.C.

On 4 October 1944, Leroy Foster, 27, of Wilson, son of Claude and Cora Foster, married Lula Margaret Moore, 26, of Wilson, daughter of Louis Arrington and Lula Moore, in Wilson. A.M.E. Zion minister W.A. Hilliard performed the ceremony in the presence of Arthur Lee Battle, Viola McPhail, and Mary Elizabeth Thomas.

Leroy Foster interrupted his college education to serve in the United States Army from 1942 to 1946.

The Livingstonian yearbook (1947), Livingstone College.

In the 1950 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 925 Washington Street, science teacher Leroy Foster, 33; wife Lula M., 32; and aunt Delphia V. Battle, 57, presser.

Leroy Darden died 10 March 1978 in Greenville, North Carolina.

Wilson Daily Times, 12 March 1978.

The Colored Freemasons buy land at Rocky Branch.

In April 1896, Cherry Hinnant, Henry R. Hinnant and wife Pennie Adella Hinnant, and John T. Revell sold Dock H. Hinnant, Vandorn Hinnant, and Guilford Wilder a parcel of land adjacent to the “colored Christian church,” i.e. Rocky Branch United Church of Christ, and “colored free school” number 12, i.e. the precursor to Rocky Branch School. The Hinnants and Wilder were officers and trustees of Rocky Blue Lodge #56, Prince Hall Masons.

Deed Book 43, page 442, Wilson County Register of Deeds Office, Wilson.

——

  • Dock H. Hinnant — in the 1900 census of Springhill township, Wilson County: farmer Dock H. Hinnant, 35; wife Alice, 30; and children James A., 16, John A., 15, Mary E., 10, Annie M., 8, William R., 6, and Clarence, 5.
  • Vandorn Hinnant — In the 1910 census of Spring Hill township, Wilson County: farmer Vandorne Hinnant, 48, wife Betsy J., 47, and children Ezekiel, 22, Billie, 19, Willie, 13, Oscar, 12, Luther, 10, Regest W., 9, Roland, 8, Ralon, 6, Ollion, 4, and Roy E., 2.
  • Guilford Wilder

Cook confesses to aiding jail break.

Chicago Defender, 30 July 1938.

——

Perhaps, in the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 116 Pender Street, Clara Davis, 19, tobacco factory stemmer; Charles Davis, 22, cook at Bill’s Quick Lunch; Jack Ellis, 36, tobacco factory redryer; Beulah Ellis, 21, cook; and Ollie M. Ferguson, 33, tobacco factory grader. [All were relatively recent arrivals to Wilson from towns across eastern North Carolina and from Tennessee.]

Rev. Bryant P. Coward, as imagined.

I am ambivalent about using artificial intelligence to restore photographs. Or, more specifically, I’m concerned about manipulated photographs supplanting original images and further blurring the line between reality and misinformation. However, the allure of AI-enhanced images is strong, as I often contend with blurry, poorly lit photographs in unnatural sepia or black-and-white tones. Photographs whose condition sometimes exacerbates the distance between us and our ancestors.

I have been experimenting with ChatGPT lately, feeding it queries and images to be restored and colorized. The results are somewhat haphazard, with many images weird and off-putting. Other times, the images are breathtakingly sharp and … alive. Black Wide-Awake exists to resurrect forgotten lives, and I believe these images are valuable to help us connect with the men and women we read about in these posts. From time to time, I’ll share the better ones here, clearly marked as AI-generated. Let me know what you think about them.

——

Rev. Bryant P. Coward (1864-1940), A.M.E. Zion minister and presiding elder.