Wilson Daily Times, 12 June 1918.
——
- Globe Theatre
- S.H. Vick — Samuel H. Vick.
- Rev. H.B. Taylor — Halley B. Taylor.
Newspapers
The funeral of Bertha Ayers.
News and Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), 20 August 1930.
——
Members of the Ayers family were among a handful of families in the Lucama area who transitioned from black to white racial classification in the early 1900s. Bertha Ayers‘ grandfather Jesse Ayers was described as colored as late as 1914, and her aunt Harriet Ayers‘ had been prosecuted for marrying a white man in 1895. By 1920, however, this set of Ayerses had gained acceptance within the white community.
Reflections on Samuel Vick’s “unquiet life” in politics.
William T. Bost was the influential political correspondent and columnist for the Greensboro Daily News. Just a few days after Samuel H. Vick died, Bost wrote an editorial about Vick’s “unquiet” political life, reflecting on the aftermath of Vick’s removal from his postmaster position.
Greensboro Daily News, 13 July 1946.
Hughes, the white barber.
Two ads placed by “Hughes, the white barber.” Barbering in this era — and well into the twentieth century — was a trade plied overwhelmingly by African-American men. White barbers like “Hughes” often emphasized their ethnicity in their advertising. Here, “white” signaled Hughes’ suitability for handling the hair of white women.
The Daily News (Wilson, N.C.), 20 September 1900.
C.O.G.O.W.E.C. baptizes eight.
Wilson Daily Times, 7 July 1942.
It’s not clear if this article is referring to one church or two. Wilson’s Church of God stood at 904 East Wainwright Avenue and is best known as Rev. Hattie Daniels‘ church.
——
- Rev. E.D. Swain
- Rev. Hattie L. Batts
A card of thanks from the Coppedge family.
Wilson Daily Times, 28 August 1944.
——
On 10 March 1909, Forge Coppedge, 32, son of Robert and Matilda Coppedge, of Greene County, N.C., married Leather Ford, 16, daughter of Swift and Mary Ford, of Taylor township, in Wilson. James G. Coppedge performed the ceremony in Taylor township in the presence of Richard Forbes, Turner Taylor, and Carrie Alston.
On 8 December 1929, Forge Coppedge, 49, of Wilson, married Roxie McClain, 46, in Wilson. G.W. Coppedge applied for the license. Freewill Baptist minister Rev. J.E. Brown performed the ceremony in the presence of Geneva Jones, Carrie Alston, and Robert Greene.
In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 404 Warren, rented for $15/month, Ford Coppedge, 35, laborer; wife Roxie A., 30; and step-daughters Jossie, 13, and Flossie M., 7.
In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 708 Walnut, laundress Roxana Coppedge, 55, and daughter Flossie McLaurin, 17.
Roxie Anna Coppedge died 24 August 1944 at Mercy Hospital, Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was 62 years old; was married to Forge Coppedge; was born in Robeson County, N.C., to Mack Ingram; lived at 408 Youngs Alley; and was buried at Rest Haven Cemetery. Lula McLaurin was informant.
Forge Coppedge also died 24 August 1944 in Wilson. He was 62 years old and was born in Franklin County, N.C., to Robert Coppedge and Matilda Baldrip. He was the widower of Roxie Anna Coppedge; worked as a laborer; lived on Bruton Street; and was buried in Masonic Cemetery. George Coppedge was informant.
Sergeant George W. Ragins, in England.
Image courtesy of Veterans of World War II Wilson County, spiral-bound volume, Wilson County Public Library.
Severe storm damages homes and crops.
J.F. White, fashionable barber.
Wilson Advance, 19 September 1889.
J.F. White was in Wilson only briefly, touting his arrival loudly and gone by year’s end. I have not been able to discover any additional information about him.
Veterans’ auxiliary meets.
Wilson Daily Times, 19 June 1947.