The last will and testament of Jennie Williamson Whitley.

Will book 8, page 551.

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In the 1880 census of Springhill township, Wilson County: farmer Elic Williamson, 44; wife Gracy, 29; and children John, 14, Lugen, 11, Joseph, 9, Jennie, 7, Mary, 6, Clem, 4, Sarah J., 2, and Pall, 1.

In the 1900 census of Springhill township, Wilson County: farmer Alex Williamson, 63; wife Gracy, 50; children Genny Whitley, 26, and Sarah, 22, Paul, 21, Daniel, 19, Henietta, 15, Edna, 15, and Katie Williamson, 12; and grandchildren Nancy, 8, Della, 5, and Pearle Whitley, 4.

In the 1910 census of Springhill township, Wilson County: on Wilson and Smithfield Branch Road, farmer Alexander Williamson, 72; wife Gracy, 62; widowed daughter Jennie Williamson, 38; daughters Sarah, 20, and Henrietta, 26; and grandchildren Nancy, 18, Della, 17, Hattie, 15, and Pearle Whitley, 14.

In the 1920 census of Springhill township, Wilson County: on Old Clayton and Wilson Road, farmer Alexandria Williamson, 83; divorced daughter Janie W. Williamson, 37; granddaughter Dezell Bailey, 4; and stepson [son-in-law?] McKinley Bailey, 28, house carpenter.

In the 1930 census of Springhill township, Wilson County: Ginnie Whitley, 57, laundress, and granddaughter Pearl Hinnant, 14.

Jennie Whitley died 3 April 1948 in Springhill township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was born in 1878 in Wilson County to Alex Williamson and Gracie Shaw; was the widow of John Whitley; and was buried in Rocky Branch Cemetery.

Will of Jennie Whitley (1948), North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998, http://www.ancestry.com.

AKAs hold annual bridge tournament.

Journal and Guide (Norfolk, Va.), 24 October 1942.

The local chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority held its annual bridge tournament at Reid Street Community Center on 8 October 1942.

Chapter members included Odelle Whitehead Barnes, Lucy Barnes, Nettie Daniels, Norma D. Darden, Marian Davis, Doris Freeman, Esther Brown Goodwin, Vera Greene, Dolores Hines, Mae Murray McKoy, Marion Howard Miller, Helen Townsend Parker, Cora Miller Washington, Rosalyn Whitehead, Thelma Reid Whitehead, and Rosa Kittrell Williams.

Local guests included Grace B. Swinney, Ruth Jones Plater, Grace McNeil Johnson, Ethel Gray Howell, Flossie Howard Barnes, Dorothy Grissom Parker, Dr. George K. Butterfield, Robert A. Johnson, Ethel Cornwell Hines, Levi Jones, Tempsie Robbins Jones, Addie Davis Butterfield, E. Dortche Fisher, Letitia Lovett Fisher, Sarah P. Hines, Eleanor P. Reid, Georgia Cooke Gant, Flossie Dunston, Marie Mitchner, Maggie Barnes Crawford, Lurean Barnes Zachary, Catherine Turner Watson, Margaret Edwards Kornegay, Myrtle Lane Mitchell, Annie Gilliam, Annie Dupree, and Margaret Hines.

Wilson High School welcomes teachers.

Journal and Guide (Norfolk, Va.), 24 October 1936.

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The Coleman farmstead.

Mattie Barnes Robinson recently led me on a tour of her extended family’s current and former lands on Airport Boulevard. Mrs. Robinson attended Barnes School, which was just down the road and across the street from the farmstead on which she grew up. The house is gone, but traces remain on the land.

This tumbled chimney is all that remains of the house.

Remnants of the outbuildings. The pecan was already a mature tree during Mrs. Robinson’s childhood.

The well.

The pump in front of the Barnes School site.

Photos by Lisa Y. Henderson, October 2025.

The Class of 1928, as imagined, pt. 1.

Several years ago, I posted a portrait of the first Wilson [later renamed C.H. Darden] High School class to receive high school diplomas. A few days ago, I received a clearer copy of the Class of ’28 photo from a family member of one of the students.

I wondered how AI might render their images. Beautifully, it turns out.

Jennie Parker (1909-2006), class prophet.

Herman Bess, class valedictorian.

 

Ada Harris (1908-2010), class treasurer.

[N.B. Notwithstanding their beauty, my usual caveat about AI photo restoration stands: 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.]

Thank you, Niko Dias!

Prince E. Mincey, 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.

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Rev. Prince E. Mincey (1908-??), pastor of Holy Temple Church.

B.W.A. Historical Marker Series, no. 28: East Nash Street Monument Company.

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.

EAST NASH STREET MONUMENT COMPANY

Clarence B. Best began cutting marble and granite headstones in 1914 and in 1946 established his own monument company in his backyard at 1306 East Nash St. Known for his distinctive font, deep cuts, stylized plant motifs, and use of recycled material, thousands of Best’s headstones can be found in Wilson and Surrounding counties.

Wilson Daily Times, 13 October 1945.