A.M.E. Zion Church

Saint Stephen’s A.M.E. Zion Church of Grabneck.

Deed book 68, page 10, Wilson County Register of Deeds, Wilson, N.C.

In December 1903, Orren and Hancy Best sold, for the nominal sum of five dollars, a lot on Nash Road to William J. Moore, Henry C. Phillips, John T. Tarboro, G. Albert Wood, and Byron D. McIver, trustees of Saint Stephen’s A.M.E. Zion Church. The 1200 square-foot lot bordered parcels owned by the Bests and Orren Best’s brother, Noah Best.

The deed of sale carried a restriction that the “premises shall be kept, used, maintained and disposed of as a place of worship for the use of the ministry and membership of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in America.” It’s not clear if a church were ever constructed on the site (or in fact, exactly where on West Nash Street the lot was, though we know it was in Grabneck and roughly in today’s 1000 or 1100 block.)

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  • Henry C. Phillips
  • John T. Tarboro — in the 1910 census of Plant City, Hillsborough County, Florida: preacher John T. Tarbor, 50, and wife Elberta, 20, laundress. In the 1920 census of Lincolnton, Lincoln County, N.C.: clergyman John T. Tarboro, 64, and wife Alberta, 29.
  • Byron D. McIver — in the 1900 census of Hookerton township, Greene County, N.C.: clergyman Byron D. McIver, 44; wife Amanda, 29; and daughters Laura, 16, Minnie, 11, Katie, 6, Sarah, 3, and Bettie, 2. Byron David McIver died 25 September 1926 in Wilmington, N.C. and was buried in Snow Hill, Greene County.

Dr. Swearinger addresses Trinity A.M.E. Zion.

Wilson Daily Times, 11 October 1943.

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  • Trinity Methodist Church — Trinity A.M.E. Zion Church. 
  • Cora Jordan Fitch
  • Grace Patterson — in the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County:  Walter Patterson, 35, W.P.A. project laborer; wife Grace, 33, housekeeper; and children Walter Jr., 11, and Julia, 10.

Rev. Wood asks for help.

Wilson Daily Times, 18 July 1948.

Whatever the short-term solution to Rev. Wood’s housing situation was, no longer-term decision was necessary. He passed away in not eighteen months later, and his obituary revealed just who the reverend was.

Wilson Daily Times, 16 December 1949.

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  • Rev. G.A. Wood — George Albert Wood.

In the 1922 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Wood George A Rev h 1116 E Nash

In the 1925 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Wood Geo A Rev h 1116 E Nash

In the 1928 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Wood Geo A Rev (c; Ella) Wm Pride of Wilson Lodge No 484 A F & A M h 1116 E Nash

In the 1930 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Wood Geo A Rev (c; Ella) h 1116 E Nash

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 1116 East Nash Street, owned and valued at $1500, Methodist minister George A. Wood, 60, and wife Ella, 52. [If Rev. Wood were actually born in 1870, he would not have been one of the first A.M.E.Z. ministers in the state.]

In the summer of 1930, the Daily Times published a series of notices in Town of Wilson vs. G.A. Wood and wife Ella Wood, F.S. Hargraves and Ed Nicholson. The town had made improvements to the street and sidewalks in front of the Woods’ property, and they apparently had failed to pay the share assessed them for the work.

Wilson Daily Times, 26 July 1930.

In 1940, John Wesley Williams registered for the World War II draft in Wilson. Per his registration card, he was born 6 April 1909 in Wilson; lived at 204 South Reid Street; his contact was grandfather George Albert Wood; and he was employed by R.P. Waters, South Street, Wilson.

In the 1941 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Woods Geo (c) h 204 S Reid

Clipping courtesy of J. Robert Boykin III.