In the 1940 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: farmer Cleveland Artis, 46; wife Jack Ann, 42; sons Cleveland Jr., 19, golf club laborer, William, 22, daughter-in-law Mildred, 17; daughter Adeline, 17; and son-in-law George, 22.
We’ve met Nicey Caroline Hall Lynch, the free woman of color whose refusal to kowtow to his wife so irked Confederate soldier Ruffin Barnes. What of her siblings though?
In the 1850 census of North Side of Neuse, Wayne County, Lucy Hall, 45, appears with her children Sarah, 16, George, 15, Nathan, 13, Nicy, 10, Samuel, 3, and Esther Hall, 6, plus Alford, 15, John, 14, Rhoda, 13, Julia, 12, and Rheuben Artis, 10, and Rufus Lane, 22. (Read here of Lucy Hall’s legal battle to have her children apprenticed as she saw fit.)
Lucy Hall apparently died before 1860. I have not been able to trace Sarah, George, or Nathan Hall. However,
In the 1860 census of Saratoga township, Wilson County: farm laborer Noah Walker, 25; wife Polly, 21; and Samuel Hall, 13. [Samuel had likely been apprenticed to the Walkers by a Wilson County judge.]
In the 1870 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: brick maker Samuel Hall, 22; wife Caroline, 20; and children Donas, 3, and John, 2 months [next door to Wyatt and Niecy Lynch.]
In the 1880 census of Speights Bridge township, Greene County, N.C.: laborer Sam Hall, 32; wife Caroline, 32; and children John W., 10, Jane E., 8, Sam, 6, and Baby, 1.
In the 1900 census of Bulloch County, Georgia: woodcutter Sam Hall, 50; wife Caroline, 50, washerwoman; children Sam Jr., 24, George, 21, Emma, 19, and Minnie, 10; and daughter-in-law Fannie, 23, washerwoman. All but Fannie were born in North Carolina.
In the 1910 census of Bulloch County, Georgia: farmer Sam Hall, 65; wife Caroline, 63; son-in-law John Kennedey, 31; daughter Maria, 19; and their children Pearl, 2, and John, 3 months.
In the 1860 census of Davis district, Wayne County, James Yelverton [Jr.], 40, shared a household with Hester Hall, 20, and her children Fanny, 7, and Puss, 5. [Yelverton was the father of Esther’s sister Nicey Caroline’s first child, Susianna Frances Hall, alias Yelverton.]
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As to the children Lucy Hall sheltered other than her own, Alford, John, Rhoda, Julia, and Reuben were the children of Julia Artis and Reuben Pettiford. The couple apparently did not marry until after they had had about ten children together, exposing the children to involuntary apprenticeship as “baseborn,” i.e. born out of wedlock. In 1850, they, like Lucy Hall’s children the following year, were apprenticed to William J. Exum, the white man on whose farm they lived. Curiously, in the 1850 census, the children are also listed with their parents and siblings 70 miles away in Warren County, North Carolina: stonemason Reuben Pettiford, 30; wife Judy A., 37; children Eliza, 21, Alfred, 15, Jack, 13, Rhody, 12, Reuben Jr., 10, Julian, 9, and Mary Artis, 7, and Elizabeth J., 5, and Virginia Pettiford, 3; [Julia’s mother] Middy Artis, 60; and Isah Artis, 4 months.
In 1860, the family — by then all using the surname Pettiford — was intact in Halifax County. Per Freedmen’s Bureau records, Alfred and Jack Pettiford were in Plymouth, Washington County, during the Civil War, and other family members followed.
Note that the Alford Artis who appears in Wilson County records by 1880 is not the same man as Alford Artis alias Pettiford:
In the 1880 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: farm worker Alford Artis, 45; wife Eliza, 40; and children Luvinia, 18, John, 16, Edwin, 14, Lee, 10, George, 9, Lila, 8, Frank, 5, Delia, 2, Marcellus, 10 months, and Annie, 2.
In the 1900 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: farmer Alfred Artis, 69; wife Liza, 68; son Patrick, 16; and grandchildren Jennie E. Artis, 14, and Luther Best, 13.
In the 1910 census of Black Creek township, Wilson County: laborer Alfred Artis, 80, widower.
William Frank Artis died 27 November 1949 in Black Creek township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was born 10 May 1876 in Wilson County to Alfred Artis and Eliza Artis; was married; and was a farmer. [Note that his Social Security application listed his parents as Alford Artis and Eliza Felton.]
Lila Reid died 22 April 1953 in Fremont, Wayne County, N.C. Per her death certificate, she was born 25 March 1870 in Greene County, N.C., to Alfred Artis and Liza Artis; was the widow of Frank Reid; and was buried in Hooks Grove Cemetery.
Of Rufus Lane, we know only that he was bound out multiple times in Wayne County — to James Forehand in 1837, to Joel Lane in 1836, and to William Exum in 1837.
Mount Vernon (N.Y.) Argus, 7 June 1971.
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In the 1870 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: farm laborer Nathan Ward, 46; wife Mariah, 26; and children Sarah, 15, Scott, 13, Waltin, 10, Larrence, 5, and Ida, 2; plus Lydia Moye, 58.
In the 1880 census of Stantonsburg township, Wilson County: farmer Nathan Ward, 56; wife Maria, 47; children Sarah, 24, Austin, 18, Laurena, 14, Ida, 12, Maria, 9, Ora, 7, Douglas, 5, Columbus, 4, and Elijah, 1; and mother-in-law Liddia Moye, 66.
On 17 July 1890, John D. Artis, 28, of Stantonsburg, son of Joseph and Mary Ann Artis, married Sarah Ward, 34, of Stantonsburg, daughter of Nathan and Mariah Ward, at Sarah Ward’s. Methodist minister Rev. A.T. Dove performed the ceremony in the presence of George N. Applewhite, Mary J. Ward, and W.E. Ward.
In the 1900 census of Speights Bridge township, Greene County, N.C.: farmer John Artis, 35; wife Sarah, 35; and daughters Ida, 17, Mariah, 11, and Ora, 8.
John Artis died 16 September 1927 in Wilson, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was 65 years old; was born in Wayne County, N.C., to Joe Artis; was married to John Artis; was a farmer; and was buried in Wilson County. James Ward was informant.
In the 1920 census of Speights Bridge township, Greene County, N.C.: farmer John Artis, 56; wife Sarah, 60; and grandson John, 14.
Ora Speights died 15 April 1939 in Speights Bridge township, Greene County, N.C. Per her death certificate, she was born 10 January 1893 in Greene County, N.C., in John Artis and Sarah Ward; was married to Charlie Speights; and was buried in Greene County.
In the 1900 census of Speights Bridge township, Greene County, N.C.: farmer John Artis, 35; wife Sarah, 35; and daughters Ida, 17, Mariah, 11, and Ora, 8.
On 2 May 1909, Jim Hagans, 22, of Saratoga, son of Dred and Mamie Hagans, married Maria Artis, 19, of Saratoga, daughter of John and Sarah Artis, at John Artis’ residence in Saratoga township, Wilson County. A.M.E. Zion minister G.A. Wood performed the ceremony.
On 16 December 1911, Jesse Darden and Maria Hagans were married in Greene County.
In the 1920 census of Speights Bridge township, Greene County: farm Jeffie Darden, 25; wife Mariah, 28; children Ada Belle, 6, Effie, 4, and Lawrence, 6 months; and cousin Tom Ward, 20.
In the 1930 census of Speights Bridge township, Greene County: Jessie Darden, 35; wife Maria, 38; and children Ada B., 16, Effie, 14, Lawrence, 10, Charlie, 8, Nathan, 6, Sarah, 5, and Annie, 3.
Though a Wayne County native (and descendant of Celia Artis), Edgar H. Diggs spent most of his adult life in Wilson. He was well-known barber for decades at Walter Hines Barbershop and lived at 205 North Vick Street.
Diggs’ granddaughter Sheila Diggs has graciously shared photos of three generations of her family.
Sula Diggs Artis (ca. 1866-1919), probably taken in a Goldsboro, N.C., studio.
Sula Diggs Artis’ daughter Lizzie Olivia Diggs (1894-1988), circa mid-1910s. Edgar H. Diggs (1890-1970) was her brother. This photo was taken in the studio of Wilson’s Picture-Taking George W. Barnes. That’s his signature one-armed chair, and we’ve seen the window prop before, too.
Olivia Diggs Artis a few years later, with a bob and tiered, drop-waist day dress characteristic of the early 1920s.
Edgar H. Diggs and youngest son Preston Diggs at their Vick Street home, circa late 1940s. The camera is a twin-lens reflex camera, perhaps a Rolleiflex.
Walter Preston Diggs (1928-2024).
Wilson Daily Times, 21 May 1946.
In May 1946, Evangelist Lloyd Price, a preacher out of Sampson County, North Carolina, conducted a revival at Flat Rock Church of Christ. Flat Rock at that time was at 402 Vick’s Alley. By late 1948, Elder D.C. Artis had established a second church with the same name in Sims, which remains active today.
Artis was a Greene County native who arrived in Wilson in the mid-1940s by way of Wayne County. In 1950, he, his wife Rosa Lee, and adopted daughter Mary lived in Parker’s Alley, Wilson. (Parker’s was a later name for Vick’s Alley.)
David C. Artis died 15 October 1972 in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 27 April 1903 to Ruffin Artis and Florence Cannon; was married to Rosa Lee Artis; lived at 402 Parker Avenue; worked as a carpenter and minister; and was buried in Masonic cemetery.
In the 1870 census of Wilson, Wilson County: Calvin Blount, 35; John Bantler, 23, born in South Carolina, and sons Dick, 12, Tillman, 10, Frank, 6, Wright, 7, and William, 4.
In the 1880 census of Wilson, Wilson County: Calvin Blount, 44, wife Emily, 48, and sons Wright, 17, William, 14, and Franklin, 16.
In the 1887 Saint Louis, Missouri, city directory: Blount Wright, servant, r. al. rear 2212 Franklin
Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, 22 August 1889.
In the 1889 Saint Louis, Missouri, city directory: Blount Wright, lab. r. 5 N. Ewing av.
On 19 December 1889, W.C. Blount married Lula C. Wright in Saint Clair County, Illinois.
Saint Louis, Missouri, city directory (1895.)
Eldredge Lucina Blount was born 24 June 1895 in Saint Louis to Wright C. Blount and Lulu Wright.
In the 1900 census of Saint Louis, Missouri: at 116 1/2 Leonard Avenue, Wright Blount, 33, day laborer; wife Lula, about 30; and children Norma, 10, Alta, 8, Eldridge, 4, and Josephine, 2.
In the 1901 Saint Louis, Missouri, city directory: Blount Wright, lab. r. 116A S Leonard av
In the 1908 Saint Louis, Missouri, city directory: Blount Wright, porter. r. 318 S Compton av
In the 1910 census of Saint Louis, Missouri: at 2915 Lawton, Wright C. Blount, 46, jobber; wife Loden, 28, working out; and children Attie, 20, laundress, Eldrage, 13, Josephine, 11, and Nick, 6.
In the 1917 Saint Louis, Missouri, city directory: Blount Wright, janitor. r. 3439 Lawton av
Saint Louis Argus, 7 December 1917.
In the 1920 census of Saint Louis, Missouri: Lula Blunt, 45; children Josephine Mosby, 20, and Eldridge, 24, Melvin, 16, and Alto Blount, 26; and grandchildren Helen, 4, and Ester Mosby, 2. [Lula was described as a widow.]
In the 1930 census of Mermen township, Saint Louis County, Missouri: Lulu Wright, 60, servant, with Katherine Logan. [Again, Lula was described as a widow.]
Wright Blount died 15 July 1936 in Saint Louis, Missouri. Per his death certificate, he was about 74 years old; was born in North Carolina to Calvin Blount; was the widower of Lula Blount; and had worked as a common laborer. Josephine Mosley was informant.
Eldredge Blount died 11 June 1969 in Saint Louis. Per her death certificate, she was born 24 September 1898 in Saint Louis to Wright Blount and Lula Wright; never married; and worked as a domestic. Josephine Mosby of Cleveland, Ohio, was informant.
Though his death certificate lists Wilson County, North Carolina, other records point to Wayne County, North Carolina, as Henry Artis’ birthplace. His family migrated to Mississippi around 1890 and then on to Missouri.
In the 1850 census of the North Side of the Neuse, Wayne County: in the household of white farmer Burkett Barnes, four free children of color, Henry, 15, Duncan, 13, Leonard, 10, and Ashberry Artice, 7.
On 9 September 1862, Leonard Artis and Pernicy Hagans were married in Wayne County.
In the 1870 census of Pikeville township, Wayne County: Leonard Artice, 34; wife Pearcy, 23; and children Diza, 8, John, 7, Lousar, 6, Larrance, 2, and Wiley J., 4 months.
In the 1880 census of Pikeville township, Wayne County: Leonard Artice, 43; wife Demecia, 35; children John W., 16, Loudy, 13, Wiley J., 10, Hubard A., 6, Frances, 4, Martha A., 3, and Hattie, 1; and niece Dizer, 16.
In the 1900 census of Glen Allen township, Washington County, Mississippi: Lenord Artis, 67; wife Pernicy, 54; children Henry G., 16, Calvin, 19, and Adam and Addie, 12; grandchildren Elnora, 6, and Lupattie, 4; and niece Pearl G. Miller, 8. (All but the youngest three were born in North Carolina.)
In the 1930 census of Saint Louis, Missouri: Henry Artisy, 35, steel plant laborer, and wife Lula, 34, roomers in household of Albert L. England.
In the 1940 census of Saint Louis, Missouri: Henry Artis, 50, W.P.A. power plant laborer; wife Lula, 48; and brother Addie, 46.
In 1940, Henry Artis registered for the World War II draft in Saint Louis. Per his registration card, he was born 12 March 1890 in Goldsboro, N.C.; lived at 2613 Delmar Street; and his contact was Lulu Artis.
Henry Artis died 10 February 1943 in Saint Louis, Missouri. Per his death certificate, he was born 12 March 1899 in Wilson County, N.C., to Lenard Artis and Neice Higgins; and worked as a wholesale drug company porter.
In the 1950 census of Caruthersville, Pemiscot County, Missouri: Addie Artis, 64, widower.
Addie Artice died 22 February 1958 in Hayti, Pemiscot County, Missouri. Per his death certificate, he was born 4 April 1885 in North Carolina to Leonard Artice and Pernecia [no maiden name]; was a widower; worked as a laborer.
Before Wilson County was founded in 1855, the area around Black Creek was part of Wayne County. Celia Artis, a free woman of color, is listed as a head of household in the 1840 census of Black Creek district of Wayne County. Though it’s not certain that she lived in what is now Wilson County, her listing in proximity to white planters Stephen Woodard and Bunyan Barnes, who definitely lived in Wilson County territory, suggests so.
1840 federal census of Wayne County, North Carolina.
Celia’s family and Adam T. Artis’ family were among several sets of Artises living in or adjacent to northeastern Wayne County in the antebellum era, and members both intermarried and otherwise interacted with each other regularly. At least eight sets of Celia Artis’ descendants were living in Wilson County by the early 1900s, so I include a summary of her life here.
Celia Artis was born just before 1800, probably in northeastern Wayne County or what is now southern Wilson County. Nothing is known of her parentage or early life. She gave birth to at least six children and married an enslaved man called Simon Pig, who was the father of some or all of them.
In 1823, she gave control over her oldest children to two white neighbors, brothers (or father and son) Elias and Jesse Coleman, in a dangerously worded deed that exceeded the scope of typical apprenticeship indentures:
This indenture this 16th day of August 1823 between Celia Artis of the County of Wayne and state of North Carolina of the one part, and Elias and Jesse Coleman of the other part (witnesseth) that I the said Celia Artis have for an in consideration of having four of my children raised in a becoming [illegible], by these presence indenture the said four children (to viz) Eliza, Ceatha, Zilpha, and Simon Artis to the said Elias and Jesse Coleman to be their own right and property until the said four children arives at the age of twenty one years old and I do by virtue of these presents give and grant all my right and power over said children the above term of time, unto the said Elias and Jesse Coleman their heirs and assigns, until the above-named children arives to the aforementioned etc., and I do further give unto the said Elias and Jesse Coleman all power of recovering from any person or persons all my right to said children — the [illegible] of time whatsoever in whereof I the said Celia Artis have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written, Celia X Artis.
Despite the “own right and property” language, Celia did not exactly sell her children, but what drove her to this extreme measure? Celia was not legally married and, as a result, her children were subject to involuntary apprenticeship until age 21. This strongly worded deed records her determination to guard her children from uncertain fates by placing them under the control of men she trusted, rather than those selected by a court. Despite the deed’s verbiage, it is possible that the children continued to live with their mother during their indenture. Certainly, Celia, unlike many free women of color, had the wherewithal to care for them, as evidenced by her purchase of 10 acres in Wayne County from Spias Ward in 1833. Wayne County deeds further show purchases of 124 acres and 24 acres from William Thompson in 1850 and 1855.
By 1840, Celia Artis was head of a household of eight free people of color in Black Creek district, Wayne County, comprising one woman aged 36-54 [Celia]; three girls aged 10-23 [Eliza, Leatha, Zilpha]; one girl under 10 [unknown]; two boys aged 10-23 [Calvin and Simon]; and one boy under 10 [Thomas].
In the 1850 census, she was enumerated on the North Side of the Neuse, Wayne County, as a 50 year-old with children Eliza, 34, Zilpha, 28, Thomas, 15, and Calvin, 20, plus 6 year-old Lumiser, who was Eliza’s daughter. Celia is credited with owning $600 of real property (deeds for most of which went unrecorded), and the agricultural schedule for that year details her wealth:
Celia Artis also appears in the 1850 Wayne County slave schedule, which records her ownership of her husband:
1850 slave schedule of Wayne County, North Carolina.
In 1860, surprisingly, the census taker named that husband, Simon Pig Artis, as the head of household. However, if he’d been freed formally, there’s no record of it. Simon is also listed as the 70 year-old owner of $800 of real property and $430 of personal property — all undoubtedly purchased by Celia. Their household included son Thomas, daughter Zilpha, and granddaughters Lumizah, 17, and Penninah, 11.
1860 federal census of Wayne County, North Carolina.
A 1863 Confederate field map shows “C. Artis” just off the roads that are now NC-222 and Watery Branch Church Road.
The family’s cemetery remains on that land, as seen in the Google Street View below. A Primitive Baptist church, Diggs Chapel, and an early African-American school, Diggs School, once stood nearby.
Neither Celia nor Simon appears in the 1870 census. However, it seems likely that Celia was alive for at least a few more years, as her estate was not opened until 1879. It was surprisingly small, suggesting that she had distributed most her land and valuables (or otherwise lost them) before her death. Son Thomas is listed as the sole heir to her $200 estate.
Known Wilson County descendants of Celia Artis (and the child from whom they descend) include Edgar H. Diggs and children (Eliza); Rommie Diggs Sr. and descendants (Eliza); Sallie Artis Shackleford and descendants (Eliza); brothers Kemmy A. Sherrod and O. Royal Sherrod (Eliza); Rommie Newsome (Eliza); siblings Beulah Artis Exum Best, Francis Artis Edmundson, and Adam H. Artis (Eliza); Daisy Baker Hobbs (Leatha Ann); and Haywood W. Baker and descendants (including son John H.W. Baker) (Leatha Ann).
“Map of a part of eastern North Carolina from a map in progress compiled from surveys and reconnaissances” (1863), Jeremy Francis Gilmer Papers #276, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The Press of Atlantic City (N.J.), 2 December 1965.
Theodore Artis migrated to Atlantic City, New Jersey, around 1929. He was a barber like his brother S.P. Artis.
We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams.
Specifically, Vicey Artis and Solomon Williams‘.
I am descended from their son Adam T. Artis, and Teresa Artis Neal from their son Richard Artis. I followed Teresa from Chapel Hill to Cambridge, and here we are this past weekend at Harvard Law School’s Celebration of Black Alumni.
Photo by Lisa Y. Henderson, September 2025.
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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Columbus E. Artis (1886-1973), grocer, restaurateur, undertaker.
[Sidenote: this interpretation seems a little off, but reasonable, given the poor condition of the original image. Young C.E. Artis’ face was narrower, I believe, and his nose a little thinner.]