Howard

Howard children perish in house fire.

Goldsboro News-Argus, 20 October 1931. 

Death certificates reveal that John Howard and Ardelia Whitley Howard‘s children Rosevelt Howard, born 8 March 1928, and Mary Ida Howard, born 8 February 1931, died in the fire. Ardelia Howard was pregnant when she rushed into the house to try to save her children. She gave birth the following February 8 to Martha Lee Howard. Tragically, that child died in September 1933 of colitis.

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In the 1930 census of Crossroads township, Wilson County: farm laborer John Howard, 25; wife Ardelia, 20; and sons Herman, 3, and Rosavelt, 1.

Cemeteries, no. 37: the Howard-Blackwell Cemetery.

I’ve long wanted to visit this cemetery, which now lies in woods behind a large property on Lamm Road. Shout-out to Gary Howard for guiding me to it recently. The children and grandchildren of Zealous and Rhoda Eatmon Howard and their related families established several cemeteries in western Wilson County in the wedge between modern-day U.S. Highway 64 and N.C. Highway 58 in Taylor township. This one may be the largest.

Kudos to the Blackmon/Blackwell family, who, over the past couple of years, have begun the arduous task of clearing the quarter-acre plot. Alisha Cordell and others were able to secure permission to access the cemetery from the current owner — access that had been denied for decades earlier.

Brother Mr. S. Ivey Blackmon 

Ivey Blackwell died 16 September 1939 in Spring Hope, Mannings township Nash County, N.C. Per his death certificate, he was born 4 March 1918 in Nash County to John Blackwell and Bettie Evans, both of Wilson County; was single; was a farmer; and was buried in High cemetery. [Was High another name for this cemetery?]

This concrete headstone and the two that follow were crafted by the same person, and probably at the same time. All exhibit blocky capital lettering with tiny serifs (and backwards N’s) and incised lines under each row of letters. The Blackwells were a free family of color in the area of what is now Wilson County as early as the 1840s. This branch of the family, however, is now known as Blackmon.

Father Mr. John Blackmon

John Blackwell died 6 June 1940 in Spring Hope, Mannings township, Nash County. Per his death certificate, he was born in 1874 in Wilson County to Albert Blackwell and Classie Locus; was married to Bettie Blackwell; and was buried in Horne’s Church cemetery. [Horne’s Methodist Church is a historically white church in Nash County about two miles north of Howard Cemetery as the crow flies. It does not, to my knowledge, have its own cemetery. (However, it is very near another cemetery with ties to some of the people buried here.)

Mother Mrs. Bettie Blackmon

Deal Howard

Deal Howard died 6 December 1939 in Oldfields township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was born 4 November 1861 in Wilson County to Deal Howard and Rhodie Howard; was a widower; was a farmer; and was buried in Wilson County. Herman Howard was informant.

Anonymous.

Daughter Gladys Blackwell Born Feb. 9, 1931 Died Oct. 27 1961 At Rest

Gladys Blackwell died 27 October 1961 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 9 February 1931 in Nash County to Hattie Blackwell; lived in Bailey, Nash County; and was buried in Howard Cemetery.

This, of course, is a Clarence B. Best-carved headstone. (How odd that the 3 in 1931 is either backward or upside down.)

Mother Margaret Blackwell Born Sept. 11, 1879 Died Dec. 7, 1961 At rest

Margaret Blackwell died 7 December 1961 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 11 September 1889 in Wilson County to Ivy Evans and Mary Lyles; and was buried in Howard Cemetery. Mattie Blackwell was informant.

Also a Clarence Best.

Cora Lee Howard Dau. of Hilliard & Cora Ellis Born Nov. 15, 1900 Died Oct. 13, 1918 Gone but not forgotten

Cora Lee Howard died 13 October 1918 in Taylor township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was 18 years old; married; and was the daughter of Hilliard Ellis and Cora Williams. M.S. Gilliam was the attending physician.

Albert Howard North Carolina PVT 329 Service Bn QMC World War I May 16 1892 August 3 1956

Albert Howard died 3 August 1956 in Taylors township. Per his death certificate, he was born 2 February 1890 in Wilson County to Dill Howard and Nancy Black; was married to Ida Howard; was a farm laborer; was a World War I veteran; and was buried in Howard cemetery, Wilson County.

Sally Ann Blackwell Oct 17, 1889 June 10, 1920

Sallie Ann Blackwell died 10 June 1920 in Taylors township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was born in 1882 in Wilson County to Dora Locus and was married. Cause of death: “gunshot wound, shot accidentally.”

Fieldstone marker.

Etta Wife of Robert Lucas Jan. 5, 1890 Aug. 31, 1960 Gone But Not Forgotten

Etta Lucas died 31 August 1960 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 1 January 1897 in Wilson County in Deal Howard and Nancy Blackmond; was married to Robert Lucas; and was buried in Howard Cemetery.

Another Clarence Best.

Hurlean Blackwell 6 1932 At Rest

Photos by Lisa Y. Henderson, October 2025.

Lula Howard goes North to visit.

Journal and Guide (Norfolk, Va.), 1 June 1940.

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In the 1900 census of Taylor township, Wilson County: farmer Doctor Farmer, 45; wife Elizabeth, 43; children Loula, 16, William L., 13, Ella E., 12, Emma L., 9, Walter W., 5, and Geneva A., 2; plus, boarder Sarah Parker, 24.

On 28 March 1905, William Howard, 22, of Taylor township, son of Ira and Harriet Howard, married Lula Farmer, 22, of Taylor township, daughter of Dock and Elizabeth Farmer, in Wilson.

In the 1910 census of Taylor township, Wilson County: farmer William Howard, 26; wife Lula A., 26; and children Percy Lee, 3, and Essie May, 11 months.

William Howard died 18 January 1918 in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 30 June 1892 in Wilson County to Ira Howard and Harriett Wilkins; was married; and worked as a farmer. Lula Howard of Wilson was informant.

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 906 Atlanta [sic] Street, owned and valued at $2000, Lula Howdard [sic], 47; daughter Essie Pender, 22; son-in-law Fred Pender, 24; children Lara, 17, William, 16, Arthur P., 14, and Walter L., 11.

In 1940, William Ira Howard registered for the World War II draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 27 October 1913 in Wilson; lived at 906 East Atlantic; his contact was other Lula Annie Howard; and he worked for C.L. Hardy at Service Barber Shop, 113 South Tarboro Street. He “can’t hear out of right ear.”

In 1940, Arthur Poe Howard registered for the World War II draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 12 October 1915 in Wilson; lived at 906 Atlanta; his contact was other Lula Anna Howard; and worked for Imperial Tobacco Company.

In 1940, Walter Lenord Howard registered for the World War II draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 6 May 1917 in Wilson; lived at 906 Atlanta; his contact was other Lula Anna Howard; and he was unemployed.

In the 1950 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 906 Atlanta, widow Lula A. Howard, 66; children Ezzie M., 40; and granddaughter Barbara J., 3.

Lula Howard died 27 May 1959 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 23 November 1883 in Wilson County to Dock Farmer; was the widow of William Howard; and was buried in Howard Cemetery, Wilson County.

Citizens rise up against W.H.A. Howard.

Journal and Guide (Norfolk, Va.), 10 October 1931.

As we know, Black Wilsonians did not play about their children’s educations.

The Pittsburgh Courier article we saw earlier did not name the “prominent citizens” who had called for William H.A. Howard‘s removal, but the Journal and Guide laid out the nearly 70 of them in three paragraphs. (Rife with misspellings.) All the big dogs. Howard survived the coup, but died the following year.

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The signatories: James T. Teachey, Lee Simms, Jack Rountree, Alfred Robinson, Samuel H. Vick, John M. Barnes, Walter S. Hines, William Hines, Benjamin F. Jordan, John P. Battle, Linwood Barefoot, G.F. Faison, J.P. Roundtree, Nannie Best, Darcey C. Yancey, Henry Lucas, Ada Winstead, George W. Barnes, William H. Mitchell, Albert Gay, Columbia E. Artis, Charles B. Gay, Elijah L. Reid, Samuel Barnes, John Cherry, Jarrett J. Langley, George Farmer, Jasper Reid, George W. Ragin, Nazareth A. Pierce, Oliver N. Freeman, Wiley Rountree Jr., George W. Coppedge, G.C. Black, Jarrett Z. Staton, George K. Butterfield, William A. Mitchner, Joseph H. Knight, R.J. McPhail, Charles Thomas, J.W. McCowan, William H. Phillips, W.M. Edwards, William Dixon, G.H. Hatcher, John T. Coates, Thomas Batts, John Teachey, J.F. Barnes, Clarence B. Best, S.L. Barnes, Ross McCollum, Wilson Best, Neverson Green, James Whitfield, Andrew J. Townsend, E.D. Holden, James Thomas, John Parks, J.A. Tucker, Edward Hinnant, Thomas Cook, Mack D. Cannon, Barney Reid, Robert H. Sheridan, C.S. Edwards, and Henry S. Reid.

Engagement of teachers Howard and Miller announced.

Journal and Guide (Norfolk, Va.), 3 December 1938.

Marian A. Howard and John M. Miller Jr. were teachers at Darden High School.

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Marian Adeline Howard was born 31 December 1916 in Albemarle County, Virginia, to Eli A. Howard, janitor, and Mary Elizabeth Brown, seamstress, 411 Dice Street, Charlottesville, Virginia.

In the 1920 census of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia: at 411 Dice Street, Eli Howard, 45, and children Elizabeth, 12, Augustus, 7, and Marian, 3.

In the 1930 census of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia: at 411 Dice Street, owned and valued at $1500, widow Eli Howard, 55, and children Agustus, 16, printing office porter, and Marian, 13.

On 28 December 1938, John Maxwell Miller Jr., 28, teacher, resident of 307 Pender Street, Wilson; born in Chesterfield, S.C., to John Maxwell Miller and Elizabeth Orr, married Marian Adeleane Howard, 21; born in Charlottesville, Virginia, to Eli A. Howard and Elizabeth Brown, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 307 Pender, owned and valued at $8000, widow Hattie Tate, 54, servant; daughter Helen T. Huggins, 33, elementary school teacher; son Andrew Tate, 31, hotel bellboy; lodgers John M. Miller, 29, and wife Marian H., 23, both high school teachers; Walter Mitchell, 22, insurance collector; and Ruth Hagans, 29, servant.

In 1940, John Maxwell Miller Jr. registered for the World War II draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 22 June 1910 in Chesterfield, South Carolina; lived at 613 East Green, Wilson; his contact was wife Marian Howard Miller; and he was employed by the City Board of Education.

In the 1950 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 704 Green Street, John M. Miller Jr., 39, elementary school teacher; wife Marian H., 34, high school English and French teacher; and daughter Sylvia M. Chappell, 4.

Cemeteries, no. 30: Brantley cemetery, part 3.

A lot has changed since I visited Brantley cemetery in June 2020, and the credit goes to industrious Gary Holmes of the Howard-Brantley family. A sign clearly marks the small cemetery, which lies between two fields and is accessible by a dirt path.

Decades of overgrowth have been cleared from the headstones, which are now clearly visible. Charlie Brantley‘s grave marker is one of the largest in the cemetery.

His father Henderson Brantley‘s marker stands nearby.

Kudos to the Howard-Brantley family for reclaiming their ancestral burial ground.

Photos by Lisa Y. Henderson, February 2025.

The final report of the estate of Charlie Brantley.

Mollie Brantley Howard served as administratrix of her brother Charlie Brantley‘s estate. In her final report, she noted that she had received $2500 from promissory notes and disbursed that amount for funeral expenses; for estate-related fees; for her own 5% commission; and the remainder to herself as sole heir.

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In the 1880 census of Taylors township, Wilson County: Henderson Howard, 40; wife Mollie, 25; and children Charley, 8, Richard, 6, Bettie, 5, and Hellan, 1. [Henderson Brantley and family often used the surname Howard.]

In the 1900 census of Taylors township, Wilson County: widow Henderson Howard, 59, farmer; children Charley, 26, and Bettie, 21; and servant Linda Boon, 44.

In the 1910 census of Taylor township, Wilson County: Charlie Brantley, 35, sawmill laborer; son Fenner Locust, 17, farm laborer “working out”; and daughter Mena Locust, 13, farm laborer “working out.”

In the 1920 census of Taylor township, Wilson County: farmer Charlie Brantley, 48; Fenner Brantley, 26, servant; and lodger Wily Howard, 21, “cropper.”

Phener Brantley died 6 January 1924 in Taylor township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was 31 years old; was born in Wilson County to Charlie Brantley and Margaret Lucas; was single; worked as a laborer; and was buried in the family cemetery. She was described as white.

In the 1940 census of Taylor township, Wilson County: Charlie Brankley, 63; his sister Mollie Howard, 53; and lodger Earnest Howard, 30, a farm laborer.

Charlie Brantley died 8 January 1948 in Taylor township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was single; was born 1 August 1874 in Nash County to Hence Brantley and Mollie Boone; was a farmer; and was buried in Brantley cemetery. Mollie Brantley was informant.

Wilson County, North Carolina, Settlement Records 1942-1955, http://www.familysearch.org.

The apprenticeship of Alonzo Finch.

On 3 June 1899, a Wilson County Superior Court judge ordered 14 year-old Alonzo Finch bound as an apprentice to Zealous Howard until he reached 21 years of age.

In the 1900 census of Taylor township, Wilson County: farmer Zealous Howard, 69, wife Roda, 64, daughter Anna, 24, and two bound boys Lonza, 15, and Jack Howard, 5.

United States Indenture and Manumission Records, 1780-1939, database at https://familysearch.org.