Joyners township

Struggling and sinking.

State of North Carolina, Wilson County   }

Be it remembered that on the 22nd day of April 1872 I, H.W. Peel one of the Coroners of said County, attended by a Jury of good and lawful men, viz J.W. Crowell, John L. Baley, Elijah Williams, M.G. Trubuthan, J.W. Fryar, W.D. Farmer, B.J. Cogins. R.S. Wells. Jas. W. Taylor, Henry Dixon, W.H. Cobb, William A. Farmer by me summoned for that purpose according to law after being by me duly sworn and impaneled at Farmer Mill Pond in the County aforesaid did hold an inquest over the dead body of Joseph Perry, col and after inquiring into the facts & circumstances of the death of deceased from a view of the corpse and all the testimony to be procured the Jury find as follow that is to say that the deceased came to his death by accidental drowning.  /s/ J.W Crowell, Foreman, L. Baley, W.A. Farmer, Wm. D, Farmer, Henry Dixon Jnr., Elijah Williams, B.J. Coggins, M.G. Trevathan, W.H. Cobb, J.W. Friar, R.S. Wells, J.W. Taylor.

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James G. Cobb being duly sworned says that on Sunday April 21 1872 himself, Ralph Faison & Bynum Arrington Crisp McNair together with Joseph Perry Deceased were at Mill Pond of W.D. Farmer in County of Wilson state of North Carolina & Proposing to go in Washing or bathing. There upon said Cobb & Ralph Faison proceeded to swim a distance of seventy five yds or thereabout & parties consisting of the other witnesses Bynum Arrington Crisp McNair & Jos Perry deceased were left on & near the shore, upon being called by Bynum Arrington he the said Cobb looked back & saw Joseph Perry deceased appearantly struggling & sinking under twice after he the said Cobb saw him. Further stating that aid Perry threatened to swim as far as any of the party & that he saw no person or persons interfere with deceased in any way by which he could have been encouraged to go beyond his depth in water. The other witnesses above being duly sworn testified to the facts as above and all agree in the matter that Joe Perry was alone & no person interfered with him while in the water.  /s/ James (X) G. Cobb, Ralph (X) Faison, Bynum (X) Arrington, Crisp (X) McNair.

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  • Joseph Perry – probably, in the 1860 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: Kinchen Locust, 8, and Joseph Perry, 6, in the household of Henry Dixon, 76, a white farmer. Kinchen was black; Joseph, mulatto. Also, in the 1870 census of Joyners township, Wilson County: Joseph Perry, 15, farm laborer, living in the household of Eveline Evans, 52. Eveline and her children are described as white; Joseph, as mulatto.
  • Ralph Faison
  • Bynum Arrington – in the 1870 census of Joyners township, Wilson County: farm laborer Haywood Arrington, 45; wife Louisa, 35; and children Bynum, 16, Ervin, 11, and Anthoney, 8.
  • Crisp McNair
  • James G. Cobb — in the 1870 census of Joyners township, Wilson County, James G. Cobb, 12, the son of Gray and Martha Cobb. (Though he was still a minor, Cobb, who was white, was the only witness who actually gave testimony.)

Coroner’s Records, Miscellaneous Records, Wilson County Records, North Carolina State Archives.

Free people of color, 1860: Joyners & Gardners district.

Free people of color enumerated in Wilson County’s first federal census, taken in 1860.

Joyners & Gardners district

#606. Elba Lassiter, 16, mulatto, farm laborer, in the household of white farmer John B. Batts, 32.

#614. Isaac Lassiter, 26, mulatto, farm laborer, in the household of white farmer Thomas H. Bridgers, 27.

#631. Margaret Rose, 28, mulatto, farm laborer, with Clara, 9, and Diana Rose, 7, both mulatto, in the household of 68 year-old white farmer Mary E. Batts.

#649. Blessen Heggins, 39, black, farm laborer, with Elizabeth, 14, and Jolly Heggins, 12, black, in the household of white farmer Elijah Winsted, 71.

#665. Kinchen Locust, 8, black, and Joseph Perry, 6, mulatto, in the household of white farmer Henry Dixon, 76.

#669. Chessie Portice, 52, black, and William Portice, 25, black, farm laborer.

#719. Farm laborer Mariah Lassiter, 20, black, and child Esset, 3, in the household of white farmer Elizabeth Barnes, 79.

#741. Farmer Penny Lassiter, 50, mulatto, with children Priscilla, 14, Theresa, 12, Hardy, 10, Haywood, 8, William, and Pennina, 2, all black. Penny reported owning $600 real property and $300 personal property.

#774. Arch Artis, 65, black, in the household of white farmer Calvin Woodard, 32.

#782. Martha Mitchel, 44, mulatto, with children William, 13, Franklin, 11, George, 10, Thomas, 9, and Martha, 6. Martha reported $20 personal property.

#802. Jordan Thomas, 50, mulatto, with daughters Henrietta, 21, Eliza, 20, and Harley, 18, and grandson John, 1. Jordan reported $100 in real property and $80 in personal property.