Oral History

Figuring this family tree thing out.

Lane Street Project has enriched my life in many ways, among them introduction to wonderful people I would not otherwise have gotten to know. Portia Newman is one. Though we are both graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and, it turns out, both among the unnumbered thousands of Adam T. Artis‘ descendants, more than two decades separate our paths through Wilson. Nonetheless, we share an unshakeable sense of family and place and a deep commitment to paying forward our gratitude for both. I was not surprised, then, to see this morning that Portia was giving us gifts on her birthday.

Here, in four parts and a dope video, are Portia Newman’s reflections on the importance of documenting family history and her plan for doing so. All of us can be, must be, preservationists. Save your stories.

And, here, listen to Portia’s grandfather, Donald Lee Woodard Sr. talk about his life in the Red Hill area near Stantonsburg. “You just got to live your life. By being 98*, I have seen a lot and been through a lot.” (Be sure to watch to the very end!)

Happy birthday, Portia!

Giving thanks.

I am grateful for so much this year and am mindful to deliver my appreciation in real time. An extra special thanks is warranted, however, for  20 women and men, aged 83 to 100, who shared with me their time and memories of their Wilson County childhoods. I spoke with seven of my father’s Darden High School classmates; with attendees of at least seven different Rosenwald schools; with folks who stayed in Wilson their entire lives and others who joined the Great Migration out. I recorded their stories and returned transcripts for them to linger over and share with their families. I jotted notes on fascinating tidbits to research further, some of which have already made it into Black Wide-Awake.

I still have a long list of people I’d love to interview, and hope you’ll refer any elders who might want to talk. As importantly, I encourage you to capture your family’s history. Holiday gatherings are the perfect time to pull out your phone and start recording, whether video or audio. Ask. And listen.

Sallie Coleman Bynum remembers.

Wilson Daily Times, 24 February 1994.

What a testimony!

——

  • Sallie Coleman Bynum

In the 1910 census of Oldfields township, Wilson County: Henry Coleman, 38, farmer; wife Mary J., 28; and children Stella, 13, Willie, 8, Josiah, 7, William, 5, Mattie J., 4, and Sallie, 2.

In the 1920 census of Oldfields township, Wilson County: on Old Wilson and Raleigh Road, farmer Henry Coleman, 50; wife Mary Jane, 40; and children Stella, 22, Willie, 19, Joesire, 17, William H., 16, Mattie J., 13, Sallie, 12, Bell, 10, Stephen, 8, Wiley, 7, and Eva, 1.

In the 1930 census of Oldfields township, Wilson County: farmer Henery D. Coleman, 58; wife Mary J., 52; children Bill, 18, Stephen, 17, Willey, 15, Mattie, 22, Sallie, 20, Eva, 13, Guyes E., 9, Gurtice, 5; and grandson Ollie L., 10 months.

Sallie Coleman Bynum died 6 December 1994 in Wilson.

Lamm’s School stood on Lamm Road just north of present-day U.S. 64. The school was built in 1923 as Wilson County consolidated one- and two-room schools for white children into modern masonry buildings. The building was recently demolished to make way for a Chick Fil A.

  • Sugar Hill — An African-American neighborhood just west of Sims’ town limits.

Images of Historic Wilson County N.C., Images of North Carolina, lib.digitalnc.org.

Calling our elders!

Recently, I began interviewing my father’s Darden High School classmates and other elders born in or before 1945. I’ve spoken to about 15 people so far, and I ask about their memories of Wilson during their youth, including recollections of family life, school life, community, and work life. Each interview is conducted by telephone and is recorded. Afterward, I type up a transcript that I mail to the interviewee to share with his or her loved ones.

These interviews are sometimes rambling, sometimes focused, often funny, occasionally sad. They’ve yielded random names and places and detailed snippets of everyday life that have been largely forgotten. I am slowly working my way through a list of potential interviewees, mostly men and women that I’ve known since childhood. I’d love your help in reaching out to others willing to chat with me for thirty minutes or an hour or two. Our elders’ stories help us better understand our community’s history and the roots and branches of its culture.

I can be reached at blackwideawake@gmail.com and would be happy to provide more info about the interview process. I look forward to hearing from you — and your aunts, uncles, and grandparents!

“David was the Sixty-Minute Man!”

Just as Black Music Month draws to a close, I learn of a Wilson link to the foundations of both rock and roll and rhythm and blues music.

I’ve been interviewing elders for the past month or so — more about this later — including my father’s Darden High School classmates. I spoke with his good friend Herman McNeil late last week. Mr. McNeil grew up on Hadley Street and was the 11th of 13 children. The brother just above him was David McNeil — of the Dominoes!

The Dominoes’ iconic “Sixty-Minute Man” is considered by some to be the first rock and roll recording, and there is general accord that it was one of the most important to generate and help shape the new genre. Unusually, the bass is the lead vocalist in the song and though David McNeil wasn’t on the recording, he joined the group shortly after the song’s release in 1951 and took on the role of Lovin’ Dan, the Sixty-Minute Man, during his tenure.

More about David McNeil, who also sang with the Larks and the Ink Spots, soon!

Thank you, Mr. McNeil!

Look at Waxhaw!

New South Associates (the same company that did Vick Cemetery’s ground-penetrating radar) announces:

“NSA is pleased to be working on an oral history project in partnership with the Town of Waxhaw in North Carolina. We’re hosting an in-person information session to share more about the project and the oral history process.

“The Town of Waxhaw has been awarded a 2024 federal Historic Preservation Fund grant for Certified Local Governments from the National Park Service, administered through the State Historic Preservation Office (HPO) of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. Funds will be used to document historic resources based on oral history and community guidance and to produce a history of Waxhaw that incorporates African American perspectives.”

Look at what’s possible, City of Wilson!

Historically Speaking … Oliver Nestus Freeman (2009).

As plans get underway for the expansion of Freeman Round House and Museum, let’s take a look at a 2009 video about Oliver N. Freeman produced by the City of Wilson. Led by former City Preservation Planner Lu-Ann Monson and featuring granddaughter Mary Frances Banks Tate, this remarkable mini-documentary offers a deep, deep dive into Freeman’s incredible life and work, as well as the story of the museum’s founding and early days.