social club

We are what you should be.

In early 1928, a group of young African-American men — friends and neighbors and almost all barbers or porters at barber shops — founded a social club in East Wilson.

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Baltimore Afro-American, 11 February 1928.

WILSON, NORTH CAROLINA

WILSON, N.C. On Tuesday evening, January 31st, the following young men of this city organized a club to be known as the Klondike Club. Bill Bryant, William Brown, Woodie Farmer, Freeman Ennis, John Love, Golden Venters, Oscar Hicks, George E. Brodie, Rufus Speight and George H. DuBose. The meeting was held at the Hotel Whitby and the following officers elected: B. Bryant, president; Freeman Ennis, vice president; Golden Venters, secretary; G.E. Brodie, treasurer; John Love, sergeant-at-arms, and George H. DuBose, journalist. On February 2nd, the club met at the home of the present and the following members initiated, Murphy Richardson, Jerval Barnes and Ossie Edwards. Club motto is, “We are what you should be.”

——

  • Bill Bryant
  • William Brown —  In the 1928 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Brown Wm (c; Eva L) barber Bonnie Reid h 202 S Vick
  • Woodie Farmer — William Woody Farmer. In the 1928 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Farmer Woody (c) porter Wm Hines h 706 E Green. On 13 January 1929, Woody Farmer, 22, son of John Wash Farmer and Edmonia [no maiden name], married Savannah Powell, 21, daughter of Wiley Powell, in Wilson. Presbyterian minister A.H. George performed the ceremony in the presence of Emma Farmer, Rufus E. Speight and Theodore Speight. In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 706 East Green, plasterer John A. Farmer, 60; wife Nona, 61; sons James E., 17, and Woodie, 22, barber; and daughter-in-law Savana, 22, lodge bookkeeper.
  • Freeman Ennis — in the 1928 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Ennis Freeman (c) barber W S Hines h 904 Viola. In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 904 Viola, rented for $15/month, Maggie Ennis, 45, and children Freeman, 22, barbershop bootblack, Earl, 12, and Hennie, 10, and roomer Julus Barnes, 27, laborer at Hackney body plant. Freeman Ennis died 5 January 1938 at Mercy Hospital. Per his death certificate, he was 29 years old; single; worked as a bell boy; and was born in Wilson to Samuel Ennis of Smithfield and Maggie Taylor of Wilson. Informant was Earl Ennis, 904 Viola.
  • John Love
  • Golden Venters — Golden T. Venters married Ethel P. Lane in Philadelphia in 1925. In the 1928 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Venters Golden T (c; Ethel) porter Wm Hines h 902 Viola
  • Oscar Hicks — in the 1928 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Hicks H O (c) barber Levi’s Barber Shop h 812 E Green
  • George E. Brodie — in the 1928 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Brodie Geo (c) student h 903 E Green. In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 311 Pender, Lawrence Hardy, 39, pantry(?) servant at college; brother James Hardy, 39, presser at cleaning works; and George Brodie, 33, barber.
  • Rufus Speight — in the 1928 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Speight Rufus (c) porter Wm Hines h 624 Viola. In 1940, Rufus Edward Speight registered for the World War II draft. Per his registration card, he lived at 624 East Viola; was born 4 October 1907 in Whitaker, North Carolina; his contact was brother Theodore Speight; and he worked for Bill Hines at 130 South Goldsboro Street.
  • George H. DuBose
  • Murphy Richardson — On 8 June 1927, Murphy Richardson, 20, and Laura Martin, 22, both of Nash County were married in Wilson County by minister Charles T. Jones in the presence of Levi Jones, W.H. Phillips and Laura Graves. In the 1928 Hill’s Wilson, N.C., city directory: Richardson Murphy (c) barber Levi’s Barber Shop h 116 Pender
  • Jerval Barnes — probably, Jerrell Randolph Barnes, who died 14 December 1929 in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 7 May 1909; was single; worked as a common laborer; and was born to Ned Barnes and Louisa Gay. Informant was Alice Bryant, Wilson.
  • Ossie Edwards

Contributions to Mercy, part 3.

On 30 January 1947, the Wilson Daily Times published a lengthy list of contributors to the fundraising drive of the Mercy Hospital Women’s Auxiliary. The list, reproduced here in five parts, included many of black Wilson’s leading individuals, businesses and institutions.

Wilson Daily Times, 30 January 1947.

  • Vick Elementary — Vick Saml Elementary School (c) 801 N Reid
  • Sallie Barbour — (Formerly the Colored Graded School.) Barbour Sallie School (c) Milton M Daniels prin 705 Stantonsburg
  • Darden High — (Formerly Wilson Colored High School.) Darden Chas H High School (c) Edw M Barnes prin N Carroll
  • Saint Alphonsus — St Alphonsus Catholic School 600 N Reid
  • Stantonsburg — a Rosenwald school.
  • Penders
  • Ruffin
  • Williamson High
  • Sims — a Rosenwald school.
  • New Vester — a Rosenwald school.
  • Healthy Plain
  • Yelverton — a Rosenwald school.
  • Stantonsburg [a duplicate entry?]
  • Pages
  • Howard
  • Williamson [a duplicate entry?]
  • Evans Dell [Evansdale] — a Rosenwald school.
  • Turners — a Rosenwald school.
  • Holden — a Rosenwald school.
  • Tune
  • Minshew
  • Barnes
  • Farmer
  • Barnes
  • Davis Gulf Station — Davis Gulf Station (W Ira Davis) 136 N Goldsboro
  • Corner Green and Goldsboro St.
  • Lucama School — a Rosenwald school.
  • Men’s Civic Club
  • Ladies Civic Club
  • A.K.A. Sorority — Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
  • The G.O.S. Club
  • Ace Heralds Club
  • Domestic Club
  • Merry Matrons Club
  • Modernetts Club
  • After Six Club
  • The Friends
  • Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
  • Quartets
  • Cedars of Lebanon Tent
  • Jewels of Julia Tent No. 159
  • Alpha Tent No. 483
  • Ark of the Covenant Temple No. 214 — Ark of the Covenant Temple No. 214, Daughter of Elks
  • Mt. Hebron Lodge — Mount Hebron Lodge N0. 42, Prince Hall Masons
  • Marshall Lodge No. 297 — Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, Marshall Lodge No. 297
  • Silver Star Chapter No. 26 — Order of Eastern Star, Silver Star Chapter No. 26

All annotations, some edited for clarity, are entries in Hill’s Wilson City Directory 1947-48.

An ideal place to extend the chain of friendship.

From a history of the Southern Area Region of Links, Inc.,

“The Southern Area of The Links, Incorporated came into existence on the Monday after Easter, April 19, 1948 at 1:00 p.m. with the organizing of the sixth club – Rocky Mount-Wilson-Tarboro. The establishment of this group came after more than a year of intense planning and activity by the founders of The Links, Incorporated, Links Sarah Scott and Margaret Hawkins, and their seven friends of the Philadelphia Club. They felt it was time to expand their organization into the South. This duty was given to their friend Julia Delaney of Raleigh, NC and Link Doris Joyner Reynolds, who became a member of the Philadelphia Club late in 1947 (Link Reynolds was born in Winton, NC).

“Julia Delaney discussed this with her daughter, Nan Delaney (Hines) Johnson, who lived in Wilson, NC. Nan felt that eastern North Carolina was an ideal place to extend the chain of friendship. With the help of her friend, Ann Armstrong of Rocky Mount, NC, five friends from Rocky Mount, five friends from Wilson, and one friend from Tarboro, NC were named and this began the Rocky Mount-Wilson-Tarboro Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. Julia Delaney brought her cousin, Link Doris Reynolds of the Philadelphia Club, to Rocky Mount to induct the thirteen ladies into the first southern club of Linkdom. Link Doris Reynolds administered the pledge in an impressive candlelight ceremony to Ann Armstrong, Marguerite Armstrong, Sallie Armstrong, Nancy Bowens, Esmeralda Hawkins, and Jessie Pash of Rocky Mount, Grace Artis, Addie Butterfield, Norma Darden, Ethel Hines, Nan Delaney Hines, and Vera Shade of Wilson and Helen G. Quigless of Tarboro.

“Even though the Club was organized in Rocky Mount at the home of Esmeralda Rich Hawkins and initially called Rocky Mount-Wilson-Tarboro, the name later changed to Wilson-Rocky Mount-Tarboro because the inspiration from the idea of having this group came from Nan Delaney (Hines) Johnson of Wilson, NC who served as the first president of the club.”

——

  • Nan Delany Hines Johnson
  • Grace Whitehead Artis — Grace W. Artis is the daughter of Henry and Victoria Ennis Whitehead. She will be 100 years old in February 2017.
  • Addie Davis Butterfield
  • Norma Duncan Darden
  • Ethel Cornwell Hines
  • Vera Green Shade — Vera Shade was married to pharmacist Kenneth M. Shade. She died in Wilson 29 January 1967. Per her death certificate, she was born 24 December 1915 in Bartow, Florida, to Archie Green and Eva Mack; was widowed; was a teacher; and resided at 207 North Vick Street. Informant was Sarah Shade, 602 East Green Street, Wilson.