veteran

Seaman First Class Robert Locus, sent to New Guinea.

In the 1920 census of Wilson, Wilson County: on Wainwright, butler Luther Locus, 27, wife Eula, 23, and son Robert, 6.

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 1108 Wainwright, cook Luther Locus, 37, wife Eula, 37, also a cook, and son Robert, 16.

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 1108 Wainwright, owned and valued at $2000, cook Luther Locus, 47, salesman at own filling station, wife Eula, 46, tobacco factory laborer, and son Robert, 26, filling station laborer.

In 1940, Robert Locus registered for the World War II draft in Washington, D.C.:

The 13 July 1943 issues of the Evening Star reported that Robert Locus and Brownie Gibson had been issued a marriage license in Rockville, Maryland.

In the 1950 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 1108 Wainwright, Eula Locus, 56, widow; son Robert, 37, proprietor/automobile mechanic; daughter-in-law Brownie G., 31; grandson Robert Jr., born in March; and cousin Niecy Evenson, 73.

On 31 December 1959, Robert Locus, 46, married Agnes Angeline Harris, 28, in Nash County, N.C.

Image courtesy of Veterans of World War II Wilson County, spiral-bound volume, Wilson County Public Library.

Corporal Daniel Vick, serving somewhere in the Pacific area.

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In the 1930 census of Cross Roads township, Wilson County: farmer Ashley Thompson, 65; wife Bethenia, 34; [step]son Daniel, 13; and daughter Omeda, 12.

Daniel Vick registered for the World War II draft in Wilson County in 1940:

On 16 October 1946, Daniel Vick, 28, farmer, of Wilson County, son of John Vick and Bethenia Williamson of Lucama, married Hester L. White, 21, of Wilson County, daughter of James White and Minnie Perry of Lucama, in Greensville County, Virginia.

In the 1950 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 723 1/2 Elvie Street, Daniel Vick, 32, mechanics helper at state garage; wife Hester, 24; and son Dwight E., born in November. 

Dwight Edward Vick died 22 November 1959 in Lucama, Oldfield township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was born 11 November 1949 in Wilson County to Daniel Vick and Hester White and was buried in Rest Haven Cemetery.

Omeida Dew applied for a military headstone for her brother Daniel Vick.

Image courtesy of Veterans of World War II Wilson County, spiral-bound volume, Wilson County Public Library.

World War I service cards, no. 1.
  • Obert Bullock

In the 1910 census of Wilson, Wilson County: on Lee Street, Frank Bullock, 65; wife Lizzie, 60; and children Ernest, 25, Hady, 23, Petrony, 26, and Obert, 16.

On 23 December 1919, Cordy Tillery applied for a marriage license for Obert Bullock, 24, son of Frank and Lizzie Bullock, and Lorena Ellis, 21. The license was never used and was cancelled in June 1920.

In the 1920 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 410 Pine, Lizzie Bullock, 65, widow, cook for McLean; daughter Gertruge, 25, cook, and son Obert, 24, cafe cook.

In the 1930 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 409 Pine, widow Lizzie Bullock, 70, practical nurse; children Ernest, 43, house painter, Obert, 33, hotel cook, and Gertrude, 35, private home laundress; and lodgers Charlie Moye, 29, truck farmer, and Edward Williams, 53, farm laborer.

On 26 December 1934, Obert Bullock, 39, of Wilson, son of Frank and Lizzie Bullock, married Hattie Smith, 23, of Wilson, daughter of Sam and Silly Ann Smith, in Wilson.

  • Mack Bullock

In 1917, Mack Bullock registered for the World War I draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 26 May 1895 in Edgecombe County, N.C.; lived in Wilson; worked in Noah Tate‘s pool room; and was single.

  • George J. Bullock

In the 1900 census of Rocky Mount township, Nash County: on Thomas Street, farm laborer George Bulock, 35; wife Ella, 25; and children Sallie A., 9, Jack, 7, Lucy, 5, Isaac, 3, and Bettie, 1.

In the 1910 census of Toisnot township, Wilson County: on Town Creek Road, farmer George Bullock, 48; wife Ella, 39; and children Sallie A., 20, George, 17, Lucy, 15, Isaac, 13, Bettie, 12, Rosa, 9, Charlie, 6, James, 4, and Etta and Effie, 2.

In 1917, George Junius Bullock registered for the World War I draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born in 1896 in Warren County, N.C.; lived on West Nash Street, Wilson; worked as a laborer for M.W. Edmundson, Anderson Street, Wilson; and was single.

On 2 July 1920, George J. Bullock, 24, of Wilson, son of George and Ella Bullock, married Lucinda Jones, 19, of Wilson, daughter of Duff and Rebecca Jones, in Wilson. Missionary Baptist minister Charles T. Jones performed the ceremony in the presence of Gertrude Jones, Louisa Johnson, and Ruth Jones.

George Junius “Jack” Bullock died 24 December 1965 in Wilson. Per his death certificate, he was born 15 December 1894 in Wilson to George Bullock and Ella Hargrove; lived at 712 Suggs Street; worked as a tobacco factory laborer; was married; and was a World War I veteran. Etta Bullock was informant.

  • Rochelle Bullock

In 1917, Rochell Carter Bullock registered for the World War I draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born in 1896 in Wilson County; lived in Elm City; worked as a sawmill laborer for John Flowers; and was single.

Rochell Bullock died 6 May 1935 in Sleepy Hole, Nansemond County, Virginia; was single; was born in Wilson, N.C., to Edward Bullock and Lucy Allen; and worked as a laborer.

Ledger-Star (Norfolk, Va.), 14 May 1935.

  • Lendery Bunn

North Carolina World War I Service Cards 1917-1919, http://www.ancestry.com

In memoriam: Capt. William W. Farmer Jr. (1932-1961).

Capt. William Woody Farmer Jr., 341st Bombardment Squadron, 4038th Strategic Wing, Dow Air Force Base, Maine.

On 30 March 1961, a B-52 went down near Denton, North Carolina, killing five of the seven crewmen aboard. Among them was Captain William Woody Farmer, Jr., of Wilson.

This account of that terrible accident is found in a post in a Denton history blog:

Photos courtesy of Levolyre Farmer Pitt.

The obituary of James D. Barnes.

Wilson Daily Times, 26 March 1948.

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In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: John A. Barnes, 65, garden worker; wife Sarah J., 71; son John A., Jr., 39, works at Hackney Bus Bodies; daughter-in-law Emma, 35; son Wade, 36; and grandchildren James D. Barnes, 17;  George, 15, Odell, 13, and Margaret McAllister, 10, and Inez Tart, 9.

 

The obituary of John H. Jackson, Spanish-American War veteran.

Journal and Guide (Norfolk, Va.), 27 April 1946.

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In the 1910 census of Willow Grove township, Greene County, N.C.: farmer Henry J. Jackson, 38; wide Addie, 27; and children Macon H., 8, Permiller, 6, Preston, 4, and Nellie, 2.

In 1918, John Henry Jackson registered for the World War I draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 27 September 1872; lived at R.F.D. #6, Wilson; worked as a farmer for H.H. Walston; and his contact was wife Addie Jackson.

In the 1920 census of Wilson, Wilson County: on Black Creek Road, farmer John H. Jackson, 47; wife Addie, 34; and children Macon, 17, Permiller, 16, Preston, 13, Nellie, 11, Loyd, 9, Herbert, 7, Mabel, 5, Willie, 3, and Bertha Lee, 1.

Addie Jackson died 8 March 1920 in Wilson. Per her death certificate, she was born 4 September 1881 in Henderson, N.C., to John Daniel; was married to John Jackson; and was buried in Wilson [probably, Vick Cemetery].

On 24 November 1920, Jno. Henry Jackson, 47, married Ida May Bryant, 20, in Wilson. Free Will Baptist minister A. Bynum performed the ceremony in the presence of Henry Bryant, Henry Oats, and Charles White.

In the 1930 census of Jackson township, Nash County, N.C.: farmer John Jackson, 57; wife Ida, 29; and children Layse, 19, Mable, 16, Herbert, 17, Willie, 13, Bertha, 12, and Addie, 10.

In the 1940 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 1201 Washington Street, rented for $12/months, J.H. Jackson, 67, “unable” to work; wife Ilamae, 39, sewing; daughter Addie, 20, tobacco factory laborer; grandchild Estella Stevens, 17; and mother[-in-law] Harriett Bryant, 62, private nurse.

In 1940, Preston Jackson registered for the World War II draft in Wilson. Per his registration card, he was born 28 May 1906 in Microfield [Macclesfield], N.C.; lived at 910 Washington Street, Wilson; his contact was father John Henry Jackson, 1201 Washington Street; and he worked for F.M. Valentine, Wilson.

John H. Jackson died 7 April 1947 at the Veterans Administration hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. Per his death certificate, he was born 27 September 1872 in Surry County, N.C., to Tom Jackson; was married to Ila Mae Jackson; lived at 12o1 East Washington Street, Wilson; worked as a laborer; and was a veteran of the Spanish-American War.

Howard M. Fitts applied for a military headstone on his behalf. It was placed on his grave in “Rountrees” Cemetery — most likely what we now know as Vick Cemetery — and apparently among those covered over or destroyed by the City of Wilson circa 1995.

In memoriam: Sgt. Anthony M. Hopkins.

A spur-of-the-moment search of The New York Times yielded the obituary of Wilson native Anthony M. Hopkins, a decorated war veteran. He was one of the more than 200,000 Americans to die of COVID in the first seven months of the pandemic. The Times featured Hopkins’ death in its “Those We’ve Lost” series, which profiled more than 500 people, both famous and ordinary, who succumbed to the disease.

Anthony Hopkins’ paternal grandparents, Jason and Catherine Bryant Hopkins, arrived in Wilson County in the early 1920s from Pitt County by way of Greene County. They settled in Gardners township and worked as sharecroppers or tenant farmers. His maternal grandparents, James and Addie Tart Ward, had deep roots in the area of the Wilson and Greene County border between present-day Saratoga, Stantonsburg, and Walstonburg.

  • Jason Hopkins and Catherine Bryant Hopkins Brown

Jason Hopkins died 25 March 1929 in Wilson [Mercy] Hospital. Per his death certificate, he was 41 years old; was born in Pitt County to Luke and Dollie Hopkins; was married to Catherine Hopkins; was a preacher; and was buried in Jones Field, Wilson County.

In the 1930 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: farmer Kathrine Hopkins, 37; children James C., 12, Irena, 10, Octavia, 9, Jason Jr., 8, Etter C., 7, and Mattie, 3; and roomer [illegible] Bryant, 26.

In the 1940 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: farmer Becton Brown, 47; wife Katherine, 47; his children George, 22, Edrine, 20, Millie, 18, May E., 16, B.K., 15, Collie, 13, and Wittonia Brown, 11; and step-children Irene, 21, Octavia, 20, Jason, 19, Ophelia, 17, and Mattie Hopkins, 14.

In 1942, Jason Hopkins registered for the World War II draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 29 April 1921 in Greene County; lived at R.F.D. #3, Gardners township; his contact was mother Cassie Brown; and he worked for Pattie W. Uzzell in Wilson.

On 6 March 1946, Jason Hopkins, 24, son of Jason Hopkins and Catherine Bryant Hopkins, married Minnie Lou Ward, 19, daughter of James and Addie Tart Ward, in Wilson County.

In the 1950 census of Wilson, Wilson County: at 522 Hadley Street, Jason Hopkins, 28, serviceman at auto sales/service; wife Minnie, 23; and children Jason III, 3, Thomas L., 1, and Anthony M., born the previous September.

Jason Hopkins Jr. died 31 May 1969 in Norfolk, Virginia. Per his death certificate, he was born 29 April 1921 in Wilson, N.C., to Jason Hopkins Sr. and Catherine Bryant; was married to Minnie Lea Hopkins; worked as a laborer; and was a World War II veteran.

Minnie Lee W. Hopkins, 716 Hooks Street, Wilson, applied for a military headstone for her husband Jason Hopkins. Per the application, he was born 29 April 1921 and died 31 May 1969 and served from 10 October 1942 to 14 December 1945 in the 647th Port Company.

Minnie Lea Hopkins died 28 February 2013.

  • James Ward and Addie Tart Ward

On __ January 1899, James Ward, 18, of Greene County, son of Larance Ward and Sarah [Ward] Artis, married Mit Ellis, 21, of Greene County, daughter of Jacob Ellis, in Greene County, N.C.

In the 1900 census of Speights Bridge township, Greene County: James Ward, 20, day laborer; wife Mitt, 20; and son Nathan, 1. Two households down: widow Sarah Ward, 43, and children Walter, 14, Bessie, 12, and Etta, 9, all day laborers.

On 13 June 1909, James Wood [sic; Ward], 28, of Stantonsburg, married Addie Ward [sic; Tart], 19, of Saratoga, in Saratoga township, Wilson County.

In the 1910 census of Saratoga township, Wilson County: on Stantonsburg Road, farmer James Ward, 29; wife Addie, 20; and children Jim, 9, Sarah, 8, Tiny, 5, Mary E., 4, and Maggie, newborn.

In 1918, James Ward registered for the World War I draft in Wilson County. Per his registration card, he was born 15 October 1879; lived at Route 2, Stantonsburg; farmed for Charlie Whitley; and his nearest relative was Addie Ward.

In the 1920 census of Saratoga township, Wilson County: farmer James Ward, 40; wife Addie, 29; and children Maliza, 14, Maggie, 10, Ozee, 8, Ida, 6, Joseph, 4, and Ora, 4.

In the 1930 census of Saratoga township, Wilson County: farmer James Ward, 50; wife Addie, 39; children Maggie, 19, Oz, 17, Ida, 16, Joseph, 15, Ora, 12, Bourgard, 11, Charlie, 8, Leland, 5, Minnie L., 3, and Annie M., 0; and mother Sarah Ward, 72, widow.

In the 1940 census of Saratoga township, Wilson County: farmer James Ward, 58; wife Addie, 46; children Ida, 24, Charles, 18, Leland, 14, Minnie, 13, Annie, 10, Molena, 5, and Beauregard, 20; daughter-in-law Bertha Lee, 20; and grandson John Lewis Barnes, 9.

Addie Ward died 21 July 1943 in Saratoga township, Wilson County. Per her death certificate, she was born 2 January 1893 in Greene County to Gray Tart and Mittie Ward, both of Greene County; was married to James Ward; and was buried in Community Cemetery, Greene County.

James Ward Sr. died 11 November 1944 in Saratoga township, Wilson County. Per his death certificate, he was born 12 October 1882 in Wilson County to Lawrence Ward and Sarah Artis; was the widower of Addie Ward; was a farmer; and was buried Saint Delight cemetery, Greene County, N.C.