Thursday, February 28, 2008

Nectar Vineyard Bistro (2005)

"Double Parked in the Fast Lane?"


L
ast week, I [Mike Craver] played for the Caswell County Arts Council Annual Party, at the Nectar Vineyard Bistro in the beautiful farm country just south of Danville VA. "Nectar" is owned and operated by Bob Donaghey. I have written about Bob in here before. I am indebted to him because he recognized my talent, such as it is -- then sought me out and offered me a great little place to play. Situations like this are one of the most reassuring and rewarding aspects of the free-lance life.

Bob Donaghey was originally from Detroit, just a kid with an interest in radio. But before going to college he was already managing a radio station in Hartford, Connecticut, and through contacts made there became involved in the initial development of public radio and television. Like many talented midwesterners he moved to NYC seeking fame and fortune. He worked his way up from being a page at CBS to being Ed Sullivan's studio assistant. Eventually he had his own fully franchised agency, Talent East, with a Fifth Avenue address.

However, after years of working in the big city Bob decided he'd been "double parked in the fast lane" for too long. He'd alwaysbluegrassyearbook2.jpg - 12600 Bytes loved the South (aided and abetted by his romance with bluegrass and country and western music) and he ended up buying this 82 acre farm with a Civil War era farmhouse, in Caswell County, NC. He renovated the house, planted a vineyard and opened up a winery and a tony gourmet restaurant and bistro on the premises. Bob's partner is Chuck Adams, a native Virginian, who for many years was an editor at Simon and Schuster. Chuck was splitting his time between NYC and Caswell County (his monthly routine was three weeks in NYC and one week in NC) until he accepted a job as senior editor for Algonquin Press in Chapel Hill. These days he is spending much more time in NC. In the meantime Bob produced several local bluegrass radio and tv programs, turned out a book about bluegrass ("The Bluegrass Yearbook" -- pictured at right), and became the regional representative of the IBMA.

The irony of this whole situation is that Bob and Chuck are tossing in the Nectar towel. They have put the farm, the winery and the bistro up for sale because "it was just too much expense and too much hard work". And believe you me these are two hard working guys. As is the case with many passionate people trying to establish and maintain a high quality cultural endeavor in the sticks, they just got burnt out. So, as soon as they find a buyer they will hole up in Chapel Hill until their new house gets built in Hilton Head Island. I guess life could be worse!

So, the night I refer to was Nectar's last night too -- for better or worse. At first it felt strange and somewhat bittersweet to be trying entertain folks under the circumstances, but it turned out to be a great crowd and perhaps in its way a fitting Nectar swansong. There had been a storm and rains in the afternoon and after the ovens had cooled and all the hors d'oeuvres and desserts had been consumed and the wine drunk and the last note played, the large and mostly high school aged wait staff dashed out to the pool, with peals of merry laughter, for a midnight swim. When I said goodbye to Bob and Chuck they had their arms filled with fresh towels and were heading out to the gang in the deep lit aqua water. But Bob had a smile on his face and seemed kind of relieved!
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David L. Cohn (1896-1960)

(click photograph for larger image)

The following is from The Caswell Messenger, June 23, 1976 at 3-A (“Remembering” by Former Editor-Publisher, Erwin D. Stephens):
David Cohn, writer and lecturer, also resided in the county for quite some time, writing his books. He began one book about the Mississippi by saying the “Mississippi delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and extends to Vicksburg.” One book he produced at Yanceyville was “The Good Old Days” and quite a number of copies were bought by Caswell people.
Life magazine in its December 8, 1941, edition provided the following as a caption under a photograph included in the article “The Yanceyville Card Game Is Ended by Law” (at page 60):

“Forest Home,” famous homestead near Yanceyville, was once home of Playwright Laurence Stallings’ wife. Author David Cohn (The Good Old Days) now lives there.

David L. Cohn (1896-1960), born in Greenville, Mississippi, graduated from the University of Virginia and took his Master of Laws at Yale. "Then," he writes, "I went into business -- instead of into writing -- because my family went bust on a cotton plantation they had bought. I had a successful business career in New Orleans, rising as they say, to the head of a large mercantile corporation. In 1934 I quit in order to write. In the meantime I had managed to attend the late war in a highly minor capacity and to travel extensively from Turkey to Tahiti." Between 1935 and 1960, Cohn produced ten books including his best known, God Shakes Creation, later expanded into Where I Was Born and Raised -- and scores of articles and essays, including more than sixty such pieces in The Atlantic Monthly. He is also author of Picking America's Pockets.
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THE GOOD OLD DAYS (A History of American Morals and Manners as seen through the Sears, Roebuck Catalogs 1905 to the Present), David L. Cohn (1940). To read this book online click on the title.

The Life and Times of King Cotton, David L. Cohn (1956).

The Mississippi Delta and the World: The Memoirs of David L. Cohn, David L. Cohn (Author), James C. Cobb (Editor) (1995).

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Early Virginia History

Biographical Dictionary of Early Virginians

"On May 13, 1607, Virginia's first colonists came ashore on what became known as Jamestown Island. The next day, they commenced establishing an outpost they called James Cittie or Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the United States. The 104 colonists were unaware that they had arrived at the close of the most severe period of drought to strike tidewater Virginia in 500 years. Moreover, they paid little heed to the fact that they had intruded upon the homeland of Natives whose culture was well developed. The men the Virginia Company had named to the colony's Council elected a president. Soon, sickness, bickering, and food shortages began taking a deadly toll. After successive changes in leadership, Captain John Smith became president. A vigorous but controversial leader, he imposed military discipline and forced the colonists to plant crops, build houses and fortifications, and work toward their own support. His ability to negotiate with the Native inhabitants proved invaluable.

"In early January 1608, 120 weak and famished immigrants (the 1st Supply) came ashore. Approximately nine months later, 70 more colonists landed in the 2nd Supply. Among them were two women, the first to arrive. Finally, in May 1609, a 3rd Supply of colonists set sail for Virginia. The fleet of nine ships got caught in a hurricane and in August seven of them limped into Jamestown, with 200 to 300 passengers. One small vessel went down at sea. Also missing was the flagship 'Seaventure,' which had run aground in Bermuda, stranding the men chosen to serve as the colony's principal leaders. Samuel Argall arrived in Virginia in July 1609, spreading word of the Virginia Company's plan to change the way the colony was governed. This sparked dissention, and Captain John Smith, ousted as president and injured by a gunpowder explosion, left the colony. George Percy took his place.

"At Jamestown, the struggle to survive proved so arduous that the winter of 1609-1610, termed the 'Starving Time,' nearly led to the colony's extinction. In May 1610, Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers, and other members of the 3rd Supply reached Virginia in two vessels fashioned from Bermuda's native cedar wood. Gates, who was ill-prepared for the dire conditions he found, resolved to evacuate the surviving colonists to Newfoundland, where they could secure passage to England. Only the timely arrival of Lord De La Warr's three ships in June, with provisions and 250 new immigrants, averted the Virginia colony's abandonment. De La Warr immediately put the colonists to work, cleansing and strengthening their settlement, and he dispatched Gates and Somers to Bermuda to bring back food. As it turned out, Somers died and Gates returned to England.

"In May 1611 Sir Thomas Dale arrived with 300 new settlers. He was joined in August by Sir Thomas Gates, Virginia's lieutenant governor, who brought an additional 300 people and new instructions from the Virginia Company. Together, Gates and Dale, former comrades-in-arms, fabricated a strict code of justice known as 'The Lawes Divine and Martiall,' which required the colonists to work toward their own support and imposed severe penalties upon the disobedient. In response to the Company's orders to build the colony's principal town in a healthier, more defensible location than Jamestown Island, Dale, as marshal, established several new settlements near the head of the James River in territory that became known as Charles City and Henrico. In 1614 he sent some colonists to the Eastern Shore to extract salt from seawater, so that fish could be preserved. Sir Thomas Dale, as deputy-governor, introduced several innovative policies that fostered the colony's development. During his administration, John Rolfe developed a strain of sweet-scented tobacco that quickly became a highly marketable money crop and fueled the spread of settlement. Deputy Governor Samuel Argall, who took over in 1617-1618, pursued many of the strict policies that Dale had established.

"In April 1619 incoming Governor George Yeardley suspended martial law and, in accord with his instructions, subdivided the colony into four corporations: James City, Elizabeth City, Charles City, and Henrico. Each was vast in size and vaguely defined, but encompassed both sides of the James River. In July 1619 delegates from all but one of the colony's plantations went to Jamestown, where they convened in America's first legislative assembly. The following month another momentous event occurred. A Dutch frigate and a ship called the 'Treasurer' sailed into the mouth of the James River with Virginia's first Africans aboard.

"The Virginia Company's Great Charter, which Governor Yeardley implemented, introduced a land policy known as the headright system. In synch with the fledgling tobacco economy, it was an enormous stimulus to settlement, for it provided prospective immigrants with an incentive to seek their fortunes in Virginia. It also encouraged groups of wealthy investors to underwrite the cost of outfitting and transporting prospective colonists to establish large 'particular' (private) plantations, sometimes known as 'hundreds.' Because an individual could acquire 50 acres of land by underwriting the cost of another's transportation, successful planters could bring indentured servants to Virginia to work their land, simultaneously accumulating acreage and fulfilling their need for labor. In essence, the headright system enabled Virginia colonists to acquire real estate and work toward their own personal gain.

"During Sir George Yeardley's first term as governor (1619-1621), 18 or 19 new private plantations were established. Most were thinly scattered along both sides of the James River, west of the Chickahominy River's mouth. After Sir Francis Wyatt became governor (1621-1626), at least a dozen new plantations were established along the James River, within largely vacant territory that was close to Jamestown Island. Unfortunately, many of the plantations seated while Governors Yeardley and Wyatt held office lay within what scientists call the oligohaline zone, an area within the James River basin where salt concentrations are especially high in summer and tidal action fails to flush away contaminants. The result was a high mortality rate. Even so, the Virginia colony grew and flourished and by March 1620 there were 928 people living within the colonized areas: 892 Europeans, 32 Africans (17 women and 15 men), and four Indians. All of the Indians and Africans were described as being 'in ye service of severall planters.'

"On March 22, 1622, the Native population, threatened by the inroads of expanding settlement, launched a carefully orchestrated attack upon the sparsely inhabited plantations along the James River. It was a vigorous attempt to drive the colonists from their soil. At the end of the day, an estimated 347 men, women, and children reportedly were dead, just over a third of the colony's population. Although the survivors withdrew to eight settlements that were strengthened and held, by autumn 1623 many colonists had begun reoccupying the outlying plantations they had abandoned. Again, settlement began to spread and by the mid-1620s the Virginia colony had become well established. In February 1624, when a community-by-community census was made of the colony's inhabitants, at least 906 people were living within the settled area and another 371 colonists had died since April 1623. By January and February 1625 the number of living colonists had soared to 1,232.

"In May 1624 the Virginia Company's charter was revoked and Virginia became a Crown colony. Although the settlers weathered a period of uncertainty, their concern about their land titles' validity was quickly put to rest. However, the legal dilemma posed by the defunct Virginia Company's ownership of land proved to be more troublesome. Surviving land patents reveal that for the first decade after the Company's dissolution, the tracts of land its leaders had set aside to generate income for investors were let to leaseholders. Despite some half-hearted attempts to revive the Virginia Company, by the early-to-mid 1630s patents were issued for those parcels.

"In 1634 the colony was subdivided into eight shires or counties, each of which was to have a local court with justices, a sheriff, a clerk, and other functionaries. It was then that James City, Charles City, Elizabeth City (Kecoughtan), Henrico, Warwick, York (Charles River), Isle of Wight (Warresqueak), and Accomack counties were formed, replacing the four corporations that previously existed. The establishment of county courts, whose authority increased over time, relieved the Quarter Court of many routine matters, freeing it to handle important cases and function as an appellate body. In 1634 the colony had a population of 4,914, and new immigrants were arriving constantly."

It is with this summary of recent historical scholarship that Martha McCartney sets the stage in her new book, VIRGINIA IMMIGRANTS AND ADVENTURERS, 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary. From this point, however, Ms. McCartney breaks new ground in the story of the first generation of English settlement in Virginia by gathering "between the covers of one book the largest congregation of Virginia founders since the colony's 'ancient planters' took leave of James Fort."

Soon after the fateful landing of 1607, thousands of immigrants flocked to Jamestown and surrounding areas on both sides of the James and York rivers, where they struggled to maintain a foothold. This book brings together a remarkable variety of primary sources concerning every significant detail known about colony's earliest European inhabitants. Moreover, maps provided here identify the sites at which Virginia's earliest plantations were located and enable genealogists and students of colonial history to link most of the more than 5,500 people included in this volume to the cultural landscape.

From the earliest records relating to Virginia, we learn the basics about many of these original colonists: their origins, the names of the ships they sailed on, the names of the "hundreds" and "plantations" they inhabited, the names of their spouses and children, their occupations and their position in the colony, their relationships with fellow colonists and Indian neighbors, their living conditions as far as can be ascertained from documentary sources, their ownership of land, the dates and circumstances of their death, and a host of fascinating details about their personal lives--all gathered together in the handy format of a biographical dictionary.

In the words of Professor Kathleen Bragdon of The College of William and Mary, "Martha McCartney is the unrivaled authority on the primary sources relating to Virginia's first European explorers and settlers." VIRGINIA IMMIGRANTS AND ADVENTURERS, 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary is the crowning achievement of her investigations into the lives and whereabouts of her subjects. No collection of Virginiana can possibly be complete without it.


http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=3505&NLC-GenPointers1

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Monday, February 25, 2008

Rainey Family Letters (1861-1911)

For a PDF version of the following letter that contains footnotes and additional information go to: Rainey Cousin Letters

You will need Adobe Reader

Some text has been added by the transcriber to assist with understanding.

To John P. Rainey, Esq., Milton, Caswell County, N.C.
From J. S. Rainey (postmarked at Sharpsburg, KY.)

Sharpsburg Ky Oct. 29th [18]61
My dear uncle Jack,

I have today an hour of leisure and do not know how I can spend it more pleasantly than by writing to my Presbyterian uncle in N.C. And just here, I wish to ask my Cousin Anne L. how she obtained the information that I would not answer your letters. I suppose it is because I did not answer your last, immediately upon its reception. I confess I have been somewhat tardy, but I supposed, by waiting, I might have something of more importance to write.

In your letter to me, you inquire the age of my Mother. If I am not mistaken, she was born in June 1801, consequently she is 60 years old next summer. And O! what a sufferer she is at this time! With inflammatory rheumatism, she has been confined to her bed almost entirely for three years.

The present condition of the country and politics constitute the theme for conversation and excitement in K. at this time. Our Legislature, which is about to adjourn, refused (and I think wisely) to call a Convention. I mean a State Convention, but they will recommend a Border Slave State Convention to meet in Frankfort during the summer.

The people of our state are strongly attached to the Union. And nothing but a positive declaration by the present Administration, that we shall not have what is just and right, will induce her to think of secession. The friends of the departed Clay never meditate anything of that kind. We know too well what he would say and do, if he were with us. And it delights our hearts, & nerves our spirits to know, that the old North State occupies the same position.

I will try to send you by mail, the able article of Dr. R. J. Breckinridge on “Our Country, its Perils, etc.” which has recently appeared in the “Danville Review”. He possesses the master mind, religious or political, of this country. All others are pigmies [sic] when compared with his. He has forgotten more than John C. ever knew.

I must close by informing you that we are all well - & that we have another boy since I wrote to you last - about a year old, whom we call James after his Grandfather (great) Rainey.

Write to me soon and tell Cousin Ann to do the same, & I will promise not to delay an answer to her. So long

Your Nephew,
J. S. Rainey

Transcribed by John Douglas Storey, February 23, 2008
(great-great grandson of J.P. Rainey)
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From H. C. (Henry Clay) Rainey to Josiah Newman Rainey, dated April 26, 1911.

Mt. Sterling, Ky. April 26 - 1911

Dear Cousin Joe,

Your letter of 20th inst. recd. Our dear Coz: Mary was a grand woman. We all loved her. I sent the Obituary Notice to my sister. Mrs. W. O. Goodloe at Seymour died. Dr. G. has been compelled to leave the ministry on account of bad health. -------- Yes. Coz: Tom C. of Kansas City. Mrs. Goodloe. You. and I. are all who are left. “We a little longer wait” ---------- You notice that I have returned to my old home. Where I was born nearly 77 years ago - Sept. 15-1834-. On the hill overlooking the city, in beautiful Macpelah Cemetery, lie the ashes of twenty of my loved ones. I came back to be near the cemetery. I landed here in May last. Since then 16 of my old friends have “passed away”. Well, “passing away” is written upon everything in this world.

“Oh, who could bear life’s stormy doom
Did not thy wing of love
Come brightly wafting through the gloom
Our peace-branch from above.”
“There sorrow, touched by thee grows bright
With more than rapture’s ray
As darkness shows us worlds of light
We never saw by day.”

My youngest daughter, [Ruha], who married Mr. Geo. K. [Weining (?)] of Penn. is home also with her husband and two children, Earl Oliver and Florence Elizabeth. The Southern Church here united with the Northern Church 3 yrs. ago, and all are now connected with the Northern Gen’l. Assembly. In other towns in Ky. both churches have gone into the Southern Assembly. God hasten the time when we will all be in the one great Presb. Church, undivided.

Wallis, my preacher boy is now pastor of the church at Atlantic, Iowa. Within 7 months he has received 57 new members and the S.S. has grown from 50 to 140. He is a very popular and successful preacher.

Lizzie Clay, my oldest child is at Milan, Mo. the wife of a M. E. minister with 3 children - a boy of 18 & 2 girls. Wallis has a boy of 18 & one girl. Wm. Owley lives in Memphis, Tenn. He has three daughters all over 12 yrs. of age. He is doing well in business. On the whole I have reason to be very thankful. All of my children (4) and grand-children (10) and all being well-trained ----- Why cant you make me a visit and this grand blue grass country, the “garden spot of the world.”

Give my love to Aunt Durham and dear Coz: Bettie & children.

Write me again soon, please

Aff. Yr. Coz. H. C. Rainey

P.S. I visited my nephew, H.C. Rainey at [Cints(?)/Aunts(?)] a week ago & while there there were three Henry Clay Rainey’s under one roof. He has a son named H.C.

H.C.R.

Transcribed by John Douglas Storey, February 23, 2008
(great grandnephew of J.N. Rainey)
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Notes on the first letter, J.S. Rainey to J. P. Rainey, 1861:

A. I do not have a J. S. Rainey in my database, but due to the letter from Henry Clay Rainey of Mt. Sterling KY (near Sharpsburg) to J.P. Rainey’s son, Josiah Newman Rainey, I believe that the author of the first letter is H.C. Rainey’s brother, James Rainey, son of William Rainey (J. P.’s brother) and Ruthaner Massey (the mother mentioned) and a grandson of Judge James Rainey. At least the second letter puts the William Rainey family in that general area.

B. The “Cousin Anne L.” might be Anna Louisa Rainey, a daughter of another of J. P. Rainey’s brothers, James Rainey II (1797-1840), although the latter migrated to Mississippi and I have no record of his daughter’s whereabouts in 1861.

C. The praise for Henry Clay may reflect a long-standing respect for the great Senator from Kentucky in the William Rainey family, which would, in turn, explain the name of J. S.’s older brother.

JDS

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Notes on the second letter, H.C. Rainey to J. N. Rainey, 1911:

A. “Our dear Coz: Mary” may be Mary Dabney Richmond Harding, daughter of Anne Samuel Rainey and Caleb Hazard Richmond.

B. I do not know who Mrs. W. O. Goodloe was, though from context she was probably another Rainey cousin.

C. Cousin Tom C. of Kansas City is most likely Thomas Claiborne Rainey, born 1828 in Cottage Grove, TN., son of Thomas Muttor Rainey, 1799-, and Mary Claiborne Echols, 1797-

D. “Aunt Durham” was Elizabeth A. Durham, 1829-1919, Josiah Rainey’s Aunt with whom he lived at Durham Springs, Semora, Caswell County, North Carolina.

E. Coz: Bettie was Bettie Taylor Rainey, widow of Josiah’s brother, Nathaniel Thomas Rainey

JDS
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Perhaps it is easier to outline the kinship and see if it makes sense:

(Judge) James Rainey, 1758-1837
+ Nancy Samuel, 1768-1834
William Rainey, 1795-
+Ruthaner Massey
Henry Clay Rainey (H. C.), 1834-
James Rainey (J. S.) (??)
James Rainey II, 1797-1840
+Elizabeth Whitehead Rainey, 1799-
Anna Louisa Rainey, May 1823-
Thomas Muttor Rainey, 1799-
+ Mary Claiborne Echols, 1795-
Thomas Claiborne Rainey, 1828-
John Parish Rainey, 1803-1872
+Martha Durham, 1807-1900
Josiah Newman Rainey (Joe), 1847-1931
Nathaniel Thomas Rainey, 1849-1896
+Elizabeth Woods Taylor, 1858-1952
Ann Samuel Rainey, 1808-1836
+Caleb Hazard Richmond, 1805-1861
Mary Dabney Richmond, 1831-
+E. Ephraim Harding, 1832-

All the persons in bold were first cousins (Bettie Taylor by marriage)

JDS

******************************************************************************

If this works out as I surmise, it adds a few things to the Rainey Family data:

1. William Rainey’s son, James Rainey, had a middle name which began with “S” (for Samuel, his grandmother’s maiden name?)
2. Ruthaner Massey, William’s wife, was born in June 1801 and was still living in (Sharpsburg?), KY in 1861.
3. Anna Louisa ( or whoever “Cousin Anne L.” was), either lived in Caswell County, or corresponded with J. P. Rainey regularly.
4. William Rainey’s son Clay (which is all I have in my family records) was Henry Clay Rainey and he was born in Mt. Sterling, KY, September 15, 1834.
5. Several of H. C. Rainey’s children and grandchildren can be established.
5. H.C. had a nephew and grand-nephew, both named Henry Clay Rainey
6. The Macpelah Cemetery (also spelled Machpelah), Mt. Sterling, KY, would certainly be a good place to look for further Rainey kin.(No complete listing of graves yet on the web.)

JDS, 2/23/08
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Saturday, February 23, 2008

Descendants of Catherine Farley (1787-1865)

Descendants of Catherine Farley

Generation No. 1

1. CATHERINE3 FARLEY (HEZEKIAH2, STEWART1) was born 10 Oct 1787, and died 05 Jun 1865 in Caswell County, NC. She married NEWMAN DURHAM 07 Apr 1804 in Caswell County, NC, son of ROBERT DURHAM and MILDRED OGLESBY. He was born 25 Sep 1777, and died 09 Oct 1850 in Caswell County, NC.

Children of CATHERINE FARLEY and NEWMAN DURHAM are:
i. ROBERT WORSHAM4 DURHAM, b. 13 Jan 1805; d. 1820.
2. ii. MARTHA DURHAM, b. 01 Apr 1807; d. 10 Sep 1900.
3. iii. NATHANIEL GREEN DURHAM, b. 07 Jun 1809; d. 09 Feb 1887.
iv. MARY ANNE DURHAM, b. 13 Oct 1811; d. 10 Feb 1897.
v. JAMES DURHAM, b. 02 Apr 1814; d. 05 Nov 1838.
vi. JOHN Q.A. DURHAM, b. 20 Aug 1816.
vii. WILLIAM W. DURHAM, b. 02 Jun 1818; d. 1838.
viii. CATHERINE M. DURHAM, b. 27 Feb 1822; d. 14 Nov 1907.
ix. THOMAS A. DURHAM, b. 28 Mar 1824; d. 1827.
x. NANCY DURHAM, b. 29 Apr 1826; d. 09 Dec 1894.
xi. ELIZABETH A. DURHAM, b. 17 Feb 1829; d. 25 Jan 1919.


Generation No. 2

2. MARTHA4 DURHAM (CATHERINE3 FARLEY, HEZEKIAH2, STEWART1) was born 01 Apr 1807, and died 10 Sep 1900. She married JOHN PARISH RAINEY 15 Jan 1836, son of JAMES RAINEY and NANCY SAMUEL. He was born 10 Aug 1803 in Red House, Caswell County, NC, and died 17 Jul 1872.

Children of MARTHA DURHAM and JOHN RAINEY are:
i. JAMES HARDING5 RAINEY, b. 12 Nov 1836; d. 04 Nov 1859.
ii. WILLIAM WIRT RAINEY, b. 06 Jul 1838; d. 09 Jul 1863, Gettysburg, PA.
iii. MARY CATHERINE RAINEY, b. 08 Jan 1840; d. 12 Jul 1862.
iv. MARTHA ANNE SAMUEL RAINEY, b. 18 Jan 1841; d. 10 Jun 1893.
v. JOHN PARISH RAINEY II, b. 18 Aug 1842; d. 14 Mar 1903; m. ANNE WILSON SMITH, 03 Nov 1882; b. 14 Aug 1850, Hycotee, Caswell County, NC; d. 04 Nov 1883.
vi. MATILDA MOORE RAINEY, b. 08 Jul 1844; d. 28 May 1902.
vii. JOSIAH NEWMAN RAINEY, b. 08 Sep 1847; d. 23 Mar 1931.
4. viii. NATHANIEL THOMAS RAINEY, b. 02 Mar 1849; d. 14 Jul 1896.


3. NATHANIEL GREEN4 DURHAM (CATHERINE3 FARLEY, HEZEKIAH2, STEWART1) was born 07 Jun 1809, and died 09 Feb 1887. He married MARY ROSE 1833 in Tulip, AK.

Children of NATHANIEL DURHAM and MARY ROSE are:
i. JAMES5 DURHAM.
ii. DUNCAN DURHAM, d. 1862, Camp Bartow, Randolph County, VA.
iii. HENRY DURHAM.
iv. MARY DURHAM.
v. SARAH A. DURHAM, m. ??? BOYD.
vi. C. CASWELL DURHAM.

Generation No. 3

4. NATHANIEL THOMAS5 RAINEY (MARTHA4 DURHAM, CATHERINE3 FARLEY, HEZEKIAH2, STEWART1) was born 02 Mar 1849, and died 14 Jul 1896. He married ELIZABETH WOODS TAYLOR 28 Nov 1877, daughter of WILLIAM TAYLOR and SALLIE BRADSHER. She was born 25 Jul 1858, and died 06 Jun 1952.

Children of NATHANIEL RAINEY and ELIZABETH TAYLOR are:
i. ANNE WILLIAM6 RAINEY, b. 13 Sep 1878; d. 08 Jan 1896.
ii. MARY HARDING RAINEY, b. 05 Jul 1880; d. 21 Apr 1959, Bartow, FL; m. JOHN JOSEPH SWEARINGEN, 22 Apr 1908, Gilead Pres. Church, Caswell Co., NC; b. 19 May 1878, Dooley County, GA; d. 19 Aug 1931.
iii. JOSEPHINE SMITH RAINEY, b. 18 Jun 1883, Estelle, N.C.; d. 26 Apr 1963, Charlottesville, VA; m. WILLIAM OSMOND SMITH, 10 Jul 1907, Gilead PC, Estelle, N.C.; b. 11 Feb 1875, Crescent Farm, Osmond, N.C.; d. 02 Nov 1937, Charlottesville, Va..
iv. JOHN PARISH LEONARD RAINEY, b. 30 Mar 1887; d. 18 Jun 1895.
v. BESSIE TAYLOR RAINEY, b. 23 Oct 1888, Estelle, NC; d. 28 Jul 1963; m. ROBERT KENNON SMITH, 18 Sep 1912; b. 16 Jul 1884; d. 21 Apr 1927.

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Thursday, February 21, 2008

Emma Lee Slade Dailey (1880-1922)

(click on article for larger image)

Obituary
Mrs Emma Dailey Dies at Blanche

The death occurred at 6:30 o'clock this morning at Blanche, of Mrs. Emma Dailey, wife of J. H. Dailey, after a long illness most of which time she had been confined to her bed. Recently her condition had become critical and her death was not unexpected.

The funeral will be held from Purley, N.C. Methodist church of which for many years she had been a devout member at 4 o'clock tomorrow afternoon, the interment to be made nearby.

Mrs. Daily was 42 years of age and was born and reared in Caswell county, being a daughter of J. W. Slade, who lives in Danville. She was married 21 years ago to J. H. Dailey and had lived recently at Blanche where she was highly esteemed and beloved. She is survived by her husband, six children and 10 brothers and sisters. The surviving children ranging in ages from 10 to 20 years are Percy Dailey, Marshall Dailey, Irvin Dailey, John Dailey, Marguerite Dailey, and Sadie Bell Dailey. The brothers and sisters are W. T. Slade, Danville; Mrs. Florine Foster, Danville; Mrs. Harry Jones, Danville; J. T. Slade, Danville; Irvin Slade, Blanche, N.C.; Harry Slade, Blanche; Mrs. J. T. Henderson, Yanceyville, N.C.; Mrs. S. J. Woods, Haskell, N.J.; and Kemper Slade, Richmond.

Source: The Bee, Danville, VA, August 30, 1922

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Oscar Penn Fitzgerald (1829-1911)



(click above for larger image)

The Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia) 11 May 1914 (Page 7)

For more information see Oscar Penn Fitzgerald.

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Yanceyville Square World War I Memorial

(click on photograph for larger image)

Names Listed

White
Alvis Chandler
John Barker Thacker
Henry Anderson Solomon
Benjamin Franklin Brooks
Algernon Sidney Neal
Roy Pattillo
Edwin Moore
George Thomas Warren
Gernie M. Smith

Colored
John Lynn
John Lea
Moses Jeffress
Thomas Phelps
Alexander Harris
Willie Warren
Lawrence Lea
Byrd Fuller
Ruffin Lea
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The Caswell County Board of Commissioners met in regular session at the Historic Courthouse in Yanceyville, North Carolina at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, February 2, 2009. Members present: George W. Ward, Jr., Vice-Chairman, Eric D. Battle, William E. Carter, Nathaniel Hall, and Kenneth D. Travis. Absent: Jeremiah Jefferies and Gordon G. Satterfield. Also present: Kevin B. Howard, County Manager, Michael R. Ferrell, County Attorney, and Angela Evans representing The Caswell Messenger. Wanda P. Smith, Clerk to the Board, recorded the minutes.

Mr. Eddie Davis, of Durham, NC came before the Board and stated that he is a retired school teacher and for the past few months has been working with a group called Inclusive North Carolina. Mr. Davis added that the group has been looking at several different aspects of inclusion in the State and one area has to do with Memorials on Courthouse Squares. Mr. Davis informed the Board that in some counties in the State there are listings of those who have been involved in the supreme sacrifice for their country, unfortunately in some of these cases, there is not a total inclusion of all ethnic groups. Mr. Davis stated that Caswell County is not guilty of this, however, the Lest We Forget statue on the Courthouse Square does segregate the races who were involved with the World War. Mr. Davis added that he recognizes that the Memorial was probably placed there at a time when separation of the races was what one would expect and there is something to be said for maintaining the historic integrity of that period of time. Mr. Davis suggested to the County Commissioners and other organizations in the County that they look at the possibility of using the next Veterans Day to have some kind of alphabetical listing of those troops who made that supreme sacrifice during the World War. Mr. Davis stated that there may be some that take issue that there is another Memorial right beside it that pays tribute to all of the men and women in Caswell County that have given their services to their country, however, there is an issue about trying to make sure that in the 21st Century perhaps there could be a way to have an alphabetical listing of those troops who are on the Lest We Forget Memorial. Mr. Davis noted that the alphabetical listing could be attached to the opposite side of the current memorial and then the integrity and historical significance of the plaque originally placed there would be preserved, as well as in the 21st century having an alphabetical listing so that there would not be segregation of those troops. Mr. Davis added that he did not think such a plaque would be an exorbitant cost and that there are probably organizations or individuals in Caswell County that would be more than glad to contribute to such a plaque. Mr. Davis stated that Caswell County should be applauded for having such a Memorial and that all people that were involved were included. Mr. Davis stated that he felt that the people of Caswell County would appreciate the fact that the County Commissioners would lead the way in trying to make sure that the inclusion and diversity that we have in the 21st Century would deal with the freedom, democracy, and equity that is expected of such a great County.

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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Graves-Covington House (c.1860)

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Thomas Covington House, Caswell County, Yanceyville, North Carolina

History of Owners

1. Lewis Graves and Elizabeth Graves

Married November 12, 1818. Elizabeth Graves is the daughter of General Azariah Graves of Locust Hill. Lewis Graves and Elizabeth Graves are first cousins. Lewis Graves built the federal-style cottage (the rear portion in the above photograph) around 1818. The Lewis Graves family later moved to Morgan County, Georgia

2. Thomas Burton

Purchased tract from Lewis Graves on April 7, 1835. Thomas Burton paid $1,028.35 for 374.3 acres adjoining John Wiley, John Richmond, John Langley and Joseph Langley.

3. Thomas Covington (1806-1869)

Married Elizabeth Willis Stanfield in Halifax County, VA, on February 22, 1836
Listed on Caswell County Tax in 1839 near Milton, NC.
On May 6, 1846, Thomas Covington purchased from Thomas Burton tract of land for $2,448.00 with house thereon. Thomas Covington built his home soon thereafter by adding to the front of Lewis Graves federal cottage.

4. Virginia Covington Chandler (died 1916)

Daughter of Thomas Covington and Elizabeth Willis Stanfield Covington. Married William Graves Chandler

5. Vance Chandler (died c.1938)

Son of William Graves Chandler and Virginia Covington Chandler. Never Married.

6. Arnold Jeter Fuqua (1892-1971) and wife Flora Ilene Lindley Fuqua (1902-1992)

Apparently purchased the property after Vance Chandler died. Arnold Jeter Fuqua once operated the Yanceyville business that later became "Alvis Briggs BBQ."

Mary Elizabeth Connally Lipscomb (1835-1924)

Mrs. J. J. Lipscomb Dies at Ripe Age

Mrs. Mary E. Lipscomb, wife of John J. Lipscomb, died at half past four o’clock this morning at the home of her daughter, Mrs. T. T. Adams, 337 West Main street, after suffering a stroke of paralysis last Tuesday. There had been little hope extended, for she was in her eighty-ninth year and it was felt that the infirmities of old age would not withstand the shock to her system. She had been frail for six months or more but until stricken she had full possession of her mental faculties and was unusually energetic in mind and body.

Mrs. Lipscomb was born in Halifax county being a daughter of E. F. Connally [George Franklin Connally], a member of the well known Milton family. She spent her early days in Halifax and Milton, being married to Mr. Lipscomb in June 1867. Mr. Lipscomb died twenty-five years ago and since his death his widow had resided chiefly at Milton, coming to her daughter here about three years ago.

Mrs. Lipscomb was probably the oldest member of Milton Methodist church, formerly known as Connally’s church. During her life she evidenced continued devotion to this church and to its work.

The remains will be taken from Danville tomorrow to near Barksdale Depot, where the funeral will take place from the old home, interment to be made near that point. Rev. J. B. Hurley, of the Milton church, will conduct the services.

Mrs. Lipscomb, who was a woman of striking Christian character, is survived by four children: Mrs. T. T. Adams, Danville; G. F. Lipscomb, Greenville, Texas; Mrs. Sallie H. Jones, of Yanceyville, N. C.; and J. J. Lipscomb, of Milton, N. C. She also leaves a brother: J. F. Connally of Pamplin City, Va.

The Bee (Danville, Virginia) 11 April 1924 (Page 1)
(click article for larger image)
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Note that the above obituary incorrectly identifies the father of Mary Elizabeth Connally Lipscomb as E. F. Connally. This should have been G. F. Connally (George Franklin Connally). Her mother was Mildred Hundley Lewis Connally.

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

Woods-Ray Wedding 1922

Miss Ethel Woods Bride of Dr. Ray

One of the prettiest and most interesting weddings in Caswell county, N. C. for several years was that at 9 o'clock Saturday at the Methodist Episcopal church South, at Purley which united Miss Ethel Graham Woods, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel G. Woods, and Dr. Frank L. Ray well known surgeon of Charlotte, N. C., the Rev. A. J. Hobbs pastor of the church being the celebrant. The impressive and beautiful ceremony was witnessed by a large congregation many coming from distant points. The wedding was followed by an informal reception at the residence of the bride's parents.

While the guests were assembling Mrs. Basil Boyd, of Charlotte, N. C. a sister of the bride gowned in black lace, sang beautifully "Oh, Fair, Oh' Sweet and Holy."

Soon afterward the strains of the wedding march from Tannhauser heralded the procession of the bridal party in this order. The ushers - Graham Hatchett, of Yanceyville, N. C., John A. Woods, of Purley, Norman Taylor, of Danville, Va. and Charles Dailey of Wilson, N. C. who assumed their positions before the alter-rail then the dame-of-honor, Mrs. William H. Stone, III, of Greensboro, N. C., gowned in blue sequin with corsage of rosebuds and entering by the left isle and alone, next the maid-of honor, Miss Myrtle Fox Woods, sister of the bride gowned in orchid taffeta with ribbon train and carrying a half-shower of rainbow sweet peas also entering alone by the left aisle, then the little ring-bearer Master Harry Clay Slade, Jr., clad in white satin and bearing the ring in a bursting rose, next the flower-girl little Miss Lucy Paylor Carter dainty in a frock of white organdie and strewing rose-petals in the pathway to be trod by the bride. Then came the moment of expectancy, the appearance of the bride, who entered on the arms of her father, Samuel G. Woods who later gave her in marriage. The bride's wedding gown was of Spanish lace over crepe, with court train and silk-tulle veil caught with orange blossom. Her only ornament was a string of pearls, the gift of the bridegroom. Her bouquet was a shower of lilies of the valley and Bride rosebuds.

The bridegroom, who entered from a side door on the arm of his best man, Shell Jones, of Wake Forest, N. C., met the bride and her father before the officiating clergyman and the familiar words of the wedding service were soon said, vows exchanged and a benediction invoked, closing the ceremony.

Miss Lillie Mae Voss, of Danville directed the music for the wedding.

The bride's mother, Mrs. Samuel G. Woods, was handsomely gowned in black lace and wore a corsage of violets.

Those attending the reception at the home of the bride's parents immediately after the ceremony included the wedding party and guests from a distance, among whom were Mrs. Basil Boyd, of Charlotte, N. C., Miss F. Burton Turberville, Milton, N. C., Miss Helen Dailey, Wilson, N. C., Norman Taylor, of Danvile, Va., Shell Jones, Wake Forest, N. C., Charles Dailey, Wilson, N. C., Mrs. William H. Stone, Greensboro, Miss Annie D. Connally, Mr. and and Mrs. W. N. Ruffin, Jr., Mrs. Will Slade and Misses Virginia and Howard, of Danville, Va.

The bride and bridegroom left at midnight for a trip to New York and other points for a wedding journey. In a little more than two weeks they will be home at Charlotte, N. C., where Dr. Ray is a successful surgeon. The bride is a graduate of the Memorial Hospital training school for nurses at Richmond, Va. and has been greatly admired for her beauty and amiability.

Source: The Bee (Danville, Virginia) 20 March 1922(Page 2) [click on newspaper article for larger image]
























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Saturday, February 16, 2008

Smith-Wilson Correspondence 1833





(click on letter for larger image)

This is an 1833 letter from Richard Ivy Smith (1800-1871) to his partner, John Wilson (1796-1875), possibly while John Wilson was in New York on a buying trip for the store the two owned in Milton, North Carolina. Anne Smith Wilson (1802-1838) was the sister of Richard Ivy Smith and the wife of John Wilson. Above is the actual letter, below is a transcript of the text.

Note that Smith family researchers are a bit surprised by the reference to a Margaret Wilson, sister of John Wilson. Before these letters were found only one sibling was known for John Wilson. This was brother George Wilson, which according to family tradition "was lost at sea." Is this Margaret Wilson the sister of John Wilson or the widow of George Wilson?

Sept. 27th 1833

Dear Sir

Yours of 29th ult. came by today’s mail. Ann desired me to write and leave her a postscript. Nothing has occurred of any importance since you left home. I have not succeeded in getting a clerk yet. Maj. Lea say they can’t do without young Vanhook. I expect however we shall be able to get some one in due time, although I have no one particularly in view at present. I am rather afraid that John Richmond whom we have been speaking of would hardly suit us if we can do better. I learn he is quite slow. Uncle Jack H. has been recommending young Richerson, if he can be got, who is teaching school in his neighborhood and boarding at his house all the year. He gives him a fine character for steadiness of habits and qualifications of the first order except as to the practical acquaintance with the business behind the counter, which he will acquire in half the time that ordinary persons would. He does not know that he could be had upon reasonable terms as his school which is worth $200 per year is probably more than we can afford to give him. He may, however, be induced to take up at first under prospects of doing better in future. I shall see him at the Camp Meeting on tomorrow as he is expected down at that time.

Bring with you a dozen of the Temperance Almanacks published by the NY Temperance Society. I believe they will be quite a saleable article here. Should you make any stop in Baltimore on your return - get me 1 Doz. of the Comic Almanack - or more - you will find out, on inquiry, through whom they are for sale. They will also sell readily. Get a piece of cotton velvet as well as a piece of silk do.

You speak of being at a loss for a conveyance to bring up your sister with you from Petersburg. There need be no embarrassment in the matter, as Jim and the barouche are at command on any occasion and more especially in this present, as they can be spared with the most perfect convenience. You have only to set the time and place and he will meet you accordingly. By no means omit to command them.

As Ann wishes to edge in a word or two I must cut short.

I remain your ob. Servant

Richd. I. Smith [Richard Ivy Smith]

Jn. Wilson Esq.

My Dear Husband

I am truly sorry to hear that Sister Margaret’s health is so bad, and can only say to you to do all in your power to bring her up with you. You will see that Richard very kindly offered you any assistance in the matter. Write to her and let her know what you intend to do, and assure her of my tenderest sympathy for her. It would be a pleasure for me to have her with us. Let me know whether I had better write to her or not. I feel anxious to hear more, particularly from you. As Richard has written and it is now late I will conclude and write in a few days. The children are all asleep. Some of the family moved over to the Camp ground today. The balance will go in the morning. Believe me your affectionate

ASW [Ann Smith Wilson]
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For more on these families visit the Caswell County Family Tree.

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Alice Cleveland Slade Henderson Funeral 1928

The Bee (Danville, Virginia) 24 July 1928 (Page 6)

Mrs. T. J. Henderson’s Funeral Draws Many At Yanceyville

(Special to The Bee) Yanceyville, N. C., July 24 – The funeral of Mrs. Alice Henderson, wife of Postmaster T. J. Henderson, who died in a Danville hospital Sunday evening, was conducted here at 5 o’clock yesterday evening by Rev. W. W. McMorris, Rev. S. J. Starnes, Rev. W. C. Jones and Rev. John B. Winn, of Danville, from the Presbyterian church. A large outpouring of friends of the family was seen and the funeral was one of the largest seen in this section for many years.

The pall bearers were: Lynn Hodges, Harry Slade, Kemper Slade, Will Slade, A. C. Lindsay and Henry Daley. The floral designs which were many and beautiful were borne by:

Harry Jones, Louis Hodges, Percey Daily, Irvin Daily, Marshall Daily, Roy Slade, J. T. Townes, Dan Mebane, W. A. Murrary, T. G. Harrison, A. L. Florence, H. F. Brandon, Tom Boswell, Jules Johnston, Dr. Gwynn, Henry Turner, Carl Moser, Dr. Malloy, Marsh McGuire, Walter McGuire, W. F. Fitch, Tom Ham, E. F. Upchurch, W. B. Horton, Clyde Barnwell, Henry Hooper, W. H. Hooper, Hubert Page, J. L. Russell, J. O. Guinn, Tom Hamlin, Sam Bason, Harry Bradner, L. J. Enoch, Lloyd Johnson, W. E. Regan, Bob Reagan, Tom Hoke, L. L. Bradner, Nat Lindsey, R. L. Mitchell, B. S. Graves, E. A. Allison, John Woods, A. B. Gibson, John A. Massey, O. A. Powell, R. T. Wilson, J. A. White, J. F. White, W. H. Williamson, Walter Williamson, Glen Williamson, A. K. Williamson, Jule Turner, Marcus Winstead, John Johnson, Pink Gwynn, Dabney Williamson, Sheriff Gunn, William Gunn, W. N. Harrison, Bob Harrison, John Harrison, Sterling Graves, James Slade, John Anderson, Bascome Jordan, S. G. Woods, C. K. Carter, Jim Murray, Edd Myers, C. C. Cole, Wm. Jackson, Wm. Dodson, J. A. Boswell, Tom Foster, Ernest Foster, Eddie Hatchett, C. H. Thompson, S. H. Able, W. A. Poteat, Marvin Brackin, T. H. Hatchett, R. A. Pointer, T. S. Neal, and many others.
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The Bee (Danville, Virginia) 28 July 1928 (Page 1)
Mrs. Henderson Is Laid at Rest

Yanceyville, N. C. July 28 – Funeral services were held Tuesday for Mrs. Cleveland Slade Henderson, wife of Thomas J. Henderson, and highly esteemed Caswell county woman, were held on Tuesday.

Beautiful tributes were paid to the memory of Mrs. Henderson by her pastor, Rev. W. W. McMorries, who conducted the funeral in the Presbyterian church which was filled to overflowing, as many people being outside the doors as within. Other ministers being present and assisting D. McMorries were Rev. S. J. Starnes pastor of the local Methodist church, Rev. P. T. Worrell pastor of the local Baptist church, Dr. Winn, pastor of Mount Vernon Methodist church, Danville, Rev. S. F. Nicks, a former pastor of the local Methodist church, and Rev. W. C. Jones pastor of the Methodist church.

Mrs. Henderson is survived by her husband and two daughters, Florine and Lady Alice, by her mother, Mrs. Alice Slade of Danville, by four brothers, W. T. Slade of Danville, Kemper Slade of Richmond, H. C. Slade, of Blanche, Townes Slade, of Philadelphia, and by four sisters, Mrs. J. H. Dailey, of Blanch, Mrs. L. F. Hodges, of Yanceyville, Mrs. Harry Jones of Danville, and Mrs. S. J. Woods of Haskel, N. J.

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Friday, February 15, 2008

Helen Poteat Stallings Marriage 1944

New York Times 28 April 1944
Nuptials Are Held For Mrs. Stallings
Daughter of Late Educator Is Wed to Lt. G. P. Marshall of Navy in Church Here

Announcement was made yesterday of the marriage of Mrs. Helen Poteat Stallings of 222 East Seventy-first Street and Forest Home Plantation, Caswell County, N. C., to Lieutenant. Gordon Preston Marshall, USNR, of Marlock House, Hingham, Mass., which took place here Wednesday in Riverside Church. The couple were [sic] unattended.

Mrs. Marshall is the daughter of the late William Louis Poteat, one-time president of Wake Forest College, and the late Mrs. Poteat. Her marriage to Laurence Stallings, author, was terminated by divorce in Reno in 1936. She has two daughters, the Misses Sylvia and Diana Stallings.

The bridegroom’s former wife, who was Miss Grace Helena Bullock, daughter of Prof. and Mrs. Charles J. Bullock of Cambridge, Mass., died in 1942. Lieutenant Marshall has three sons of that union—George Baker, Samuel Bullock and Douglas Gordon Marshall. The bridegroom is president of the H. Newton Marshall Company, painting contractors, of Boston. He was graduated from the Yale Sheffield Scientific School in 1921. His clubs are the Union of New York and Boston, Yale of New York and Boston, St. Butolph of Boston, St. Elmo of Yale and the Country of Brookline.
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Click article for larger image.

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Thursday, February 14, 2008

John Miller Pleasant Honored by Caswell Parish

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The Caswell Messenger (Yanceyville, North Carolina)
Feb 12, 2008 - 10:37:03 pm CST

The Caswell Parish presented its first annual leadership award to Mr. John M. Pleasant of Purley, during a banquet held on Tuesday, February 12. This newly created award is presented to a Caswell Coutny citizen that exemplifies unselfish services to God, country and community. A veteran of the US Marine Corp and World War II, Pleasant has demonstrated his unselfish commitment to services to others through his church, Purley United Methodist, service on the Board of the Caswell County Chamber of Commerce, the Board of the Caswell Family Medical center and his support of the Caswell Parish and its programs.

Pleasant owned and managed a second generation family business, Pleasant General Store, with his brother William before founding Ace Home and Building center in Yanceyville, now owned by the Walker family. Today, he remains very active in his church and community. He is well-known for organizing the Purley Methodist church monthly men's breakfast, now in its 31st year, which includes men from across the county, his many years of delivering Meals on Wheels and his love of the Boston Red sox. Pleasant is a life-long native of Caswell County and is married to Mabel Bradner Pleasant. They have two sons, Dan and Mike, five grandchildren and one great-grandson.
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John Miller Pleasant is the son of John Milner Pleasant (1887-1942) and Irma John Wingate Davis (1890-1975). Mabel Bradner Pleasant is the daughter of Lancelot L. Bradner (182-1965) and Sallie Eunice Smith (1887-1967). For more on this family visit the Caswell County Family Tree.

(click on photograph for larger image)

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Dr. Stephen Arnold Malloy Injured 1930


The Bee (Danville, Virginia) 3 February 1930 (Page 1)

Dr. Malloy Badly Hurt In Accident

Yanceyville Physician’s Car Overturns When Forced from Road by Speeder

Dr. S. A. Malloy, well-known physician of Yanceyville, N. C., was brought to Memorial hospital here late yesterday suffering severe injuries about the side and face as a result of an automobile accident near Yanceyville in which the physician’s car was forced from the road by a passing motorist and turned over down an embankment.

Dr. Julian Robinson, who treated Dr. Malloy, stated this morning that his condition was favorable, but that it would be several weeks before the injured physician would be able to resume his practice. Dr. Malloy has four fractured ribs and several abrasions about the face and head.

The accident occurred on a curve about two miles west of Yanceyville, close to the store of Swicegood brothers. Dr. Malloy was driving toward Yanceyville when, on negotiating the curve, another car approaching at great speed forced the physician off the embankment, his car rolling over several times and resulting in the injuries stated above.

Several people at Swicegood Brothers store witnessed the accident and rushed at once to the physician’s aid. He was taken first to the home of Dewey Swicegood, where his wife hurried to his side and later was brought to the hospital here by Mr. Swicegood and Mrs. Malloy.

The identity of the motorist who caused the accident could not be learned, though police have been given a description of the car and its occupant.
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Dr. Stephen Arnold Malloy, M.D. (1872-1944) married Nannie Emma Kerr (1885-1978) on 14 May 1914. Note that the Dewey Swicegood mentioned above is believed to be Dewey Malloy Swicegood, born around 1899, and apparently delivered by Dr. Stephen Arnold Malloy, M.D.!
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Click on article for larger image.

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Monday, February 11, 2008

Peter H. Williamson (c.1847-1922)


Peter Williamson Dies In Reidsville

Reidsville, N.C., Feb. 14 (1922)--Peter H. Williamson, one of Reidsville's best known and highly regarded citizens, passed away at his home on Lawsonville avenue Sunday night at midnight. He was 77 years of age and is survived by his widow and several nephews and nieces. His death was due to a stroke of paralysis sustained several weeks ago.

Mr. Williamson was a native of Caswell county and located in Reidsville some 35 years ago, and for many years conducted a large mercantile establishment here. He was adjutant of Scales-Boyd Camp of Confederate Veterans. For many years past he has been a justice of the peace and trial magistrate.

During the war he was a lieutenant (at the age of 19) in the home guards of Caswell county. He was a constable during the famous "Kirk war" in Caswell county during Reconstruction days when that county was under martial law. On one occasion he served a warrant issued by a local magistrate on General Kirk in command of federal troops stationed in that county. Kirk was so enraged that he tore up the warrant and had young Williamson arrested and put in jail. This was a few years after the hanging by unknown parties of "Chicken" Stephens. The Yanceyville jail was too small to hold the many prominent Caswell county citizens who had been arrested by Kirk's men, and many of them were confined and guarded in the courthouse. Young Williamson was locked in the room in which Stephens had been killed.

Funeral services were conducted from the Main Street M. E. church this morning at 11 o'clock by Pastor M. F. Moores. Burial followed at Greenview cemetery.

Source: The Bee, Danville, VA, February 14, 1922

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See also: Kirk-Holden War, The New York Herald 23 July 1870

Nancy Graves Womack Neal Bustard (1858-1926)


Obituary of Nancy Graves Womack Bustard (1858-1926)

Mrs. Bustard Passes Away at Her Home: Funeral to Be Held Here Tomorrow with Interrment at Yanceyville

Mrs. Nannie Womack Bustard wife of John Bustard died at 10: 15 o'clock last night at her home 136 West Main Street after an illness lasting over a year. She had been bedridden for several months. Three weeks ago she began failing rapidly and since then had been in serious condition. While many close friends knew of her serious illness it was not generally recognized and this morning's announcement was a severe shock to the many who had learned to know and love her.

Mrs. Bustard come of distinguished lineage being born at Summer Hill in Caswell County, N. C. on October 10th, 1858, a daughter of Thomas J. Womack and Mrs. Anne Elizabeth Yancey, of that county. She was a granddaughter of the famed Bartlett Yancey for whom Yanceyville was named and who during his time was an outstanding man in the affairs of North Carolina.

Mrs. Bustard was first married to Lewis M. Neal, of Caswell. Some years after his death or on September 8th, 1920 she was married to Mr. Bustard in Yanceyville, since which time she had made her home in this City. Early in life, Mrs. Bustard joined the Yanceyville Presbyterian church and maintained her affiliation with it throughout the latter years. She was actively interested in the church's work during her residence at Yanceyville and on moving to Danville maintained contact with it and its congregation.

Mrs. Bustard is survived by her husband and the following step-children: John Bustard, Jr. and James Bustard, of Danville, Clark Bustard of Norfolk, Maitland H. Bustard of Washington, and Miss Agnes Bustard of this city. She also leaves a sister, Mrs. Sallie Wiggins of Yanceyville.

The funeral will be conducted from the West Main street residence at two o'clock tomorrow afternoon after which the remains will be taken to Yanceyville and interred in the old family burial ground where a commitment service will be held at three o'clock. Revs. N. E. Wicker and Joseph Dunglinson, will conduct the rites here, the pastor of the Yanceyville church officiating at Yanceyville.

Source: Danville Bee (Virginia), 22 October 1926

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Valentine W. Pryor (1852-1922)


The Bee (Danville, Virginia) 12 August 1922 (Page 1)

Funeral of V. W. Pryor

The funeral of V. W. Pryor was conducted yesterday evening at 4 o'clock from Pelham M. E. church, interment being made there. Mr. Pryor who died here, was born in Goochland county, February 14, 1852, being the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Pryor of that county. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Mary R. Pryor and eight children, Mrs. J. O. Powell, Pelham, N. C., Mrs. J. C. Powell, Caswell county, Mrs. J. T. Bobbitt, Danville, Misses Elsie and May Pryor, Danville, J. N. Pryor, Aberdeen, N. C., Eugene and G. P. Pryor of this city.

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Sunday, February 10, 2008

Yanceyville Party Car Crash 1926

The Bee (Danville, Virginia) 19 November 1926 (Page 1)

7 Have Close Call As Car Turns Over

Yanceyville Party Suffer Lightly In Wreck Near Durham

(Special to The Bee: Click on Article for Larger Image)

Yanceyville, N. C. Nov 19 – Seven people in this community felt today that they owed their lives to the fact that the car in which they were traveling late last night from Durham, N. C. had a steel top. The car turned over and stopped with all its wheels in the air, all the occupants being bruised and shocked but none seriously hurt.

Those in the car at the time of the accident were Troy Pleasants, Judge T. H. Hatchett, Mrs. William Johnson, John Harrison, Miss Mary Slade Anderson, John Anderson, of Yanceyville, and J. Turner of Conway, S. C., driver of the closed car.

The group was part of a company of 40 or more people who recently motored to Myrtle Beach, near Conway, S. C. where a large land development is going on. They left for home yesterday and about midnight, while running between Durham and Chapel Hill, met with the accident.

The speedy car was about to round a curve on the hard-surfaced road when Turner suddenly realized that with the momentum he had gathered he could not make the turn. With quick presence of mind, he headed for an open field, avoided a number of stumps and finally landed in soft earth, the car skidding and turning bottom side up.

Troy Pleasants was the first to get out of the overturned car, inside of which the occupants were piled up together. Gradually the passengers crawled to safety, and when all were out stock was taken of the situation, and it was found that none had serious injury. There were a few abrasions and bruises.

Another car was secured and the party arrived here at 2 o’clock this morning. The wrecked car had a steel top, and the opinion is that but for this all would have been killed or maimed. The top was stout enough to support the weight of the overturned car without yielding.

People Mentioned:

Troy Pleasants [Pleasant]
Judge T. H. Hatchett
Mrs. William Johnson
John Harrison
Miss Mary Slade Anderson
John Anderson
J. Turner

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Yanceyville News 1923


The Bee
(Danville, Virginia) 14 February 1923
(click on article for larger image)
Yanceyville News
(Special to The Bee)

Yanceyville, N. C., Feb. 14 – Rev. J. T. Stanford filled his regular appointments at Locust Hill and prospect churches last Sunday. Notwithstanding the bad condition of the roads, there were satisfactory congregations at each place.

Interest in the consolidation of schools in the county continues to grow. Two townships, Prospect Hill and Leasburg, are each considering the erection of a township high school. Much activity is being manifested in both these projects, and no doubt each school will be in operation next year.

Rev. E. B. Thompson preached his farewell sermon at the Presbyterian church here last Sunday night. He will leave early in March for his new pastorate in Louisiana. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have made for themselves a warm place in the hearts of the people here, and the best wishes of the entire community go with them to their new home and field of labor.

Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Pope are confined to their home with flu this week.

Among the social events of last week was a party given Monday night by Mrs. E. F. Upchurch and another Friday night by Miss Willie Johnston.

John H. Davis, an esteemed citizen of the Purley community, died early last Saturday morning. The funeral was conducted from Providence Baptist Church Sunday afternoon by the pastor, Rev. R. W. Prevost. Mr. Davis had been a member of that church for nearly forty years.

Mrs. J. H. Herr continues ill from a recent attach of influenza. Dr. and Mrs. W. O Spencer, of Winston-Salem, visited Mrs. Kerr Sunday.

P. F. Sutton is spending part of the week in Greensboro on business.
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