"With such a deservedly high character, the Subscribers feel justified in offering these Wheels to the Public. They will sell individual or county rights on reasonable terms. They also keep constantly on hand for sale, Pairs of Wheels, (varying in size to suit different heads of water," in this place [Fayetteville], Wilmington, Washington, and Newbern, -- and also for sale by John T. Dodson, Caswell County."
The Greensboro Patriot (Greensboro, NC), 4 April 1846.
These vertical waters wheels powered saws for cutting lumber. John T. Dodson has not been further identified, but may be associated with the Dodson family of Milton, Caswell County, North Carolina. However, the 1850 United States Federal Census shows John Dotson [Dodson], a "Mill Wright," born c. 1808 in Virginia, and living in Guilford County, North Carolina.
Click image to see a larger version.
Village Hotel in Yanceyville
When this hotel was built is not known. Nor is known its exact physical location in Yanceyville. An early reference I found is an 1846 newspaper advertising its sale:
"Village Hotel, at Yanceyville For Sale"
"On Monday the 29th June next [1846], (being the first day of the Caswell County Court,) by Virtue of a Decree of the Court of Equity, I will sell at public Auction on the premises, in the Town of Yanceyville, the Lot and Tavern recently owned and occupied by the late Capt. Wm. Graves, together with all the appurtenances.
"The main building is large and well arranged, the out houses, numerous and convenient, constituting this one of the most desirable and valuable Hotels in this State. This property is so well and favorably known that a minute discription [sic] of it is deemed needless. A credit of nine months will be given -- bond and security required, and the title retained until the purchase money is paid.
"At the same time and place, and on the same terms I will sell four other Lots in the Town of Yanceyville."
Calvin Graves, Ex'r. and Com'r.
May 15th 1846.
603-4t.
Source: The Weekly Standard (Raleigh, North Carolina), 24 June 1846.
Why total Caswell County acreage is shown as only 262,005 is not totally understood. Today we know the total acreage of the county is 273,920. Perhaps this was due to inaccurate surveys at the time. It also may be the total acreage shown excludes certain non-taxable land owned by churches (including cemeteries) and the government. However, note that certain "Town Property" was taxed.
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The Caswell County document is from: "Report of the North Carolina Comptroller of Public Accounts, for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1857."
"Statement, Exhibiting the valuation of real estate, and the Taxes derived from each subject of taxation in the several Counties of the State; also the Taxes levied by the Courts of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for County purposes, as follows."
Source: The Weekly Standard (Raleigh, North Carolina), Wednesday, 27 January 1858 [https://www.newspapers.com/image/58243336 - accessed 19 December 2022].
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Note the three county tax items: "Poor," "County Expenses," and "Schools."
The taxes allocated to the "Poor" were to fund the Caswell County Poor House and associated cemetery, which became the County Home.
Taxes allocated to "County Expenses" covered the Caswell County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, the various county employees, and county property (courthouse, jail, stocks, etc.).
School taxes were to support the common schools in Caswell County.
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The tax rates for "County Expenses" and "Schools" may be confusing. Just read "do" as meaning "same as above."
Thus, the rates for "County Expenses" were "19 cents per $100 value real estate, and 41 cents per poll [head]."
The rates for "Schools" were "6 cents per $100 value real estate, and 18 cents per poll [head]."
Prominent members of the Democratic Party of Caswell County in the late 1830s. This was the party of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. The opposing party at the time was the Whig Party (established in 1834 in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson).
The Caswell County newspaper of the time that supported the Democratic Party was The Milton Spectator.
Quinton AndersonMilesville, Caswell County: How It Was Named
"When James Miles (1784-1848) and Elizabeth Burnette (Betsy) Gunn Miles (1786-1873) were first married, they built and lived in a one-room log cabin with a half-wooden, half-dirt floor, which was located south of Yanceyville, North Carolina. At that time, they were unable to afford a completely wooden floor.
"They later bought the Judge Thomas Ruffin farm in Stoney Creek Township, consisting of 1700 acres, for 50 cents an acre. Much later, the farm was divided among the twelve children. James Miles gave the name Milesville to the site where he settled and for years there was a general store and post office at the site."
Source: The Heritage of Caswell County, North Carolina, Jeannine D. Whitlow, Editor (1985) at 382-383 (Article #489 "The Miles Family" by Alice M. Reavis).
Hugh Dobbin/Dobbins Sold Free Black Children: 1788
"There were free blacks in Caswell County by the late eighteenth century, but they sometimes had difficulty proving their status. At the county court session of January 23, 1789, Hugh Dobbin was ordered to appear before the Hillsborough Superior Court to answer a charge that he had taken into his possession 'and conveyed away three free born Negro Children.' The children were those of Cuzza Tiner (or Tyner). Dobbin was ordered to post sufficient securities in the amount of £500 for each of the children and £1,000 for himself 'payable to the State but to be void on condition that he shall do his utmost endeavour & if in his power to find the three Negro Children.' He was given until the April meeting of the court to recover the children. There appears to be no further mention of this case in the court records, and it can only be assumed that the matter was settled promptly and to the satisfaction of the justices."
Source: Powell, William S. When the Past Refused to Die: A History of Caswell County North Carolina 1777-1977. Durham (North Carolina): Moore Publishing Company, 1977, p. 525.
Raleigh, Oct. 28.
A Political Libel. -- On Friday last came on to be heard at the Superior Court of Stokes County, in this state, the trial of a libel, on an indictment found at October term, 1813, against Romulus Sanders [Saunders] of Caswell County for having written and published in this paper of the 23 of April preceding, a libel on James Martin, Jun. Esq. Councellor at Law, of Stokes County, at that time a Candidate for a seat in the present Congress, in a letter addressed to him, under the signature of "Gracchus."
The prosecution was conducted in [on] behalf of the state, by Edward Jones, Esq. Solicitor, and Thomas Ruffin, Esq. was Counsel for the Defendant.
Mr. Jones proved by sufficient evidence that Mr. Sanders [Saunders] was the author of the piece in question; but failed in fully establishing the publication by Mr. Saunders, or his agent the Editor of the Register, in the County of Stokes. A paper was produced which was found in the possession of a citizen of that county; but it did not appear that it was bro't or sent there by either the writer or the printer.
One passage in the piece which was charged as libelous, was set aside because it was not published precisely as written.
Mr. Ruffin on the part of the defendant, produced a Circular written by Mr. Martin just before the election, to which Gracchus was intended as an answer, and contended, in an animated and eloquent address, that though the piece was spirited and somewhat severe, it was not more so than the Circular warranted; that the publication was altogether levelled at the political and not at the private character of Mr. Martin, and that so far from being written with malicious intent, the parties were unknown to each other.
That the writer had undertaken, as he had a right to do, to support Mr. Yancey, Mr. Martin's successful opponent, to defend the present administration and the present war, against the attacks of Mr. Martin; and to encourage the people to support both, notwithstanding the taxes with which they were told by the Prosecutor they would be oppressed.
Judge Seawell laid down the law on the subject of Libels to the Jury in a clear and perspicuous manner; said that malicious intent was a necessary ingredient in every libel; and if that was ascertained, it must also appear that the libel was published by the author or his agent, the printer, in the County of Stokes, in order to bring the matter within the cognizance of the court. If these facts were satisfactorily proved, the Jury would find the defendant guilty; but, if on the contrary, they believe the writer to have done no more than exercised a right which every citizen enjoys, of examining the qualifications and pretensions of a candidate for a seat in Congress, free from malicious intent, or personal slander, then they would find the defendant Not Guilty.
He directed the Jury to carry with them, when they retired, not only the bill of indictment, but the newspaper containing the piece signed Gracchus, compare them together, and form their own judgement of the correctness of the innuendoes contained in the indictment, and of the whole matter, and return a verdict accordingly.
The Jury retired, and in a few minutes, returned a verdict of "Not Guilty."
Richmond Enquirer (Richmond, VA), 4 November 1814.
North Carolina Comptroller's Office, August 28, 1798
Pursuant to the 9th section of an act of the Assembly, passed in the year 1796, entitled, "An act to raise a revenue for the payment of the civil list and contingent charges of government, for the year 1797, and to amend the revenue laws in certain cases,"
I hereby certify that . . . Yancey Bailey, Sheriff of Person; Azariah Graves, Sheriff of Caswell . . . have failed to settle and account on oath for the public taxes of their respective counties for the year 1796.
J, Craven, Comptroller
The North Carolina Journal (Halifax, North Carolina), 24 September 1798.
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Azariah Graves (1768-1850), son of John Graves (1715-1972) and Isabella Lea Graves (1738-1796). See photograph. During the War of 1812 he became a general.
We have been discussing Mattie Link Pulliam (1889-1975) and her family. She lived in the old Milton Methodist Church manse/pastorage immediately west of the church. Her house was placed for sale at auction in 1960/1961. She served as Leasburg postmaster and operated the family store.
The photograph most likely is the store or the site thereof. It is immediately across the road/street (Highway 158 ) from her home and from the old Leasburg post office. Thus, her commute was short, being easy walking distances from her home to the post office and to the store.
Her father, William Joseph Pulliam (1850-1934), was killed walking across Highway 158 from his home to his store. In later years, this store was owned and operated by Clyde Curtis Briggs (1917-1981). The building apparently is for sale by owner. Note the newer metal roof.
Photograph: Google Maps July 2022.
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However, at some point it became the Mattie Link Pulliam home, being sold at auction by her in 1961:
"In this sale we are selling the Mattie L. Pulliam Homeplace, in the village of Leasburg, N.C. This property consists of a beautiful 7-room house, with bath, hardwood floors, new heating system of forced air heat, being insulated with storm doors and windows throughout. Also on the same lot is a small building now being used for the Post Office. Extra large spacious tract of 3.75 acres of land surrounds this property. Also three-fourth acre tract to be sold separately or grouped back with larger tract as interest justifies. This is truly some of the very best property that is now available for sale in Leasburg."
The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), 21 May 1961.
Photograph: Google Maps, July 2022.
"The Norfolk Angel and the Model T" by Thomas Garrett Neal of Eden (born 1914 in Caswell County) in Lasley, R. T. and Holt, Sallie, Editors. Life in the Good Old Days in Alamance, Caswell, and Rockingham Counties. Hickory (N.C.): Hometown Memories Publishing, 2005.
"And now, back to the good old days at Trinity School. I can't remember many of my teacher's names. One was Mrs. Hodges and one was Miss Brannack. I liked them.
"The first grades through fourth were in one room and the fifth through seventh in the other room. The principal taught the higher grades and I was always afraid of her.
"Papa always told us that if we got a spanking or switching at school, he would give us another one when we got home. He and Mama did not take excuses for misbehavior at school like people do now, so there wasn't much trouble at grammar school or high school.
"At Trinity, we had a fifteen minute recess in the morning, forty-five minutes (sometimes an hour) for lunch and a fifteen minute recess in the afternoons. And we had lots of fun during this time.
"Before noon each day, some of us would go to the spring to get water for lunch. The spring was down behind Trinity Church near the pool that the church used to baptize people. We used ten quart buckets to bring the water back and we poured it into coolers that had spigots to dispense the water into our individual water cups. I wonder what the Health Department would say nowadays if they saw that operation. I think Clarence Rice, G. (George) Walker and I usually went to the spring during my seventh grade year. For some reason, Gee Walker was always the best liked boy in the school.
"I finished Trinity School in 1927 and at that time, no one in that area had a way to high school. There were two or three students below home who wanted to go to Yanceyville High School, so Papa went to the county superintendent and got an old T Model car that the sheriff confiscated with whiskey. He allowed me, at age fourteen, to drive us to Yarborough's Store to catch a bus to Yanceyville. The second year at Yanceyville, Glenn rice drove the bus. He drove it until I graduated."
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Thomas Garrett Neal (1914-2006), son of Robert Lea Neal (1885-1969) and Amy Wall Garrett Neal (1889-1992).
Clarence Poe Rice (1915-1981).
Glenn Andrew Rice (1913-1941), brother of Clarence Poe Rice.
The G. (George Walker) mentioned most likely is George Weldon (Gee) Walker, Jr. (1914-2004).
The Yarborough's [sic] Store most likely is that operated by Webb Chipman Yarbrough (1877-1956).
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The location of the school is not known. However, the reference to nearby Trinity Church may be helpful. Trinity Baptist Church in southwestern Caswell County near the Rockingham County line was established May 2, 1840. This is on Highway 150 before the intersection with Ashland Road/Camp Springs Road.
From a letter from Lelia Neal Essic dated October 6, 1998: "Trinity Church was a wooden structure when I was growing up and to the right of it was a little wooden two room school house which is where I attended my first four years. A tree fell on the building and destroyed it, but consolidation was taking place at the same time and we were assigned to Bartlett Yancey. Where the school stood is not part of the graveyard. My first four years were very happy ones in that little school. We all walked, of course. My home was (and is) about a mile from school toward Rockingham County."
Source: Scott, Jean B., Compiler. In the Beginning: The Churches of Caswell County, Jean B. Scott, Editor. Yanceyville: Caswell Parish, 2001, pp. 109-110.
Lelia Jones Neal (1922-2021) married James Edward Essic (1919-2010).
"The Norfolk Angel and the Model T" by Thomas Garrett Neal of Eden (born 1914 in Caswell County) in Lasley, R. T. and Holt, Sallie, Editors. Life in the Good Old Days in Alamance, Caswell, and Rockingham Counties. Hickory (N.C.): Hometown Memories Publishing, 2005.
"And now, back to the good old days at Trinity School. I can't remember many of my teacher's names. One was Mrs. Hodges and one was Miss Brannack. I liked them.
"The first grades through fourth were in one room and the fifth through seventh in the other room. The principal taught the higher grades and I was always afraid of her.
"Papa always told us that if we got a spanking or switching at school, he would give us another one when we got home. He and Mama did not take excuses for misbehavior at school like people do now, so there wasn't much trouble at grammar school or high school.
"At Trinity, we had a fifteen minute recess in the morning, forty-five minutes (sometimes an hour) for lunch and a fifteen minute recess in the afternoons. And we had lots of fun during this time.
"Before noon each day, some of us would go to the spring to get water for lunch. The spring was down behind Trinity Church near the pool that the church used to baptize people. We used ten quart buckets to bring the water back and we poured it into coolers that had spigots to dispense the water into our individual water cups. I wonder what the Health Department would say nowadays if they saw that operation. I think Clarence Rice, G. (George) Walker and I usually went to the spring during my seventh grade year. For some reason, Gee Walker was always the best liked boy in the school.
"I finished Trinity School in 1927 and at that time, no one in that area had a way to high school. There were two or three students below home who wanted to go to Yanceyville High School, so Papa went to the county superintendent and got an old T Model car that the sheriff confiscated with whiskey. He allowed me, at age fourteen, to drive us to Yarborough's Store to catch a bus to Yanceyville. The second year at Yanceyville, Glenn rice drove the bus. He drove it until I graduated."
Click school photograph to see a larger version.
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Thomas Garrett Neal (1914-2006), son of Robert Lea Neal (1885-1969) and Amy Wall Garrett Neal (1889-1992).
Clarence Poe Rice (1915-1981).
Glenn Andrew Rice (1913-1941), brother of Clarence Poe Rice.
The G. (George Walker) mentioned most likely is George Weldon (Gee) Walker, Jr. (1914-2004).
The Yarborough's [sic] Store most likely is that operated by Webb Chipman Yarbrough (1877-1956).
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The location of the school is not known. However, the reference to nearby Trinity Church may be helpful. Trinity Baptist Church in southwestern Caswell County near the Rockingham County line was established May 2, 1840. This is on Highway 150 before the intersection with Ashland Road/Camp Springs Road.
From a letter from Lelia Neal Essic dated October 6, 1998: "Trinity Church was a wooden structure when I was growing up and to the right of it was a little wooden two room school house which is where I attended my first four years. A tree fell on the building and destroyed it, but consolidation was taking place at the same time and we were assigned to Bartlett Yancey. Where the school stood is not part of the graveyard. My first four years were very happy ones in that little school. We all walked, of course. My home was (and is) about a mile from school toward Rockingham County."
Source: Scott, Jean B., Compiler. In the Beginning: The Churches of Caswell County, Jean B. Scott, Editor. Yanceyville: Caswell Parish, 2001, pp. 109-110.
Lelia Jones Neal (1922-2021) married James Edward Essic (1919-2010).
"The Norfolk Angel and the Model T" by Thomas Garrett Neal of Eden (born 1914 in Caswell County) in Lasley, R. T. and Holt, Sallie, Editors. Life in the Good Old Days in Alamance, Caswell, and Rockingham Counties. Hickory (N.C.): Hometown Memories Publishing, 2005.
"And now, back to the good old days at Trinity School. I can't remember many of my teacher's names. One was Mrs. Hodges and one was Miss Brannack. I liked them.
"The first grades through fourth were in one room and the fifth through seventh in the other room. The principal taught the higher grades and I was always afraid of her.
"Papa always told us that if we got a spanking or switching at school, he would give us another one when we got home. He and Mama did not take excuses for misbehavior at school like people do now, so there wasn't much trouble at grammar school or high school.
"At Trinity, we had a fifteen minute recess in the morning, forty-five minutes (sometimes an hour) for lunch and a fifteen minute recess in the afternoons. And we had lots of fun during this time.
"Before noon each day, some of us would go to the spring to get water for lunch. The spring was down behind Trinity Church near the pool that the church used to baptize people. We used ten quart buckets to bring the water back and we poured it into coolers that had spigots to dispense the water into our individual water cups. I wonder what the Health Department would say nowadays if they saw that operation. I think Clarence Rice, G. (George) Walker and I usually went to the spring during my seventh grade year. For some reason, Gee Walker was always the best liked boy in the school.
"I finished Trinity School in 1927 and at that time, no one in that area had a way to high school. There were two or three students below home who wanted to go to Yanceyville High School, so Papa went to the county superintendent and got an old T Model car that the sheriff confiscated with whiskey. He allowed me, at age fourteen, to drive us to Yarborough's Store to catch a bus to Yanceyville. The second year at Yanceyville, Glenn rice drove the bus. He drove it until I graduated."
__________
Thomas Garrett Neal (1914-2006), son of Robert Lea Neal (1885-1969) and Amy Wall Garrett Neal (1889-1992).
Clarence Poe Rice (1915-1981).
Glenn Andrew Rice (1913-1941), brother of Clarence Poe Rice.
The G. (George Walker) mentioned most likely is George Weldon (Gee) Walker, Jr. (1914-2004).
The Yarborough's [sic] Store most likely is that operated by Webb Chipman Yarbrough (1877-1956).
_______________
The location of the school is not known. However, the reference to nearby Trinity Church may be helpful. Trinity Baptist Church in southwestern Caswell County near the Rockingham County line was established May 2, 1840. This is on Highway 150 before the intersection with Ashland Road/Camp Springs Road.
From a letter from Lelia Neal Essic dated October 6, 1998: "Trinity Church was a wooden structure when I was growing up and to the right of it was a little wooden two room school house which is where I attended my first four years. A tree fell on the building and destroyed it, but consolidation was taking place at the same time and we were assigned to Bartlett Yancey. Where the school stood is not part of the graveyard. My first four years were very happy ones in that little school. We all walked, of course. My home was (and is) about a mile from school toward Rockingham County."
Source: Scott, Jean B., Compiler. In the Beginning: The Churches of Caswell County, Jean B. Scott, Editor. Yanceyville: Caswell Parish, 2001, pp. 109-110.
Lelia Jones Neal (1922-2021) married James Edward Essic (1919-2010).
Caswell County History
Bartlett Yancey (1785-1828) did not die in what now is known as the Bartlett Yancey House in Yanceyville (many decades later desecrated by a restaurant). He died at his summer home "Oakland" near Milton, Caswell County, North Carolina.
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Some years ago Sallie Anderson mentioned a pencil sketch of Oakland that had been drawn inside the cover of a book once owned by the Bartlett Yancey family. Somebody has that book, but I don’t remember who has it. The house was located on the Dan River somewhere off the present day Culver Rd. Apparently it burned and the brick shell was taken down and the brick sold for use elsewhere.
Source: Jim Upchurch 21 September 2022 Post to Rick Frederick Facebook Page.
"Mysterious Dove"
Fannie L. Bradsher (1869-1888) Obituary by Solomon Lea
"Miss Fannie L. Bradsher, daughter of Benjamin Bradsher, was born August 30, 1869, and died August 24, 1888, age 18 years, 11 months, 24 days. She made a profession of religion in early life at a revival at Leasburg under the ministry of Rev. R. A. Willis and joined the Methodist Church, South. She was a pupil of my school for several sessions and was bright and quick to learn. She was remarkable for her candor and simplicity of character, always frank and openhearted.
"An incident occurred which may have had an injurious effect upon her both mentally and bodily. While she was gathering vegetables with a servant in the garden, a dove circled around the servant and then lit upon her head. She struck it several times before it would fly off. In a short time, the servant was taken sick and died; then she, too, was taken sick and lingered several weeks, alternating between hope and fear, and finally died, remarking all the time she would never get well. The incident whether designed to be premonitory or not, preyed upon her mind and had a depressing effect. Most of the time, she became unconscious and could say nothing about her future prospects, though she made frequent efforts to speak.
"No doubt for some wide and good purpose she was taken in the bloom of life, from this world of trouble and trial to a better and brighter one. May a merciful God bless and comfort the bereaved parents and may this mysterious Providence be sanctified to the good of the relatives and neighbors."
Source: Reprinted in The Daily Times-News (Burlington, NC), 23 February 1948. Paragraph breaks added.
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Yanceyville Cub Scouts 1948
The Cub Scouts of Yanceyville Troop and their families enjoyed a wiener roast at the Scout Clubhouse near Yanceyville on Saturday afternoon at 5 o'clock. Around fifty attended the round-up and the cubs were divided into two dens, with Mesdames W. R. Grey and C. C. Cole in charge.
The Herald-Sun (Burlington, NC), 27 September 1948.
Mrs. W. R. Grey is Beatrice Fox, the wife of William Richard Grey, Jr. (1905-1969) who at one time was manager of the Caswell Knitting Mill.
Mrs. C. C. Cole is Elsie Lea Hooper, the wife of Clyde Caviness Cole (1903-1969), Yanceyville businessman.
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Anonymous: Dick Grey, one of the managers of Caswell Knitting Mills, was married to "Bee" and had three children: W. R. Grey III (Sandy), Sue (who was a knockout) and Norman. Bee's mother, "Granny Fox" (from Conn.) lived with them in the home later owned by the Scarboroughs) across the street from Rose & Alvis Florence. The Greys moved to Asheboro where Dick opened W. R. Grey Hosiery Mill. Sandy went to Davidson and was two years ahead of me. His girl-friend, Janey Birch (Dickie's sister) was also a knockout.
79 Leasburg Pupils Are Ill From Food or Water Poisoning: Health Department in Caswell County Probing Conditions: 1945
"Still under investigation is an outbreak of stomach upsets and nausea in Leasburg Elementary School, Caswell County, close to the Person line, where 79 pupils have been affected since Tuesday possibly by food poisoning or from drinking water.
"Caswell health and sanitation authorities, aided by W. B. Taylor, Person sanitarian, are checking both the school lunch room and the water supply, the last coming from a well and pumped into a tank in the school.
"Twenty-five Person boys and girls attend the school which has an enrollment of around 200.
"No more illnesses have developed today but all are being advised to bring drinking water from their homes. The lunch room is still in operation."
The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC), 30 March 1945.
Caswell County Fair: September 1940
"Miscellaneous prizes [will be given for] model airplanes, terracing drag, farm record account, live at home booth, home made furniture, and display of home-cured meat. The fair is being sponsored by the Rotary Club and will be made an actuality through the cooperation of the various clubs, agricultural groups, and interested citizens. Many midway attractions are scheduled to complement the exhibits and make a fair that will be attractive to all persons in the county."
The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC), 22 September 1940.
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Caswell County Fair
When the first Caswell County Fair was held is not known. However, there was a fairgrounds on what today is Dillard School Drive in Yanceyville.
Here is a reference to a 1918 fair:
Caswell County Fair: 1918
"The Caswell County Fair will be held in Yanceyville, October 1, 2, and 3." Source: Greensboro Daily News (Greensboro, North Carolina), 29 September 1918, Sunday, Page 26.
The first modern version of the Caswell County Agricultural Fair was held in 1954 (October 8-13). It was sponsored by the local chapters of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, working with the county's farm organizations. Entries were expected in most of the county's farm crops and many home products. Source: Durham Morning Herald (Durham, NC), 9 September 1956.
This modern version of the fair ran uninterrupted until 2004, falling one year short of fifty years in operation.
Caswell County Boy Scouts: 1940
"A group of Boy Scouts representing troops at Prospect Hill, Yanceyville, and Cobb Memorial Schools, demonstrated some of the activities of scouts at a meeting of the Rotary Club Tuesday night.
"Scouts from Prospect Hill, under the direction of W. H. Tuck, scoutmaster, demonstrated first aid methods and artificial respiration.
"Scouts from Cobb Memorial under the direction of A. I. Park, scoutmaster, demonstrated signaling and knot-tying.
"Scouts from Yanceyville under the direction of L. O. Crotts, scoutmaster, demonstrated the proper uses of the United States flag and Mr. Crotts put on a quiz program by asking various Rotarians about the flag. L. O. Crotts, co-educational agriculture teacher at Bartlett Yancey School, was inducted into the club as a new member by President Holland McSwain. The mean was served by women of the Locust Hill community."
The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC), 22 September 1940.
By Elizabeth L. Farmer
When several years ago, the magazine section of a newspaper carried these headlines: "Danville Man, 91, May Be Last Survivor of Reconstruction Epic," an aged lady of Halifax County, living peacefully at her countryside home, knew that he was not the last survivor, but kept her story -- a story in which she was the real "Ann of the Ku Klux Klan," as she was once called.
Just 15 days before November 1, which would have been her 100th birthday, Mrs. Ann Lea Graves of Brandon-On-Dan, went quietly into her last sleep. She had outlived the "Danville Man, 91" who was her own brother, Captain John G. Lea, but she had no desire to share in the glamor which surrounded him as organizer and leader of the Klan.
It was true that she had made the hooded white robes that covered the forms of the Klansmen on a certain dark night, when oaths were sealed with a fiery cross, burning late before a morning when tragedy walked the streets of Yanceyville and demanded the life of John Walter Stephens, viewed a public enemy and so-called spy in the service of Governor Holden. As a close companion of her brothers, who were members of the Klan, Ann Lea shared the secrets unrevealed to others and is said to have known who killed Stephens when all others were guessing. Whatever she knew was guarded closely for three-quarters of a century.
North Carolina Confederate Soldier's and Widow's Pension Applications
The first general pension law in North Carolina for Confederate veterans and widows (Chapter 214) was passed in 1885. This law provided for the payment of $30.00 annually to Confederate veteran residents of the state who had lost a leg, eye, or arm, or who were incapacitated for manual labor while in the service of the Confederate States during the Civil War. Widows of soldiers who were killed in service were entitled to the same benefits as long as they did not remarry. Any person, however, who owned property with a tax value of $500.00 or received a salary of $300.00 per year from the nation, state, or county was not eligible.
These pension laws, however, underwent numerous changes over the next few decades. Chapter 116 of the laws of 1887 amended the 1885 law to include widows of soldiers who had died of disease while in service. The next general pension law was passed in 1889 and remained in effect until it was amended in 1901. As per this amendment, applications had to be certified, witnessed, and filed with the county commissioners who in turn sent them to the State Auditor.
In 1901, the General Assembly of North Carolina passed a new pension law (Chapter 332). Under the new act, "Every person who has been for twelve months immediately preceding his or her application for pension bona fide resident of the State, and who is incapacitated for manual labor and was a soldier or a sailor in the service of the State of North Carolina or of the Confederate States of America, during the war between the States (provided said widow was married to said soldier or sailor before the first day of April, 1865) was entitled to a pension.
The pensioners were divided into four classes:
First class, totally incompetent from wounds to perform manual labor, $72.00 per year
Second class, those who lost a leg above the knee or an arm above the elbow, $60.00 annually
Third class, those who lost a foot or leg below the knee or a hand or an arm below the elbow or had a limb rendered useless from a wound, $48.00 annually
Fourth class, those who lost one eye, widows, and those unfit for manual labor, $30.00 annually
Certain persons were excluded from benefits under general pension acts.
No person holding a national, state, or county office for which he received $300.00 annually, no person with property valued at $500.00 or more, and no person receiving aid under laws for relief of totally blind and maimed was eligible (inmates of the Soldiers' Home, recipients of pensions from other states, and deserters were excluded from benefits under the pension acts, although inmates of the Soldiers' Home were granted quarterly allowances of $1.50 in 1909 -- increased to $3.00 quarterly in 1913).
Practically each succeeding General Assembly made some change in the pension laws. In 1921, these laws apparently were amended and consolidated in some fashion that made more widows eligible.
North Carolina Widow's Pension Act of March 8, 1921. Below is an example of an application pursuant to the 1921 statute.
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Solomon Lea School (Leasburg, Caswell County, North Carolina)
Leasburg Graded School Building: 1923
Notice to Contractors
Sealed proposals will be received by W. J. Pulliam, Chm. of the Local Committee, at his office in Leasburg, Caswell County, on Wednesday, the 15th day of August, at 11 o'clock, for the erection of a Graded School Building at that place, according to plans and specifications furnished by the State Board of Education.
Plans and specifications may be obtained at the office in Leasburg, and also at the office of Superintendent J. A. Beam, Roxboro, N.C. Bids should be submitted in sealed envelopes and mailed to the undersigned or delivered in person by the time designated above. The Committee will require a reasonable bond of the successful bidder for the faithful performance of the contract, and the Committee reserves the right to reject any and all bids.
(Signed) W. J. Pulliam, Chm.
Leasburg, N.C.
The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), 12 August 1923.
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Construction of the Solomon Lea graded school building in Leasburg, North Carolina, was a joint project between Caswell County and Person County.
(Special to The Bee): Yanceyville, N.C., Aug. 8. -- The contract for the new school building at Leasburg will be let Aug. 14. This is a co-operative project with Caswell and Person Counties, and the board of education of each county will meet at Leasburg to hear bids for the building.
The Bee (Danville, VA), 8 August 1923.
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Dr. David William Rogers (1925-2008)
How long David William Rogers remained there is not known, but in 1954 he was appointed as the new principal at the Solomon Lea School in Leasburg, Caswell County, North Carolina. He had a B.A. from Wake Forest.
At some point he obtained a doctorate and became superintendent of Person County schools. In 1949, he married Rosa Christine Slaughter (1928-2010) from Person County. She attended Woman's College at Greensboro (University of North Carolina - Greensboro) and may have been a school teacher.
Source of some facts: The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC), 6 August 1954.
Greensboro Daily News (Greensboro, NC), 4 August 1920.
This is the home of Nancy Graves Womack Neal (1858-1926), who in 1890 married Yanceyville merchant Louis M. Neal (1853-1904). His store was in the building that became The Caswell Theatre.
The house was built by Dr. Allen M. Gunn, M.D. (1807-1884), and after serving as the Yanceyville Methodist Church parsonage, became the home of the Jones family.*
The photograph below is not associated with the newspaper item. However, it is when the house was the Yanceyville Methodist Church parsonage.
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* A few years back this house was demolished, after being allowed to fall into substantial disrepair. It had a secret room under the front entrance. I (Richmond S. Frederick, Jr.) observed this room before the house came down. The purpose for which it was used is not known.
In 1920, Shellie Parker wrote a letter to the editor of The Stanly News-Herald (Stanly, NC). While interesting, his claims have not been substantiated.
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And there is a house in the yard of a gentleman that was built long before the Revolutionary War in which Lord Cornwallis stayed while having the road cut. The logs are sound as a dollar, and some of them are eighteen inches on the face. The logs were hauled there from the Haw River bottoms 30 miles away, and men cane 30 miles to help "raise" the house. The chimney was built of stone and was ten feet wide.
I was told a great deal of the history of the county and the people by a lady who lived on the old Cornwallis road, and it has been handed down from generation to generation and from father to son by these people who take great pride in their ancestry.
The grandfather of this lady was Scotch Irish and when he came from Ireland he brought his furnishings with him. His name was Andrew McBroon, and he was one of the leading men of his day. Mrs. McDade still has some of the furniture that her great grand-father brought from Ireland. The table is round and the top is mounted on one post so that it folds over flat and the top is made of one solid piece that is of walnut lumber and is 41 1-4 inches in diameter. The short legs or feet at the bottom of the post are carved from the roots of the tree and has a natural crook.
The Stanly News-Herald (Stanly, NC), 11 May 1920.
Image of Lord Cornwallis is not associated with the newspaper item.
J. B. Colt Company Lighting Plants
Before public utilities provided electricity to homes in Caswell County many wealthy owners installed "lighting plants" provided by the J. B. Colt Company. These were powered by a gasoline engine attached to a generator. I do not know whether the power was AC or DC. Usually, a small building separate from the main house was built for the "lighting plant." The house was fitted with "knob-and-tube" wiring.
I have only seen one such installation. After electricity became more readily available the gasoline engines often were removed and repurposed.
Can anyone provide additional information on these "lighting plants"?
Pirate Jean Laffite and Lorenzo Ferrer
DID A NOTORIOUS PIRATE VISIT MILTON'S WOODSIDE? BETH YARBROUGH WILL BE ON HAND TO SHARE WHAT SHE DISCOVERED WHILE RESEARCHING HER BOOK ON PIRATE JEAN LAFFITE.
When: Sunday, November 6, 2022 at 3PM
Where: Milton Renaissance Performance & Museum Annex, 11928 Academy St., Milton NC (former Episcopalian Church/Milton Woman's Club)
Oliphant, Ashley and Yarbrough, Beth. Jean Laffite Revealed: Unraveling One of America's Longest-Running Mysteries. Lafayette (LA): University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, 2021.
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While just an unconfirmed legend, the connection between Lincolnton and Milton ("Woodside") is well-known. Major General Stephen Dodson Ramseur, who married Ellen Ella Richmond, was from Lincolnton. Her father, Caleb Hazzard Richmond built "Woodside."
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Lincoln County Rich in History
"Lincolnton is an historical piece of property that has not yet been fully developed.
"The site of the Revolutionary War battle of Ramseur's Mill, and many points of interest dating back to before the Civil War are located here Many are old home places that have endured through the years, and tracts of land and legends that are shrouded in the mists of time.
"The notorious buccaneer Jean LaFitte is thought to be buried here.
"After the war of 1812, after the pirate LaFitte was pardoned by President James Madison for his help in the fight against the British, a swashbuckling Frenchman arrived in Lincolnton with a trunk of gold. Some people thought the man, who called himself Lorenzo Ferrer, was the notorious LaFitte.
"The grave carries the name Ferrer, but the legend says it was LaFitte. But that was long ago --too long ago for fact."
Source: The Gastonia Gazette (Gastonia, North Carolina), 22 November 1970.
Milton Fires
In 1856, the editor of the Milton Chronicle newspaper, Charles Napoleon Bonaparte Evans, appealed to the citizens of Milton, North Carolina, to obtain a fire engine. He was ignored, and it is amazing that Milton has the buildings it does today, as the town continued to rely upon bucket brigades to fight fires. Milton did not have a volunteer fire department until the late 1950s.
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Greensboro Daily News (Greensboro, North Carolina), 5 November 1917. Click image to see a larger version.
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List of Milton Fires (partial)
1. 1880: Hatcher & Stamps Tobacco Factory
2. 1906: Milton Roller Mills completely destroyed.
3. 1917: Thomas store extensively damaged and Mrs. K. D. Watkins house destroyed.
4. 1920s/1930s: Lewis Walker House
5. 1932: "Glenburnie" destroyed.
6. 1938: WPA Sewing Room, Clyde Jones Building, W. T. Oliver Store, Smith Brandon Store.
7. 1940 (around): Gordon Saloon building burned, along with other buildings
8. 1940s: Archibald Murphey School
9. 1944: Milton Roller Mills (burned again)
10. 1951: Milton Hotel completely destroyed.
11. 1989: Thomas Day House/Union Tavern
12. 2013: "Longwood" completely destroyed.
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A number of tobacco factory/warehouse fires are not listed.
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Manufacturing in Milton Has Become a Memory: 1906
The Decadence of Milton
"Until several years ago perhaps a dozen large tobacco factories were operated there and it was a thriving tobacco market. In recent years, however, the old town has been going down hill -- the population is diminishing, the business is decreasing, and what once was a progressive and up-to-date little city, is now but a quiet, slow village, with the rippling waters of the Dan as about the only thing to attract the attention of the natives."
Greensboro Daily News (Greensboro, North Carolina), 18 Marcy 1906.
Photograph of Milton Roller Mill is not associated with the above newspaper item. Click image to see a larger version. Courtesy Jean Bradsher Scott.
Tournament Near Purley: 1877
Back in the day, tournaments were held in Caswell County, often followed by a ball. Yes, these were somewhat like the tournaments of old held in England -- replete with knights and jousting. However, the jousting combatants did not face each other, but attempted to pick off a ring while riding a horse.
Such a tournament was held 7 September 1877 near Purley in Caswell County. Several hundred people apparently attended, with the "charge to the knights" delivered by Colonel George Williamson of Yanceyville, and the "coronation" address by Ed. M. Page of Danville. Twenty-two knights entered the contest.
Milton Chronicle as reprinted in The Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC), 19 Sep 1877
North Carolina Tobacco Crop Twenty-Five Percent Short: 1901
There is an eleven percent decrease in the acreage, but this is offset by better prices. Prices are higher than last year [1900]. Investigation shows that tobacco culture is more profitable than a year ago, but not so profitable as ten years ago.
A careful analysis of the conditions, size, and value of the crop with comparative statistics made by tobacco authorities both in and out the state [North Carolina].
The culture of tobacco has long been a leading staple in North Carolina. When the farmers in Caswell, Granville, Person, and surrounding counties began to get rich making bright tobacco, it was supposed that the bright tobacco would create perpetual wealth. Now the territory of the belt for growing bright tobacco has widened to keep pace with the increased demand for the manufactured tobacco made of the yellow leaf.
The price of leaf tobacco has been higher this season than for several previous years, though the crop has been short. Why is the price higher? How large is the crop? What was the acreage? Is it a profitable crop? These are important questions, not only to the growers of tobacco, but to all the people of North Carolina, for, next to the cotton crop, it is the largest money crop grown in North Carolina.
In answer to a series of questions printed below, sent to tobacco farmers, tobacco dealers, proprietors of tobacco warehouses, tobacco manufacturers and others enjoying special advantages to know about the crop, we print below a mass of valuable information.
Based upon this information the News and Observer is justified in saying:
1. The tobacco crop in North Carolina is less than a 75 percent crop.
2. The acreage is 89 percent of last year's [1900] acreage.
3. The tobacco is light as compared with last year's crop.
4. The average number of pounds grown per acre this year has been 549 pounds.
5. The prices are 61 percent higher than last year.
6. The amount of tobacco sold had fallen off in all the markets.
7. Tobacco culture is not so profitable as ten years ago. Tobacco manufacturing is carried on by fewer manufacturers than ten years ago, the tobacco trust having absorbed a number of the largest independent plants. Individuals are slow to enter into competition with the trust.
8. Tobacco culture is clearly more profitable than one year ago. The manufacturers of tobacco are increasing their business and are finding it pays better.
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Here is an interesting Milton newspaper advertisement. Note the names mentioned.
J. W. Lewis probably is John Willis Lewis (1831-1902), being a relative of Meriwether Lewis of Lewis & Clark exploratory fame.
E. D. Winstead most likely is Edwin Daniel Winstead (1852-1925).
I am struggling with Murray Ferguson; but the Ferguson family was well-known in Milton.
T. A. Donoho most likely is Thomas Archimedes Donoho (1862-1920).
Robert I. Newman most likely is Robert Ira Newman (1854-1934).
James L. McCrary most likely is James Lyman McCrary (1873-1956). He was from Arkansas, but in 1900 was living in Caswell County, North Carolina.
Click image to see a larger version.
The Milton Herald (Milton, NC), 29 Nov 1900
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