Abraham Pope: Milton Cabinetmaker

Milton Intelligencer (Milton, NC),
6 Apr 1819, Tue, p. 4

Abraham Pope: Milton Cabinetmaker

The population of Milton, North Carolina prompted the North Carolina General Assembly to expand the town boundaries in 1818, and Milton also became part of a north-south road system that facilitated the movement of people and goods between Virginia and North Carolina. People on the move required accommodation, and in 1818 Union Tavern, a newly constructed and substantial brick building on Milton's Main Street, began offering the traveling public a place to rest and dine. Soon the town became a magnet to men engaged in business and commerce, attracting additional merchants, tradesmen, artisans, and mechanics to relocate in Caswell County, including fancy-chair maker Isaac Hutchins and cabinetmakers Abraham Pope and John Day Jr., initially, and Thomas Day, eventually.

Hutchins, who arrived in 1819, announced that his establishment, the first of its kind in Milton, could produce as well as repair elegant chairs, sets of chairs, and settees, could embellish them with paint, and could also provide fancy, ornamental, and sign painting. That same year Pope, an emigrant from Taunton, England, opened his shop on Main Street, promising to supply (and ship) an elegant and stylish assortment of mahogany furniture such as sideboards, secretaries, bookcases, bureaus, dining tables, breakfast tables, bedsteads, drop-leaf tables, and washstands.

In 1818 twenty-two-year-old Pope became a naturalized citizen. In 1822, for reasons unknown, Pope sold off the contents of his shop, including twenty-eight mahogany furniture pieces, along with raw material and personal household goods. The timing and scope raise the possibility that Pope had incurred substantial debt during the economic depression brought by the panic of 1819. The fate of Issac Hutchins remains a mystery, as he disappears from existing records.

Source: Thomas Day: Master Craftsman and Free Man of Color, Patricia Phillips Marshall and Jo Ramsay Leimenstoll (2010) at 12-13 (and related footnotes).
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North Carolina State Archives
Title: Ad for Cabinet Business of Abraham Pope, Milton, N. C.
Years: 1819 (1998)
Creator: Milton Advertiser, Alan Westmoreland
Call Number: N.98.10.31
MARS Id: 4.1.16.1580 (Folder)
Quantity: 1 Item(s)
Scope/Contents: Photograph from a newspaper shows an advertisement for the Cabinet Business of Abraham Pope at Milton, Caswell County, North Carolina. Photo taken from the Milton Advertiser [newspaper], 14 April 1819.
Subjects: Business; Furniture; Industry and Trade; Furniture Making; Mahogany
Personal Names: Pope, Abraham
Corporate Names: Abraham Pope Cabinet Business
Geographical Names: Milton
Source/Donor: Milton Advertiser [newspaper]

Bridges/Ferries (Dan River) at Milton, North Carolina

Working Hypothesis (Milton Dan River Bridges/Ferries):

1. The first "public" way to cross the Dan River at Milton probably was a ferry, but this early ferry has not been documented.

2. Pursuant to the 1822 charter, a toll bridge was constructed, with completion in 1826. This bridge washed away in August 1850.

Milton Toll Bridge. -- We take great pleasure in announcing that the Toll Bridge erected across the River Dan at this place, is now finished for crossing. On this piece of work we believe the contractor, Mr. John W. L. Daniel has done his best, as we have the authority of the contractor of the public works for the Roanoke Navigation Company, in saying that it is the best finished and most durable piece of work any where in this section of country. We congratulate the public upon its completion. Too much praise cannot be bestowed upon those who, by their exertions, have effected this important work. It will remain a lasting monument to the liberal spirit of its founders.

Milton Gazette. Republished in The Raleigh Register (Raleigh, North Carolina), 7 February 1826. Click image to see a larger version.

3. Pursuant to the 1851 charter, another toll bridge was built (but not until after March 1859), and this probably is the bridge referred to as being twelve inches under water during the May 1873 Dan River "freshet."

North Carolina Legislature Private Acts

61. To authorize the building of a Toll Bridge over Dan River, in Caswell County near Milton, and to incorporate a company for that purpose.

The Greensborough Patriot (Greensborough, N.C.) 8 February 1851.

4. Something, unknown, apparently happened to the 1851 bridge as a ferry was in operation just before the 1906/1907 steel toll bridge was built.

5. Steel toll bridge constructed 1906/1907 by the Milton Bridge Company.

Danville Bee as reprinted in Webster's Weekly (Reidsville, NC), 1 March 1906. Click image to see a larger version.

 
6. The 1906/1907 steel toll bridge was purchased by the State of North Carolina, and in 1936 the toll was discontinued. In August 1936, the North Carolina State Highway and Public Works Commission apparently obtained the bridge property through eminent domain proceedings:

Yanceyville, N.C., Aug. 11 -- "In the matter of the condemnation proceedings instituted in the Superior Court here by the North Carolina State Highway and Public Works Commission asking that the Milton toll bridge be condemned with the purpose of constructing and maintaining a free bridge in its stead, the commissioners appointed in this cause made report today.

"The report awarded the Milton Bridge Company damages in the amount of three thousand and twenty dollars. Commissioners making this award were: J. M. Baynes, Joseph H. Warren and Onza Gwynn."

The Bee (Danville, Virginia), 11 August 1936, Tuesday

7. The 1906/1907 bridge was replaced in the early 1940s by a new steel bridge. This bridge may have been donated by the City of Danville (but not confirmed).

8. The final bridge (concrete) was completed and dedicated in 1976 and remains in operation today (November 2017). In 2013, the bridge was named in honor of William Claire Taylor (1901-1988).
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Milton, North Carolina in 1854

Correspondence of the Dispatch. Milton, N.C. June 5th, 1854

"Mr. Editor: As your readers have from time to time been favored with descriptions of several places, it may not be amiss to give you a description of our town and its vicinity.

"The town of Milton is 12 miles below Danville, situated in the county of Caswell, on a beautiful and commanding situation, in the fork of the Dan river and country line creek,, the latter a stream of some size and length, having fine water power and lined with manufacturing mills from its mouth to its head. The stream nearly surrounds the town, and is crossed on its eastern border over a fine covered bridge. A few hundred yards below the bridge is a large manufacturing flour mill and saw mill on one side, and a large cotton factory on the other, both now owned by James D. Newsom, Esq., and in successful operation, employing quite a number of hands. About 12 feet from the factory is the Virginia and North Carolina State line.

"The population of Milton is one thousand or more, having two academies, a hotel, a branch of the Bank of the State, a savings bank, a fire insurance company, four large tobacco factories, where the finest tobacco is put up from the choicest crops of the country, the largest cabinet makers establishment in the State with its steam machinery, supplying the country for nearly a hundred miles around Milton. Also several other manufacturing establishments usually found in towns. We have also five dry goods, two groceries and two druggist stores, and a merchant tailor establishment, one male and one female academy and a primary State school for young persons.

"Milton is situated in the midst of the wealthiest and most productive portion of North Carolina, having on the low grounds of the Dan river the hycos and county line, the finest and best lands which our State afford, yielding an abundance of tobacco, corn, wheat, &c.

Confederate Monument: Caswell County UDC 1921

Monument Name: Caswell County Confederate Monument, Yanceyville
Type: Common Soldier Statue
Subjects: Civil War, 1861-1865
Creator: J.F. Manning and Co., Washington, D.C., Designer; American Bronze Foundry, Chicago, IL, Foundry
City: Yanceyville
County: Caswell
Dedication Date: September 10, 1921

Description

This monument, located in front of the Caswell County Court House as a memorial to the county's Confederate veterans, displays a Confederate soldier standing atop a pedestal. The bronze soldier looks northward and defiantly grasps his gun in both hands while he steps forward with his left foot. He wears the Confederate uniform complete with hat and is depicted as a man with high cheekbones, a full mustache, and a goatee.

Confederate monuments in North Carolina erected in the years prior to World War One frequently reflected bitterness and praised the rectitude of the "lost cause." The inscription on this later monument was written by Reverend James Preston Burke of Reidsville and described as "deeply thoughtful." That it focuses on the sincerity and steadfastness of the soldiers more than the division caused by the Civil War, reflects a more moderate view, perhaps brought on by the unifying effects of the United States participation in World War One.

Images (courtesy of Rusty Long): Contemporary view of the monument | Side view of the monument

Inscription

TO / THE SONS OF CASWELL COUNTY / WHO SERVED IN THE WAR OF 1861-1865 / IN ANSWER TO THE CALL OF THEIR COUNTRY

IN WHATEVER EVENT THAT MAY FACE / OUR NATIONAL EXISTENCE MAY GOD / GIVE US THE WILL TO DO WHAT IS / RIGHT, THAT, LIKE OUR FOREFATHERS, / WE MAY IMPRESS OUR TIME WITH THE / SINCERITY AND STEADFASTNESS / OF OUR LIVES

ERECTED BY THE CASWELL COUNTY / CHAPTER / UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY / 1921
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Supporting Sources

"Caswell County Court House and Confederate Monument, Yanceyville, N.C.," in Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (P077), North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill, (accessed March 13, 2012)

"Caswell Courthouse," The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed August 29, 2016)

"Confederate Monument," Caswell County Historical Association, Inc., hosted by RootsWeb, rootsweb.ancestry.com, (accessed March 13, 2012)

"Program of the Unveiling of the Confederate Monument" in Caswell County in the World War, 1917-1918; Service Records of Caswell County Men, (Raleigh, NC: Edwards & Broughton Printing Co., 1921), (accessed May 16, 2012)

Broaphy, Alfred. "The Confederate Monument on the Courthouse Square," The Faculty Lounge, thefacultylounge.org, July 01, 2014.

Butler, Douglas J. North Carolina Civil War Monuments, An Illustrated History, (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2013), 138, 161, 196, 222

North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. "North Carolina Civil War Monuments, Confederate Soldiers Monument, Yanceyville, NC," (accessed March 13, 2012)

Powell, W.S. When the Past Refused to Die: A History of Caswell County North Carolina 1777-1977 (Durham, NC: Moore Publishing Company, 1977)

United Daughters of the Confederacy, North Carolina Division. Minutes of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Convention of the United Daughters of the Confederacy North Carolina Division, Held at New Bern, N.C., October 13, 14, 15, 1920 (Charlotte, N.C.: Queen City Printing Company, 1920), 143, (accessed September 10, 2012)

United Daughters of the Confederacy, North Carolina Division. Minutes of the Twenty-Third Annual Convention of the United Daughters of the Confederacy North Carolina Division, Held at High Point, North Carolina, October 8, 9, 10, 1919 (Raleigh, N.C.: Edwards & Broughton Printing Co.), 100, (accessed September 10, 2012)

“Caswell County Is Coming to Front,” The Reidsville Review (Reidsville, NC), September 12, 1921
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Caswell County Reserve Militia: World War I

Caswell County Reserve Militia: World War I

Immediately following are the names of the men who were selected to make up Company 51 of North Carolina Reserve Militia. This roster was furnished by Mr. T. H. Hatchett, First Sergeant. Captain Wilson gave much valuable service training the men of his Company, and was very ably assisted by First Lieutenant, H. S. Turner. There were frequent drills on the Court House Square and on the Academy Campus. The men of the company were filled with the best of morale and, had occasion demanded, would have given a good account of themselves.

ROSTER OF COMPANY FIFTY ONE—NORTH CAROLINA RESERVE MILITIA

CAPTAIN: ROBERT T. WILSON

1st Lieut: H. S. Turner
2nd Lieut: J. L. Warren
1st Sergeant: T. H. Hatchett
2nd Sergeant: J. M. Williams
3rd Sergeant: A. Y. Miles
1st Corporal: J. W. James
2nd Corporal: A. W. Moorefield
3rd Corporal: S. B. Moore
4th Corporal: Bruce Bradner
5th Corporal: H. M. Yarborough
6th Corporal: W. P. Aldridge
7th Corporal: W. O. Smith
8th Corporal: M. C. Winstead
9th Corporal: R. L. Jones
Chaplain: Rev. C. M. Murchison

"Little Baltimore"

"Little Baltimore"
Click to See Larger Image

"Little Baltimore"

In Caswell County, North Carolina, the area near the intersection of Highway 62N (between Yanceyville and Milton) and the Blanch Road has from at least 1931 been called "Little Baltimore." Highway 62N is the road between Yanceyville and Milton.

One Caswell native familiar with the area reported the following in 2007:

Clyde Willis (age 86) remembers hearing people talk about "Little Baltimore." He said it is located on 62 N and Blanch Road. The two-story house at the intersection is still standing. Mr. Claire Taylor was born in a little cabin behind this house. Clyde said there was a Horse Race Track there and lots more. He said, John Lea and the Matlock boys handled the horses and races, The stage coaches would stop there as they passed by this way and he remembers there was gambling, of course some "spirits," and with a chuckle, he said most anything else was going on. It was thriving place.

But, why the area was called "Little Baltimore" remains a mystery.

"Lea's Tavern"
Click to See Larger Image

The two-story house referred to by Clyde Willis was called "Lea's Tavern."

The owner of the tavern was James (Hops) Lea (c.1781 - c.1834). He apparently also was known as Hopping Jim Lea, son of John Lea and Elizabeth Bradley. He is a great grandson of one of Caswell County's founders, James (Country Line) Lea (1707-1792). The Lea family used and reused the given names James, John, and William to such an extent that nicknames were needed to keep them separate. And, yes, Leasburg is named for one or more members of this Lea family.

Caswell County Pharmacists

Pharmacists: Caswell County, North Carolina

Tommy Davis at The Drug Store (Yanceyville)

The purpose of this article is to identify all the druggists/pharmacists who practiced in Caswell County, North Carolina, both those who self-identified as such and those who were licensed by the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy.

While not confirmed, it appears that the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy (or its predecessor) dates from around 1880. Some of those licensed pharmacists listed below were "druggists" well before 1880. Were they grandfathered in and licensed automatically?

Yanceyville Druggists/Pharmacists

Henry Williams Perry (1869-1916)
Nathaniel C. Brandon (1863-1919)
Dr. James Scott Doak, M.D. (1864-1892)
Abner Miles Gunn (1846-1935)
Thomas Jones Ham, Jr. (1896-1967)
Robert Gardner Ham (1922-1977)
Joseph Dameron Davis (1936-1998)
Thomas Peete Davis
Hubert Vernon Massengill, Jr.
James B. Miller III
Melissa Renee Massengill Jones
Kimberly Ann Fuquay-Pickens

Leasburg Druggists/Pharmacists

William Riley Hambrick (1859-1941)

Milton Druggists/Pharmacists

James Robert Callum
Robert Lee Dixon (1861-1926)
George S. Barnes
Russell D. Apple
J. C. Walton, M.D.
Robert Lewis Walker
Lewis Walker
Leonard Henderson Hunt

Prospect Hill Druggists/Pharmacists

Dr. John Roger Hester, M.D. (1890-1918)
Joan Whitfield Floyd

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