December 15, 2023 Coats Museum News
Who does not enjoy going into the Coats Pharmacy at Christmas-all the smells and beautiful decorations to show that it is Christmastime! However, in October of 1993, folks might have gone into the pharmacy to congratulate Brian and Diana Lischen on the arrival of a son, Mahion at the Rex Birthing Center.
How old is he today? I do know that Belle shared that Gracie Nordan Stone, 83, formerly of Coats, had died on Wednesday at GHH in Erwin. She was the daughter of the late Benton and Miranda Beasley Nordan. Surviving her were Bobby L., Kenneth, and William Earl. Betty Lockamy, Elizabeth Barnes and Edith Osnoe were daughters. Siblings were Lawrence, George, and Worth Nordan. LeAnnie Griffin and Lois Avery were her sisters (Daily Record Oct. 21. 1993).
My Ebenezer Presbyterian Church is small so my Sunday School class had a wide range of members in ages from 36 all the way up into the 90”s. Many of the younger ladies had had Bible classes in college; whereas, the older ladies had years of reading and studying the Bible. One little lady I especially remember is Mrs. Irene Ennis Grimes. She was small lady with satin soft skin. The sun light appeared to have never touched her to damage the clear smoothness of it. I recall that she was very soft spoken and had little to say. She left our class after needing medical care and was in the Parrish Nursing Center in Dunn where she had died on a Wednesday.
Irene was the daughter of the late Nady and Ola Stewart Ennis. The late Clarence Grimes was her husband. She had four surviving children: Ola Mae Lee, Sherwood, Kenneth and Billy Wayne Grimes. Her siblings were Alene Talley, Ada Brady, Mildred Maisel, Louise Johnson, Katherine Farless, Roy, Jerry, Jarvis, and Billy Ennis.
Mrs. Grimes was a member of the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church. Her burial was in the Hodges Chapel Cemetery (Daily Record Oct. 26, 1993). Some of you may have noticed the Stewart in her name. She definitely was connected to Mollie Stewart of the old hotel and to Callie Ennis Adams and Freda Adams Johnson.
If you watched the Coats Christmas Parade last week, you must have seen little Charlotte Fyre with her red cloak and shiny crown that she had won in the fall by collecting the most money in her category for the fall festival .She waved to the crowd with such practiced grace and I am sure that night will be etched into her mind forever as it will with those who love her.
I wonder if there are memories still alive for Christy Wheeler who was crowned the Coats Middle School Homecoming Queen (Daily Record Oct. 28. 1993).
Lots of activities were going on around Coats in October of 1993. Lisa Williams, daughter of Jerry G. and Thelma Williams, was engaged to marry Curtis Vinson Daughtry, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Daughtry of Dunn. Lisa was a physical therapist assistant and Curtis was a student at UNC Wilmington.
When the warm sun of spring hits the soils of Harnett County, it spells strawberry season and other veggies that can be found growing in the warming soils or in the controlled heat of the greenhouses. How does one get started in this phenomenal farming experience? Wasn’t there a time that only corn, tobacco and cotton were crops that would bring in farm income?
Did the big tobacco companies give outstanding farmers opportunities? I do know that Sandy Langdon, one of our largest farmers to sell nontraditional crops today, was the recipient of the Phillip Morris Award of Excellence in Tobacco Production. The third generation farmer of tobacco was husband to Tammy Langdon and father to Morgan and Logan Langdon (Daily Record Oct. 25, 1993).
Did you note that the article stated that Sandy Langdon was a third generation farmer? Do you wonder who the two generations back were? Sandy’s father was J.A. Langdon, Jr. of the Bethel Church area. Sandy’s mother, Laura Frances Sorrell was the youngest daughter of Will T. Sorrell, Sr. The Langdons bought the farm from the other heirs of W. T., Sr. after their parents died. The Langdons moved from the Bethel area and remodeled the old Sorrell house which was built about 1919 and by the way has had its second remodel by Sandy and Tammy’s family.
Who was the third generation back for Sandy? If you pick his mother Laura’s Sorrell Langdon’s side it would be Willie Thomas Sorrell, Sr. Not only did he raise a big family on Turlington Road but he was very active in the Hodges Chapel Church and on the Sorrell and Coats School Advisory Boards. Hence, Sandy has leadership in his veins.
Let’s find other farm families connected to this Sorrell (Sandy Langdon) line. The first Sorrell to come to the area connected to Sandy would be John C. Sorrell who came from Lowe’s Grove area in Wake –Durham area. U.S. Census records show that he owned over 1600 acres of land. The naval stores brought him here. Names descending from this man that might be recognizable to genealogists would be William Richardson Sorrell, Virginia Sorrell married Oscar Turlington, Laura Frances married L.L. Turlington. There are names like John H. Sorrell and Alonzo Sorrell. Slyvester Neighbors married Ella Sorrell. Then there is the Alphin connection and the Townsend and Willoughby family connection. Of course, there is the Walt, J.W. and Charles Sorrell connection and the Lentis and H.L. Sorrell connection.
You ask is Sandy kin to the Sorrell Cabinet folks. Yes, Uncle Shirley was Sandy’s mother brother and Uncle Shirley was a farmer like Sandy but his sons chose other occupations. The one characteristic these folks seem to have in common is that hard work spells success.
What was happening back in Coats in October 26, 1993? The town election news was in the paper. The citizens were to vote in the November election on a town mayor and three commissioners. Five candidates were seeking seats. Tim McKinnie filed for the mayor’s seat while Frances Avery, B.W. Holland, Margaret House, Darrell Smith and Gale Spears were seeking commission seats.
Let’s read next week to see who will represent the town on the commission seat.
How appreciative it was to get a complete Vietnam uniform from Danny Gardner. We currently have pieces from various soldiers.
How exciting it was for our volunteers to welcome three visitors yesterday. Andrea Smith from California flew in from California to Christmas visit with my daughter’s family, her mom Louise Smith and sister Rose Mary who moved here to the Governor’s Club at Chapel Hill from Mitchell, S.D and Phoenix, AZ to be near my daughter Lenee, husband J.B., Blair and Edwin. I must confess our museum was competing with the Corn Palace, the Doll Museum and the McGovern Gallery in Mitchell. I will let you know next week what they thought of our small town museum.
Who does not enjoy going into the Coats Pharmacy at Christmas-all the smells and beautiful decorations to show that it is Christmastime! However, in October of 1993, folks might have gone into the pharmacy to congratulate Brian and Diana Lischen on the arrival of a son, Mahion at the Rex Birthing Center.
How old is he today? I do know that Belle shared that Gracie Nordan Stone, 83, formerly of Coats, had died on Wednesday at GHH in Erwin. She was the daughter of the late Benton and Miranda Beasley Nordan. Surviving her were Bobby L., Kenneth, and William Earl. Betty Lockamy, Elizabeth Barnes and Edith Osnoe were daughters. Siblings were Lawrence, George, and Worth Nordan. LeAnnie Griffin and Lois Avery were her sisters (Daily Record Oct. 21. 1993).
My Ebenezer Presbyterian Church is small so my Sunday School class had a wide range of members in ages from 36 all the way up into the 90”s. Many of the younger ladies had had Bible classes in college; whereas, the older ladies had years of reading and studying the Bible. One little lady I especially remember is Mrs. Irene Ennis Grimes. She was small lady with satin soft skin. The sun light appeared to have never touched her to damage the clear smoothness of it. I recall that she was very soft spoken and had little to say. She left our class after needing medical care and was in the Parrish Nursing Center in Dunn where she had died on a Wednesday.
Irene was the daughter of the late Nady and Ola Stewart Ennis. The late Clarence Grimes was her husband. She had four surviving children: Ola Mae Lee, Sherwood, Kenneth and Billy Wayne Grimes. Her siblings were Alene Talley, Ada Brady, Mildred Maisel, Louise Johnson, Katherine Farless, Roy, Jerry, Jarvis, and Billy Ennis.
Mrs. Grimes was a member of the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church. Her burial was in the Hodges Chapel Cemetery (Daily Record Oct. 26, 1993). Some of you may have noticed the Stewart in her name. She definitely was connected to Mollie Stewart of the old hotel and to Callie Ennis Adams and Freda Adams Johnson.
If you watched the Coats Christmas Parade last week, you must have seen little Charlotte Fyre with her red cloak and shiny crown that she had won in the fall by collecting the most money in her category for the fall festival .She waved to the crowd with such practiced grace and I am sure that night will be etched into her mind forever as it will with those who love her.
I wonder if there are memories still alive for Christy Wheeler who was crowned the Coats Middle School Homecoming Queen (Daily Record Oct. 28. 1993).
Lots of activities were going on around Coats in October of 1993. Lisa Williams, daughter of Jerry G. and Thelma Williams, was engaged to marry Curtis Vinson Daughtry, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Daughtry of Dunn. Lisa was a physical therapist assistant and Curtis was a student at UNC Wilmington.
When the warm sun of spring hits the soils of Harnett County, it spells strawberry season and other veggies that can be found growing in the warming soils or in the controlled heat of the greenhouses. How does one get started in this phenomenal farming experience? Wasn’t there a time that only corn, tobacco and cotton were crops that would bring in farm income?
Did the big tobacco companies give outstanding farmers opportunities? I do know that Sandy Langdon, one of our largest farmers to sell nontraditional crops today, was the recipient of the Phillip Morris Award of Excellence in Tobacco Production. The third generation farmer of tobacco was husband to Tammy Langdon and father to Morgan and Logan Langdon (Daily Record Oct. 25, 1993).
Did you note that the article stated that Sandy Langdon was a third generation farmer? Do you wonder who the two generations back were? Sandy’s father was J.A. Langdon, Jr. of the Bethel Church area. Sandy’s mother, Laura Frances Sorrell was the youngest daughter of Will T. Sorrell, Sr. The Langdons bought the farm from the other heirs of W. T., Sr. after their parents died. The Langdons moved from the Bethel area and remodeled the old Sorrell house which was built about 1919 and by the way has had its second remodel by Sandy and Tammy’s family.
Who was the third generation back for Sandy? If you pick his mother Laura’s Sorrell Langdon’s side it would be Willie Thomas Sorrell, Sr. Not only did he raise a big family on Turlington Road but he was very active in the Hodges Chapel Church and on the Sorrell and Coats School Advisory Boards. Hence, Sandy has leadership in his veins.
Let’s find other farm families connected to this Sorrell (Sandy Langdon) line. The first Sorrell to come to the area connected to Sandy would be John C. Sorrell who came from Lowe’s Grove area in Wake –Durham area. U.S. Census records show that he owned over 1600 acres of land. The naval stores brought him here. Names descending from this man that might be recognizable to genealogists would be William Richardson Sorrell, Virginia Sorrell married Oscar Turlington, Laura Frances married L.L. Turlington. There are names like John H. Sorrell and Alonzo Sorrell. Slyvester Neighbors married Ella Sorrell. Then there is the Alphin connection and the Townsend and Willoughby family connection. Of course, there is the Walt, J.W. and Charles Sorrell connection and the Lentis and H.L. Sorrell connection.
You ask is Sandy kin to the Sorrell Cabinet folks. Yes, Uncle Shirley was Sandy’s mother brother and Uncle Shirley was a farmer like Sandy but his sons chose other occupations. The one characteristic these folks seem to have in common is that hard work spells success.
What was happening back in Coats in October 26, 1993? The town election news was in the paper. The citizens were to vote in the November election on a town mayor and three commissioners. Five candidates were seeking seats. Tim McKinnie filed for the mayor’s seat while Frances Avery, B.W. Holland, Margaret House, Darrell Smith and Gale Spears were seeking commission seats.
Let’s read next week to see who will represent the town on the commission seat.
How appreciative it was to get a complete Vietnam uniform from Danny Gardner. We currently have pieces from various soldiers.
How exciting it was for our volunteers to welcome three visitors yesterday. Andrea Smith from California flew in from California to Christmas visit with my daughter’s family, her mom Louise Smith and sister Rose Mary who moved here to the Governor’s Club at Chapel Hill from Mitchell, S.D and Phoenix, AZ to be near my daughter Lenee, husband J.B., Blair and Edwin. I must confess our museum was competing with the Corn Palace, the Doll Museum and the McGovern Gallery in Mitchell. I will let you know next week what they thought of our small town museum.