December 29, 2023 Coats Museum News
November 29, 1993 was printed on the Daily Record and it published that the Coats I shared East Division youth soccer honors and was a finalist in the Harnett County Tournament. The young players were Justine Matthews, Nicholas Peede, Josh Jernigan, Paul Jones, Daniel Stewart, Allison Shearin, Brandon Faircloth, Turner Matthews, Kerrie Norris, Devon Murchinson, Alia Langdon, Curt Honeycutt, and Amber Norris. The coaches were Casey Jones, Teresa Honeycutt, and Lisa Shearin (Daily Record Nov. 19, 1993).
How time has flown. Most of these young folks are parents of children who could be playing on their own soccer teams. I see Curt Honeycutt who is one of the largest successful young farmers in the area. There is Turner Matthews who served in the pulpit and is the father of two handsome young sons. He married Stephanie Roberts, daughter of Ray and Nancy Stout Roberts. Daryll and Randy are her siblings.
Ray Roberts was one of my first students and then I later had Stephanie in my Beta Club. Life truly is a stage just simply different characters.
Belle in her “Notes from Coats” informed her readers that Mrs. Cora Johnson Pleasant had celebrated her 90th birthday with most of her many children being present to celebrate. Who are some of these Johnson children? Belle did not share who was there but I do know some of her children having grown up across the woods from them.
One of her best known sons was the man we referred to as Bullet Johnson. He served in WWII and in some ways; it might have affected his life thereafter. His brother-in-law Jimmy Johnson spoke of Bullet’s seeing so many dead comrades changed his outlook on life.
Bullet often made the headlines in the paper for his antics in an airplane. He is said to have attempted to fly his plane in places not safe to maneuver like under the Erwin Bridge at the Cape Fear and between the two buildings at the old Coats School. I do know his last flight was when he flew over his dad’s farm on Live Oak Road where he flew over his family working in the tobacco field attempting to scare them when he and Harold Turlington crashed the plane. This was the end of his flying but not the end of being a popular figure around town.
Another son was Albert Johnson who was a decorated career military soldier who lost his life in Vietnam. There was Lea Joy who was a very popular beauty queen who went to Woman’s College in Greensboro and themn on to a career in NYC. Willa Dean married Jimmy Johnson from the Meadow area and lived on the Johnson farm that had been inherited from the Hugh Johnson down through John A. Johnson, the youngest son of Angelina Barnes and Hugh.
It was from this family that we meet my ancestors, Benjamin Franklin and Alice Johnson. My granddaddy B.F. was gifted land across the branch from his siblings where he would operate one of the eight cotton plantation cotton gins and saw mills in the early 1900’s.
Another child of Alonzo and Cora Johnson was Jimmy Johnson who graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in accounting. I am not sure where he is today but he did first marry one of the prettiest girls at Coats School by the name of Debbie Jones.
There were two other children that I recall. There was Tommy who I think married one of the popular Holder girls from Coats and the youngest child was Pat who her friend Beverly McLamb said was the best friend one could ever wish for. I think Pat died relatively young but had married a very successful businessman from the Angier area.
I surely wish this family would add to the Johnson Genealogy collection in the Research Library.
This I do know we have some information on the Hazel Barnes family. Belle shared that Hazel’s daughter, Janice and son-in-law Richard Daniel, came home for Thanksgiving. Janice had received her Decorate Degree in English from the University of Kentucky. Janice was on staff at the Morehead State University at Morehead, Kentucky. Surely they visited Richard’s mom-Thessie Daniel while in NC (Daily Record Nov. 23, 1993).
It seems that there has always been a giving spirit around Coats. Thanks to a very giving lady, the Coats Lions Club Park was $1,000 richer. Mrs. Thelma Denning gave a check in memory of her son Billy Dew.
Death made the November 30, 1993 edition of the Daily Record where it was printed that Christine McLean Plummer had died at the UNC Hospitals. Surviving her were daughters-Barbara Frederick, Shirley Walker, Jean Plummer, and Carolyn Plummer. Her sons were Ray Chrisp, Leroy Chrisp, Allen Plummer, Donald Plummer, and Norman Plummer. Elder Thomas Washington had conducted her services at the Dafford Funeral Chapel in Dunn and her burial was in the Resthaven Cemetery in Dunn.
I can’t write the name Julia Stewart without thinking of the Coats Kiwanis Club. H.L. loved to call her his little bulldog. If he wanted someone to go get a golf hole that was a tough one-he went Julia and she would come back with it. Julia was such a hard worker and she was instrumental in a couple of projects that the readers might not be aware. It was during her term as president of the Woman’s Club that we added four beautiful white brick entrance signs to our town. J.W. Coats and H.L. laid the brickwork and painted them white. It is sad that they have all been removed with the exception of the one on Highway 27 toward Benson.
Another project that occurred under Julia’s leadership was the purchasing of the first banners for our town. She was such a lovely giving person. Her stories of moving here and not knowing anything about gardening and farming and trying to please her new mother-in-law are hilarious.
But for this article she made news because she was hostess for the Coats Woman’s Club at the Stewart Homestead. Frances Fanning was co-hostess. M.O. Phillips presented the program on “Landscaping Your Garden”. Afterwards, President Laura Langdon conducted business (Daily Record Dec. 3, 1993).
Some news about an upcoming wedding was announced by Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Champion of Route 2, Angier. Their daughter, Angela Marie “Angie” was to marry Todd Whittenton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Percy Whittenton, of Route 3, Dunn. Angie was a 1987 graduate of Triton and a 1989 graduate of Mitchell’s Hairstyling Academy. She was also completing her registered nurse degree from Watts School of Nursing. Todd had received his building contractor’s license in 1991 and was employed with his father at the Whittenton Builders, Inc. (Daily Record Dec.28, 1993).
Special thank you goes to Baxter Ennis from Chesapeake, VA. for his very generous contribution to the museum and to Betty Sorrell for remembering H.L. Sorrell with a memorial.
November 29, 1993 was printed on the Daily Record and it published that the Coats I shared East Division youth soccer honors and was a finalist in the Harnett County Tournament. The young players were Justine Matthews, Nicholas Peede, Josh Jernigan, Paul Jones, Daniel Stewart, Allison Shearin, Brandon Faircloth, Turner Matthews, Kerrie Norris, Devon Murchinson, Alia Langdon, Curt Honeycutt, and Amber Norris. The coaches were Casey Jones, Teresa Honeycutt, and Lisa Shearin (Daily Record Nov. 19, 1993).
How time has flown. Most of these young folks are parents of children who could be playing on their own soccer teams. I see Curt Honeycutt who is one of the largest successful young farmers in the area. There is Turner Matthews who served in the pulpit and is the father of two handsome young sons. He married Stephanie Roberts, daughter of Ray and Nancy Stout Roberts. Daryll and Randy are her siblings.
Ray Roberts was one of my first students and then I later had Stephanie in my Beta Club. Life truly is a stage just simply different characters.
Belle in her “Notes from Coats” informed her readers that Mrs. Cora Johnson Pleasant had celebrated her 90th birthday with most of her many children being present to celebrate. Who are some of these Johnson children? Belle did not share who was there but I do know some of her children having grown up across the woods from them.
One of her best known sons was the man we referred to as Bullet Johnson. He served in WWII and in some ways; it might have affected his life thereafter. His brother-in-law Jimmy Johnson spoke of Bullet’s seeing so many dead comrades changed his outlook on life.
Bullet often made the headlines in the paper for his antics in an airplane. He is said to have attempted to fly his plane in places not safe to maneuver like under the Erwin Bridge at the Cape Fear and between the two buildings at the old Coats School. I do know his last flight was when he flew over his dad’s farm on Live Oak Road where he flew over his family working in the tobacco field attempting to scare them when he and Harold Turlington crashed the plane. This was the end of his flying but not the end of being a popular figure around town.
Another son was Albert Johnson who was a decorated career military soldier who lost his life in Vietnam. There was Lea Joy who was a very popular beauty queen who went to Woman’s College in Greensboro and themn on to a career in NYC. Willa Dean married Jimmy Johnson from the Meadow area and lived on the Johnson farm that had been inherited from the Hugh Johnson down through John A. Johnson, the youngest son of Angelina Barnes and Hugh.
It was from this family that we meet my ancestors, Benjamin Franklin and Alice Johnson. My granddaddy B.F. was gifted land across the branch from his siblings where he would operate one of the eight cotton plantation cotton gins and saw mills in the early 1900’s.
Another child of Alonzo and Cora Johnson was Jimmy Johnson who graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in accounting. I am not sure where he is today but he did first marry one of the prettiest girls at Coats School by the name of Debbie Jones.
There were two other children that I recall. There was Tommy who I think married one of the popular Holder girls from Coats and the youngest child was Pat who her friend Beverly McLamb said was the best friend one could ever wish for. I think Pat died relatively young but had married a very successful businessman from the Angier area.
I surely wish this family would add to the Johnson Genealogy collection in the Research Library.
This I do know we have some information on the Hazel Barnes family. Belle shared that Hazel’s daughter, Janice and son-in-law Richard Daniel, came home for Thanksgiving. Janice had received her Decorate Degree in English from the University of Kentucky. Janice was on staff at the Morehead State University at Morehead, Kentucky. Surely they visited Richard’s mom-Thessie Daniel while in NC (Daily Record Nov. 23, 1993).
It seems that there has always been a giving spirit around Coats. Thanks to a very giving lady, the Coats Lions Club Park was $1,000 richer. Mrs. Thelma Denning gave a check in memory of her son Billy Dew.
Death made the November 30, 1993 edition of the Daily Record where it was printed that Christine McLean Plummer had died at the UNC Hospitals. Surviving her were daughters-Barbara Frederick, Shirley Walker, Jean Plummer, and Carolyn Plummer. Her sons were Ray Chrisp, Leroy Chrisp, Allen Plummer, Donald Plummer, and Norman Plummer. Elder Thomas Washington had conducted her services at the Dafford Funeral Chapel in Dunn and her burial was in the Resthaven Cemetery in Dunn.
I can’t write the name Julia Stewart without thinking of the Coats Kiwanis Club. H.L. loved to call her his little bulldog. If he wanted someone to go get a golf hole that was a tough one-he went Julia and she would come back with it. Julia was such a hard worker and she was instrumental in a couple of projects that the readers might not be aware. It was during her term as president of the Woman’s Club that we added four beautiful white brick entrance signs to our town. J.W. Coats and H.L. laid the brickwork and painted them white. It is sad that they have all been removed with the exception of the one on Highway 27 toward Benson.
Another project that occurred under Julia’s leadership was the purchasing of the first banners for our town. She was such a lovely giving person. Her stories of moving here and not knowing anything about gardening and farming and trying to please her new mother-in-law are hilarious.
But for this article she made news because she was hostess for the Coats Woman’s Club at the Stewart Homestead. Frances Fanning was co-hostess. M.O. Phillips presented the program on “Landscaping Your Garden”. Afterwards, President Laura Langdon conducted business (Daily Record Dec. 3, 1993).
Some news about an upcoming wedding was announced by Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Champion of Route 2, Angier. Their daughter, Angela Marie “Angie” was to marry Todd Whittenton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Percy Whittenton, of Route 3, Dunn. Angie was a 1987 graduate of Triton and a 1989 graduate of Mitchell’s Hairstyling Academy. She was also completing her registered nurse degree from Watts School of Nursing. Todd had received his building contractor’s license in 1991 and was employed with his father at the Whittenton Builders, Inc. (Daily Record Dec.28, 1993).
Special thank you goes to Baxter Ennis from Chesapeake, VA. for his very generous contribution to the museum and to Betty Sorrell for remembering H.L. Sorrell with a memorial.