February 10, 2017 Coats Museum News
A gas war had been going on in Harnett County where the prices had dropped to 24.5 cents per gallon. Wonder if that news delighted some folks in the Lillington area. Surely many friends and family members of Neill Salmon would be traveling to Pendleton, NC to attend the June 11th wedding of Evelyn Marie Bryant to Neil McKay Salmon. The wedding was to be held at Roberts Chapel at 5 PM (Daily Record May 18, 1961).
How many of you have had a chance to see Marie Bryant Salmon’s beautiful wedding dress on display in our glass tunnel of vintage wedding garments? For those of us who love Marie know that there is always a story to tell about her. This wedding story is that one of “Kay’s” groomsmen decided that a cow bell and chain should be locked around Kay’s neck and the key should definitely be thrown out of the window in another town many miles from the wedding site. Visit the museum to see what the end of the story is.
Coats has had its share of beautiful girls and many of them were brave enough to parade before a panel of judges to verify that fact. Such a beauty was dark eyed Judy Elliott who competed with 10 other candidates for the July 4th celebration in Lillington. Judy had just graduated from Coats High School (Daily Record June 29, 1961).
Do you know when the Social Security tax was first taken out of workers’ pay checks? I do know that a bigger amount was to be taken out of checks for Social Security but retirement at 62 would be allowed. It would be a short time before Norma Lee Johnson and James T. Willis would join the employment list, but for now they were rewarded for their hard work in college as it was announced that both had made Dean’s List at East Carolina College (Daily Record June 30, 1961).
Mrs. Mae Moore, Miss Edith Gray, Mrs. Gladys Tyndall and Mrs. M. Belle Stewart were local ladies in Betsy Johnson Hospital. We know why one of them was there because it was reported that Gladys was the mother of a daughter. Mrs. James E. Tyndall was the former Gladys Hough.
M.L. (Mack) Stephenson (77) of Benson had died. His wife, Mrs. Lula Mae Stephenson, survived him. Two of his eleven children lived in the Coats area. They were Mrs. Thurman (Pauline) Sorrell and Lloyd W. Stephenson. Two brothers –George and Jeff Stephenson were of Coats. Three of his sisters were from the area-Mary, Merle and Mrs. Bent Harmon (Daily Record July 4, 1961). Do you recall that George’s wife Viola had died in February?
Good news was shared by the Joseph Knox family that there was little daughter to join their household. The mom was the former Mary Joe King (Daily Record July 6, 1961).
While some families were sharing information about deaths or births, others were announcing engagements or marriages. Such was the case of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lee of Route 3, Dunn who announced the marriage of their daughter Janice Rose Lee to James Victor Henrickson of Richfield, Minnesota on June 21st. The bride was a 1961 graduate of Coats School.
Mrs. Jimmy Jones of Coats had accepted a position with First Citizens Bank and Trust in Angier. The Raeford Parrish Family (Judy, Joy, and Ginger) and the Rupert Parrish Family (Ronnie, Keith and Dwight) had vacationed at Carolina Beach (Daily Record July 7, 1961). For those of you who do not know these two families, it is interesting to note that Rupert and Raeford were twins and were star athletes in 1941 at Coats School. I found it interesting that one twin had all boys while the other had all girls. Agree?
Several families in Coats had news to be proud to share. Larry Edward Denning had done well at UNC where he had maintained grades at 92.5 or better for the semester. Mr. and Mrs. Clyde and Joyce Matthews Turlington of rural Coats added a son to their family.
How many people received public assistance through the Welfare Department in Harnett County in 2017? In June of 1961, only 665 persons received an average check of $45.00 per month (Daily Record July 11, 1961).
More babies were being born in the Coats area. Mr. and Mrs. Jack Stewart had a daughter. The mother was the former Mary Belle Worrell. Also, Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Butts of rural Coats announced the new arrival of a son. The mother was the former Helen Miller (Daily Record July 12, 1961).
The death angel also visited the area and took Joseph S. Wiggins who was 86 years old. Three daughters survived him. Mrs. Albert Stevens and Mrs. Alton M. Byrd were from the Coats area. Of his two sons who survived him, Harvey Wiggins live in Coats.
The HD Clubs continued to have their monthly meetings and this meeting was hosted by Mrs. Malcolm C. Stewart. New officers were elected. Mrs. Dorsey Daniel was elected president; Mrs. Malcolm Stewart was vice president and Mrs. W. R. Langdon was selected secretary-treasurer. Mrs. Garland Johnson had presented a program on “Sing a Song of Salads” (Daily Record July 13, 1961).
Weddings dominated the social scene in Coats. Miss Sybil Beasley and Miss Vickie Lou Lee of Coats were bridesmaids in the wedding of Ruth Faye Lewis and Herbert Gale Clark on July 9 in Bethlehem Baptist Church in Knightdale. The niece of the bride, Miss Beth Stephenson, was junior bridesmaid (Daily Record July 14, 1961).
More good news came to the Coats community. Phillip Nordan, son of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Nordan, was one of three students to be awarded a $500 scholarship in the School of Textiles at NC State. Nordan was a transfer from Campbell College after graduating from Coats High (Daily Record July 17, 1961).
Many of you remember Phillip while others may remember his mother, Elizabeth. Both were star basketball players in high school and both were on championship teams-Lib in 1939 and Phillip in 1959 (Daily Record July 17, 1961).
Other interesting notes about the Nordan family are that Lib was a talented pianist and Phillip now owns a vineyard and winery in Concord, NC. which is a point of travel because Phillip also builds tree houses where visitors can rent to spend the night. Would the Tree House Vineyards be a good name for his winery?
I do know the paper printed that Dr. W. Donald Moore of Coats, a native of England, who had been practicing medicine in Coats for a number of years, had left by plane for New York and Paris where he had met his wife and son for a month’s tour of Europe. Mrs. Moore had been in Paris studying for her doctor’s degree. The Moore’s toured France, Switzerland, and West Germany and visited relatives including aunts and cousins (Daily Record July 24, 1961).
To backtrack to Daily Record, August 8, 1949 news when it was written that Dr. Donald Moore would be the new doctor in town, replacing Dr. M.E. Jones who was leaving to return to his home town, Granite Falls, to practice medicine. Dr. Moore was born in Cary, NC and received his BA at Wake Forest and his MD at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, VA. He interned at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, VA and spent two years in the Navy as a medical officer in the Pacific and the Philippines. For two years he was a resident physician in surgery at Rex Hospital. Dr. Moore had married Anne Byrd Tucker of Richmond and they brought to Coats with them two children Donald, Jr. and Linda.
An often asked question from visitors to the museum is “How did a small town like Coats build this museum?” Our answer is from the support of remarkable local clubs and people. For example, the Coats Lions and Kiwanis Club pledged continued support. These two clubs also helped establish our Coats Museum Endowment which protects the future of the museum. The Woman’s Club and many local friends have come forth with memorials and honorariums. Several board members give yearly donations to honor and remember friends. Our out of state support is unbelievable. Mike and Claudia Tocci from Nevada, Baxter and Glenda Ennis, Bryan and Liz Sorrell, Tom and Joan Eckert, all from Virginia, are recent donors. This type of support built the Coats Heritage and Cotton Museum.
When Sandy Kay Howard, one of our museum board members, kept the museum, she welcomed Jamone Penny Johnson who is the great granddaughter of Henry H. Penny, half-brother of James T. Coats. Jamone is daughter of Harold Penny and granddaughter of Archie Penny. She was seeking additional Penny family history in our research library. Jamone gave a generous donation to honor her Aunt Annie Ruth Penny Stewart and Cousin Carolyn Penny Messer. Susan Hawley Cannady remembered Lib Guy with a memorial to the museum and the Coats Kiwanis Club remembered Bobby Harvey with memorial donation. Thanks go to all these generous donors.
We are closing out the acceptance of military info, stories and letters as of March 2, 2017. This information will be published by the Coats Museum under the title of “Defenders of the Red, White and Blue.” We have been collecting this military info since 2001 and we are excited to bring it to closure with the publication.
A gas war had been going on in Harnett County where the prices had dropped to 24.5 cents per gallon. Wonder if that news delighted some folks in the Lillington area. Surely many friends and family members of Neill Salmon would be traveling to Pendleton, NC to attend the June 11th wedding of Evelyn Marie Bryant to Neil McKay Salmon. The wedding was to be held at Roberts Chapel at 5 PM (Daily Record May 18, 1961).
How many of you have had a chance to see Marie Bryant Salmon’s beautiful wedding dress on display in our glass tunnel of vintage wedding garments? For those of us who love Marie know that there is always a story to tell about her. This wedding story is that one of “Kay’s” groomsmen decided that a cow bell and chain should be locked around Kay’s neck and the key should definitely be thrown out of the window in another town many miles from the wedding site. Visit the museum to see what the end of the story is.
Coats has had its share of beautiful girls and many of them were brave enough to parade before a panel of judges to verify that fact. Such a beauty was dark eyed Judy Elliott who competed with 10 other candidates for the July 4th celebration in Lillington. Judy had just graduated from Coats High School (Daily Record June 29, 1961).
Do you know when the Social Security tax was first taken out of workers’ pay checks? I do know that a bigger amount was to be taken out of checks for Social Security but retirement at 62 would be allowed. It would be a short time before Norma Lee Johnson and James T. Willis would join the employment list, but for now they were rewarded for their hard work in college as it was announced that both had made Dean’s List at East Carolina College (Daily Record June 30, 1961).
Mrs. Mae Moore, Miss Edith Gray, Mrs. Gladys Tyndall and Mrs. M. Belle Stewart were local ladies in Betsy Johnson Hospital. We know why one of them was there because it was reported that Gladys was the mother of a daughter. Mrs. James E. Tyndall was the former Gladys Hough.
M.L. (Mack) Stephenson (77) of Benson had died. His wife, Mrs. Lula Mae Stephenson, survived him. Two of his eleven children lived in the Coats area. They were Mrs. Thurman (Pauline) Sorrell and Lloyd W. Stephenson. Two brothers –George and Jeff Stephenson were of Coats. Three of his sisters were from the area-Mary, Merle and Mrs. Bent Harmon (Daily Record July 4, 1961). Do you recall that George’s wife Viola had died in February?
Good news was shared by the Joseph Knox family that there was little daughter to join their household. The mom was the former Mary Joe King (Daily Record July 6, 1961).
While some families were sharing information about deaths or births, others were announcing engagements or marriages. Such was the case of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lee of Route 3, Dunn who announced the marriage of their daughter Janice Rose Lee to James Victor Henrickson of Richfield, Minnesota on June 21st. The bride was a 1961 graduate of Coats School.
Mrs. Jimmy Jones of Coats had accepted a position with First Citizens Bank and Trust in Angier. The Raeford Parrish Family (Judy, Joy, and Ginger) and the Rupert Parrish Family (Ronnie, Keith and Dwight) had vacationed at Carolina Beach (Daily Record July 7, 1961). For those of you who do not know these two families, it is interesting to note that Rupert and Raeford were twins and were star athletes in 1941 at Coats School. I found it interesting that one twin had all boys while the other had all girls. Agree?
Several families in Coats had news to be proud to share. Larry Edward Denning had done well at UNC where he had maintained grades at 92.5 or better for the semester. Mr. and Mrs. Clyde and Joyce Matthews Turlington of rural Coats added a son to their family.
How many people received public assistance through the Welfare Department in Harnett County in 2017? In June of 1961, only 665 persons received an average check of $45.00 per month (Daily Record July 11, 1961).
More babies were being born in the Coats area. Mr. and Mrs. Jack Stewart had a daughter. The mother was the former Mary Belle Worrell. Also, Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Butts of rural Coats announced the new arrival of a son. The mother was the former Helen Miller (Daily Record July 12, 1961).
The death angel also visited the area and took Joseph S. Wiggins who was 86 years old. Three daughters survived him. Mrs. Albert Stevens and Mrs. Alton M. Byrd were from the Coats area. Of his two sons who survived him, Harvey Wiggins live in Coats.
The HD Clubs continued to have their monthly meetings and this meeting was hosted by Mrs. Malcolm C. Stewart. New officers were elected. Mrs. Dorsey Daniel was elected president; Mrs. Malcolm Stewart was vice president and Mrs. W. R. Langdon was selected secretary-treasurer. Mrs. Garland Johnson had presented a program on “Sing a Song of Salads” (Daily Record July 13, 1961).
Weddings dominated the social scene in Coats. Miss Sybil Beasley and Miss Vickie Lou Lee of Coats were bridesmaids in the wedding of Ruth Faye Lewis and Herbert Gale Clark on July 9 in Bethlehem Baptist Church in Knightdale. The niece of the bride, Miss Beth Stephenson, was junior bridesmaid (Daily Record July 14, 1961).
More good news came to the Coats community. Phillip Nordan, son of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Nordan, was one of three students to be awarded a $500 scholarship in the School of Textiles at NC State. Nordan was a transfer from Campbell College after graduating from Coats High (Daily Record July 17, 1961).
Many of you remember Phillip while others may remember his mother, Elizabeth. Both were star basketball players in high school and both were on championship teams-Lib in 1939 and Phillip in 1959 (Daily Record July 17, 1961).
Other interesting notes about the Nordan family are that Lib was a talented pianist and Phillip now owns a vineyard and winery in Concord, NC. which is a point of travel because Phillip also builds tree houses where visitors can rent to spend the night. Would the Tree House Vineyards be a good name for his winery?
I do know the paper printed that Dr. W. Donald Moore of Coats, a native of England, who had been practicing medicine in Coats for a number of years, had left by plane for New York and Paris where he had met his wife and son for a month’s tour of Europe. Mrs. Moore had been in Paris studying for her doctor’s degree. The Moore’s toured France, Switzerland, and West Germany and visited relatives including aunts and cousins (Daily Record July 24, 1961).
To backtrack to Daily Record, August 8, 1949 news when it was written that Dr. Donald Moore would be the new doctor in town, replacing Dr. M.E. Jones who was leaving to return to his home town, Granite Falls, to practice medicine. Dr. Moore was born in Cary, NC and received his BA at Wake Forest and his MD at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, VA. He interned at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, VA and spent two years in the Navy as a medical officer in the Pacific and the Philippines. For two years he was a resident physician in surgery at Rex Hospital. Dr. Moore had married Anne Byrd Tucker of Richmond and they brought to Coats with them two children Donald, Jr. and Linda.
An often asked question from visitors to the museum is “How did a small town like Coats build this museum?” Our answer is from the support of remarkable local clubs and people. For example, the Coats Lions and Kiwanis Club pledged continued support. These two clubs also helped establish our Coats Museum Endowment which protects the future of the museum. The Woman’s Club and many local friends have come forth with memorials and honorariums. Several board members give yearly donations to honor and remember friends. Our out of state support is unbelievable. Mike and Claudia Tocci from Nevada, Baxter and Glenda Ennis, Bryan and Liz Sorrell, Tom and Joan Eckert, all from Virginia, are recent donors. This type of support built the Coats Heritage and Cotton Museum.
When Sandy Kay Howard, one of our museum board members, kept the museum, she welcomed Jamone Penny Johnson who is the great granddaughter of Henry H. Penny, half-brother of James T. Coats. Jamone is daughter of Harold Penny and granddaughter of Archie Penny. She was seeking additional Penny family history in our research library. Jamone gave a generous donation to honor her Aunt Annie Ruth Penny Stewart and Cousin Carolyn Penny Messer. Susan Hawley Cannady remembered Lib Guy with a memorial to the museum and the Coats Kiwanis Club remembered Bobby Harvey with memorial donation. Thanks go to all these generous donors.
We are closing out the acceptance of military info, stories and letters as of March 2, 2017. This information will be published by the Coats Museum under the title of “Defenders of the Red, White and Blue.” We have been collecting this military info since 2001 and we are excited to bring it to closure with the publication.