Coats Museum News – February
11, 2011
Was there a Presbyterian Church in the town of Coats in 1914? Yes, and A.T. Lassiter was the pastor. Christine Akerman Parrish recalled going to the church as a very young girl with her mother, Estelle Stewart. The church was later bought by the Dr. Donald Moore family who had it renovated and later sold it. The house was purchased by Godfrey and Ann Lamm Beasley. Ann still maintains a residence there. Does anyone know who remodeled the house for the Moores?
What else was going on in Coats in 1914? Mrs. Molly (Mollie) Stewart and J.W. Denning continued to operate boarding houses. The Bank of Coats had P.S. Cooper as president and N.T. Patterson as cashier. Note the P.F. Pope is no longer president of the bank.
In the N.C. Record of Corporations (1901-1916-Vol.1), it is recorded that papers requesting incorporation of the Coats Brick Co. were drawn up and notarized by Oscar S. Young in Harnett County on August 19,1912. J .Bryan Grimes, N.C. Secretary of State, filed that Mr. P.F. Pope had 39 shares; Mr. N.T. Patterson had one share, and Mr. F.D. Overby had 10 shares in the Coats Brick Co. They could begin their business when at least $5,000 of the $50,000 allotted to the corporation had been subscribed. Question. Did that brick mill operate as an unincorporated entity before August 20, 1912? Recall that the 1913 Industrial Report of Coats mentioned the large number of brick buildings already built and being built at that time. The Coats Brick Mill, Inc. was such in 1913.
Now back to P.F. Pope. Why he is no longer bank president is unknown to this writer. It is interesting to share that on the 1915 Harnett County Tax Book for Grove Township that the records show that Pope lived in Coats. He had an aggregate value of property of $18,195 in land, etc.; he had $420 in bank stock and paid $211.49 in taxes. (CR048.701.1 Harnett County, N.C. ) Is this not a large amount for 1915? Could Mr. Pope have had other dealings that allowed little time to continue as bank president?
In 1914, Dr. H.C. Roberts was the doctor in Coats and G.S. Fields was the town druggist. J.R. Harmon and Bros. operated a hardware store. Was J.R. Harmon as ancestor of our own Bennie Harmon and Mildred Harmon Wiggins, wife of the late Campbell University President Norman Wiggins? Bingham and Fuquay were furniture dealers and there were nine general merchants: J.W. Talton, P.F. Pope, B.F. Langdon and Son, J.L. Johnson Co., Wm. McKay and Co., Stewart and Johnson, J.T. Winstead, B.A. Norris, and L.E. Byrd. There were four manufacturing plants in 1914: P.F. Pope (planing mill and gin), Coats Brick Co., J.P. Stephens (sawmill and gin), and the Everlasting Window Shade Company. R.R. Jones and J.T. Pollard operated blacksmith shops. W.H. Parrish sold real estate and automobiles; T.V. Stewart sold livestock and automobiles; E.V. Langdon operated a livestock and livery business, and lastly, there was a Stephenson Livestock Co.
Outside of the Coats town limits, there were many businesses in 1914 according to the same “1914 N.C. Business Directory (Harnett)”. Among those businesses were cotton gins—Ennis and Norris, B.F. Johnson, D.S. Bayles, D. Turlington, S.C. Neighbors, W.R. Sorrell, B.F. Parrish, L.L. Turlington and Sandy Adams.
Recorded in the “1915 N.C. Business Directory (Harnett)” a few changes occurred in Coats. John L. Johnson continued as Coats mayor but W.H. Parrish was now secretary and N.T. Patterson was treasurer of the town board. Dr. Roberts was on the board, also. J.D. Pope had replaced W.E. Nichols as railroad agent and manager of the Express and Telegraph. T.V. Stewart now operated the furniture business and there was a new Grove Supply Company. All other businesses were the same as in 1914.
Have you noticed that there has been no mention of telephone or electric companies? When did utilities come to Coats? Was Coats in the dark after sunset? This we do know. Veterans and their families will be given the opportunity to have a soldier’s story published in a new project being undertaken by the Coats Museum. This group plans to publish a series of books containing stories of veterans from the Grove area or veterans connected to families from that same area. The book will be titled –“Defenders of the Red, White, and Blue “. Anyone wanting to know more about the project should visit the Open House and have World War II veteran Carsie Denning sign a copy of his latest book, “A World War II Secret Weapon” at the Coats Museum on March 6, 2011, from 2-5 PM. Details on how to submit a story will be available at the museum that day. The public is also invited to come to the event.
Please be mindful that this Coats museum News appeared in the Daily Record on February 11, 2011.
Was there a Presbyterian Church in the town of Coats in 1914? Yes, and A.T. Lassiter was the pastor. Christine Akerman Parrish recalled going to the church as a very young girl with her mother, Estelle Stewart. The church was later bought by the Dr. Donald Moore family who had it renovated and later sold it. The house was purchased by Godfrey and Ann Lamm Beasley. Ann still maintains a residence there. Does anyone know who remodeled the house for the Moores?
What else was going on in Coats in 1914? Mrs. Molly (Mollie) Stewart and J.W. Denning continued to operate boarding houses. The Bank of Coats had P.S. Cooper as president and N.T. Patterson as cashier. Note the P.F. Pope is no longer president of the bank.
In the N.C. Record of Corporations (1901-1916-Vol.1), it is recorded that papers requesting incorporation of the Coats Brick Co. were drawn up and notarized by Oscar S. Young in Harnett County on August 19,1912. J .Bryan Grimes, N.C. Secretary of State, filed that Mr. P.F. Pope had 39 shares; Mr. N.T. Patterson had one share, and Mr. F.D. Overby had 10 shares in the Coats Brick Co. They could begin their business when at least $5,000 of the $50,000 allotted to the corporation had been subscribed. Question. Did that brick mill operate as an unincorporated entity before August 20, 1912? Recall that the 1913 Industrial Report of Coats mentioned the large number of brick buildings already built and being built at that time. The Coats Brick Mill, Inc. was such in 1913.
Now back to P.F. Pope. Why he is no longer bank president is unknown to this writer. It is interesting to share that on the 1915 Harnett County Tax Book for Grove Township that the records show that Pope lived in Coats. He had an aggregate value of property of $18,195 in land, etc.; he had $420 in bank stock and paid $211.49 in taxes. (CR048.701.1 Harnett County, N.C. ) Is this not a large amount for 1915? Could Mr. Pope have had other dealings that allowed little time to continue as bank president?
In 1914, Dr. H.C. Roberts was the doctor in Coats and G.S. Fields was the town druggist. J.R. Harmon and Bros. operated a hardware store. Was J.R. Harmon as ancestor of our own Bennie Harmon and Mildred Harmon Wiggins, wife of the late Campbell University President Norman Wiggins? Bingham and Fuquay were furniture dealers and there were nine general merchants: J.W. Talton, P.F. Pope, B.F. Langdon and Son, J.L. Johnson Co., Wm. McKay and Co., Stewart and Johnson, J.T. Winstead, B.A. Norris, and L.E. Byrd. There were four manufacturing plants in 1914: P.F. Pope (planing mill and gin), Coats Brick Co., J.P. Stephens (sawmill and gin), and the Everlasting Window Shade Company. R.R. Jones and J.T. Pollard operated blacksmith shops. W.H. Parrish sold real estate and automobiles; T.V. Stewart sold livestock and automobiles; E.V. Langdon operated a livestock and livery business, and lastly, there was a Stephenson Livestock Co.
Outside of the Coats town limits, there were many businesses in 1914 according to the same “1914 N.C. Business Directory (Harnett)”. Among those businesses were cotton gins—Ennis and Norris, B.F. Johnson, D.S. Bayles, D. Turlington, S.C. Neighbors, W.R. Sorrell, B.F. Parrish, L.L. Turlington and Sandy Adams.
Recorded in the “1915 N.C. Business Directory (Harnett)” a few changes occurred in Coats. John L. Johnson continued as Coats mayor but W.H. Parrish was now secretary and N.T. Patterson was treasurer of the town board. Dr. Roberts was on the board, also. J.D. Pope had replaced W.E. Nichols as railroad agent and manager of the Express and Telegraph. T.V. Stewart now operated the furniture business and there was a new Grove Supply Company. All other businesses were the same as in 1914.
Have you noticed that there has been no mention of telephone or electric companies? When did utilities come to Coats? Was Coats in the dark after sunset? This we do know. Veterans and their families will be given the opportunity to have a soldier’s story published in a new project being undertaken by the Coats Museum. This group plans to publish a series of books containing stories of veterans from the Grove area or veterans connected to families from that same area. The book will be titled –“Defenders of the Red, White, and Blue “. Anyone wanting to know more about the project should visit the Open House and have World War II veteran Carsie Denning sign a copy of his latest book, “A World War II Secret Weapon” at the Coats Museum on March 6, 2011, from 2-5 PM. Details on how to submit a story will be available at the museum that day. The public is also invited to come to the event.
Please be mindful that this Coats museum News appeared in the Daily Record on February 11, 2011.