February 12, 2021 Coats Museum News
The Daily Record covered much of what was happening in Coats in 1986 via the “Coats Social Notes” of Wanda Pollard. Some readers will recall the name Stewart Hough. In the Sept. 24, 1986 edition of the paper it was written that Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Hough, formerly of Coats, were the proud grandparents of a little girl. Mrs. Clyda Wilmoth was the maternal great- grandmother. Kenneth Weeks and his wife Linda Weeks were also proud new grandparents of a new granddaughter. Woodrow Gregory was the great-grandfather.
Mrs. Mary Penny Coats was still active at the age of 93. Wanda wrote that Mrs. Coats was having her house painted and then took advantage of the pretty weather to hoe the grass around her walkways (Daily Record Sept. 23, 1986).
Question-who knows where the Mary Penny Coats house is located? I do know that Dana Coats Byrd is going to help the museum volunteers identify the owners of some of the original houses in Coats. For example, who knows where the Yarleys who owned the Coats Theater lived? Dana shared that when her grandparents, Otis and Myrtle Nordan Coats, moved from the farm near Bailey’s Crossroads to Coats they bought the Yarley house. So you ask, “Do you know which house these folks lived in town?”
I do know that according to the September 25, 1986 edition of the Daily Record, Mrs. Ellen Black Ennis was honored on her 88th birthday. She was blessed to have many of her friends and relatives present. Does that sound pretty remarkable age to live? Recall that the average lifespan in 1986 was 78.2 years for the female. Read the next sentence and be amazed. Mrs. Ennis’s had a brother Henry Black who was 105 years- old but he and his wife were unable to attend the dinner. My thought was how old was Mr. Black’s wife. Does anyone know this family?
While the Ennis family was celebrating her birthday, the Billy and Ida Denning descendants celebrated with a reunion at the Pope’s Barn. About seventy-five family members attended (Daily Record Sept. 29, 1986). Is Billy Pope part of this family?
The Coats Elementary School was planning to form a Support Every Elementary Kid (SEEK) group. Earl Denning, one of the promoters of the group, said that the group was similar to the national PTA organization, but they had no plans to be affiliated with the national group (Daily Record Oct. 1, 1986).
Jatana Byrd, 11, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Byrd, was one of the 4-H sewing contest participants. She had the opportunity to model the creation she had made herself for the competition (Daily Record Oct. 2, 1986). Does anyone know how Jatana came out in the competition?
W.L. and Foy Matthews celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Sons-Max and Harry Matthews, along with their wives-Dorothy and Debbie, hosted a pig picking in their parent’s honor.
How many of you have been fortunate enough to attend one of those Matthews Brothers’ pig pickings. The New Year’s Day events brought in hundreds of folks from all over the county. Did the attendees realize how many hours the men and women put into the event for us to enjoy a couple of hours of food and fellowship?
This I do know. Once again Wanda’s” Coats Social Notes” shared the happenings around the little town. She extended a belated birthday greetings to J.D. Norris. (Does it seem like we have been reading about J.D. Norris for dozens of years? Recall that he had become mayor in 1949 when Vic Lee resigned because Lee had built a house outside of the town limits and could no longer serve on the town board as mayor. Did you know we had stoplights installed under Mayor Norris in 1949 because drivers were speeding through town on NC 55 McKinley Street? Other than the Hwy.55 which was hard surfaced, were any other town streets paved? Was there a law that required drivers to drive right of center in 1949?)
So how old was J.D. Norris in 1986? Wanda wrote that J.D. was “75 years young”. This age did not prevent Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Norris and Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Lockamy from attending the annual Visitation Day at the Jr. Order Children’s Home in Lexington, NC. The notes also extended congratulations to Alan R. Stephenson for being named to the Who’s Who Among High School students. Additional news shared by Wanda was that another Stephenson was worthy of making the news. Lynn Stephenson was home from Texas visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Benny Ray Stephenson. Mrs. Pat Jackson Howell had brought her six-week-old son to see his great-grandma, Mary Penny Coats. Also of interest was David and Violene Stevens were treated to a surprise cookout at their home on Grandparents Day. One of their sons, David Glenn, was unable to attend because he and his family were stationed at Woodbridge, VA. (I might note if any readers have a copy of the Defenders of the Red, White and Blue veterans’ book compiled by the Coats Museum volunteers, there is an extensive write-up of Glenn’s service to our country).
Wanda also shared in that same column that the Virginia Beach Bridge Club friends of Dottie and Gordon Ware visited the couple as did Mr. and Mrs. William Creech from Texas and their daughter Terry Williams from Knoxville, TN. The Ware’s had an open house event and many relatives from Ebenezer Church and the Turlington families had a “nice get- to- gather”.
Wanda wrote that a new couple had moved to Coats. Bruce and Barbara Thompson had moved to town and lived on Carrie Street. They were parents to Adam and Zachary Thompson. Elsewhere in the area, John N. Bryant was sizing up his pumpkin crop on Route 3, Dunn (Daily Record Oct. 3, 1986).
Death continued to touch families in Coats. William Massengill was a farm equipment supporter at the Coats Farmer’s Day even though he has strong Benson connection with his son having served as mayor of Benson and his father-in law being a partner in the Barnes-Lee car dealership. William was the 2000 CACC Farmer of Year and husband of Linda Massengill who has enjoyed memberships in the Coats Woman’s Club, Extension Club and Tea and Garden Club. Thanks goes to Casey and Ann Jones for remembering their friend William Massengill with a memorial to the Coats Museum.
The Daily Record covered much of what was happening in Coats in 1986 via the “Coats Social Notes” of Wanda Pollard. Some readers will recall the name Stewart Hough. In the Sept. 24, 1986 edition of the paper it was written that Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Hough, formerly of Coats, were the proud grandparents of a little girl. Mrs. Clyda Wilmoth was the maternal great- grandmother. Kenneth Weeks and his wife Linda Weeks were also proud new grandparents of a new granddaughter. Woodrow Gregory was the great-grandfather.
Mrs. Mary Penny Coats was still active at the age of 93. Wanda wrote that Mrs. Coats was having her house painted and then took advantage of the pretty weather to hoe the grass around her walkways (Daily Record Sept. 23, 1986).
Question-who knows where the Mary Penny Coats house is located? I do know that Dana Coats Byrd is going to help the museum volunteers identify the owners of some of the original houses in Coats. For example, who knows where the Yarleys who owned the Coats Theater lived? Dana shared that when her grandparents, Otis and Myrtle Nordan Coats, moved from the farm near Bailey’s Crossroads to Coats they bought the Yarley house. So you ask, “Do you know which house these folks lived in town?”
I do know that according to the September 25, 1986 edition of the Daily Record, Mrs. Ellen Black Ennis was honored on her 88th birthday. She was blessed to have many of her friends and relatives present. Does that sound pretty remarkable age to live? Recall that the average lifespan in 1986 was 78.2 years for the female. Read the next sentence and be amazed. Mrs. Ennis’s had a brother Henry Black who was 105 years- old but he and his wife were unable to attend the dinner. My thought was how old was Mr. Black’s wife. Does anyone know this family?
While the Ennis family was celebrating her birthday, the Billy and Ida Denning descendants celebrated with a reunion at the Pope’s Barn. About seventy-five family members attended (Daily Record Sept. 29, 1986). Is Billy Pope part of this family?
The Coats Elementary School was planning to form a Support Every Elementary Kid (SEEK) group. Earl Denning, one of the promoters of the group, said that the group was similar to the national PTA organization, but they had no plans to be affiliated with the national group (Daily Record Oct. 1, 1986).
Jatana Byrd, 11, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Byrd, was one of the 4-H sewing contest participants. She had the opportunity to model the creation she had made herself for the competition (Daily Record Oct. 2, 1986). Does anyone know how Jatana came out in the competition?
W.L. and Foy Matthews celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Sons-Max and Harry Matthews, along with their wives-Dorothy and Debbie, hosted a pig picking in their parent’s honor.
How many of you have been fortunate enough to attend one of those Matthews Brothers’ pig pickings. The New Year’s Day events brought in hundreds of folks from all over the county. Did the attendees realize how many hours the men and women put into the event for us to enjoy a couple of hours of food and fellowship?
This I do know. Once again Wanda’s” Coats Social Notes” shared the happenings around the little town. She extended a belated birthday greetings to J.D. Norris. (Does it seem like we have been reading about J.D. Norris for dozens of years? Recall that he had become mayor in 1949 when Vic Lee resigned because Lee had built a house outside of the town limits and could no longer serve on the town board as mayor. Did you know we had stoplights installed under Mayor Norris in 1949 because drivers were speeding through town on NC 55 McKinley Street? Other than the Hwy.55 which was hard surfaced, were any other town streets paved? Was there a law that required drivers to drive right of center in 1949?)
So how old was J.D. Norris in 1986? Wanda wrote that J.D. was “75 years young”. This age did not prevent Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Norris and Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Lockamy from attending the annual Visitation Day at the Jr. Order Children’s Home in Lexington, NC. The notes also extended congratulations to Alan R. Stephenson for being named to the Who’s Who Among High School students. Additional news shared by Wanda was that another Stephenson was worthy of making the news. Lynn Stephenson was home from Texas visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Benny Ray Stephenson. Mrs. Pat Jackson Howell had brought her six-week-old son to see his great-grandma, Mary Penny Coats. Also of interest was David and Violene Stevens were treated to a surprise cookout at their home on Grandparents Day. One of their sons, David Glenn, was unable to attend because he and his family were stationed at Woodbridge, VA. (I might note if any readers have a copy of the Defenders of the Red, White and Blue veterans’ book compiled by the Coats Museum volunteers, there is an extensive write-up of Glenn’s service to our country).
Wanda also shared in that same column that the Virginia Beach Bridge Club friends of Dottie and Gordon Ware visited the couple as did Mr. and Mrs. William Creech from Texas and their daughter Terry Williams from Knoxville, TN. The Ware’s had an open house event and many relatives from Ebenezer Church and the Turlington families had a “nice get- to- gather”.
Wanda wrote that a new couple had moved to Coats. Bruce and Barbara Thompson had moved to town and lived on Carrie Street. They were parents to Adam and Zachary Thompson. Elsewhere in the area, John N. Bryant was sizing up his pumpkin crop on Route 3, Dunn (Daily Record Oct. 3, 1986).
Death continued to touch families in Coats. William Massengill was a farm equipment supporter at the Coats Farmer’s Day even though he has strong Benson connection with his son having served as mayor of Benson and his father-in law being a partner in the Barnes-Lee car dealership. William was the 2000 CACC Farmer of Year and husband of Linda Massengill who has enjoyed memberships in the Coats Woman’s Club, Extension Club and Tea and Garden Club. Thanks goes to Casey and Ann Jones for remembering their friend William Massengill with a memorial to the Coats Museum.