January 17, 2011
Coats Museum News
Two of the most often asked questions of this writer are where do you get all of that information about happenings from hundreds of years ago and when are you going to write about “so and so”? The answer to the first question is research, research and more research of old newspapers, business directories, wills, deeds, Bibles, books, journals, interviews, maps, conversations, family genealogies, scrapbooks, records of public meetings of towns and counties and the list goes on. Countless researchers and friends of the Coats Museum have been generous with their time and materials to locate and preserve the history so that this writer can share some of it with you, the reader. You must keep in mind as you read the column that the material included is accurate only if the source is accurate. The answer to the second question regarding when will “so and so” be written about in the column is most likely when that individual or incident shows up on the pages of time.
Old obituaries can give personal information for those from whom we descended. Read the obituary printed in the Smithfield Herald (10-21-1912) for a Mr. Angus Bain “who died at his home yesterday morning about 9:00 after suffering for several months with old age and general breakdown. He was 75 years old and moved to Coats about 1909 from Cumberland County where he was born and reared. Mr. Bain was a man of splendid qualities, aggressive and energetic until a few years ago when his health declined. His was a life of toil. He was always willing to lend a helping hand to those who were less fortunate than he was; he lived a noble life and left behind a host of friends who will be grieved to learn of his death. He was a member of the Missionary Baptist Church (Coats) and always took an active part in managing the affairs of the church. In addition to his grief-stricken widow, he left five sons and three daughters as follow; John D. Bain of Wilson; Reverend G.A. Bain of Spring Branch, Sampson County; R.A. Bain of near Four Oaks; Oscar Bain of Smithfield; Clarence Bain and Miss Mattie Bain of Coats; also Mrs. P.F. “Pat” Pope and Mrs. J.D. Pope of Coats. E.L. and J.L. Hall of Benson were nephews.”
The Bain obituary was a typical death notice of that era and is packed full of information for a researcher; but for now, let’s focus again on what else was recorded on the pages of time for the area known as Coats.
In 1912, A.W. Gregory of Barclaysville was no longer a county commissioner but G.W. Whittington was a Justice of Peace in Grove Township. In 1912, the same cotton gins were operating. Owen Odum, Miriam Jones and Ida Coats were listed as Coats teachers according to the 1912 “N.C. Business Directory (Harnett)”.
In the 1913 “N.C. Business Directory (Harnett)”, it was recorded that P.F. Pope served on the Harnett County Board of Commissioners. (Does that mean that P.F. Pope defeated Albert W. Gregory for that position?) Also in 1913, a Dunn newspaper published an industrial report of Coats. The information was quite favorable of the young town of Coats and the report should prove interesting to those who are following our journey toward the present day Coats.
The newspaper report wrote that “Coats was a progressive town in Harnett County, on the Durham and Southern Railroad, formerly the Cape Fear and Southern Railroad. The town was 8 miles from Dunn and 30 miles south Raleigh.” The report stated, “Coats is a healthy section of the country. It has good water and well drained. Seldom has a case of malaria or fever been reported. The doctor’s bills are light and unusually rare. It is located in one of the best farming sections of the county. The farmers make their supplies. They have surplus goods to market. The population has about doubled the last year. The town has a bank, a drug store, a jewelry store, several new brick structures recently erected and a number being built. A hardware and furniture business will probably open in the fall. Coats is a splendid market town with a number of prosperous merchants that pay the top prices for cotton, cottonseeds, and other produce.”
Read the next Coats Museum News to learn more about Coats as recorded in the 1913 Industrial Report on Coats as printed in a Dunn newspaper in 1913. What Dunn paper or papers were being published in Dunn in 1913?
A special thank you goes to Lynda and Robie Butler, Becky Adams and Gayle and H. L. Sorrell for their gifts given to the Coats Museum Endowment during the Christmas giving season. Also, thank you to H. L. for giving memorial gifts to the endowment to honor Allison Jones of Buies Creek and his gift to honor the memory of Mary Lynn Hamilton Batchelor, mother of Carolyn Broadwell.
Please be mindful that this Coats Museum News appeared in the January 17, 2011 issue of the Daily Record.
Two of the most often asked questions of this writer are where do you get all of that information about happenings from hundreds of years ago and when are you going to write about “so and so”? The answer to the first question is research, research and more research of old newspapers, business directories, wills, deeds, Bibles, books, journals, interviews, maps, conversations, family genealogies, scrapbooks, records of public meetings of towns and counties and the list goes on. Countless researchers and friends of the Coats Museum have been generous with their time and materials to locate and preserve the history so that this writer can share some of it with you, the reader. You must keep in mind as you read the column that the material included is accurate only if the source is accurate. The answer to the second question regarding when will “so and so” be written about in the column is most likely when that individual or incident shows up on the pages of time.
Old obituaries can give personal information for those from whom we descended. Read the obituary printed in the Smithfield Herald (10-21-1912) for a Mr. Angus Bain “who died at his home yesterday morning about 9:00 after suffering for several months with old age and general breakdown. He was 75 years old and moved to Coats about 1909 from Cumberland County where he was born and reared. Mr. Bain was a man of splendid qualities, aggressive and energetic until a few years ago when his health declined. His was a life of toil. He was always willing to lend a helping hand to those who were less fortunate than he was; he lived a noble life and left behind a host of friends who will be grieved to learn of his death. He was a member of the Missionary Baptist Church (Coats) and always took an active part in managing the affairs of the church. In addition to his grief-stricken widow, he left five sons and three daughters as follow; John D. Bain of Wilson; Reverend G.A. Bain of Spring Branch, Sampson County; R.A. Bain of near Four Oaks; Oscar Bain of Smithfield; Clarence Bain and Miss Mattie Bain of Coats; also Mrs. P.F. “Pat” Pope and Mrs. J.D. Pope of Coats. E.L. and J.L. Hall of Benson were nephews.”
The Bain obituary was a typical death notice of that era and is packed full of information for a researcher; but for now, let’s focus again on what else was recorded on the pages of time for the area known as Coats.
In 1912, A.W. Gregory of Barclaysville was no longer a county commissioner but G.W. Whittington was a Justice of Peace in Grove Township. In 1912, the same cotton gins were operating. Owen Odum, Miriam Jones and Ida Coats were listed as Coats teachers according to the 1912 “N.C. Business Directory (Harnett)”.
In the 1913 “N.C. Business Directory (Harnett)”, it was recorded that P.F. Pope served on the Harnett County Board of Commissioners. (Does that mean that P.F. Pope defeated Albert W. Gregory for that position?) Also in 1913, a Dunn newspaper published an industrial report of Coats. The information was quite favorable of the young town of Coats and the report should prove interesting to those who are following our journey toward the present day Coats.
The newspaper report wrote that “Coats was a progressive town in Harnett County, on the Durham and Southern Railroad, formerly the Cape Fear and Southern Railroad. The town was 8 miles from Dunn and 30 miles south Raleigh.” The report stated, “Coats is a healthy section of the country. It has good water and well drained. Seldom has a case of malaria or fever been reported. The doctor’s bills are light and unusually rare. It is located in one of the best farming sections of the county. The farmers make their supplies. They have surplus goods to market. The population has about doubled the last year. The town has a bank, a drug store, a jewelry store, several new brick structures recently erected and a number being built. A hardware and furniture business will probably open in the fall. Coats is a splendid market town with a number of prosperous merchants that pay the top prices for cotton, cottonseeds, and other produce.”
Read the next Coats Museum News to learn more about Coats as recorded in the 1913 Industrial Report on Coats as printed in a Dunn newspaper in 1913. What Dunn paper or papers were being published in Dunn in 1913?
A special thank you goes to Lynda and Robie Butler, Becky Adams and Gayle and H. L. Sorrell for their gifts given to the Coats Museum Endowment during the Christmas giving season. Also, thank you to H. L. for giving memorial gifts to the endowment to honor Allison Jones of Buies Creek and his gift to honor the memory of Mary Lynn Hamilton Batchelor, mother of Carolyn Broadwell.
Please be mindful that this Coats Museum News appeared in the January 17, 2011 issue of the Daily Record.