July 28, 2017 Coats Museum News
The leaves on the trees had displayed their new colors when Coats had held its annual farm celebration known as Farmers Day. On the national setting, President Kennedy had signed the nuclear test ban treaty after its ratification by the U.S. Senate. The Commission on the Status of Women had reported to President Kennedy about discrimination against women in the United States.
In Coats, another young military man was in the news. Army Pvt. Bickett Turlington, Jr., had completed a light vehicle course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He had completed basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. The nineteen year-old soldier was a 1962 graduate of Coats High School (Daily Record Oct. 2, 1963).
Wonder if Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Louis Weaver knew Bickett. I do know that the couple announced the birth of a son at Betsy Johnson Memorial. Do you think they might have shared with their son years later that a Chevrolet Impala could have been purchased for only $2375 on the day he was born? I also know the new mom was the former Nancy Sue Johnson (Daily Record Oct. 3, 1963).
Would the new baby of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Colon Baker of Route 1, Coats be a classmate? The baby son was born on October 4th at Good Hope Hospital. Wonder why Colon and his wife, the former Sue Elliott, picked Good Hope while the Weavers selected Betsy Johnson Memorial as the birth place (Daily Record Oct. 7, 1963).
The Tart name is popular in eastern Harnett County. How many of you knew William Bud Tart? The seventy-seven year-old man had died on Sunday. He was survived by his wife, Lillie Byrd Tart; four daughters including Mrs. Vernon McLamb of Dunn; four sons-Alton Tart, Walter Tart, Leroy and Jarvis Tart. Mrs. Betty Stewart and Mrs. Phoebe Stewart were his sisters and I.B. Tart was his brother (Daily Record Oct.7, 1963).
It had been birthday time for Mrs. Addie Parrish. She was given a surprise party for her 73rd. Approximately eighty members of her family and friends joined her at the celebration (Daily Record Oct. 10, 1963).
Who was Mrs. Addie Parrish? Was she the last living widow of a veteran of the War Between the States? For those of you who have a copy of Heritage of Coats, North Carolina, Volume 2, Dr. Ronnie Faulkner wrote an informative article under“Local Color” about Mrs. Parrish.
Certainly all the local farmers were interested in attending the sale of the Ellis Langdon home place located 3 miles southeast of Coats on the Parlia Wood Cane Mill Road. Johnson and Norris Real Estate were handling the sale and A.H. and Talmadge Langdon were executors of the estate (Daily Record Oct. 11, 1963).
Does anyone know when Mr. Ellis came into ownership of that large farm and who purchased the farm from the children of Mr. Ellis?
The stork delivered another baby boy to the Coats area. The baby was the son of Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Fish and the mother was the former Isabelle Godwin (Daily Record Oct.14, 1963). Does anyone know the name of the baby and who his maternal granddaddy was? Is there any connection to the TMart stores to this family?
For sure I know that the newly organized Coats Junior Chamber of Commerce was to receive its official charter at the Charter Night Banquet at Barefoot’s Restaurant in Coats. The State Jaycee President, William W. “Bill” Suttle, and Mayor Godfrey Beasley were to be the speakers. The wives and girl friends were to be the guests. The officers were President Grady Matthews who was a young Coats insurance man, businessman, civic and religious leader; Vice- president Milton Buck Senter; Secretary Tom Morgan and Treasurer Jimmy Benner. Lyman Whitehead was state director and board members were Clarence McGill, Lynwood Pleasant, and Donnie Pollard. Other charter members were Harold Dixon, Halford Godwin, Bobby Pope, Carson Gregory, Jr., William Howard Frazier, Bobby Stewart, Wayne Parrish, Fleetwood Adams, Billy Ray Harden, Franklin Stewart, Fred Strickland, Jimmy Johnson, Jerry Tyndall, Benny Stephenson, Harry Allen, Jr., Fred Williams and Wayne Godwin (Daily Record October 15, 1963).
How many of you knew that we had Jaycees of Coats in 1963? How many of those charter members are involved in civic organizations today or are most of them deceased? I do know that Nelson and Coma Lee Coats Currin were parents of a son at Good Hope Hospital in Erwin (Daily Record Oct. 15, 1963).
Did you notice that not one woman’s name was mentioned in the article on the Jaycees? Was it a man’s organization in 1963? For sure there were likely no men in the Coats Woman’s Club when they met at the home of Mrs. J.R. Butler and Mrs. Ophelia Roberts. President Ora Pond Hawley presided. New officers were installed. At another site, a yellow and lavender motif was used at a stork shower for Mrs. Sonny Westbrook. The hostesses were Mrs. James Grimes, Mrs. D.T. Grimes, and Mrs. Fleetwood Adams (Daily Record Oct. 17, 1963).
Just for fun, shall we price a few items at the local grocery stores in October of 1963? Catsup was priced 2 bottles for 35 cents. Margarine was 2- pound package for 29 cents while 10 rolls of toilet tissue had sold for 89 cents and a fifty –pound bag of white Irish potatoes sold for 99 cents (Daily Record October 17, 1963). What do you think?
Are more people leaving Coats than are being born or dying there? Does it not seem that many birth announcements are in the news? For example, a new baby was welcomed into the home of Bobby Lee Stone and Ethelene Gardner Stone. The son was born on October 16th in Good Hope Hospital (Daily Record Oct. 17, 1963).
The paper reported that 85 people had attended the chartering of the Coats Jaycees. President Grady and his wife, Frances Tart Matthews were the first couple of the organization (Daily Record Oct. 22, 1963).
The birth announcements came in doubles in the October 23, 1963 edition of the Daily Record. Mr. and Mrs. Linwood Pleasant shared the news of son at Good Hope Hospital on October 22nd. Lera Bennett was the mom. Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Ralph Jernigan of Route 3, Dunn also announced the arrival of a daughter at Good Hope Hospital. The mother was the former Nancy Williams.
Question-how old are these newborns today? Can any of them be retired?
The reality of growing older comes forefront when my former students walk into the museum with grandchildren. Such was the case when Diane Allen came by the museum with her grandson Josh Allen to bring an amazing water color portrait of Stonewall Jackson that she has created for our upcoming exhibit. This portrait will join the works of Myrtle Bridges who has done two oils for the exhibit which will depict the colonial era to the battlefields of the War Between the States. Another local artist is painting a piece depicting a colonial scene of our early heritage. The museum is so fortunate to have these talented artists help out with its next display.
The warning on the security system rang often the past few weeks as many visitors came for research on their families. A couple with the name Coats (Coates) from Wisconsin, but formerly of Atlanta, GA., came looking for missing pieces in their Coats -Coates family tree. They had spent time in the Johnston County Heritage Center and were sent our way. How surprised they were to find that there was a town that bore their name and that there was actually a Coats Museum. They left with a handful of Coats genealogy that filled in the gaps in their family tree.
The Research Library was filled with visitors from family reunions held in the Johnston and Harnett Counties on the following Sunday afternoon. The Jones family of McGee’s Crossroad had held their annual reunion which brought visitors from Connecticut to Florida. A search for more information on a Robert A. Johnson who had married one of their Jones ancestors was their quest. None of our numerous Johnson family genealogies matched. It will be a continued challenge for Becky Adams to find a Robert A. Johnson (sawyer and farmer) to help these visitors find their man who seems to be missing from the late 1800’s to the first decade of 1900’s.
Some will remember Max, Sylvia and Nora Avery who were all Coats graduates. We enjoyed a visit from Max’s daughter and her husband from Durham who were naturally interested in Avery and Ennis artifacts and genealogies. Life at the museum is never dull.
I never cease to be amazed at the goodness and generosity of Coats folks. Ann Jones visited last Monday and joined Patsy and Stacy Avery in honoring Juanita Hudson with a memorial. Ruth Upchurch remembered Lib Guy with a memorial to the museum. Both Juanita Hudson and Lib Guy made an impact on the Coats community and so many people recognize that fact; however, those who give to honor them don’t realize that they too have a tremendous effect on the volunteers being able to maintain and preserve the history of the Coats Grove area. Saying thank you sounds almost too small but please know that the museum volunteers’ appreciation is huge.
Thank you also goes to H.L. Sorrell for remembering Nell Penny Williams with a birthday memorial and an honorarium for the birthday of his good friend, Robie Butler. These contributions help grow the Coats Museum Endowment hence insuring a source of income to help future generations operate the museum.
The leaves on the trees had displayed their new colors when Coats had held its annual farm celebration known as Farmers Day. On the national setting, President Kennedy had signed the nuclear test ban treaty after its ratification by the U.S. Senate. The Commission on the Status of Women had reported to President Kennedy about discrimination against women in the United States.
In Coats, another young military man was in the news. Army Pvt. Bickett Turlington, Jr., had completed a light vehicle course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He had completed basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. The nineteen year-old soldier was a 1962 graduate of Coats High School (Daily Record Oct. 2, 1963).
Wonder if Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Louis Weaver knew Bickett. I do know that the couple announced the birth of a son at Betsy Johnson Memorial. Do you think they might have shared with their son years later that a Chevrolet Impala could have been purchased for only $2375 on the day he was born? I also know the new mom was the former Nancy Sue Johnson (Daily Record Oct. 3, 1963).
Would the new baby of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Colon Baker of Route 1, Coats be a classmate? The baby son was born on October 4th at Good Hope Hospital. Wonder why Colon and his wife, the former Sue Elliott, picked Good Hope while the Weavers selected Betsy Johnson Memorial as the birth place (Daily Record Oct. 7, 1963).
The Tart name is popular in eastern Harnett County. How many of you knew William Bud Tart? The seventy-seven year-old man had died on Sunday. He was survived by his wife, Lillie Byrd Tart; four daughters including Mrs. Vernon McLamb of Dunn; four sons-Alton Tart, Walter Tart, Leroy and Jarvis Tart. Mrs. Betty Stewart and Mrs. Phoebe Stewart were his sisters and I.B. Tart was his brother (Daily Record Oct.7, 1963).
It had been birthday time for Mrs. Addie Parrish. She was given a surprise party for her 73rd. Approximately eighty members of her family and friends joined her at the celebration (Daily Record Oct. 10, 1963).
Who was Mrs. Addie Parrish? Was she the last living widow of a veteran of the War Between the States? For those of you who have a copy of Heritage of Coats, North Carolina, Volume 2, Dr. Ronnie Faulkner wrote an informative article under“Local Color” about Mrs. Parrish.
Certainly all the local farmers were interested in attending the sale of the Ellis Langdon home place located 3 miles southeast of Coats on the Parlia Wood Cane Mill Road. Johnson and Norris Real Estate were handling the sale and A.H. and Talmadge Langdon were executors of the estate (Daily Record Oct. 11, 1963).
Does anyone know when Mr. Ellis came into ownership of that large farm and who purchased the farm from the children of Mr. Ellis?
The stork delivered another baby boy to the Coats area. The baby was the son of Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Fish and the mother was the former Isabelle Godwin (Daily Record Oct.14, 1963). Does anyone know the name of the baby and who his maternal granddaddy was? Is there any connection to the TMart stores to this family?
For sure I know that the newly organized Coats Junior Chamber of Commerce was to receive its official charter at the Charter Night Banquet at Barefoot’s Restaurant in Coats. The State Jaycee President, William W. “Bill” Suttle, and Mayor Godfrey Beasley were to be the speakers. The wives and girl friends were to be the guests. The officers were President Grady Matthews who was a young Coats insurance man, businessman, civic and religious leader; Vice- president Milton Buck Senter; Secretary Tom Morgan and Treasurer Jimmy Benner. Lyman Whitehead was state director and board members were Clarence McGill, Lynwood Pleasant, and Donnie Pollard. Other charter members were Harold Dixon, Halford Godwin, Bobby Pope, Carson Gregory, Jr., William Howard Frazier, Bobby Stewart, Wayne Parrish, Fleetwood Adams, Billy Ray Harden, Franklin Stewart, Fred Strickland, Jimmy Johnson, Jerry Tyndall, Benny Stephenson, Harry Allen, Jr., Fred Williams and Wayne Godwin (Daily Record October 15, 1963).
How many of you knew that we had Jaycees of Coats in 1963? How many of those charter members are involved in civic organizations today or are most of them deceased? I do know that Nelson and Coma Lee Coats Currin were parents of a son at Good Hope Hospital in Erwin (Daily Record Oct. 15, 1963).
Did you notice that not one woman’s name was mentioned in the article on the Jaycees? Was it a man’s organization in 1963? For sure there were likely no men in the Coats Woman’s Club when they met at the home of Mrs. J.R. Butler and Mrs. Ophelia Roberts. President Ora Pond Hawley presided. New officers were installed. At another site, a yellow and lavender motif was used at a stork shower for Mrs. Sonny Westbrook. The hostesses were Mrs. James Grimes, Mrs. D.T. Grimes, and Mrs. Fleetwood Adams (Daily Record Oct. 17, 1963).
Just for fun, shall we price a few items at the local grocery stores in October of 1963? Catsup was priced 2 bottles for 35 cents. Margarine was 2- pound package for 29 cents while 10 rolls of toilet tissue had sold for 89 cents and a fifty –pound bag of white Irish potatoes sold for 99 cents (Daily Record October 17, 1963). What do you think?
Are more people leaving Coats than are being born or dying there? Does it not seem that many birth announcements are in the news? For example, a new baby was welcomed into the home of Bobby Lee Stone and Ethelene Gardner Stone. The son was born on October 16th in Good Hope Hospital (Daily Record Oct. 17, 1963).
The paper reported that 85 people had attended the chartering of the Coats Jaycees. President Grady and his wife, Frances Tart Matthews were the first couple of the organization (Daily Record Oct. 22, 1963).
The birth announcements came in doubles in the October 23, 1963 edition of the Daily Record. Mr. and Mrs. Linwood Pleasant shared the news of son at Good Hope Hospital on October 22nd. Lera Bennett was the mom. Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Ralph Jernigan of Route 3, Dunn also announced the arrival of a daughter at Good Hope Hospital. The mother was the former Nancy Williams.
Question-how old are these newborns today? Can any of them be retired?
The reality of growing older comes forefront when my former students walk into the museum with grandchildren. Such was the case when Diane Allen came by the museum with her grandson Josh Allen to bring an amazing water color portrait of Stonewall Jackson that she has created for our upcoming exhibit. This portrait will join the works of Myrtle Bridges who has done two oils for the exhibit which will depict the colonial era to the battlefields of the War Between the States. Another local artist is painting a piece depicting a colonial scene of our early heritage. The museum is so fortunate to have these talented artists help out with its next display.
The warning on the security system rang often the past few weeks as many visitors came for research on their families. A couple with the name Coats (Coates) from Wisconsin, but formerly of Atlanta, GA., came looking for missing pieces in their Coats -Coates family tree. They had spent time in the Johnston County Heritage Center and were sent our way. How surprised they were to find that there was a town that bore their name and that there was actually a Coats Museum. They left with a handful of Coats genealogy that filled in the gaps in their family tree.
The Research Library was filled with visitors from family reunions held in the Johnston and Harnett Counties on the following Sunday afternoon. The Jones family of McGee’s Crossroad had held their annual reunion which brought visitors from Connecticut to Florida. A search for more information on a Robert A. Johnson who had married one of their Jones ancestors was their quest. None of our numerous Johnson family genealogies matched. It will be a continued challenge for Becky Adams to find a Robert A. Johnson (sawyer and farmer) to help these visitors find their man who seems to be missing from the late 1800’s to the first decade of 1900’s.
Some will remember Max, Sylvia and Nora Avery who were all Coats graduates. We enjoyed a visit from Max’s daughter and her husband from Durham who were naturally interested in Avery and Ennis artifacts and genealogies. Life at the museum is never dull.
I never cease to be amazed at the goodness and generosity of Coats folks. Ann Jones visited last Monday and joined Patsy and Stacy Avery in honoring Juanita Hudson with a memorial. Ruth Upchurch remembered Lib Guy with a memorial to the museum. Both Juanita Hudson and Lib Guy made an impact on the Coats community and so many people recognize that fact; however, those who give to honor them don’t realize that they too have a tremendous effect on the volunteers being able to maintain and preserve the history of the Coats Grove area. Saying thank you sounds almost too small but please know that the museum volunteers’ appreciation is huge.
Thank you also goes to H.L. Sorrell for remembering Nell Penny Williams with a birthday memorial and an honorarium for the birthday of his good friend, Robie Butler. These contributions help grow the Coats Museum Endowment hence insuring a source of income to help future generations operate the museum.