June 5, 2011 Coats
Museum News
L.L. Levinson continued to report on bits of news from the Coats community in the “Coats News” in the Harnett County News. In the July 27, 1920 edition of that paper, Mayor Levinson noted that the “handsome new school building here was rapidly going up.”It was in this issue that he reported again that Jasper P. Lee, Dr. H.C. Roberts, and W.W. Wiggins had formed a brick making company. Recall that P.F. Pope had dissolved the old brickmill in 1919. Did the men set up the new company on the same site as the old brickmill? Levinson also shared with his readers that Professor Owen Odum had accepted a position as superintendent of the Zebulon schools. Wonder who moved into his beautiful home which is now owned by the Greg Stevens family.
Many of the town’s ladies were motoring within and out of the county. Was a license required to drive a car in 1920? Miss Eva Keen was one of those busy travelers as she visited relatives in Four Oaks. Mrs. J.T. Foister of Dunn had spent last week in Coats with the family of W.W. Wiggins. Recall that Mr. Wiggins was the town druggist. Miss Odis Byrd was the guest of Miss Iva Stewart. Mr. and Mrs. E.P. Kelly had spent the last weekend in Sanford. It is interesting to discover the many connections between the Sanford and Coats families. Mr. Orus Patterson and Miss Verl Johnson spent a short while with Dr. C.R. Young of Angier on Sunday. Was Mrs. Young a Coats girl? Miss Ethel Coats visited in Chinquapin—know where that town is? The Barnes and Holliday Company, a branch of the Dunn store, had recently opened a large store in Coats. Do any of our older residents know which building they occupied?
Levinson also shared that Miss Edna Beasley, Miss Meta Stewart, Leon Fuquay, C.E. and Daniel Stewart had motored to Stewart’s Pond, Dunn and Duke on Sunday. Again I ask-when did Duke become known by another name? L.L. Levinson had traveled to Four Oaks to pick up his young son Lavalle who was recuperating from an accident which nearly cost him his life. He had broken both bones in his left arm (Harnett County News, July 27, 1920).Obviously the accident had no lasting effect on the young man for did not Lavalle become a very prominent attorney in Johnston County?
Are there individuals who lived during the 1920’s in Coats who have shared those memories in print? Indeed there are some. Daniel Stewart and Dr. Patterson have often been quoted in the museum news. Another fascinating book was written by Allene Honeycutt who was born March 22, 1913, to Lizzie Penny and Sheriff W.H. Turlington. Her daughters Willie Carol and Rebecca had encouraged their mom to write her memories of growing up in the Turlington’s Crossroads area.
In her book, “Remembering the Past”, Allene shared that she was the 15th and last child of Lizzie and Willie. Mattie Ophelia, Henry Arthur, Thomas Jefferson (Jeff), Lee Jackson, Esther Florence, Gertrude, Alvah Unity, William,Jr., Minnie Eliza, Anne Elizabeth, Randall Erwin (Buck), Carl Sexton (died as baby), Hilton and Hilma (twins) were Allene’s older siblings.
It is interesting to note that Allene ‘s grandfather Henry H. Penny was a twin . Henry also had half brothers who were twins—one of them being the founder of Coats, Preacher Tom Coats. Can you imagine having 15 children? What about 69 children? On page 86 of the magazine “Family Circle” (May 2011) the magazine reported that in the 18th century, a Russian peasant set a record for the most children to one mother: 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets for a total of 69 children.
What memories did Allene have of life in the 1920’s? She recalled that there was a lot of cooking and cleaning to do because her mother and sisters prepared three big meals every day, in addition to washing, ironing, sewing, weaving, quilting, and soap making. The family got up before sunrise each morning to begin chores of milking the cows and the feeding the livestock. A big breakfast followed before the men hit the fields to work until noon when they returned to the house for the midday meal that the girls had spent all morning preparing.
After the meal the men headed back to work in the fields to work until dark of night. The mules had to be fed and equipment put away. Morning chores were now night chores for the men. Suppertime followed the chores. Did the girls in the household ever milk the cows or feed the livestock? Allene did not indicate that was the case.
She did say that as the girls became older that they were expected to work in the garden with their mother as well as work in the house. When corn and cotton were large enough, the girls had to chop the weeds from them. There were no sprays or pesticides to kill the weeds or bugs-it was all done by hand. Allene wrote that she will never forget those potato bugs and bean beetles which had to be handpicked and killed. Was this organic farming in 1920? Read next week to learn more about life on the farm in the 1920’s and catch up on what going on in the Coats area.
A special thank you goes to those who have given to the Coats Museum Endowment to honor the memory of Michael “Mike” Hudson and Ed Lewis.
Please be mindful that this article was published in the Daily Record in 2011.
L.L. Levinson continued to report on bits of news from the Coats community in the “Coats News” in the Harnett County News. In the July 27, 1920 edition of that paper, Mayor Levinson noted that the “handsome new school building here was rapidly going up.”It was in this issue that he reported again that Jasper P. Lee, Dr. H.C. Roberts, and W.W. Wiggins had formed a brick making company. Recall that P.F. Pope had dissolved the old brickmill in 1919. Did the men set up the new company on the same site as the old brickmill? Levinson also shared with his readers that Professor Owen Odum had accepted a position as superintendent of the Zebulon schools. Wonder who moved into his beautiful home which is now owned by the Greg Stevens family.
Many of the town’s ladies were motoring within and out of the county. Was a license required to drive a car in 1920? Miss Eva Keen was one of those busy travelers as she visited relatives in Four Oaks. Mrs. J.T. Foister of Dunn had spent last week in Coats with the family of W.W. Wiggins. Recall that Mr. Wiggins was the town druggist. Miss Odis Byrd was the guest of Miss Iva Stewart. Mr. and Mrs. E.P. Kelly had spent the last weekend in Sanford. It is interesting to discover the many connections between the Sanford and Coats families. Mr. Orus Patterson and Miss Verl Johnson spent a short while with Dr. C.R. Young of Angier on Sunday. Was Mrs. Young a Coats girl? Miss Ethel Coats visited in Chinquapin—know where that town is? The Barnes and Holliday Company, a branch of the Dunn store, had recently opened a large store in Coats. Do any of our older residents know which building they occupied?
Levinson also shared that Miss Edna Beasley, Miss Meta Stewart, Leon Fuquay, C.E. and Daniel Stewart had motored to Stewart’s Pond, Dunn and Duke on Sunday. Again I ask-when did Duke become known by another name? L.L. Levinson had traveled to Four Oaks to pick up his young son Lavalle who was recuperating from an accident which nearly cost him his life. He had broken both bones in his left arm (Harnett County News, July 27, 1920).Obviously the accident had no lasting effect on the young man for did not Lavalle become a very prominent attorney in Johnston County?
Are there individuals who lived during the 1920’s in Coats who have shared those memories in print? Indeed there are some. Daniel Stewart and Dr. Patterson have often been quoted in the museum news. Another fascinating book was written by Allene Honeycutt who was born March 22, 1913, to Lizzie Penny and Sheriff W.H. Turlington. Her daughters Willie Carol and Rebecca had encouraged their mom to write her memories of growing up in the Turlington’s Crossroads area.
In her book, “Remembering the Past”, Allene shared that she was the 15th and last child of Lizzie and Willie. Mattie Ophelia, Henry Arthur, Thomas Jefferson (Jeff), Lee Jackson, Esther Florence, Gertrude, Alvah Unity, William,Jr., Minnie Eliza, Anne Elizabeth, Randall Erwin (Buck), Carl Sexton (died as baby), Hilton and Hilma (twins) were Allene’s older siblings.
It is interesting to note that Allene ‘s grandfather Henry H. Penny was a twin . Henry also had half brothers who were twins—one of them being the founder of Coats, Preacher Tom Coats. Can you imagine having 15 children? What about 69 children? On page 86 of the magazine “Family Circle” (May 2011) the magazine reported that in the 18th century, a Russian peasant set a record for the most children to one mother: 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets for a total of 69 children.
What memories did Allene have of life in the 1920’s? She recalled that there was a lot of cooking and cleaning to do because her mother and sisters prepared three big meals every day, in addition to washing, ironing, sewing, weaving, quilting, and soap making. The family got up before sunrise each morning to begin chores of milking the cows and the feeding the livestock. A big breakfast followed before the men hit the fields to work until noon when they returned to the house for the midday meal that the girls had spent all morning preparing.
After the meal the men headed back to work in the fields to work until dark of night. The mules had to be fed and equipment put away. Morning chores were now night chores for the men. Suppertime followed the chores. Did the girls in the household ever milk the cows or feed the livestock? Allene did not indicate that was the case.
She did say that as the girls became older that they were expected to work in the garden with their mother as well as work in the house. When corn and cotton were large enough, the girls had to chop the weeds from them. There were no sprays or pesticides to kill the weeds or bugs-it was all done by hand. Allene wrote that she will never forget those potato bugs and bean beetles which had to be handpicked and killed. Was this organic farming in 1920? Read next week to learn more about life on the farm in the 1920’s and catch up on what going on in the Coats area.
A special thank you goes to those who have given to the Coats Museum Endowment to honor the memory of Michael “Mike” Hudson and Ed Lewis.
Please be mindful that this article was published in the Daily Record in 2011.