May 9, 2025 Coats Museum News
The date on the Daily Record had been July 25, 1995 when the paper had published the article on Hugh Williams and his story on wooden shoe pegs. Now in its July 27th edition, the paper would record that another Williams family had made the news. Did the families share the same family tree with Betty and Almond Williams and their children: Lizzie W. Pur(u)year, Hermie Jackson, Mavor Penny Jones, Homer Williams, Clay Williams, Jean W. Hunter, and Russell Williams? Were they sharing the same DNA with the Bill Dad Williams and Council Williams families that are remembered in Coats area history?
This I do know. The Coats Church of God had one of its biggest crowds ever for the fundraiser for Carl Haithcock. Carolyn Moore announced that $7,000 was raised. Elsewhere, in the “Notes from Coats,” Belle Williams noted that some Coats folks had taken long vacations. Thessie Daniel and her daughters- Jeanette Johnson and Lynda Butler-along with Lynda’s husband Robie and his lovely mother and sister- Alice Baggett and Martha Golf- had flown to Seattle, Washington where they later visited Victoria, Vancouver and cruised in the Alaska area. Wonder what the weather was like in Alaska in July of 1995.
Monica Stewart’s Sunday school class honored her with a shower for her triplets. The class members had a chance to hold the triplets and it was reported that they were perfectly content the entire afternoon (Daily Record July 27, 1995).
Keith Parrish, a popular Coats farmer of Coats, was named the N.C. Flue-Cured Tobacco Farmer of the Year. Parrish owned and operated a 400 acre farm with 65 acres of tobacco. Elsewhere, Thurman W. Byrd, 60, of Route 3, Dunn had died on Friday. He was father of Pam S. Ivey of Coats (Daily Record July 31, 1995).
A Coats man left on a jet for Brussels to race his motorcycles on the Grand Prix circuit in seven European countries. Brandon Turlington’s parents are Jeff and Wanda Ennis Turlington who have supported Brandon, their 20 year-old son, in his racing efforts. While in Europe, he planned to stay with Gerrit Kempeneers, a well-known European racer who would serve as Brandon’s physical trainer.
Wouldn’t you like to know how that venture played out? I do know that back in Coats the Little League All Stars had reached the semifinal round of District IV Tar Heel Tournament in Benson. Brett Butler, Chris Beasley, Skylar Barefoot, Kevin Jones, Nick Peede, Chris Roberts, Jim Cannady, Clarence McDougald, Devon Murphy, Brandon Faircloth, Stanley York, Dallas Messer, Matt Kee. Brian Turlington, and Mark Grisson were coached by Larry Messer, Tony Beasley and Gary Butler( Daily Record August 1, 1995).
As I revisited that bit of sports history, my mind could not help itself in revisiting July and August dates in my growing up years with my siblings and neighbors. We would have been spending much of our summer days in the tobacco fields and tobacco barn shelters where we would be working for no pay and if so, for less than a dollar an hour. Many days would begin as early as 3:00 AM when our parents would wake us to go into the dark of night to go to the tobacco barns to take out golden cured tobacco from a couple of barns so we could refill them that same day with freshly primed green tobacco.
There was no time for most farm kids to play summer sports but we did so enjoy our time with many town kids who worked beside us in the harvesting the summer crops so that the farmers could survive for another year and the town kids could have money to buy school clothes or save for other things that they were willing to sweat for in the summer heat to earn their own money.
Personally, I am thankful that I was raised on a large farm where there was so much more than tobacco to raise money to send my siblings and me to attend universities far and near and graduate with no college debt. Attending eight o’clock classes to us was like midmorning. Helping fellow classmates was like working along our siblings to see who could reach the end of the tobacco row first while suckering tobacco but yet reaching over to help another sibling who was falling behind.
What fun and memories are generated by summer ventures! Speaking of fun, wonder if the Ralph Byrd family remembers their visit to the New England states? The group rented a fifteen passenger van and headed to Virginia Beach to pick up Judy and her husband Lee. This meant Wayne and Sherry Royal and their three daughters, Billie Jean and husband Frankie Garriss traveled through 10 states in nine days and had a wonderful time doing so.
A special thank you goes to Rhonda and Randy Stephenson for memorializing Barney Williams who was a member of the Hugh Williams family. These gifts mean so much to family members while also making a difference in the growth of the museum.
The date on the Daily Record had been July 25, 1995 when the paper had published the article on Hugh Williams and his story on wooden shoe pegs. Now in its July 27th edition, the paper would record that another Williams family had made the news. Did the families share the same family tree with Betty and Almond Williams and their children: Lizzie W. Pur(u)year, Hermie Jackson, Mavor Penny Jones, Homer Williams, Clay Williams, Jean W. Hunter, and Russell Williams? Were they sharing the same DNA with the Bill Dad Williams and Council Williams families that are remembered in Coats area history?
This I do know. The Coats Church of God had one of its biggest crowds ever for the fundraiser for Carl Haithcock. Carolyn Moore announced that $7,000 was raised. Elsewhere, in the “Notes from Coats,” Belle Williams noted that some Coats folks had taken long vacations. Thessie Daniel and her daughters- Jeanette Johnson and Lynda Butler-along with Lynda’s husband Robie and his lovely mother and sister- Alice Baggett and Martha Golf- had flown to Seattle, Washington where they later visited Victoria, Vancouver and cruised in the Alaska area. Wonder what the weather was like in Alaska in July of 1995.
Monica Stewart’s Sunday school class honored her with a shower for her triplets. The class members had a chance to hold the triplets and it was reported that they were perfectly content the entire afternoon (Daily Record July 27, 1995).
Keith Parrish, a popular Coats farmer of Coats, was named the N.C. Flue-Cured Tobacco Farmer of the Year. Parrish owned and operated a 400 acre farm with 65 acres of tobacco. Elsewhere, Thurman W. Byrd, 60, of Route 3, Dunn had died on Friday. He was father of Pam S. Ivey of Coats (Daily Record July 31, 1995).
A Coats man left on a jet for Brussels to race his motorcycles on the Grand Prix circuit in seven European countries. Brandon Turlington’s parents are Jeff and Wanda Ennis Turlington who have supported Brandon, their 20 year-old son, in his racing efforts. While in Europe, he planned to stay with Gerrit Kempeneers, a well-known European racer who would serve as Brandon’s physical trainer.
Wouldn’t you like to know how that venture played out? I do know that back in Coats the Little League All Stars had reached the semifinal round of District IV Tar Heel Tournament in Benson. Brett Butler, Chris Beasley, Skylar Barefoot, Kevin Jones, Nick Peede, Chris Roberts, Jim Cannady, Clarence McDougald, Devon Murphy, Brandon Faircloth, Stanley York, Dallas Messer, Matt Kee. Brian Turlington, and Mark Grisson were coached by Larry Messer, Tony Beasley and Gary Butler( Daily Record August 1, 1995).
As I revisited that bit of sports history, my mind could not help itself in revisiting July and August dates in my growing up years with my siblings and neighbors. We would have been spending much of our summer days in the tobacco fields and tobacco barn shelters where we would be working for no pay and if so, for less than a dollar an hour. Many days would begin as early as 3:00 AM when our parents would wake us to go into the dark of night to go to the tobacco barns to take out golden cured tobacco from a couple of barns so we could refill them that same day with freshly primed green tobacco.
There was no time for most farm kids to play summer sports but we did so enjoy our time with many town kids who worked beside us in the harvesting the summer crops so that the farmers could survive for another year and the town kids could have money to buy school clothes or save for other things that they were willing to sweat for in the summer heat to earn their own money.
Personally, I am thankful that I was raised on a large farm where there was so much more than tobacco to raise money to send my siblings and me to attend universities far and near and graduate with no college debt. Attending eight o’clock classes to us was like midmorning. Helping fellow classmates was like working along our siblings to see who could reach the end of the tobacco row first while suckering tobacco but yet reaching over to help another sibling who was falling behind.
What fun and memories are generated by summer ventures! Speaking of fun, wonder if the Ralph Byrd family remembers their visit to the New England states? The group rented a fifteen passenger van and headed to Virginia Beach to pick up Judy and her husband Lee. This meant Wayne and Sherry Royal and their three daughters, Billie Jean and husband Frankie Garriss traveled through 10 states in nine days and had a wonderful time doing so.
A special thank you goes to Rhonda and Randy Stephenson for memorializing Barney Williams who was a member of the Hugh Williams family. These gifts mean so much to family members while also making a difference in the growth of the museum.