November 17, 2023 Coats Museum News
Here is hoping you enjoyed Lynda’s column last week after the museum volunteers opened up the heritage buildings for the Coats Elementary School third graders, their parents and teachers. This annual visit is a time that we as “ole” folks learn as well.
I remember a few years back when we were giving our little talk about things in the museums and then sent the little ones looking to find what we had talked about. I will never forget one little fellow looking up as me from sitting on the floor in the Theater Room and asking in response to my command-Go count the number of old typewriters that we have on display in this building. The idea was as they sought out to find our items they would see other items and come back and ask us about the ones we had not talked about.
Guess what-just as innocent as one could be- he asked, “What is a typewriter?”
In my last column, I had included part of an article from the September 24, 2023 Daily Record about the Joel Williams family. From the dates, I am sure you saw that that they preceded the incorporation of the town. The late Hugh Williams had research his Williams genealogy and wrote that the seventh child of Joel and Cassy Williams was Charity who was born on March 26, 1856. She had married William Henry Poole. The eighth child was John Washington Williams (Hugh’s grandpa) who married Maggie Caroline Turner of Alamance County.
After Joel Williams died, his farm was divided. James Williams’ section was where his son James Zeb Williams had lived and farmed and Zeb’s children inherited it after his death. The last portion of that was owned by Cortez Williams and was sold to Billy Coats after Cortez’s death.
Sarah Williams and her husband Agustus Turner sold some of the land and gave their daughter Addie Turner part of that land that was later sold before her death. This portion of the farm is where “J” Town was located in 2005.
Charity Williams and Henry Poole’s portion was the North Orange Street Extension. Her son lived on that portion. Some of the grandchildren own part of the portion and remain so in 2005 at the time this was published.
John Washington Williams married Maggie C. Turner and his portion of the farm was the southwest corner of the farm. The Williams Cemetery is the corner and the line goes to “J” Town, east, then north along the edge of it to Highway 27, then west to meet the line that goes at the back of the Senior Citizens Center. This portion was given to three of his children-Nuna, Novie, and Ira.
Nuna married Rick Blackwelder. They were parents of Lucille, Johnnie, and David. Novie had one daughter, Dochia, and she married Tom Hawley. Ira married Gertrude Avery and his portion was divided to his children-Hugh, Barney, Imogene, Madrid, Judy and Josie. The Williams Family Cemetery was started by John W. Williams. His mother Cassy Williams was the first person buried therein 1910 (Daily Record September 1993).
Just for info to get in your mind’s eye this all occurred, think about from the Coats Senior Citizens Center all the way down to where Ebenezer Church Road intersects with NC27. That includes the new building that is occurring where the road had been widened. You will have to admit it has changed the look of the entrance into Coats from Benson.
Who remembers a Gauldin family operated an abattoir on Abattoir Road for a short time Amanda Gauldin planned a marriage to John Charles Schumamm of Lillington. She was daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gauldin of Buies Creek.
Coats has never made the paper for a having a large number of murders so if some did happen I don’t recall writing about them. However, one must have occurred because the paper reported that John Richard O’Shields was murdered at the old Allison Langdon Store (across from the Bethel Church on the County Line Road). H
His wife was taking the case to unsolved Murders on TV. His widow felt that someone in the community committed the murder because they knew there was on one in store because all the cars in the parking lot belonged to the O’Shields and the storeowner.
Recall from an earlier column that Shannon Lucas, granddaughter of Mayton Upchurch and daughter of Roger and Janice Lucas, had married a young attorney from Wilkesboro. A dance was held for the couple in that town for Shannon and Bert Greene. Two hundred people attended the enjoyable dance evening. Among those in attendance from the Coats area were Roger and Janice Lucas and daughter Nicole, Trent Parker, Doug and Sharon Stevens, sandy and Tammy Langdon, April and Ted Purdie,
Death visited and took Herbert Jefferson wood, 64, of Route 2, Coats. He had died at the Wake Medical Center. He was a native of Harnett County and was the son of the late Paul and Ina Lee Wood. His funeral was held in the Rose and Graham Funeral Home Chapel. Burial was in the Devotional Gardens.
Surviving him were his wife, Clara Creech Wood, sons-Keith and Michael. His siblings were Paul Wood, Jr., Katherine Wood, Ernestine Browning, Norma Jean Wood and Ann Brooks (Daily Record September 30, 1993).
What exciting business news had come to Coats! A company there had earned the right to appear on a list naming the 500 fastest -growing small companies in the nation. The Coats company-Applied Computer Technologies, was one the two N.C. companies to make the list.
Candidates for the list had to have annual sales of a least $100,000 but no more than $25 million and had to be privately owned. Who knows who owned this 500 Company? None other than Kent Hudson of the Coats High Class of 1971 and from Bailey’s Crossroads and Carsie Denning Jr. were the owners of ACT (Daily Record October 1, 1993).
The museum board and volunteers are having a Christmas Party on Dec. 2 from 2-4 at the museum to show our sincere appreciation to the scores of people who have donated money, their treasured heirlooms, family histories, attended our many events, maintained our grounds and the list goes on and in so many ways have made the 2023 year an amazing one. The public is most definitely invited. Some will receive a formal invitation because of the many donations, memorials and honorariums that they have contributed this year along with beyond normal gifting of display items.
The H.L. Sorrell, Jr. family is so appreciative that volunteers are allowing my children and me sponsor this event for you to enjoy food, memories, tours and music. This is our way of saying thank you to over 20 years of support that were given to H.L. as the chairman of the board. Hope you mark your calendar to come.
Here is hoping you enjoyed Lynda’s column last week after the museum volunteers opened up the heritage buildings for the Coats Elementary School third graders, their parents and teachers. This annual visit is a time that we as “ole” folks learn as well.
I remember a few years back when we were giving our little talk about things in the museums and then sent the little ones looking to find what we had talked about. I will never forget one little fellow looking up as me from sitting on the floor in the Theater Room and asking in response to my command-Go count the number of old typewriters that we have on display in this building. The idea was as they sought out to find our items they would see other items and come back and ask us about the ones we had not talked about.
Guess what-just as innocent as one could be- he asked, “What is a typewriter?”
In my last column, I had included part of an article from the September 24, 2023 Daily Record about the Joel Williams family. From the dates, I am sure you saw that that they preceded the incorporation of the town. The late Hugh Williams had research his Williams genealogy and wrote that the seventh child of Joel and Cassy Williams was Charity who was born on March 26, 1856. She had married William Henry Poole. The eighth child was John Washington Williams (Hugh’s grandpa) who married Maggie Caroline Turner of Alamance County.
After Joel Williams died, his farm was divided. James Williams’ section was where his son James Zeb Williams had lived and farmed and Zeb’s children inherited it after his death. The last portion of that was owned by Cortez Williams and was sold to Billy Coats after Cortez’s death.
Sarah Williams and her husband Agustus Turner sold some of the land and gave their daughter Addie Turner part of that land that was later sold before her death. This portion of the farm is where “J” Town was located in 2005.
Charity Williams and Henry Poole’s portion was the North Orange Street Extension. Her son lived on that portion. Some of the grandchildren own part of the portion and remain so in 2005 at the time this was published.
John Washington Williams married Maggie C. Turner and his portion of the farm was the southwest corner of the farm. The Williams Cemetery is the corner and the line goes to “J” Town, east, then north along the edge of it to Highway 27, then west to meet the line that goes at the back of the Senior Citizens Center. This portion was given to three of his children-Nuna, Novie, and Ira.
Nuna married Rick Blackwelder. They were parents of Lucille, Johnnie, and David. Novie had one daughter, Dochia, and she married Tom Hawley. Ira married Gertrude Avery and his portion was divided to his children-Hugh, Barney, Imogene, Madrid, Judy and Josie. The Williams Family Cemetery was started by John W. Williams. His mother Cassy Williams was the first person buried therein 1910 (Daily Record September 1993).
Just for info to get in your mind’s eye this all occurred, think about from the Coats Senior Citizens Center all the way down to where Ebenezer Church Road intersects with NC27. That includes the new building that is occurring where the road had been widened. You will have to admit it has changed the look of the entrance into Coats from Benson.
Who remembers a Gauldin family operated an abattoir on Abattoir Road for a short time Amanda Gauldin planned a marriage to John Charles Schumamm of Lillington. She was daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gauldin of Buies Creek.
Coats has never made the paper for a having a large number of murders so if some did happen I don’t recall writing about them. However, one must have occurred because the paper reported that John Richard O’Shields was murdered at the old Allison Langdon Store (across from the Bethel Church on the County Line Road). H
His wife was taking the case to unsolved Murders on TV. His widow felt that someone in the community committed the murder because they knew there was on one in store because all the cars in the parking lot belonged to the O’Shields and the storeowner.
Recall from an earlier column that Shannon Lucas, granddaughter of Mayton Upchurch and daughter of Roger and Janice Lucas, had married a young attorney from Wilkesboro. A dance was held for the couple in that town for Shannon and Bert Greene. Two hundred people attended the enjoyable dance evening. Among those in attendance from the Coats area were Roger and Janice Lucas and daughter Nicole, Trent Parker, Doug and Sharon Stevens, sandy and Tammy Langdon, April and Ted Purdie,
Death visited and took Herbert Jefferson wood, 64, of Route 2, Coats. He had died at the Wake Medical Center. He was a native of Harnett County and was the son of the late Paul and Ina Lee Wood. His funeral was held in the Rose and Graham Funeral Home Chapel. Burial was in the Devotional Gardens.
Surviving him were his wife, Clara Creech Wood, sons-Keith and Michael. His siblings were Paul Wood, Jr., Katherine Wood, Ernestine Browning, Norma Jean Wood and Ann Brooks (Daily Record September 30, 1993).
What exciting business news had come to Coats! A company there had earned the right to appear on a list naming the 500 fastest -growing small companies in the nation. The Coats company-Applied Computer Technologies, was one the two N.C. companies to make the list.
Candidates for the list had to have annual sales of a least $100,000 but no more than $25 million and had to be privately owned. Who knows who owned this 500 Company? None other than Kent Hudson of the Coats High Class of 1971 and from Bailey’s Crossroads and Carsie Denning Jr. were the owners of ACT (Daily Record October 1, 1993).
The museum board and volunteers are having a Christmas Party on Dec. 2 from 2-4 at the museum to show our sincere appreciation to the scores of people who have donated money, their treasured heirlooms, family histories, attended our many events, maintained our grounds and the list goes on and in so many ways have made the 2023 year an amazing one. The public is most definitely invited. Some will receive a formal invitation because of the many donations, memorials and honorariums that they have contributed this year along with beyond normal gifting of display items.
The H.L. Sorrell, Jr. family is so appreciative that volunteers are allowing my children and me sponsor this event for you to enjoy food, memories, tours and music. This is our way of saying thank you to over 20 years of support that were given to H.L. as the chairman of the board. Hope you mark your calendar to come.