November 22, 2024 Coats Museum News
There was a time when a three-day trip was required to shop in Raleigh to get supplies not available to our ancestors in Coats. A day there, a day to transact business and a day to return was later changed when the automobile and train offered faster outlets to meet the needs of our ancestors. Later most of us can remember the excitement of going to North Hills, Cameron Village or Cross Creek Mall to meet our needs or wants. Today--how things have changed! A few clicks on the internet and we have the article on our porch in a few hours in some cases. No more burning gas to make a trip to a restaurant, hardware store or even our church services.
Can you imagine how our ancestors would react? Can you even fathom how they would respond to our sometimes complaining about the little things in our lives? Imagine having to get their needs from the forests and waters to furnish food, clothing, and building materials for their families. Where did they get fresh fruits, sugar, bread and all the other things that we pile weekly into our shopping carts?
This I do know. The Coats area had lost one its beloved farmers and merchants. The jovial D.H. Surles, 74, had died on Saturday. The Johnston County native was buried in the Roselawn Cemetery in Benson following services at the Rose and Graham Funeral Home Chapel. His survivors were his wife, Ruby Barefoot Surles; his mother, Eva Moore Surles; his two sons, David and W.A. Surles. He also had three surviving sisters –Ruby Sorrell, Geneva Pollard and Polly Stewart.
Another senior citizen had also died who was connected to the Coats community. Mary Belle Wilson, 82, was buried in the Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery following services at the O’Quinn-Peebles Funeral Home Chapel. Conducting services was Rev. Robert West. Mrs. Wilson’s survivors were three sons-Wayne, Jimmy Ray and Harold Wilson.
Have you ever by chance seen a hot air balloon fly over your house? There is something about those multicolored balloons that make you follow them until they are out of sight. Can you imagine how excited Virginia Holmes was to get to go up in one? It was in a dull grey sky on a Sunday morning when the colorful balloon carried Virginia up for her third flight. Gushing winds forced the balloon down in a brush-covered field behind the Ed Parker home on NC27 west of Coats (Daily Record Jan. 9, 1995).
Remember reading last week that a local Angier farmer had been diagnosed with Refractory Anemia that could be cured only with a marrow transplant. His friends and neighbors rallied to the cause and a bone marrow drive was scheduled in Coats to help find a donor for David Gardner. Albert Gregory, Coats Police Chief Tommy Williford and Mike Milton spearheaded the local Coats drive (Daily Record Jan. 12, 1995).
A graduation celebration honored Mrs. Evelyn Ennis Roberts. The seventy-three-year-old grandmother returned to school to obtain her high school diploma. He celebration was given by her family- Mrs. Sue Penny and Charles Ennis. Of course, Ted and Marilyn were there supporting their spouses. Ted gave his mother-in-law a typewriter for her to learn to type. The remarkable lady was twice widowed and decided to take courses to obtain her diploma through the Correspondence School of Philadelphia. She shared her plan with no one until her daughter-in-law saw the books. Then the cat was out of the bag.
Mrs. Roberts followed the words of her boss, the former Angier Mayor Jack Marley, “Age is not important, but what you can do is.”
A second major event happened in January of 1994. The Coats Senior Center was decorated beautifully in gold and white. Mrs. Ina Ruth Lee Langdon catered the bountiful food while Coats Senior Center Band provided music. What was the occasion? It was the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Agnes Dixon Hall and Lloyd Hall of Live Oak Road. The couple had moved from Garner back to Live Oak Road where Agnes grew up among her many Johnson kin folks.
A highly regarded senior and his sister had not been doing well health wise and Mr. Hubert Rowland wanted to thank all those friends and family who had shown them kindness during their illnesses. The Coats Chapel Church honored Eldress Brenda Eason, Deacon Bryant, Mother G. Walden, Mother Mary Walden, Brother David Dunston, Sister Mary Cameron, Kim Walden and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Basker.
Those names bring back sweet memories to this writer. I barned tobacco beside several of them, taught school with one of them and had two of them as students in my classroom. Another name that rings special to me is Mr. Lindsey Tart. I don’t care where I was, if Mr. Lindsey saw me, he would call out my name and come toward me ready to share a bit of history. He was an encyclopedia of information of the Coats area.
However, he made the news in this edition of the Daily Record because he and his wife Hazel Tart had spent the Christmas holidays with their daughter Linda Tart Thompson and her husband Wayne in Keller, TX (Daily Record Jan. 12,1995).
Speaking of Christmas, it is appreciation time at the Coats Museum. Once again, this year we are inviting all those amazing supporters of the Coats Museum to join us on November 30th from 2-4 for food and thank you’s. We have sent cards to those that we had correct complete addresses. Last year so many cards were returned so this year just remember if you donated or loaned an item, gave a donation, memorial, honorarium, or supported the museum in some other way, please know that you are invited to join us for your special “Thank You” Christmas Party.
There was a time when a three-day trip was required to shop in Raleigh to get supplies not available to our ancestors in Coats. A day there, a day to transact business and a day to return was later changed when the automobile and train offered faster outlets to meet the needs of our ancestors. Later most of us can remember the excitement of going to North Hills, Cameron Village or Cross Creek Mall to meet our needs or wants. Today--how things have changed! A few clicks on the internet and we have the article on our porch in a few hours in some cases. No more burning gas to make a trip to a restaurant, hardware store or even our church services.
Can you imagine how our ancestors would react? Can you even fathom how they would respond to our sometimes complaining about the little things in our lives? Imagine having to get their needs from the forests and waters to furnish food, clothing, and building materials for their families. Where did they get fresh fruits, sugar, bread and all the other things that we pile weekly into our shopping carts?
This I do know. The Coats area had lost one its beloved farmers and merchants. The jovial D.H. Surles, 74, had died on Saturday. The Johnston County native was buried in the Roselawn Cemetery in Benson following services at the Rose and Graham Funeral Home Chapel. His survivors were his wife, Ruby Barefoot Surles; his mother, Eva Moore Surles; his two sons, David and W.A. Surles. He also had three surviving sisters –Ruby Sorrell, Geneva Pollard and Polly Stewart.
Another senior citizen had also died who was connected to the Coats community. Mary Belle Wilson, 82, was buried in the Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery following services at the O’Quinn-Peebles Funeral Home Chapel. Conducting services was Rev. Robert West. Mrs. Wilson’s survivors were three sons-Wayne, Jimmy Ray and Harold Wilson.
Have you ever by chance seen a hot air balloon fly over your house? There is something about those multicolored balloons that make you follow them until they are out of sight. Can you imagine how excited Virginia Holmes was to get to go up in one? It was in a dull grey sky on a Sunday morning when the colorful balloon carried Virginia up for her third flight. Gushing winds forced the balloon down in a brush-covered field behind the Ed Parker home on NC27 west of Coats (Daily Record Jan. 9, 1995).
Remember reading last week that a local Angier farmer had been diagnosed with Refractory Anemia that could be cured only with a marrow transplant. His friends and neighbors rallied to the cause and a bone marrow drive was scheduled in Coats to help find a donor for David Gardner. Albert Gregory, Coats Police Chief Tommy Williford and Mike Milton spearheaded the local Coats drive (Daily Record Jan. 12, 1995).
A graduation celebration honored Mrs. Evelyn Ennis Roberts. The seventy-three-year-old grandmother returned to school to obtain her high school diploma. He celebration was given by her family- Mrs. Sue Penny and Charles Ennis. Of course, Ted and Marilyn were there supporting their spouses. Ted gave his mother-in-law a typewriter for her to learn to type. The remarkable lady was twice widowed and decided to take courses to obtain her diploma through the Correspondence School of Philadelphia. She shared her plan with no one until her daughter-in-law saw the books. Then the cat was out of the bag.
Mrs. Roberts followed the words of her boss, the former Angier Mayor Jack Marley, “Age is not important, but what you can do is.”
A second major event happened in January of 1994. The Coats Senior Center was decorated beautifully in gold and white. Mrs. Ina Ruth Lee Langdon catered the bountiful food while Coats Senior Center Band provided music. What was the occasion? It was the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Agnes Dixon Hall and Lloyd Hall of Live Oak Road. The couple had moved from Garner back to Live Oak Road where Agnes grew up among her many Johnson kin folks.
A highly regarded senior and his sister had not been doing well health wise and Mr. Hubert Rowland wanted to thank all those friends and family who had shown them kindness during their illnesses. The Coats Chapel Church honored Eldress Brenda Eason, Deacon Bryant, Mother G. Walden, Mother Mary Walden, Brother David Dunston, Sister Mary Cameron, Kim Walden and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Basker.
Those names bring back sweet memories to this writer. I barned tobacco beside several of them, taught school with one of them and had two of them as students in my classroom. Another name that rings special to me is Mr. Lindsey Tart. I don’t care where I was, if Mr. Lindsey saw me, he would call out my name and come toward me ready to share a bit of history. He was an encyclopedia of information of the Coats area.
However, he made the news in this edition of the Daily Record because he and his wife Hazel Tart had spent the Christmas holidays with their daughter Linda Tart Thompson and her husband Wayne in Keller, TX (Daily Record Jan. 12,1995).
Speaking of Christmas, it is appreciation time at the Coats Museum. Once again, this year we are inviting all those amazing supporters of the Coats Museum to join us on November 30th from 2-4 for food and thank you’s. We have sent cards to those that we had correct complete addresses. Last year so many cards were returned so this year just remember if you donated or loaned an item, gave a donation, memorial, honorarium, or supported the museum in some other way, please know that you are invited to join us for your special “Thank You” Christmas Party.