November 29, 2013 Coats Museum News
Last week you read of Joe Lee’s memories of Main Street Coats in the 1940’s and 50’s. Wonder who some of those people were that Junior saw whittling on lazy benches. Whose shoes did he shine? Who were the people that he saw shopping in the markets and other stores on Main Street? Who were the mothers who led their young children to get their mail at the post office on wheels or took them into Oker Keene’s store to get a pair of shoes? Could one of those mothers have been Mrs. Thelma Parrish Johnson? Did Larry and Rebecca love being talked to by Mr. “O.K” Keene? Did Mrs. Billie Keene take special care in fitting shoes to their young feet? Was Mrs. Thelma able to find the special thread and fabrics on “Junior’s Main Street” to make those beautiful well- fitted clothes?
Maybe! Mr. and Mrs. Garland Johnson settled in Coats in 1947. Thelma grew up in Coats and was a baby when Dr. H.C. Roberts came to town to doctor the sick; she was a teenager when he died from injuries from a plane crash. Did she tell her children that the Main Street once had deep ditches? Did she share with her young ones that traffic traveled in one direction and that there were no stoplights on the dusty streets? How sad it is if we do not record those memories of earlier times.
Surely everyone was concerned for Mrs. Andrew Coats who was a patient at the Harnett County Hospital in Dunn. Note how the Dunn Dispatch April 7, 1947 edition identified the hospital. Mrs. Coats’ husband was the first postmaster and depot agent of Coats in 1903. Yes, the area was called Coats in 1903 prior to being chartered in 1905. Mrs. Coats’ father-in-law was Preacher J .Tom Coats who settled in the Troyville area around 1875-76.
Rev. Lincoln Faulk officiated at the wedding ceremony of Miss Dorothy Henry and Mr. James Walter Johnson of Coats. Dunn’s first “radio” wedding took place at WCKB radio station. Mr. Johnson was the son of Mr. James E. Johnson of Coats (Dunn Dispatch April 10, 1947). Was that for real?
Some of the readers might wonder if they had relatives in the Coats area in the late 1940’s. The following were Negroes who lived in the Coats area: Lennie Arnold Ryals, John Covington, John Cozart, Roosevelt Hayes, James Holliday, W.J. Holliday, A.L. Johnson, Hassie Johnson, Beatrice Jones, Preston McKay, Bella McKay, Rena Ryals McKay, Anna Ryals McKay, Norman Ruffin, James Ryals, Hugh H. Shaw, Henry M. Stewart and Margaret Stewart (Dunn Dispatch April 10, 1947).
William Stewart, James D. Stewart, and Arthur Rowland served on the Coats Negro School Board and Herbert Johnson, W.E. Nichols and W.T. Sorrell served on the Coats White School Board. Nichols had replaced Dr. C.G. Fuquay and Johnson had replaced R.D. Ennis who had recently died. There was a new baby who would attend the Coats White School in six years and he was Joseph Lee Turlington, son of Robert and Mary Capps Turlington. Mary was formerly of Dunn (Dunn Dispatch April 10, 1947).
Mt. Pisgah had Sandy McKay, Archie Melvin, and Andrew Ryals on the school board. Bethehem, Paradise, Seminole, Smith Grove, Killingsford, McLean’s Chapel, Narrington , Murchison, Cedar Grove, and Beaver Dam were other Negro schools in 1947 (Dunn Dispatch April 10, 1947).
James W. Kelly, a native of Coats and a graduate of Wake Forest, directed the AAF Communication at the 9th Air Force Pope Field. The Air and Airways Communications Service functioned as one unit among a worldwide network of similar outfits in the guidance of military and civilian aircraft from take-off to landing. He was the son of Lucy Kelly, postmaster of Coats. The names of jurors to serve on the May 19 session of court were also printed in this same addition of the paper and they were G.C. Godwin, M.C. Stewart, Jr., Howard G. Gregory and C.P. Mitchell.
Charles E. Stewart, 18, seaman 2nd Class, USN, son of Milton Stewart of Coats, was stationed at Naval Auxiliary Air Field, Saubley Field, Florida. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Jones Ivey of Coats had announced the birth of a son on April 4, 1947 at the Harnett County Hospital (Dunn Dispatch April 10, 1947).
Master Sergeant Edwin J. Mishker of Coats had been assigned to the Joint Strategic Plans and Operations Stations of General McArthur’s Headquarters, Tokyo in December 1946. His wife Rachel resided in Coats. Does anyone know this family? I do know that Robert E. Dorman, Jr., 34, formerly of Coats, died in Norfolk , Virginia. His wife Lena Hall Dorman and daughter Dorothy survived him. His parents were Mr. and Mrs. R.E. Dorman, Sr. of Coats. Mrs. H.S. McLeod and Mrs. W.M. Keene were his sisters of Coats. Mrs. L.M. Marks and Mrs. R.M. Turlington were his sisters from out of town. Sam Dorman and G.O. Dorman were his brothers. You recognize some of those names, don’t you?
The museum volunteers benefit much from meeting many of the visitors who come through our doors. Recently D.M. Raynor came from Florida to visit his relatives in Coats. Most of the readers know his relatives, Eddie Vaughan, Betty Vaughn and John Wiggins, who entertained their Uncle D.M. and his friend, Betty Murphy. D.M. grew up in Coats and was a 1942 outstanding graduate of the school. He and his brother Poe Raynor both served in WWII. D.M. was able to see the exhibit of Poe’s medals and a German bayonet given to POW Poe from his German guard after the war was won. We were so fortunate to record a video of D.M. sharing his memories of growing up in Coats and his WWII memories. D.M. came a second day to the museum where he was able to have a visit with two other Coats graduates -Carsie and Jenny Denning . They watched interviews of other veterans of WWII and the Korean War. While in town, D.M .was also able to enjoy a visit with Poe Raynor’s nephew, Joe Tart, and with another WWII veteran, H.A. Turlington, Jr. What did Betty Murphy enjoy? Growing up in upstate New York, Betty enjoyed the story of cotton in the Cotton Museum and even took a lock of cotton with seeds inside home with her. Another former Coats graduate, David Surles, visited the museum bringing aerial photographs of Coats taken by Mr. Welch in the late 1950 or early 1960’s.Who remembers where David’s parents had a store was in Coats?
A big thank you is sent to Mike and Claudia Tocci of Sparks, Nevada for their very generous donation to the museum. Mike’s Aunt Margaret Johnson and cousin Jerry Gardner lived on Ebenezer Church Road for many years. We have a bride and groom in our military tunnel. The groom is dressed in Mike’s dad’s WWII uniform and the bride is wearing his mom’s wedding gown made in Italy where they were married after the war. Mike’s mom was a military nurse in that same war. Have you seen a map imprinted on parachute material? Mike loaned his dad’s for display in the museum. A thank you goes to H.L. for remembering Evangeline Stewart and Bobby Wells with memorials to the Coats Museum Endowment.
Last week you read of Joe Lee’s memories of Main Street Coats in the 1940’s and 50’s. Wonder who some of those people were that Junior saw whittling on lazy benches. Whose shoes did he shine? Who were the people that he saw shopping in the markets and other stores on Main Street? Who were the mothers who led their young children to get their mail at the post office on wheels or took them into Oker Keene’s store to get a pair of shoes? Could one of those mothers have been Mrs. Thelma Parrish Johnson? Did Larry and Rebecca love being talked to by Mr. “O.K” Keene? Did Mrs. Billie Keene take special care in fitting shoes to their young feet? Was Mrs. Thelma able to find the special thread and fabrics on “Junior’s Main Street” to make those beautiful well- fitted clothes?
Maybe! Mr. and Mrs. Garland Johnson settled in Coats in 1947. Thelma grew up in Coats and was a baby when Dr. H.C. Roberts came to town to doctor the sick; she was a teenager when he died from injuries from a plane crash. Did she tell her children that the Main Street once had deep ditches? Did she share with her young ones that traffic traveled in one direction and that there were no stoplights on the dusty streets? How sad it is if we do not record those memories of earlier times.
Surely everyone was concerned for Mrs. Andrew Coats who was a patient at the Harnett County Hospital in Dunn. Note how the Dunn Dispatch April 7, 1947 edition identified the hospital. Mrs. Coats’ husband was the first postmaster and depot agent of Coats in 1903. Yes, the area was called Coats in 1903 prior to being chartered in 1905. Mrs. Coats’ father-in-law was Preacher J .Tom Coats who settled in the Troyville area around 1875-76.
Rev. Lincoln Faulk officiated at the wedding ceremony of Miss Dorothy Henry and Mr. James Walter Johnson of Coats. Dunn’s first “radio” wedding took place at WCKB radio station. Mr. Johnson was the son of Mr. James E. Johnson of Coats (Dunn Dispatch April 10, 1947). Was that for real?
Some of the readers might wonder if they had relatives in the Coats area in the late 1940’s. The following were Negroes who lived in the Coats area: Lennie Arnold Ryals, John Covington, John Cozart, Roosevelt Hayes, James Holliday, W.J. Holliday, A.L. Johnson, Hassie Johnson, Beatrice Jones, Preston McKay, Bella McKay, Rena Ryals McKay, Anna Ryals McKay, Norman Ruffin, James Ryals, Hugh H. Shaw, Henry M. Stewart and Margaret Stewart (Dunn Dispatch April 10, 1947).
William Stewart, James D. Stewart, and Arthur Rowland served on the Coats Negro School Board and Herbert Johnson, W.E. Nichols and W.T. Sorrell served on the Coats White School Board. Nichols had replaced Dr. C.G. Fuquay and Johnson had replaced R.D. Ennis who had recently died. There was a new baby who would attend the Coats White School in six years and he was Joseph Lee Turlington, son of Robert and Mary Capps Turlington. Mary was formerly of Dunn (Dunn Dispatch April 10, 1947).
Mt. Pisgah had Sandy McKay, Archie Melvin, and Andrew Ryals on the school board. Bethehem, Paradise, Seminole, Smith Grove, Killingsford, McLean’s Chapel, Narrington , Murchison, Cedar Grove, and Beaver Dam were other Negro schools in 1947 (Dunn Dispatch April 10, 1947).
James W. Kelly, a native of Coats and a graduate of Wake Forest, directed the AAF Communication at the 9th Air Force Pope Field. The Air and Airways Communications Service functioned as one unit among a worldwide network of similar outfits in the guidance of military and civilian aircraft from take-off to landing. He was the son of Lucy Kelly, postmaster of Coats. The names of jurors to serve on the May 19 session of court were also printed in this same addition of the paper and they were G.C. Godwin, M.C. Stewart, Jr., Howard G. Gregory and C.P. Mitchell.
Charles E. Stewart, 18, seaman 2nd Class, USN, son of Milton Stewart of Coats, was stationed at Naval Auxiliary Air Field, Saubley Field, Florida. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Jones Ivey of Coats had announced the birth of a son on April 4, 1947 at the Harnett County Hospital (Dunn Dispatch April 10, 1947).
Master Sergeant Edwin J. Mishker of Coats had been assigned to the Joint Strategic Plans and Operations Stations of General McArthur’s Headquarters, Tokyo in December 1946. His wife Rachel resided in Coats. Does anyone know this family? I do know that Robert E. Dorman, Jr., 34, formerly of Coats, died in Norfolk , Virginia. His wife Lena Hall Dorman and daughter Dorothy survived him. His parents were Mr. and Mrs. R.E. Dorman, Sr. of Coats. Mrs. H.S. McLeod and Mrs. W.M. Keene were his sisters of Coats. Mrs. L.M. Marks and Mrs. R.M. Turlington were his sisters from out of town. Sam Dorman and G.O. Dorman were his brothers. You recognize some of those names, don’t you?
The museum volunteers benefit much from meeting many of the visitors who come through our doors. Recently D.M. Raynor came from Florida to visit his relatives in Coats. Most of the readers know his relatives, Eddie Vaughan, Betty Vaughn and John Wiggins, who entertained their Uncle D.M. and his friend, Betty Murphy. D.M. grew up in Coats and was a 1942 outstanding graduate of the school. He and his brother Poe Raynor both served in WWII. D.M. was able to see the exhibit of Poe’s medals and a German bayonet given to POW Poe from his German guard after the war was won. We were so fortunate to record a video of D.M. sharing his memories of growing up in Coats and his WWII memories. D.M. came a second day to the museum where he was able to have a visit with two other Coats graduates -Carsie and Jenny Denning . They watched interviews of other veterans of WWII and the Korean War. While in town, D.M .was also able to enjoy a visit with Poe Raynor’s nephew, Joe Tart, and with another WWII veteran, H.A. Turlington, Jr. What did Betty Murphy enjoy? Growing up in upstate New York, Betty enjoyed the story of cotton in the Cotton Museum and even took a lock of cotton with seeds inside home with her. Another former Coats graduate, David Surles, visited the museum bringing aerial photographs of Coats taken by Mr. Welch in the late 1950 or early 1960’s.Who remembers where David’s parents had a store was in Coats?
A big thank you is sent to Mike and Claudia Tocci of Sparks, Nevada for their very generous donation to the museum. Mike’s Aunt Margaret Johnson and cousin Jerry Gardner lived on Ebenezer Church Road for many years. We have a bride and groom in our military tunnel. The groom is dressed in Mike’s dad’s WWII uniform and the bride is wearing his mom’s wedding gown made in Italy where they were married after the war. Mike’s mom was a military nurse in that same war. Have you seen a map imprinted on parachute material? Mike loaned his dad’s for display in the museum. A thank you goes to H.L. for remembering Evangeline Stewart and Bobby Wells with memorials to the Coats Museum Endowment.