September 15, 2023 Coats Museum News
The month on the calendar was July and the date on the Daily Record was July 13, 1993. The event on the minds of Freda and Doug Johnson was that of the beautiful wedding of their daughter, Nicki Lynn Johnson. Nicki and Russell Wayne Purser were married during a candlelight ceremony at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church with Rev. Warren Bock officiating. Elsewhere, Robert Pleasant of the Coats area had opened the Robert Pleasant Insurance Agency on 1112 West Broad Street in Dunn (Daily Record July 14, 1993).
Mack Reid Hudson, president of the Coats High Class of 1945, had welcomed his classmates to the Coats Senior Center. Among those attending were Mr. and Mrs. Ray Stancil (Eula Gregory), Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Blackman (Gilda Guy Turner), Celesta Raynor Strickland, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Lee, Mr. and Mrs. Graymon Powell (Willa Dean Pope), Mr. and Mrs. Mack Reid Hudson, Mr. and Mrs. Tony Upchurch, Mr. and Mrs. Lamas Denning (Janie Adams), Mr. and Mrs. Graham Turlington, Mr. and Mrs. Sherrill Coats (Jean Willis), Mr. and Mrs. Milton Blalock, Mr. and Mrs. Carlton Zimmerman (Lola Mae Cook), Mr. and Mrs. Elbert McKinney (Katherine Stewart), Christine Tart Edwards, Mr. and Mrs. Wiilie Marcum (Margaret Parrish), Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Langdon, Virginia Senter Currin and husband, Billy Ray Currin and M.O. Phillips and wife Kathryn Phillips. Mascots Carol Pope McGee and Jimmy Willis were unable to attend. W. F. Ryals, Albert Johnson, Hilda Ruth Dorman, and Annie Laurie Grimes were remembered with a moment of silence.
Don Bennett, a ventriloquist, was the entertainment along with class mate Joe Lee who played tunes on his Yamaha keyboard. Stewart Langdon’s wife Faye played the piano for a sing-a-long.
Robert and Brenda Eason were proud grandparents of their eighth grandchild. Cheyelo Eason was the daughter of Robert and Charlene Eason. Charles and Mary Campbell were the other grandparents.
Mrs. Ruby Johnson and her son Phil and his daughter Debbie Jones took a flight to Montabello, Ontario, Canada for the wedding of Ruby’s grandson, Donald Plenderleith. Joining them was another daughter and husband, JoAnn and Gordan Stubbs of Springfield, VA. The bridegroom was the son of Dr. Ian and Phyliss Johnson Plenderleith of Van Couver, British Columbia (Daily Record-“Belle’s Notes” July 15, 1993).
Who remembers Mrs. Ruby Johnson? This I do know. Some of her history notes and interviews were amongst the small amount of Coats history that became available to us as a few of us promised to write a history of the Coats Grove Township in 2003 for the 2005 Coats Centennial Celebration.
Marion Byrd Williams, 63, of Bailey Road, had died at the GHH in Erwin. She was the daughter of the late Robert Kelly Byrd. Rose and Graham Funeral Home in Benson held the services with Elder Silas Williams officiating. Surviving her were husband Odell Williams and two daughters: Bonnie Cooper and Barbara W. Hodges. Other survivors were her mother Laddis Byrd and brother Gardner Byrd (Daily Record July 16, 1993).
Certainly Hilary Brown, s sophomore at Triton High School and the daughter of Matt and Susan Hawley Cannady, had a memorable, learning experience from working as a clerical and administrative support when she served as page to Governor Jim Hunt and his office.
Many of you have traveled on this historical chronicle I of the Coats area since the Daily Record began publishing it in 2009. How many years ago was that and how many Coats Museum News columns are preserved on the coatsmuseum .com website?
As we have traveled through hundreds of years of history of our area, the story was new to many of you while to others the names and events are somewhat familiar depending upon the decades in which you lived.
Confusion may have occurred when individuals had the same name. For example, some of you recognized the name Ruby Johnson. To some of you she was a student or relative that went to Coats High School in the late 1930’s but to others the name Ruby Johnson was a lady that moved here and became very involved in the town activities and you just read that she went to Canada to her grandson’s wedding in the 1990”s.
In Coats High School there were two girls named Linda Barefoot. One Linda belonged to the Leon and Ruth Barefoot while the other was the daughter of Sadie and Tom Barefoot. In my case there was a Gail Johnson and a Gayle Johnson.
So when we say that Sadie Barefoot went to Hampton, VA to visit her daughter Linda and husband, Joe Odom’s new home, we can put the correct face to the name.
What is the point? If you purchased a copy of the Heritage of Coats, NC for your descendants to read in future years, why don’t you pick up a pen and write notes in the book so they will have a better understanding of yours and their heritage.
There are two dates associated with July in the Coats area. One was associated with the Independence Day and the other with the Ennis Reunion. More than 250 family members gathered at the American Legion Building for the 75th annual reunion. The youngest member was Kyle McCauley, the 2-month son of Amy and Jimmy McCauley. The oldest member in attendance was 87 year-old Nannie Tew. Tommy and John Ennis were officers.
Sports were still a favorite pastime for the younger folks in the area. Coats had won the Harnett County Junior Softball Tournament at Barbecue Park. Girls earning the honor were Christina Brown, Sonya Wallace, Angie McLeod, Susan Murphy, Erin Schoening, Amanda Penny, Emily Allen, Rebecca Williams, Misty Tart, Tiffany Farthing, Christi Ferrell, and Melissa Johnson. Coaches were Gary and Rhonda Penny and J.C. Allen (Daily Record July 22, 1993).
In the town filings for seats on the board, B.W. Holland, Darrell Smith, and Frances Avery had filed (Daily Record July 23, 2023).
Rev. Ralph O. Byrd was honored on his 80th birthday by more than 100 of his family members and friends. Rev. Byrd had pastored more than 49 years and in 6 different churches-Erwin Chapel (4), Blackman’s Grove (3) , Wood’s Grove (9), St. Delight’s (8), and Antioch (22) and Mt. Pleasant (4). His siblings who attended were C.R. Byrd, Watson Byrd, Granville Byrd, Stanton Byrd, Marie Byrd Clark, Doris Byrd Wood, and Linda Williams. His children were Larry Byrd, Ronnie, Billie, Patricia, Judy and Sherry. Marjorie Byrd was his wife of 56 years.
The museum volunteers are so excited about tomorrow. At the quarterly board meeting they will get to meet and talk to the new board members. Exciting things are in store for the museum and the new board members will be a part of making the museum a place that people want to visit.
I
The month on the calendar was July and the date on the Daily Record was July 13, 1993. The event on the minds of Freda and Doug Johnson was that of the beautiful wedding of their daughter, Nicki Lynn Johnson. Nicki and Russell Wayne Purser were married during a candlelight ceremony at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church with Rev. Warren Bock officiating. Elsewhere, Robert Pleasant of the Coats area had opened the Robert Pleasant Insurance Agency on 1112 West Broad Street in Dunn (Daily Record July 14, 1993).
Mack Reid Hudson, president of the Coats High Class of 1945, had welcomed his classmates to the Coats Senior Center. Among those attending were Mr. and Mrs. Ray Stancil (Eula Gregory), Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Blackman (Gilda Guy Turner), Celesta Raynor Strickland, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Lee, Mr. and Mrs. Graymon Powell (Willa Dean Pope), Mr. and Mrs. Mack Reid Hudson, Mr. and Mrs. Tony Upchurch, Mr. and Mrs. Lamas Denning (Janie Adams), Mr. and Mrs. Graham Turlington, Mr. and Mrs. Sherrill Coats (Jean Willis), Mr. and Mrs. Milton Blalock, Mr. and Mrs. Carlton Zimmerman (Lola Mae Cook), Mr. and Mrs. Elbert McKinney (Katherine Stewart), Christine Tart Edwards, Mr. and Mrs. Wiilie Marcum (Margaret Parrish), Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Langdon, Virginia Senter Currin and husband, Billy Ray Currin and M.O. Phillips and wife Kathryn Phillips. Mascots Carol Pope McGee and Jimmy Willis were unable to attend. W. F. Ryals, Albert Johnson, Hilda Ruth Dorman, and Annie Laurie Grimes were remembered with a moment of silence.
Don Bennett, a ventriloquist, was the entertainment along with class mate Joe Lee who played tunes on his Yamaha keyboard. Stewart Langdon’s wife Faye played the piano for a sing-a-long.
Robert and Brenda Eason were proud grandparents of their eighth grandchild. Cheyelo Eason was the daughter of Robert and Charlene Eason. Charles and Mary Campbell were the other grandparents.
Mrs. Ruby Johnson and her son Phil and his daughter Debbie Jones took a flight to Montabello, Ontario, Canada for the wedding of Ruby’s grandson, Donald Plenderleith. Joining them was another daughter and husband, JoAnn and Gordan Stubbs of Springfield, VA. The bridegroom was the son of Dr. Ian and Phyliss Johnson Plenderleith of Van Couver, British Columbia (Daily Record-“Belle’s Notes” July 15, 1993).
Who remembers Mrs. Ruby Johnson? This I do know. Some of her history notes and interviews were amongst the small amount of Coats history that became available to us as a few of us promised to write a history of the Coats Grove Township in 2003 for the 2005 Coats Centennial Celebration.
Marion Byrd Williams, 63, of Bailey Road, had died at the GHH in Erwin. She was the daughter of the late Robert Kelly Byrd. Rose and Graham Funeral Home in Benson held the services with Elder Silas Williams officiating. Surviving her were husband Odell Williams and two daughters: Bonnie Cooper and Barbara W. Hodges. Other survivors were her mother Laddis Byrd and brother Gardner Byrd (Daily Record July 16, 1993).
Certainly Hilary Brown, s sophomore at Triton High School and the daughter of Matt and Susan Hawley Cannady, had a memorable, learning experience from working as a clerical and administrative support when she served as page to Governor Jim Hunt and his office.
Many of you have traveled on this historical chronicle I of the Coats area since the Daily Record began publishing it in 2009. How many years ago was that and how many Coats Museum News columns are preserved on the coatsmuseum .com website?
As we have traveled through hundreds of years of history of our area, the story was new to many of you while to others the names and events are somewhat familiar depending upon the decades in which you lived.
Confusion may have occurred when individuals had the same name. For example, some of you recognized the name Ruby Johnson. To some of you she was a student or relative that went to Coats High School in the late 1930’s but to others the name Ruby Johnson was a lady that moved here and became very involved in the town activities and you just read that she went to Canada to her grandson’s wedding in the 1990”s.
In Coats High School there were two girls named Linda Barefoot. One Linda belonged to the Leon and Ruth Barefoot while the other was the daughter of Sadie and Tom Barefoot. In my case there was a Gail Johnson and a Gayle Johnson.
So when we say that Sadie Barefoot went to Hampton, VA to visit her daughter Linda and husband, Joe Odom’s new home, we can put the correct face to the name.
What is the point? If you purchased a copy of the Heritage of Coats, NC for your descendants to read in future years, why don’t you pick up a pen and write notes in the book so they will have a better understanding of yours and their heritage.
There are two dates associated with July in the Coats area. One was associated with the Independence Day and the other with the Ennis Reunion. More than 250 family members gathered at the American Legion Building for the 75th annual reunion. The youngest member was Kyle McCauley, the 2-month son of Amy and Jimmy McCauley. The oldest member in attendance was 87 year-old Nannie Tew. Tommy and John Ennis were officers.
Sports were still a favorite pastime for the younger folks in the area. Coats had won the Harnett County Junior Softball Tournament at Barbecue Park. Girls earning the honor were Christina Brown, Sonya Wallace, Angie McLeod, Susan Murphy, Erin Schoening, Amanda Penny, Emily Allen, Rebecca Williams, Misty Tart, Tiffany Farthing, Christi Ferrell, and Melissa Johnson. Coaches were Gary and Rhonda Penny and J.C. Allen (Daily Record July 22, 1993).
In the town filings for seats on the board, B.W. Holland, Darrell Smith, and Frances Avery had filed (Daily Record July 23, 2023).
Rev. Ralph O. Byrd was honored on his 80th birthday by more than 100 of his family members and friends. Rev. Byrd had pastored more than 49 years and in 6 different churches-Erwin Chapel (4), Blackman’s Grove (3) , Wood’s Grove (9), St. Delight’s (8), and Antioch (22) and Mt. Pleasant (4). His siblings who attended were C.R. Byrd, Watson Byrd, Granville Byrd, Stanton Byrd, Marie Byrd Clark, Doris Byrd Wood, and Linda Williams. His children were Larry Byrd, Ronnie, Billie, Patricia, Judy and Sherry. Marjorie Byrd was his wife of 56 years.
The museum volunteers are so excited about tomorrow. At the quarterly board meeting they will get to meet and talk to the new board members. Exciting things are in store for the museum and the new board members will be a part of making the museum a place that people want to visit.
I