2011 1.pdfDavie Dossier
Issued by
Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society
Mocksville, North Carolina
January 2011, Issue 1
Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society
MEETINGS ARE HELD THE FOURTH TUESDAY (January through November)
President Linda Leonard
Vice President
Secretary Pat Reilly, interim
Treasurer Marie Roth
Board of Directors Pat Reilly, Claude Horn
Dossier Editors Marie Roth, Doris Frye
Webmaster Marie Roth
Our Website: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ncdavhgs has these features:
?All the churches in Davie County
?Cemeteries in Davie County with locations
?National Register of Historic Places sites
?Names on the War Memorial in Mocksville
?Index to Bible Records at DCPL
?Order blanks so you don’t tear up Dossier
?Townships as listed on US Census, 1790 - 1930
?Meeting Dates and Programs
?Guardian Accounts, Davie Co. 1846- 1859
?Apprentice Bonds, Davie Co. 1829 -1859
?1974 booklet about old schools in Davie
?Additional info: Davie County School History
New: Branson’s NC Business Directories for
Davie on our Web site
Another Website about Davie County genealogy and history:
https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Davie_County%2C_North_Carolina
DAVIE CO. HISTORICAL/GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY PROGRAMS, 7 pm at the library:
January 25, A tribute to Mr. James Wall and Frances “Pan” Beck. Description of the process of
writing a book and self-publishing on the Internet. Marie Roth will describe the steps she took to write
History of Davie County Schools. The book will be available for purchase. See page 7 for information for
ordering.
February 22,Betty West will bring her scrapbooks and describe the trips she took to see all the
museums of US Presidents. These holidays were a great time for you to collect photos and personal
histories from your families so that you can compile a scrapbook about your people. Come see these
beautiful books for ideas on making your own histories.
March 22 Debi Dotson and Jane McAllister will present a program about their most recent book
Images of America, Mocksville. The book will be available for purchase. Order blank on page 7.
May 7, Daniel Boone Festival on Mocksville Square. Come help us with our booth and tours.
May 11-14, National Genealogical Society Annual Meeting at North Charleston SC Convention
Center. Theme is “Where the Past is Present”. www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conference_info
August 13, Yadkin Valley Historical Association conference at Surry County Community College.
Theme is “Saving the Cemeteries of the Yadkin Valley”.
September 7-10, Federation of Genealogical Societies at Springfield, IL. Theme is “Pathways to
the Heartland”. www.fgs.org /2011conference/index.php
Please let us know what you’d like to see printed in the next Dossier or presented at the next meeting.
BOOKS ABOUT DAVIE COUNTY IN THE HISTORY ROOM OF DAVIE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Author Title
Davie County Heritage
The 1850 Federal Census and Supplemental Schedules of Davie County, NC
Fork Baptist Church Bicentennial Celebration
Dutchman’s Creek Church and Eaton’s Baptist Church
Davie County Enterprise-Record Bicentennial Issue Excerpts
100 years of History at Ijames Baptist Church
Pioneer Times in the Jerusalem Township area of North Carolina
Cooleemee History Loom
Davie Dossier
High School Yearbooks
Almasy, Sandra Lee North Carolina Mortality Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880
Bailey, Brack III Growing Up in Advance
Blackman, A.M., compiler Cohabitation Records of Davie County, North Carolina, 1866
Cooleemee Historical Association A Salute to Our Veterans
Crenshaw, Charles & Ronnie Smith Looking Back
Davie Methodist Bicentennial Comm The History of United Methodism in Davie County
DCHGS Davie County Cemeteries 1
DCHGS Davie County Cemeteries 2
Dotson, Debra and Jane McAllister Images of America, Mocksville
Frick, Ann Rambling and Reminiscing in Davie County
Grissom, Rev. W.L.History of Methodism in Davie County
Hairston, Peter W.The Cooleemee Plantation and its People
Hasty, Mary Alice & Hazel Winfree Civil War Roster of Davie County, North Carolina
Historical Records Survey Survey of North Carolina Cemeteries, Davie County, 1941
Ingmire, Frances T.Marriage Records, 1837-1868
Joyner, David A History of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Fork, NC
Linn, Jo White Davie County North Carolina Tax Lists of 1843 and 1847
Linn, Jo White Davie County North Carolina Will and Deed Abstracts
Martin, Thomas L.Churches of Davie County
McAllister, Jane and Debra Dotson Images of America, Davie County
Merrell, Wilson F.A Concise History of Fork Baptist Church
Mohney, Kirk Franklin Historic Architecture of Davie County, North Carolina
Moore, Jamie W.Growing Up in Davie County
Murphy, Nancy and Everette Sain 1860 Federal Census, Davie County, North Carolina
Murphy, Nancy and Everette Sain 1870 Federal Census, Davie County, North Carolina
Murphy, Nancy K and Everette Sain 1880 Federal Census, Davie County, North Carolina
Murphy, Nancy K.Davie County Marriages, 1836-1900
Murphy, Nancy K.Davie County Marriages, 1901-1959
Roth, Marie Benge Craig History of Davie County Schools
Rumley, Jim Cooleemee
Stroud, Louise Memories
Wall, James W.History of Davie County
Wall, James W.A History of the First Presbyterian Church of Mocksville, North Carolina
Watson, June Clodfelter Davie County, North Carolina, Index of Loose Estate Papers, 1809-1936
West, Betty Frances Etchison Cana: People, Places and Professions
Wight, Mrs. James; Mrs. Chas. Masser Guardian Accounts, 1846-1860
Zimmerman, Edith Professional ledgers of John Edward Bell Shutt, woodcraftsman and
undertaker, Shady Grove township, Advance, North Carolina
In Tribute
Between December 3 and December 10, Davie
County lost three of its outstanding citizens. Mr. Essic
was a leader in the Farmington district, Pan Beck was
our society’s secretary treasurer and had been president
several times previously, and Mr. Wall was our county
historian and author of Davie County History. They
will all be missed in great measure. Another of our
society’s members, Bert Bradford, died during that time.
He had served as treasurer of the museum committee.
Here are the accolades.
Mr. James Edward Essic Sr.
FARMINGTON –– Mr. James Edward
Essic, 91, of Cana Road passed away
peacefully surrounded by family on
Friday, Dec. 3, 2010, at Forsyth Memorial
Hospital in Winston-Salem. Mr. Essic
was born Aug. 16, 1919, in Yadkin
County to the late John Frank and Mary
Lois McMath Essic. He was a charter
member of Highland Presbyterian Church in Winston-
Salem and in later years a member of the First
Presbyterian Church in Mocksville. Mr. Essic attended
public school in Courtney, and graduated in 1936. He
attended Mars Hill College and graduated magna cum
laude from Appalachian State Teachers’ College. Mr.
Essic was a pillar of the Farmington Community and was
instrumental in many local projects. He served as a
master of the Pino Grange for a number of years. Mr.
Essic was the first president of the Farmington Volunteer
Fire Department and worked to obtain telephone service
for the Farmington community. He helped organize the
Farmington Medical Center and served on the board of
trustees of the Davie County hospital. One of his
proudest accomplishments was the James E. and Lelia N.
Essic Scholarship Fund that has awarded college
scholarships to nearly one hundred students. In addition
to his parents, he was predeceased by a sister, Wilma
Wittman of Orange, Ca. Mr. Essic and his wife, Lelia,
would have been married sixty-eight years on Dec. 13. In
addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons and two
daughters, James Edward Essic Jr. (Chip) and his wife,
Ruth, David Neal Essic Sr. and his wife, Brenda, Mary
Ellen Candillo and her husband, John and Lelia Anne
Barnes and her husband, Brooks; seven grandchildren,
Jefferson Essic and his wife, Karen, Rebecca Phillips and
her husband, Lawson, David Essic Jr. and his wife,
Tammy, Forrest Essic and his wife, Heather, Joseph
Candillo and his wife, Kate and Edward and Elizabeth
Barnes; five great-grandchildren, Sadie and Thomas
Essic, Elliott and Eliza Essic and Wyatt Phillips; and a
brother, Francis Essic of Gastonia.
Mrs. Mary Frances Atkinson "Pan" Beck
MOCKSVILLE –– Mrs. Mary Frances Atkinson “Pan”
Beck, 82, of Wagner Road, died
Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010 at WFU
Baptist Medical Center. She was born
July 16, 1928, in Forsyth County, to
William Johnson and Era Lunn Collette
Atkinson. Mrs. Beck was retired from
Energy United, formerly known as
Crescent Electric. She was a member of
Bear Creek Baptist Church where she
was a Sunday school teacher and was a member of the
Women Missionary group. Mrs. Beck was also involved
with 4-H, Northwest Child Development, Davie County
School Board, United Way, YMCA, Davie County
Library Board, Davie County Historical Assoc., D.A.R.,
Davie Democratic party and Clarksville Homemakers
Assoc. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in
death by a daughter, Elizabeth Ann; a sister, Ada
Atkinson Wallace; and her stepfather, Homer F. Latham.
Survivors include her husband, Stacy A. Beck of the
home; three children, Patti (Curt) Newsom of
Hamptonville, Susan (Rick) Carter of Mocksville and
Andy Beck of Cana; three grandchildren, Andrew
(Hannah) Beck and Ashleigh Byrd, all of Mocksville and
Cameron Beck of Cana; and one great-granddaughter,
Makyiah Byrd.
Mr. James William Wall
MOCKSVILLE –– Mr. James
William Wall, 92, of W.
Church St., died Friday, Dec.
10, 2010, at Carolinas Medical
Center-North East in Concord.
Mr. Wall was born Aug. 21,
1918, in Davie County to the
late James Wesley and Mamie
Hutchins Wall. He was retired
from Davie County Schools after 32 years of service and
was a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps. Mr. Wall
was a member of First Presbyterian Church of
Mocksville where he had served as an Elder. He was a
graduate of Appalachian State Teacher’s College and
received his graduate degree from University of North
Carolina. Mr. Wall had served on the Mocksville Town
Board for 20 years, Mocksville Planning Board for six
years. He was author of History of the First
Presbyterian Church of Mocksville and History of Davie
County, for which he received the Peace Award from the
North Carolina Society of State and Local Historians.
Mr. Wall was awarded the Order of the Long-Leaf Pine
presented by the State of North Carolina for his
contributions to public education and local history. He
had been honored by Masons of Davie County for his
work in making Davie County a better place to live and
presented a resolution by the towns of Mocksville,
Cooleemee, and Bermuda Run; Davie County
Commissioners; and Davie County Board of Education
for his accomplishments and contributions to the county.
Mr. Wall was active in Davie County Retired School
Personnel and the Davie County Historical and
Genealogical Society and had served as County Historian
since 1969 and was still active in local history research.
Other awards Mr. Wall had received include: Valley
Forge Classroom Teacher’s Medal from the Freedom
Foundation at Valley Forge, E.C. Tatum Humanitarian
Award, Outstanding Citizen Award from the Woodmen
of the World, Community Citizen of the Year Award
from the Civitan Club, Governor’s Award for
Outstanding Volunteer Service and honored by the
Cooleemee Historical Society. In addition to his parents,
he was preceded in death by a sister, Claire Wall Grose.
Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Esther Mae Grier
Wall of the home; two daughters, Nancy Wall Piston
(William) of Springfield, MO and Carol Wall Poston of
Greenville, NC; one son, James Grier Wall (Kay) of
Concord, NC; and four grandchildren, Jonathan Wall,
Claire Wall, Rob Poston and Nat Poston.
*********************************************
Just days before his death, Mr. Wall was seen at
Mr. Essic’s funeral, the library, and in the grocery
store. He wrote this article which appeared in the Davie
County Enterprise Record on December 2, 2010.
NEW BOOKS WONDERFUL WORKS ON DAVIE
HISTORY by James Wall, Special to the Enterprise
The story of Davie County in history, biography,
culture, infrastructure, business and education from the
Revolutionary War years in the late 1700s to the present
is vividly and authentically told in picture and narrative in
four books published in recent weeks. The writer
believes this accomplishment is a record unsurpassed in
any other comparable county in the state
These books just published include Images of
America, Davie County with 240 pictures and brief
explanatory narratives and identification by Jane
McAllister and Debra Dotson, and Images of America,
Mocksville with 241 pictures and narratives also by Jane
McAllister and Debra Dotson.
Looking Back: Davie County in the Fifties and
Sixties by Charles Crenshaw and Ronnie Smith has 700
pictures with brief narrative accounts. Many of these
pictures are of Davie County High School and athletic
teams. The book also includes pictures of other groups,
individuals, school functions and social events, and scores
of special occasions only a few of which are found in the
two Images books. All three are exceptionally well done.
Marie Roth has researched and authored an
authentic, thorough, and fascinating History of Davie
County Schools from the late 1700s to 2010. This
volume represents several thousands hours of research,
extensive travel, and scores of personal interviews, and
180 pictures, names of teachers, biographical
information, school buildings, and pictures of classes at
many schools from the late 1800s and 1900s. The
detailed memories of former students are told in both
excerpts and lengthy accounts. They are fascinating, and
immediately challenge today’s reader to think of their
experiences and the contrast with today.
All four books representing some two and a
quarter centuries will recall personal memories and
recollections of parents and stories the reader has heard.
They will entertain, contrast and compare and ensure and
portray the realization of slow and gradual change but
will also demonstrate progress in education over the years
to today’s state-of-the-art status.
They will also make it possible to quickly find
desired information and will guarantee that the pictures
and information will be preserved instead of eventually
becoming unidentified or lost, thus denying future
generations irreplaceable memorabilia.
The authors would be the first to say a sincere
thank you to the hundreds of interested persons who have
made and kept the pictures and saved written and printed
segments of our culture in our business and religious life,
our buildings, and our work and play activities – indeed
the complete story of our everyday life in Davie County.
A special thank you would also be in order for those who
preserved in pictures, writing, and printed articles by
depositing them in the Martin-Wall History Room at the
Davie County Library.
The authors of these four books, and those who
assisted them, deserve a sincere thank you from everyone
in Davie County for their tireless effort, and their time
and financial resources spent on our behalf.
*********************************************
The Davie County Historical and
Genealogical Society wishes to convey many
thanks to these persons who enhanced the
study and preservation of
Davie County History.
We also express sympathy to the
family and friends of these
special people of Davie.
They will be missed.
New leaders are needed to continue.
The Little Gold Cup and Saucer
A true story from Marie Roth’s life
Part One of the story:
All my life I can remember this very small cup and saucer being
on my parents’ dresser.
I asked my mother about heirlooms and wrote down what she told me. On this item, she said
that she and her sister Mae used to ride with their dad on the wagon as he drove from their farm into
Mocksville. They knew two old maid sisters in town and would go to visit them. At one of these
visits, one of the sisters, Miss Alice Lee gave her this gift, and she had always treasured it. I have it
now and it is special to me, also.
Part Two of the story:
When I was one year old, my parents and I moved from Statesville to Black Mountain. I
started taking piano lessons in the sixth grade from Clara McDougle. She was the organist at our
church, was wife of my elementary school principal, and was a piano teacher with a little room at our
school.
She meant a lot to me, and I learned quickly and have appreciated the piano, organ, and voice
lessons she shared with me. I still use all three of these skills in my church and for enjoyment at
home. I realized a few years ago that I knew nothing about her, and I set myself a goal of compiling
her family history, much as I did my own family.
In searching her husband’s family, I remembered his father who was also a member of our
church. He was first married to a woman who had seven children, one of whom was Clara’s husband.
This wife died, and he remarried a younger woman and had one daughter who was my age. Then this
second wife died. Mr. McDougle was approaching 90 years old when he went to live at the
Methodist Home in Charlotte. In a year or so, he married one of the residents, a woman in her
middle-80's who was from Mocksville who had never been married. Her name was Alice Lee.
So my little cup and saucer have returned home to Mocksville, and I have another link to my
wonderful piano teacher and friend, Clara McDougle.
What possessions do you own that have interesting stories?
Have you written these stories down?
Do your children and grandchildren know the owners or origins of your inherited belongings?
Do you have photographs of your heirlooms?
Do you know how to take good care of them?
Have you interviewed your older relatives about their interesting stories and recorded them?
USE THIS UPDATED PAGE FOR ORDERING ITEMS AND/OR PAYING DUES. 2011 1 January
(Out of state residents don’t pay state tax when ordering.)
Title Author non- NC NC res.No.Cost
BOOKS:
Davie County...A Brief History,
paperback
James W. Wall, 128 pages $9.00 $9.39
The Boone Families in Davie County Wall, Howell Boone, and Flossie Martin $8.00 $8.31
Davie County Marriages 1836-1900 Nancy K. Murphy $25.00 $26.55
Davie County Marriages 1901-1959 Nancy K. Murphy $25.00 $26.55
Davie County Cemeteries, a 2-volume set D.C. Historical/Gen. Soc. $55.00 $58.88
1860 Federal Census-Davie County Nancy K. Murphy and Everette Sain $20.00 $21.16
1870 Federal Census-Davie County Nancy K. Murphy and Everette Sain $20.00 $21.16
1880 Federal Census-Davie County Nancy K. Murphy and Everette Sain $20.00 $21.16
MAPS OF DAVIE COUNTY:
Lagle Land Grant $8.00 $8.31
Hughes Historical, 1700's, drawn in 1977 $8.00 $8.31
J.T. Alderman, 1887 $6.00 $6.47
Wilson F. Merrell, 1928 NEW !$6.00 $6.47
POSTCARDS OF DAVIE CO. SCENES (set of 8)$2.50 $2.50
CD of all issues Davie Dossier since 1987 $7.00 $7.39
TOTAL NUMBER AND COST
Make check to DCHGS and send to address at bottom of page. Prices include tax, postage, and handling.
Davie County Heritage Book, non-NC resident cost is $45; NC resident cost is $48.10.
Make check to Davie County Heritage Book. Use DCHGS address below.
The Historic Architecture of Davie Co.,non-NC resident cost is $30; NC resident cost is $31.94.
History of Davie County, hardback, by James W. Wall, 449 pages; non-NC resident cost is $30; NC resident cost is $31.94.
Make check to Davie County Public Library. Use DCHGS address below.
The Civil War Roster of Davie County by Mary Alice Miller Hasty and Hazel Miller Winfree incorporates biographical and
military service sketches of 1,147 Davie County Civil War veterans. Non-NC resident cost is $60. NC resident cost is $64.26.
Checks should be made out to M & M Books and sent to Mary Alice Hasty, 105 East Brick Walk Court, Mocksville NC 27028.
Images of America, Davie County by Debra Dotson and Jane McAllister. 128 page book of old photos and descriptions. Order
from Jane McAllister, DCPL, 371 N. Main St., Mocksville NC 27028. Make check to Jane McAllister. Non-NC resident cost is
$26.99. NC resident cost is $28.69. Images of America, Mocksville by Debra Dotson and Jane McAllister. Book 2 by these
authors features photographs with details in Mocksville and a few other Davie communities. The same ordering information
applies as listed for book one.
Looking Back at Davie County in the1950s and 1960s by Charles Crenshaw and Ron Smith. This 304 page book of 700
photographs taken by Ron’s father, Gray Smith, will bring back memories of people and places in Davie County. The book is
$38 (tax included) and postage is $4 more. Mail orders to Charles Crenshaw, 421 Park Avenue, Mocksville NC 27028.
NEW ! History of Davie County Schools, 318 pages, by Marie Benge Craig Roth has photos, locations, and names of students
and teachers of schools. Most of the 149 schools are listed with latitude and longitude. There is an 18 page index of 3,222
names. A chronology describes the evolution of the school system in Davie. Genealogists and historians will want to check the
index. Make check to Marie Roth for $40.26 for non-residents and $43 for NC resident.Mail to 276 Park Avenue, Mocksville
NC 27028.
MEMBERSHIP for a calendar year is still just $5.00/year. Life Membership is $100 per person. We are 501(c)(3) and dues are
tax deductible. Below is a registration form for your use; checks, payable to the Society.
DAVIE COUNTY HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY (DCHGS)
Davie County Public Library
371 Main Street
Mocksville, North Carolina 27028
NAME _____________________________________________________________
ADDRESS _____________________________________________________________
E-MAIL ADDRESS _____________________________________________________________