2018 2 I Davie Dossier, April 2018 page 1
DAVIE DOSSIER
Issued by
Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society
Mocksville, North Carolina
April 2018, Issue 2
1950 in davie county
Davie Dossier, April 2018 page 2
DAVIE COUNTY HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
President, Linda Leonard
Vice President, Margaret Cevasco
Secretary, Pat Mason
Treasurer, Marie Craig
Board of Directors, Claude Horn
Dossier Editor, Marie Craig
Webmaster, Marie Craig
Our New Website is https://sites.google.com/view/dchgs .
Historical Data to research is http://www.daviecountync.gov/440/Genealogy-Local-History .
Other Websites about Davie County genealogy and history:
http://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Davie_County%2C_North_Carolina
http://ncgenweb.us/nc/davie/
Meetings are on the fourth Thursdays at 7 pm at Davie County Library History Room.
April 26, Speaker: Ed Southern, The Race to the Dan: The Retreat that Won the Revolution
Biography of Speaker: Ed Southern is a North Carolina native. His first two books were part of Blair’s “Real Voices,
Real History” TM series. The Jamestown Adventure: Accounts of the Virginia Colony, 1605-1614, published in 2004,
was a collection of contemporary accounts of the first permanent English colony in America. Voices of the American
Revolution in the Carolinas, released in 2009, told the story of the tide-turning Southern Campaign through the words
of those who lived and fought their way through that tumult. Lee Smith described Southern’s first work of fiction,
Parlous Angels, as “(c)arefully written, with the best dialogue I’ve read in years, these terrific and utterly original
stories are made to last—like a stone pathway or a brick wall.” Southern has been
executive director of the North Carolina Writers’ Network since January 2008. He lives
in Winston-Salem.
This project is made possible by funding from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a
statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any
views expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the North Carolina
Humanities Council.
May 5, Help with Daniel Boone Festival on the Square in Mocksville
FUTURE CONFERENCES
National Genealogical Society: May 2-6, 2018, Grand Rapids MI. https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/
RootsTech: February 28 – March 3, 2018 in Salt Lake City. https://www.rootstech.org/ Talks are archived.
Federation of Genealogical Societies: August 22-25, 2018, Fort Wayne IN http://www.fgs.org/cpage.php?pt=43
Back issues of the Davie Dossier are online at http://www.daviecountync.gov/440/Genealogy-Local-History .
More and more research items about Davie County are being uploaded for use on your computer at home.
See http://www.daviecountync.gov/440/Genealogy-Local-History .
New: Genealogy data in Bibles, Daniel Boone Family info, and Flossie Martin records.
Davie Dossier, April 2018 page 3
1950 in Davie County
Pages 3 – 8 contain images and dialogue to help you remember (or
learn about) what was happening in Davie County and the world in 1950.
The illustrations were copied from the online newspapers for Davie County.
URL: http://www.daviecountync.gov/440/Genealogy-Local-History. Click
on Newspapers, choose the decade, choose the year, and then choose the
month. These are big files and might load slowly.
“On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when some 75,000
soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th
parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to
the south. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By
July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf. As far
as American officials were concerned, it was a war against the forces of
international communism itself. After some early back-and-forth across the
38th parallel, the fighting stalled and casualties mounted with nothing to
show for them. Meanwhile, American officials worked anxiously to fashion
some sort of armistice with the North Koreans. The alternative, they feared,
would be a wider war with Russia and China–or even, as some warned,
World War III. Finally, in July 1953, the Korean War came to an end. In all,
some 5 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives during the war. The
Korean peninsula is still divided today.”
https://www.history.com/topics/korean-war
Mocksville Enterprise, August 17, 1950, page 1
Numbers are not available for total number of Davie men serving in
the Korea War. There were two deaths as described in Davie County
Veterans’ Memorial by Marie Craig. Rufus Leonard Brinegar (10 June
1913 – 18 June 1953) and Jack L. Spillman (9 June 1932 – 25 July 1950)
Photograph and article at left from
Mocksville Enterprise, December 21, 1950, page 10
HST = Harry S. Truman, President of the United States in 1950
Davie Dossier, April 2018 page 4
Mocksville Enterprise, August 24, 1950,
page 4
1950 was a time of great change
and modernization. People in Davie
County were getting telephones and greater
uses for electricity. Instead of standing
over a hot stove canning food into glass
jars, they were buying freezers and
preserving food that was not over-cooked
and easier to package.
I can remember a freezer locker in
my hometown at a commercial location
that rented space for people to bring food
for freezing. When my mother needed
something, we drove to this building and
my mother opened this little compartment
which she rented and pulled out the frozen
food she would need soon. These were
also called meat lockers.
There are other interesting things in
this advertisement at the left. Evidently
“Deep Freeze” was a brand name rather
than a description. The company also
made electric ranges. A Google search
gave me pain ointment, computer virus
protection program, and a movie. I finally
found an old ad for Deepfreeze Company
with prices from $230 - $550. That’s
$2400 - $5700 in 2018 values.
They sold Asbestos Siding. People
have since paid big bucks to remove that
Asbestos Siding.
“Work Colthing” means there was
no spell-checker.
The Phone number was 99.
“Near the Depot” would have
given a quick reference back then since the
train was used more for transportation and
commerce back then than now.
Davie Dossier, April 2018 page 5
Davie Record, February 15, 1950, page 6
“Reaching its peak in the 1940s and 1950s,
poliomyelitis (polio), also known as infantile
paralysis, infected and crippled hundreds of
children across North Carolina. The disease
terrorized the general public, and, in response,
North Carolinians successfully mobilized their
money and time to assist polio victims statewide. North
Carolina’s mandate on polio vaccines, coupled with its
citizens’ philanthropic efforts, played a significant role
in eradicating the disease from the state’s popu-
lation. Polio epidemics were seasonal: the numbers
spiked during the summer and lessened during the
winter. In 1944, 861 polio cases were reported in North
Carolina. The worst year for polio in the state was 1948,
a year in which 2,516 cases and 143 deaths were
reported.”
http://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/polio-in-
north-carolina/
Davie Record, February 1, 1950, page 5
A bargain at 35 cents! Do you remember opening a can
with a key and having a metal strip? The words were to
be cut off and mailed with 35 cents in coins to New
York 44, N.Y. The 44 was an early postal sorting
system replaced by zip code in 1963. The coupon lists
Zone to be filled in. Mocksville probably only had one
zone. This was a marketing venture to sell more
Snowdrift Shortening, something that most cooks don’t
buy any more.
Davie Dossier, April 2018 page 6
Davie Record, February 22 , 1950, page 2
A Fashion Show in greater downtown Mocksville!
I’m sorry I missed it. Sanford’s seemed to sell everything,
even Ford cars in 1924.
As you read the old newspapers, there’s always an ad for
Sanford’s.
They also had a store in Cooleemee.
Left: Two advertisements were adjacent. Perhaps Madam
Fay should have advised her clients to avoid the lower ad.
Davie Record, February 22, page 4
Right: Mocksville Enterprise,
August 17, 1950, page 5
The drive in movie was located
just north of Davie campus of
Davidson Community College.
Holiday Inn was a Christmas
movie and this was in the middle
of August.
Davie Dossier, April 2018 page 7
Mocksville Enterprise,
December 21, 1950,
page 8
Other car ads were for
Kaiser (dealership on
Depot Street), Chrysler,
Pontiac (Wilkesboro
Street), and Chevrolet.
Mocksville Enterprist, July 20, 1950, page 3
In trying to determine where Mocksville Airport
was, Charles Crenshaw said, “I'm not sure about an
airport but the civil air patrol used a strip on Milling
Road on the Phillips farm. Also, Wilson Owings
had a plane and strip on 64 west near Madison
Road.”
Anybody remember this event?
Davie Dossier, April 2018 page 8
Entertainment in Mocksville in 1950
The Mocksville Enterprise, August 24, 1950,
page 5: Mixed in with local gossip columns,
articles about Coca-Cola and Canasta parties, and
ads for fountain pens for starting back to school,
there’s an ad from C.J. Angell Appliance Company
on North Main Street, Mocksville, near the square.
“2 Quarters a Day for Crosley television! Your
choice of sets…no down payment needed. Just
select the Crosley TV set you want! It will be
delivered to your home with Crosley Visimeter
installed out of sight. A full hour of entertainment
is yours for only one quarter. Once a month we will
call, count the quarters, give you a receipt. It’s the
easiest way to own a TV set.”
An article in 1949 had described this sales plan.
It referred to “25-cents-an-hour” gimmick which
would provide a low-cost method of financing a
video set purchase.” It also said that this would be a
“painless payment route.”
They sold table models and console models.
The table top model shown is marked $199.95. An
online inflation finder calculates that $200 in 1950
would be comparable to $2,119 in 2018. Twenty-
five cents back then would be similar to $2.65 now.
So, if you’d watch 800 hours of television, then
you’d own the TV. Oh, the panic if nobody had a
quarter. “Quick, my favorite show is coming on.
Feel down in the couch cushions and see if
anybody’s pocket had a leak.”
The Visimeter was pictured in the local
advertisement. It has the appearance of a punch-in
clock in a factory. There was a little clock, a slot
for the quarter, a button to press on the top, and a
keyhole where the employee would unlock the
gadget and retrieve the quarters.
The television set was described as Ultra Fidelity
and featured a gleaming mahogany-color plastic
case with “Huge 14-inch rectangular Black Screen
Picture Tube.” Slogan was “Better Products for
Happier Living”.
On the same page is a solution for entertainment
if you didn’t want to buy a television set by the
quarter method. The Princess Theatre had four
different movies that week. Thursday and Friday
was Gordon MacRae in “Daughter of Rosie
O’Grady”; Saturday was Ruth Roman in
“Barricade”; Monday and Tuesday was Alan Ladd
in “Captain Carey USA”; and Wednesday was
Robert Cummings in “Paid in Full”.
Davie Dossier, April 2018 page 9
BOOKS AND MAPS FOR SALE, check to DCHGS
Title Author Total
Cost # Cost
Davie County. A Brief History, paperback James W. Wall, 128 pages $ 6.50
The Boone Families in Davie County Wall, Howell Boone, Flossie Martin $ 8.00
Davie County Marriages 1836-1900 Nancy K. Murphy $25.00
Davie County Marriages 1901-1959 Nancy K. Murphy $25.00
Davie County Cemeteries, a 2-volume set D.C. Historical/Gen. Soc. $55.00
1850 Federal Census-Davie County Forsyth Genealogical Society $15.00
1860 Federal Census-Davie County Nancy K. Murphy and Everette Sain $20.00
1870 Federal Census-Davie County Nancy K. Murphy and Everette Sain $20.00
POSTCARDS OF DAVIE CO. SCENES, (set of 8) $ 2.50
CD of all issues Davie Dossier since 1987 $ 7.00
Maps: Prices below, postage is $5, mailing tube is $2;
All four maps cost $12, for example
Lagle Land Grant Map, $2
Hughes Historical Map, 1700's, drawn in 1977, $1
J.T. Alderman Map, 1887 , $1
Wilson F. Merrell Map, 1928, $1
Davie County Heritage Book, cost is $45; Make check to Davie County Heritage Book. Use DCHGS address below.
The Historic Architecture of Davie Co., cost is $30;
History of Davie County, hardback, by James W. Wall, 449 pages; cost is $30;
Make check to Davie County Public Library. Use DCHGS address below.
Davie County History Books by Marie Craig. Check to Marie Craig, 276 Park Ave., Mocksville NC 27028:
History of Davie County Schools, 318 pages, has photos, locations, longitude/latitude, names of students, and
teachers. There is an 18 page index of 3,222 names. 318 pages. $43
Davie County in World War One, 670 biographies of Davie men and women who served, photographs, old
letters, description of military bases, and extensive index. 400 pages. $45
Davie County Veterans’ Memorial, has lists of all war deaths, biographies and photos of WW2, Korean,
Vietnam, and Beirut Bombing deaths. Tom Ferebee’s 32 minute talk at the dedication in 1987 is included.
190 pages. $33.
Remembering Davie County Protection and Service Personnel, contains biographies of the five law
enforcement personnel who died on duty and also photos and descriptions of the monument erected in their
memory. The monument also honors all first responders in Davie County. Paperback, 14 pages. $17.
Davie County in the Spanish-American War, contains biographies of the 15 men who served in this war and
the resulting war in the Philippines. 65 pages. $20
Mary Ellen’s Diary, 1924, the fictitious diary of a twelve year old girl in 1924 in Mocksville. Included are
clippings and illustrations to verify the events. Paperback. 49 pages. $15.
Cana Connections, 201 pages, by Betty Etchison West; Life in Cana in the Thirties and Forties and Special People
with Cana Connections. There are many biographies and photos of people and buildings. Order from Betty West, 3532
NC Hwy. 801 North, Mocksville NC 27028. Make check to Betty West for $35, which includes tax and shipping.
Looking Back at Davie County II by Charles Crenshaw and Ron Smith. $45. Mail orders to Charles Crenshaw, 421
Park Avenue, Mocksville NC 27028
DCHGS
371 North Main Street
Mocksville NC 27028
Davie Dossier, April 2018 page 10
Davie county historical/genealogical society
371 North Main Street
Mocksville NC 27028
If you would like to receive your Dossier as a PDF attachment in an E-mail instead of a paper copy,
please send an E-mail message to the editor at dchgslist@gmail.com.
Please state “E-mail my Dossier instead of mailing a paper copy” and include your E-mail address. This
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The number beside your name, above, shows the year for which you last paid $5 dues. Example: if you have a 17 by your
name, you have paid dues through 2017. 2018 Dues can be paid now!
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 ______________________________________________________________
Send my copy by E-mail instead of paper; yes, no