Loading...
2025 4 stories DAVIE DOSSIER Issued by Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society Mocksville, North Carolina October 2025, Issue 4 Fascinating Stories Davie Dossier, October 2025 page 1 DAVIE COUNTY HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY President, Linda Leonard Vice President, Marcia Phillips Secretary, Rachel Nelson Treasurer, Marie Craig Dossier Editor, Marie Craig Webmaster, Marie Craig Websites for Davie County Research: Our Website: https://sites.google.com/view/dchgs Description of books and maps for sale: https://sites.google.com/view/dchgsbooksmaps FamilySearch Wiki for Davie: http://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Davie_County%2C_North_Carolina FamilySearch records for Davie: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/results?count=20&placeId=191015&query=%2Bplace%3A%22United%2 0States%2C%20North%20Carolina%2C%20Davie%22 Davie County GenWeb: http://ncgenweb.us/davie/ Davie County Public Library: https://www.daviecountync.gov/1162/Local-History-and-Genealogy Genealogy data in newspapers, Bibles, Daniel Boone Family info, church history, and Flossie Martin records. Back issues (1987-2025) and index of the Davie Dossier are online at https://docs.daviecountync.gov/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=183042&dbid=1&repo=DavieCounty&cr=1 FindAGrave for Davie County: https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/search?name=&locationId=county_1680&page=1#cem-2640813 Digital Davie: https://www.digitalnc.org/exhibits/digital-davie/ Cemeteries in Davie: http://cemeterycensus.com/nc/davie/ Map of cemeteries: https://cemeterycensus.com/cemgps2.htm?cnty=nc/davie/ CONFERENCES National Genealogical Society: Virtual Family History Conference, May 27-30, at Fort Wayne, “America at 250” https://conference.ngsgenealogy.org RootsTech: March 5-6, 2026, online and at Salt Lake City. https://www.rootstech.org. Archived online. North Carolina Genealogical Society has webinars on Wednesdays. https://www.ncgenealogy.org/webinars/ and October 24 and 25: https://www.ncgenealogy.org/ncgs-fall-conference-oct-24-25/ Davie Dossier, October 2025 page 2 Fascinating Stories In compiling twelve history books about Davie County, I have encountered some amazing stories. I have interviewed hundreds of people who shared photos and descriptions with me. A lot of these people are now deceased, and the stories would have been lost. I will include the most memorable of them in this issue. I found cousins I didn’t know I had, and I met a lot of helpful, sharing people. History of Davie County Schools, 2010 “A Smith Grove principal in the 1930's told of a farmer coming by the school to get his children to take them to town to buy new clothes and shoes. The principal asked him to bring them back by school if they were through shopping before the school day was over. Later in the day, he brought them back by school. He had sold his cotton for 2-3 cents per pound and bought clothes. The principal looked at the father and said, “Now, I’m going to ask you about your shoes. You’ve got burlap twine around your shoes to hold them together. Did you get yourself some new shoes also?” “Naw,” the man replied. “It don’t matter about me as long as my kids have new shoes.” There were two Rosenwald schools in our county. Julius Rosenwald, CEO of Sears, Roebuck, and Co. realized that black children’s schools were substandard to whites. He started a fund to build better schools and provided seed money for their construction. Whites and blacks of the community were required to supplement these funds. There was one at Cooleemee and one on Martin Luther King, Jr. Road. At this early time, there was no electricity, so these schools had many windows to let in light. There are photos of the two schools, but neither building exists today. In 1839, there were seven school districts in Davie, and each one had a superintendent. Davie County in World War One, 2012 During World War One, 3 women and 670 men served in the military. Women were not an official part of the military at that time, but two women, Margaret Emma Brown and Rebecca Marks Clingman served as yeomen (secretaries) in the Navy, stationed at Norfolk, Virginia. Rebecca’s sister, Elizabeth Chinn Clingman, was a nurse who desired to serve in Europe. She had to have a passport (her portrait is on Ancestry.com) and an endorsement from the president of the bank in Mocksville in order to go. The clerk of Superior Court had to fill out a form also. (This was before women had the right to vote.) Data: 119 of 670 men were African American. They hauled supplies and built coffins. The winter of 1917 was the coldest on record. Men lived in tents. The United States was totally unprepared to go to war. Recruits built camps. Wooden cannons were built for the men’s practice until proper equipment could arrive. Of the 29 men who died, 20 died of disease and 9 from warfare. The great Spanish Flu Epidemic happened at the same time. Davie Dossier, October 2025 page 3 What was once called the Great War is largely forgotten, obscured by the vivid moral clarities of the greater war that followed. Confused school children are left to ponder the question posed by Andrew Roberts: “Why should a Maori New Zealander have died in Turkey and been buried in Greece because an Austrian had been shot by a Serb in Bosnia?” Davie County Veterans’ Memorial, 2012 Jack Koontz and Taylor Howard were the planners and organizers of our military memorial in downtown Mocksville in 1987. This honored the war dead. Further research about the Civil War and World War One have found more names which were added later. A huge crowd came to the dedication on November 11 that year. Speakers were Thomas W. Ferebee and Rev. Leland Richardson. Both talks are transcribed in the book. There are 317 Deaths honored on the monument: Civil War 317; World War One 29; World War Two 53; Korean War 2; Vietnam 9, and Beirut bombing 1. Phone Interview with Diana Lashmit Vogler: Robert “Rob” Lee White, Sr., married Zelma Ree Hendrix (Diana’s mother) in 1942; their son was Robert Lee White, Jr. During the war, the boy was playing on the back porch, and his mother was in the kitchen. She heard a huge explosion and crash and went to see about her son. He was playing and unaware of any problem. She could not determine the source of the sound. In a few days, she was notified that her husband had been killed near Epinal, France by being blown up in a fox hole at the same time that she heard the explosion. Her mother later remarried and had other children, including Diana. The Mooney family lived on Wilkesboro Street. The parents had five sons and one daughter. The mother died when she was 47. The father and several sons were carpenters and brick layers. The youngest son died at 5 years old. Two of the sons died in World War Two, nine days apart. Remembering Davie County Protection and Service Personnel, 2014 Jack Koontz orchestrated the planning and placing of the monument in front of the County Building. The dedication reads: “This monument placed in honor of those who have dedicated their lives to protect and serve our community and to those who have fallen in the line of duty.” There are five names: William David Wood, James Gaither Campbell, Wayne Harold Gaither, Jack Conrad Reniger, and Gorky. Davie Dossier, October 2025 page 4 Davie County in the Spanish-American War, 2015 This was a very short, confusing war which began in 1898. Fifteen men from Davie County served in this and the resulting war in the Philippines. There were no deaths in this group. Harry Cain, from Cana, lied about his age, adding one year to his actual age of 17 so that he could serve. When he was in the Philippines, his dad wrote to officials in Washington that his son was too young to be serving. He was sent back to California where he took up residence. On a trip home, soon after, he was helping at the sawmill and was struck on the head with a plank and died. Cyrus Watson Lowery of Cana was the mail carrier using horse and buggy. His grandson told me that his dad would borrow the horse and buggy and go courting on the weekends, and that the horse would stop at every mailbox. Cyrus’ wife was my first cousin, twice removed. Mary Ellen’s Diary, 1924, 2017 This is historical fiction of imaginary Mary Ellen who received a blank diary in 1924 on her twelfth birthday. She fills in her reactions to things she learns about from the newspapers. These are actual historical facts. On page 33, she describes going to a silent movie which was accompanied by a woman playing the piano. The words are on the screen so that viewers could know the words the actors were speaking. She also gets to go to Lexington to a concert by John Philip Sousa’s band. Davie County Pre-Civil War Census, 2019 This is a description of the 1840, 1850, and 1860 US Census results. There were five census reports each year: population, slave, mortality (those dying the year before the census), agriculture, and industry. There were ninety free blacks in 1840, 74 in 1850, and 99 in 1860. In 1850, there were 18 distilleries in Davie County. There was also a carriage manufacturing company. Composite Index of Davie County History Books, 2020 The indices of sixteen books about Davie County are combined in this 355 page book with 17,710 entries. It was compiled to be a time saver of avoiding searching individual indices. For example, the Princess Theatre is listed four times with page numbers: in the Historic Architecture of Davie County, Mary Ellen’s Diary 1924, Image of America Davie, and Rambling and Reminiscing in Davie County. Cooleemee covers almost four pages. Davie Dossier, October 2025 page 5 Davie County Households in the 1840 Census, 2021 Nancy Murphy and helpers had published books of the early census, population schedule, but not for 1840. This Dossier had included portions in the early issues. I decided to combine all these into one book, but alas, it was complicated because they weren’t done in order and they never finished all of it. There were 1060 households and 15 % of these were headed by women. This census did not list everybody by name -- just the head of the household. Township was not listed. This actual census is difficult to extract because of only numbers in age ranges. It can be searched on FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com. Davie Doctors born before 1900, 2022 This features biographies of 79 doctors in Davie County. Stories range from a doctor keeping a horse on both sides of the creek for quick access to a doctor with an early car that takes Seventeen had served in the Civil War. The Anderson family produced many doctors. Dr. John Kerr Pepper, Jr. and his son, John Kerr Pepper, III were both doctors. Two doctors were kin to me. As I learned more about each of these doctors, I saw a lot of cause for sadness in their own lives -- deaths of wives and children. Early doctors traveled by horse or by horse and buggy. That’s a lot of slow going. A lot of doctors were also farmers to supply food for their large families. Many of them died young -- probably just worn out from the stress and hard work plus being around communicable diseases. Davie Sheriffs, 2023 Thirty sheriffs have served Davie County since it began in 1836. The youngest sheriff was the second one, William Booe March who was only 23. He was shot while on duty, but survived. (He and the next sheriff were cousins to each other and kin to me.) The oldest sheriff when first elected was #25, Robert Odell Kiger, 60. Five of these sheriffs served in the Civil War, and two in World War One. Before 1938, sheriffs were elected every two years. The sheriff who served for the most years was George E. Smith (1970-1974 and 1978-1986). Three of the sheriffs were also whiskey merchants. Davie Dossiers, Book Two, 2024 This 527 page book is a compilation of the newsletters of the Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society, 2006-2024. There is a Table of Contents which lists the topics of the quarterly newsletters. Subjects range from cemeteries, Mocksville businesses and newspapers, census, maps, schools, military, doctors, and law enforcement. Davie Dossier, October 2025 page 6 BOOKS, MAPS FOR SALE, postage and tax included; check to DCHGS, 371 North Main St., Mocksville NC 27028 Description of books and maps for Davie: https://sites.google.com/view/dchgsbooksmaps 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 Davie County Heritage Book Heritage Committee $45.00 Rich Man, Daniel Boone Everett G. Marshall $25.00 Maps: Prices below, postage is $5, mailing tube is $2; example: all 4 maps cost $12 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 The Historic Architecture of Davie County, $13; History of Davie County, hardback, by James W. Wall, $13. Make a check to Davie County Public Library. 371 N. Main St., Mocksville NC 27028 Davie County History Books by Marie Craig. Check to Marie Craig, 139 Sterling Dr., 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 talk at the dedication in 1987. 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. Paperback, 14 pages. $17. . Davie County in the Spanish-American War, biographies of the 15 men who served in this war & 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. . Composite Index of Davie County History Books. The indexes of 16 Davie County history books are combined. 17,000 entries. Order from: Lulu.com. Search for book title. . Davie Doctors Born Before 1900, biographies of 79 doctors. Hardback, 125 pages, $25. . Davie Sheriffs, information about 30 sheriffs. Hardback, 143 pages, $25. Looking Back at Davie County II by Charles Crenshaw and Ron Smith. $45. Mail orders to Charles Crenshaw, 421 Park Avenue, Mocksville NC 27028 .Davie County Mavericks, Four Men Who Changed History by Marcia Phillips, Daniel Boone, Hinton Helper, Thomas Ferebee, and Peter Ney in Davie County. $25. Mail orders: Marcia Phillips, 189 West Church Street, Mocksville NC 27028. .Historic Shallow Ford in Yadkin Valley, by Marcia Phillips. $30. same address. .Eatons Baptist Church Cemetery in Davie County, North Carolina by Pat Mason. A book which lists all burials through June 2020. Dates, obituaries and articles are included. $30. Pat Mason, 295 Griffith Road, Advance NC 27006. .Davie Dossiers, Book Two. 75 newsletters, 2006 through 2024. 527 pages. $28.54 plus postage. Order from Lulu.com. Davie Dossier, October 2025 page 7 Davie County Historical and Genealogical Society 371 North Main Street Mocksville NC 27028 The number beside your name, above, shows the year for which you last paid $5 dues. Example: if you have a 23 by your name, you have paid dues through 2023. DUES CAN BE PAID FOR 2026 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 Davie Dossier, October 2025 page 8