Roanoke Beacon Blog

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything to this blog. The reason being is that this past summer I became the site coordinator for the Washington County, NCGenWeb site and I couldn’t be more thrilled! I started this indexing project because of my grandmother’s ties to the area and being able to coordinate the Washington site is a dream come true.

I am also now quite active with the NCGenWeb, currently a site coordinator for 5 counties and also serving as webmaster. I’ve learned so much more about the state since then and about the resources in the state that it has been almost overwhelming. However, because of my involvement in the project, I feel a strong need to share whatever I find relevant from the paper that I’d normally post to this blog, to share it on the NCGenWeb site. So, for now, I am putting the blog on hiatus.

At least the content will be here if you happen to stumble upon it while Googling

Advertisement of Simeon J. Barco, Undertaker,  from the 21 Apr 1889 issue of the Roanoke Beacon

Mrs. Joanna Newberry Mizell was born about 1832 and was the 2nd wife of Jordan Washington Mizell (1802-1884).  The two are buried next to each other in the cemetery named for him.  Together, they would have at least 7 children that I currently know of.   I’ve posted their family information to Ancestry.com.

From the 31 Mar 1899 issue of the Roanoke Beacon

While walking in her yard on Sunday afternoon last, Mrs. J.A. MIZELL stumbled and fell, one of the family ran to help her up and found that she was unconscious, assistance was called and the lady was taken into the house and a physician sumoned, and while she partically rallied she grew weaker until Tuesday night when she fell asleep to ‘wake no more and her spirit was wafted home to Glory. The deceased was about 75 years old and lived with her son seven miles from this town. We extend sympathies to the bereaved.

From the October , 1838 issue of the Daily National Intelligencer of Washington, D.C.

William A. Hardison has been appointed Post Master at Plymouth, N.C. in the room of Wm. A. Turner, resigned, who has settled (17 miles distant) in Windsor.

Roanoke Beacon: 10 Mar 1899

Under an act titled “An act to appoint Justices of the Peace for certain counties in North Carolina,” passed by the General Assembly, the following named persons were appointed for this county:

Plymouth Township: Jas. F. YEAGER, C.J. NORMAN, W.J. JACKSON, F.R. JOHNSTON, W.C. HASSELL, Asa A. HARRISON, Geo. W. JACKSON, A.T. GAYLOR, Warren AMBROSE, J.E. REID, Levi BLOUNT and D.O. BRINKLEY.

Lee’s Mills Township: J.E. SINGLETON, R.M. PEACOCK, W.T. SPRUILL, S.B. JOHNSTON, J.E. BLOUNT, A.T. KNOWLES and W.S. DAVENPORT.

Skinnersville Township: H.M. SNELL, E.R. SPRUILL, Henderson CLIFTON and J.W. PATRICK.

Scuppernong Township: Charles MCGOWAN, Eli J. SPRUILL, G.H. HOLMES and W.H. HARDISON.

This bill reads thus: “The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact: Section 1. “That the following persons be, and are hereby elected and appointed Justices of the Peace for their respective counties for a term of six years from April 1st, 1899.

From the 10 Mar 1899 issue of the Roanoke Beacon

Editor Beacon: Please allow me space in your columns for a few lines to the memory of my dear brother, McG. AUSBON, who departed this life at the Soldiers’ Home, near Raleigh, N.C., on Feb. 1st, 1899.

“Precious is the sight of the Lord are the death of his saints.” Yes, precious are His jewels, called home to fill a high and holy destiny with that ever living Hand. We feel to hope he now rests in the sweet paradise of God, where sorry and afflictions are known no more, and peace and love will reign for ever more. I was with this dear brother most of the time in his useful part of life. We were together through the war between the North and South up to the time he received a wound and was taken to the hospital, and he was ever brave and true to go where duty called. I was with him in the battle at Bermuda Hundreds, where the enemy was driven from their intrenchments; he advanced over their works, gathering up overcoats and throwing over the breastwork. Again, I was by his side in the great battle at Cold Harbor, and again in front of Petersburg, where he received a wound. He ever seemed to have a spirit of true devotion to his country in time of war, and in time of peace no change could ever lead him away from true democracy. There are yet living witnesses that what I have written is true, our dear old Captain S.L. JOHNSTON is yet alive. May we all meet in peace beyond this vale. — T.E. AUSBON, Palmyra, N.C.

Water Street, Plymouth, NC [Postcard]. The Urban Landscape, Duke University, Durham, NC. Duke Digital Collections. <http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/diap.duke0234/>

From the Roanoke Beacon:

At a special meeting of the Board of Commissioners of Washington county held Monday, March 6, 1899, with Jas. A. Chesson, Jos. Skittletharpe and J.M. Reid present, the following business was transacted.

• Ordered that Louis Basnight be released of poll tax until further orders, on account of bodily infirmities, including poll tax for the year 1898.
• Ordered that Lonie Smith be released of poll tax for the year 1898, on account of poverty and infirmity.
• Ordered that C.M. Norman be released of poll tax for the year 1898, on account of poverty and infirmity.
• Ordered that Jno. L. Phelps, Sheriff, be and he is hereby authorized to collect a single tax from any and all delinquents on the tax books for the year 1898.
• Ordered that Sarah Garrett be released of tax on $150.00, part valuation on her lot in the town of Plymouth for the year 1898, the building having been burned off said lot.
• Ordered that Joseph Swain, keeper of the poor house, be allowed $3.50 per M. for splitting 3,000 rails, for repairing the fences around the poor house lanes, when the work is performed.
• Ordered that the bridge across the public road near Roper, known as Beaver Dam or Secil Landing, be, and the same is hereby made and declared a county charge.
• Ordered that C.J. Spear be, and he is hereby authorized to furnish half-rations to Levi Collins, Levi Clayton and Fred Littlejohn until further orders.
• Ordered that M.M. Alexander be, and he is hereby authorized to furnish whole rations to Daniel Overton and Thaddeus Lamb until further orders.
• Ordered that Richard Elliott be, and he is hereby authorized to furnish whole rations to Willis Boyd and Ebenezer Phelps until further orders.
• Ordered that N.B. Mizell be, and he is hereby authorized to furnish Ann Davenport, Annis Hassell and Joseph Elliott whole rations until further orders.
• Ordered that W.M. Bateman be allowed the sum of $20.79 for bills of stationary bought of Edwards & Broughton for S.C. Clerk’s office, ex. charges, &c, on same and certified copies of Sheriff and Register of Deeds’ bonds to State Auditor.
• Ordered that Jno. L. Phelps be allowed the sum of $62.60, his account for feeding jail prisoners, turnkeys, &c, as per acct. filed.
• Ordered that W.C. Hassell be allowed the sum of $25.79, his accout for supplies furnished poor house and outside poor for Feb. 1889.
• Ordered that R.P. Barnes be allowed the sum of $4.80, his acct., for conveying B.W. Lewis to Plymouth jail and serving 12 bond orders.
• Ordered that Joseph Skittletharpe be allowed the sum of $5, his acct., for cash paid for coffin and expenses burying Elizabeth Purlington.
• Ordered that R.E. Flora, Sheriff Currituck Co., be allowed the sum of $5.00 for arrest, board, &c., of Thos. Jones.
• Ordered that W.H. Stubbs be allowed the sum of $69.14, his acct, for services as Clerk Board Co. Commissioners, and for other services or fees, as per acct. filed for months Oct., Nov., Dec., 1898 and Jan and Feb 1899.
• Ordered that Roanoke Beacon be allowed the sum of $3 for publishing proceedings of the board for Feb. 1899.
• Ordered that Jno. C. Gurganus be allowed the sum of $15.83, his acct. for 2 months service as keeper of the poor house for Jan. and Feb. 1899.
• Ordered that J.M. Ambrose be allowed the sum of $21.48 for provisions furnished to T.S. Lamb, Levi Clayton, Fred Littlejohn, Thomas Blount and Levi Collins for past 4 months.
• Ordered that Jno. L. Roper, Lumber Co, be allowed the sum of $12, their acct, for lumber furnished and smith work on Mackey’s Ferry bridge in Sept. 1898.
• Ordered that Jno. L. Roper, Lumber Co., be allowed the sum of $42.24, their acct., for lumber furnished and labor repairing Lee’s Mills bridge.
• Board adjourned to meet on the 1st Monday in April 1899.

From the Roanoke Beacon, 17 Feb 1899

As the dazzling reflection of the snow-covered earth grew dim by the sinking of the winters sun behind the Western hills at eventide on Wednesday, a large number of our people gathered within the M.E. Church to witness the marriage of Miss Addie May Latham, one of Plymouths’s most accomplished daughters, to Mr. P.W. Brinkley, one of our most popular young businessmen.

At the appointed hour the strains of the wedding march drifted out from the organ under the artistic touch of Mrs. G.W. Harney, and the bride entered the right aisle leaning on the arm of Mr. Clarence Latham, while the groom entered the left aisle accompanied by Mr. W.N. Cooper; they were preceded to the altar by the ushers, Mess. E.D. Carstarphen and R.P. Walker, who took positions on either side, while Rev. T.M. Plyler read the ceremony which made them man and wife.

The Beacon joins the many friends of this popular couple in extending best wishes and happy congratulations.

Tonight I’ve updated the page design for the Roanoke Beacon Index site that compliments this blog.  Remember, on this blog I only post select content from all that I index.

I first put the site up in 2007 and since then, I’ve learned more about how to quickly update web page using CSS-based web templates.  So, I decided to update the site to reflect this and have chosen a design called Zenlike.

Next, I will be updating the template of the blog to match.  That will involve moving the blog so I can self-host it on my domain, so it will take me a few weeks to figure out the best migration strategy.  This would be my second move for this blog and I hate to confuse people, but I’m going to try to minimize the inconvenience.