How Did I Get Here? My Amazing Genealogy Journey

Microsoft Office Downloaded Image Earlier this year, I was able to print up copies of different newspaper articles from the ProQuest Website from their Historical Newspapers Collection. Some of these articles only had a line or two about a particlular family member, but I have found them so interesting to review because they seem to "flesh out" my ancestors a little more. These folks are not just names and dates of birth and death. They were real people and I truly have enjoyed learning more about their lives. I have to say I am most impressed with the Morehead City neighborhood that sustained many of my ancestors. There was a true sense of community and it appears that people really valued the importance of education. My great grandmother Ophelia was a school teacher, as well as her oldest daughter Loris. My grandmother Mary Bryant Horton, attended Elizabeth City State Teacher's College along with my newly found cousin Amy's mother, Delphine Hester Johnson. He...

With my last post being  Sunday's Obiturary: Clifford McGhee Wooten , I thought it would be a good follow up post to highlight a couple of newspaper articles I came across in the ProQuest Historical Newspapers database. Clifford and Harkless Wooten were extremely multi-talented people. They were successful business owners who owned and operated the Edgewater Hotel in Morehead City. Harkless Wooten was an accomplished chef who worked at places such as The Dunes Club, The Coral Bay Club, and the John Yancey Restarurant, all on Bogue Banks. He even worked at the Atlantic Hotel when it stood in Morehead City. Clifford Wooten managed the Edgewater while her husband worked at other establishments. She later went on to earn a bachelor's degree in education and eventually a master's degree in counseling. 

I don't know this for certain, but something tells me that William Henry Jones, my second great grandfather's brother was a person who had personality and liked to talk. The reason why I say this is that I was amazed to find a brief mention of him in a book called, "A Pictorial Review of Morehead City--History Through 1981". This is a great book detailing the founding of Morehead City, prominent people, homes, etc. From Page 72: From February 15, 1890 until June 15, 1893, William H Jones, a negro, was postmaster.   He served in a small wooden building in the 900 block on the north side of Arendell Street next to R. T. Willis' store. When I saw this for the first time, the first thing I did was said to myself, " Say What?!" A black man, who's postmaster. Back in 1890. That takes someone with some real personality. On a side note I am so proud of my son another "personality" who will be graduating kindergarten tomorrow. Someone ...

So if you read my last post, you saw the obituary for Harkless Wooten my grandmother's first cousin. According to my mother, Harkless was known throughout the state for his talent of being an excellent cook. He also, provided something that was so necessary in the South during the 1950's through 1970's. A place to stay for the black traveler. Here's something I found online regarding the Edgewater Hotel, the establishment he and his wife Clifford Mcghee Wooten built in Morehead City. This paragraph was part of a National Historical Register Report for the Meadowbrook Country Club written by Sybil Argintar. Morehead City, North Carolina was the location of the Edgewater Hotel, built in 1950 in the northwest section of town known as "Colored Town". This hotel, like the few others scattered throughout the coast, served the black traveler in the mid-twentieth century who was not welcome at the white hotels.  In the first part of the twentieth century, the black ...