Newspapers / The News-Herald (Ahoskie, N.C.) / Jan. 1, 1959, edition 1 / Page 32
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1 PAGE 2—THE HERALD. Ahoskie, N. C.—MILESTONE YEAR 1959 Free Negroes Important Elemeot in Ante Bellum Hertford Life Significant in the sociological annals of North Carolina is the story of Hertford County’s pre- Civil War free negro population. From the turn of the 19th century until the Civil War made all negroes free, Hertford County had one of the largest populations of free persons of color in the state. Percentagewise, the county’s free nonwhite population ran from eight to 12 per cent, one of the largest percentage in the state. Veiled in obscurity is the story of how many of these people be came free. Many of them were mixed-breed people, some even claiming ancestry from the early Indian tribes which roamed the area of the county. However, there are few authentic cases of proven Indian relationship. Others, of course, were illesiti- mate offspring of white-black liai son. The greasiest percentage of free negroes in Hertford have the lighter skin of people with a large strain of white ancestry. When the first federal census was taken in Hertford in 1790, there were 216 free persons of color in a population that included 3,170 whites and 2,442 slaves. Other counties which had signifi cant populations of free negroes included Pasquotank and Halifax. Northampton and Bertie also had many free persons of color. Fast Growth Within ten years, Hertford Coun ty had over 300 free negroes, and in 1830, the county’s free negro population was more than 900. Only Craven and Pasquotank counties had larger population than Hertford in this year. Why the large increase? This period between the Revolu tionary War and about 1831 was the golden era for the southern free negro. The trend was toward freedom for all negroes. But the coming of the cotton boom, caused by the invention of the gin, doom ed this trend. By 1830, cotton was becoming king and the need for field hands smothered this early move to ward freedom for negroes. While the increase in Hertford’s free negro population from 216 in 1799 to over nine hundred 40 year.s later is told partly in terms of natural growth, it is also evident thrt many former slaves became free during this period. Ore explanation for this is the fact that during this period, a significant population of white Quakers lived in Hertford and Gates counties. These strongly religious people were opposed to slavery and many freed their slaves during this liberal period. At any rate, the population figures show that in this liberal period of the early republic, Hertford’s free negro population grew significantly, out of propor tion to the growth of the popula. tion generally. While the free negro population of the county was undergoing a fourfold increase, the total population of the county grew only by something over 50 per cent. New Attitude Affer 1830, and especially after !835, the trend was toward a more conservative attitude on the part of southern whites toward the colored population. tJntil the new North Carolina Constitution o f 1835, free negroes were entitled to vote if they could meet usual property qualifications. After stringent laws for the control of slaves and free negroes were pass ed in this period, the position of the free negro deteriorated in the society. During the Convention of 1835, Hertford delegates reported that there were 150 free negro voters in Hertford County. This would rep resent about one fifth of the total votes cast in typical elections of the period. At this famous Convention, an inkling of what Hertford County whites thought of the county’s big '-ee negro population is the fact that Kenneth Rayner of Hertford a young attorney and a leader in the Convention, made a speech op- oosing the disfranchisement free negroes in the new Constitu- During the next 30 years, until 'he Civil War began, Hertford’s free negro population remained about constant, never dropping be low 900 and totaling 1,112 in 1860. During this period, the Hertford County free negro population settled down in sections of the countv which remain today beavily-conulated with descendants : f these families. “Archertown,” ihe section around present-day Co field, became a center of free negro life in Hertford. Four dif ferent families of Archers were listed in the 1790 census, and by ■’869. better than a te^th of the entire free ne^ro population bore the name Archer. “Sally Archer’s Crossroads” was •he name of the busy rural cor ner now known as Cof’eld. There, a community of free negroes lived. Many of the members of the commi’nity owned farms and property. Many worked as hands in turpentine and tar operations Famous Families Can Trace Long Ancestry Last names that stUl sign checks in 20th century Hertford County were on the first census roll ever taken in the county in 1790. And that goes for the county’s Negro population, too. In that year, 216 free negroes were listed in Hertford County, along with 2,442 slaves and 3,170 white people. While the names of the slaves are not listed, the names of Hert ford’s pioneer free negro families are indicated in the census. The census list is in a form which lists the names of “heads o f families,” with children, women, slaves, and free negroes listed as numbers after the “head of the family.” In this listing 31 free negro “heads of family” were listed. Free negroes were listed in the households of 29 white families. Generally, free negroes and slaves who lived with white fami lies took the last name of the family. Exclusive Names But some of the county’s free negroes in 1790 bore names which are almost exclusively those of the county’s Negro population. These include the Archers, Wea vers, Reynolds, Manleys, Bow- Here was Hertford County’s free negro population in 1790: Free negro heads of families: Arthur Boone listed six in his family; James Smith listed six. Armstrong Archer listed four in his family, Evans Archer had three, Caleb Archer had five, Thomas Archer listed five, and Jacob Archer listed eight. Peggy Archer listed herself and one other. Jesse and Ned Weaver were heads of free negro households. Jesse had six in his family, Ned had seven. Two “Ronals” (Reynolds) were listed as heads of free negro households. They included Jesse Ronals, who listed 11 in his fami ly, the largest single free negro household in the county. Patience Ronals had six in her family. The Manleys were the largest group of free negroes. Six differ ent Manleys were listed as heads of free negro families. Gabrial Manley had only two in his household. But Moses Manley had 11, William Manley had five. Three women named Manley were heads of household. They in cluded Martha, who had two in her family, Sarah Manley with three, and Letisha Manley with four. Shadrack Read (Reid) had six in his free negro family. Thomas Bowsin (Bowser) had nine. Willis Bass had four in his family, An- thonv Games had two. Constant Williams listed herself alone in the free negro census. Mary Hall had six in her family. Sarah Wig gins had eight in her family. James Nickins listed three i n his .family. Malichi Nickins r e - ported five in his free negro family. Some unique names also showed up in the 1790 census of Hertford free negro families. Henry Orange listed three in his family. William Shewinaft said there were eight in his family. Finally, Solomon Bixell reported 11 in his free negro family. Thus, 162 of the county’s Free Negroes in 1790 were living apart from white families. This is a larger number than any of the surrounding counties, although most of the counties surrounding Hertford listed a larger total free negro population in the first cen- Perhaps the Hertford census figure is low because the early census-takers didn’t bother to seek out other free negro families liv ing in the county. Totals for other counties were perhaps larger be cause nearly all free negroes in those counties were living with white households and were listed by white heads of families. In White Households Fifty-four free negroes were list ed in the households of white families. Most of these consisted of only one or two persons, us ually in a household that included the white family and several slaves. But John Sears listed in his “household” only himself and eight free negroes. William Lassiter listed himself, 18 slaves, and one free negro. John Darden had two free negroes in his household, David Darden listed four. Other white families who listed one or two free negroes in their households included William Hutchins, Nicolas Boone, James Foster, James Gay, William Hum phry, James Askin, Jacob Odom, Whit Williams, John Tilley, Daniel Deanes, William Bailey, Joseph Britt, Wright Wiggins, Lewis Brown, James Bacon, Rhoderick Brown, Joseph Daniel, Carnady Askew, Steven Copeland, Fereby Hale, and John Winborne. Sarah Williams listed three free negroes in her household. Mrs. William Bailey listed herself and six free negroes as composing her entire household. which took wealth from the big pine forests of the region. Sally Archer’s store at the Crossroads was one of the few geographical locations named for i free negroes of the county owned negroes which appeared on maps slaves. In most cases, however, of the ante bellum period. [ these slaves were members of the During this period, some of the family of the freemen, and were usually purchased out of slavery by the freeman. An explanation for many of the free persons of color in the early Church Had White Pastors Until 1870's Pleasant Plains Pioneer Church For Free Negroes; Begun in 1851 A body of people unique in the annals of Hertford County and the South were the free-born persons of French, Indian and Negro blood whose descendants are found today primarily in the nine miles between Ahoskie and Win ton. The various racial mixtures varied-some had no Negro blood —but in general the result was evidenced in very light skin, dark or reddish hair which tend ed to be straight, high cheekbones and aquiline nose. Most of this group, in the days before the Civil War, had moved to the south central section of the county from the district around Mt. Tabor Baptist Church. They were people of independen! means, primarily farmers, who owned their land and homes. They had in their own right, however, no church or school. They attended white churches and held prayer meetings in vari ous homes, and some of their chil dren attended the few white schools in the area. By 1851, there were about 800 in this selected group. In that year, the idea of ganizing a church was discussed in a meeting held in a house on the Jacob Taylor farm, now own ed by Sherman Hall, about four miles west of Winton. From this meeting, a group was selected to petition for permission to orgnaize a church, which was granted with the provision that slaves and their descendants would not be permitted to join for fear they might be encourag ed to rebel. It was this proviso with the land for the church site, sold by James Williams for $10, which gave birth to the misinterpreta tion that the church was for •‘light colored” people only. No person was barred because of his color, but only on the basis of his being of free-born descent. On December 5, 1851, *four white Baptist ministers met with the congregatioin to form the Pleasant Plains Baptist Church. The Revs. James Delk, John Nowell, Thomas Hoggard and Wil liam P. Britton, Jr., were all min isters of vai'ious Baptist churches which the people had been at tending. First Meeting The minutes of the first meet ing state: “After due consultation, together with such preliminary exercises as the occasion requir ed, Elders Delk, Nowell, Hoggard and Britton proceeded to organ ize, set in order and constitute the following persons in a gospel church, known as the ‘Free Color ed Baptist Church,’ worshipping at Pleasant Plains . . . namely: Jesse Keene, William Hall, Wil liam Nickens, John Bizzell, Na poleon Boone, John Reid, Wiley Jones, Lawrence Weaver, Wil liam H. Hall, Soloman Keene, William Jones, Richard Weaver, James Reynolds, John H, Keene, Sarah Hall, Eliza Manley, Martha Lewton, Elizabeth Bizzel, Louisa Keene, Mary Jane Wiggins, Eliza beth Lang, Sarah Weaver, Fearby Keene, Martha Boone, Bela Hall, Eliza Jane Boone, Mary Ann Hall, Sarah Manley Jane Sears, Sally Nickens.” Jesse Keene and William Hall were chosen deacons, and Law rence Weaver was elected church clerk. The Rev. Thomas Hoggard was called as first pastor and served through 1875. During his service, the first church was built and the first colored school in the county was built on the church ground. Sunday School, in which the literature was a blue-back spell ing book and the Bible, from which some members learned to read and write, was started in the late fifties. The Rev. Hersey Parker follow ed Hoggard, and the church was remodeled during his term, 1875- 1881. He was succeeded by the Rev. C. F. Barber, and the Rev. T. M. Collins, a member of the church. Collins was the first colored min ister to serve Pleasant Plains. Brown Is Pastor In 1885 the Rev. Calvin S. Brown, a Shaw University grad uate who was to become the most distinguished Negro educator in Hertford County, was elected as pastor and served until 1911. Under Brown’s impressive lead ership, membership grew to over 700 and the church was remodel ed again. From 1914-17, Dr. C. S. Morris of Norfolk was pastor, followed by the Rev. G. W. Watkins who served until 1926. In his pastorate, land for a new church was bought from Norman and T. B. Hall and a church cemetery was laid out. Depression days of the early 1930’s forced the church to miss an opportunity for a $1,000 dona tion for a new building. At his death in 1927, Norman Hall left $500 for the church, pro vided a brick building was erect ed within five years after his death. His brother, T. B. Hall, also said he would give another $500 and 20,000 bricks in memory of his late wife. Although the new building was not erected, under the pastorate of the Rev. W. C. Somerville from 1929 to 1935, the new plot of land was cleared and used as a community playground. Renova tion plans for the old building did not come to fruition under Somerville or the Rev. Moses Newsome, who served until 1941. Plans were renewed, however, when Dr. Watkins again served as pastor from 1942 through 1947. See CHURCH, Page 7 years is the fact that during this period, white slaveowners some time gave freedom to older slaves who were no longer able to work as field hands. Thus, in the 1790' census, many free negroes were listed in the households of whites. Of 60 free negro notations in the 1790 census, 29 were groups of free persons listed in the house holds of whites, 31 were free negro family names. This eoJiuirion gradually chang ed during the coming years, until by the time of the Civil War, a majority of the free negroes lived apart from white households. However, many free negro chil dren became apprentices and in dentured servants in while house holds during this period. Because of stringent laws, about the only way a free negro youngster could ■rain any kind of training ' during the 1833-69 period was to become an apprentice or indentured serv ant. Laws Tighten During this period, laws gradually tightened on free ne groes. They were forbidden to trade, traffic or meet with slaves. They were restricted in travel outside the county. They were usually forbidden education. However, that some of the coun ty’s free negroes managed to get an education is indicated by the fact that Pleasant Plains Church, an all free negro church, was formed in 1851 by men who un doubtedly knew reading and writ ing. What was the work of these free -.egrees? Most of them were farm and forest workers, as were their while neighbors. Fourteen free negro families in Hertford in I860 owned farms. Eighty free negro families owned land of some sort. In 1869, of 395 free negroes listed in occupational classes, 144 were listed as “common la- See FREE, Page 7 We’ve Been Keeping Store Since 1912 Our Town and Our County have both grown and changed a ict since we opened our doors 47 years ago. We have been kept busy taking care of the clothing needs of the citizens of the Roanoke-Chowan but we are never too busy to stop and say THANK YOU to each and everyone for their confidence and patronage through the years. Abe FeWmoO; Prop. The Men’s Store The Fashion Shop We offer nationally advertised Clothing and Furni shings for Men and Young Men. Whether you are looking for a Suit, Sport Coat, Shirt or just a Tie Bar you will find a complete selection at the Men's Store. We are proud of the clothing values we offer.- Quality Wearing Apparel for the ladies of the Roonoke-Chowan. We are proving every day that Quality need not be expensive. You will find the very latest styles in Women's Fashions . . . Moderately ‘ Priced. Our Motto: We Combine Quality With Popular Prices and Friendly Servia
The News-Herald (Ahoskie, N.C.)
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Jan. 1, 1959, edition 1
32
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