THE ZEBULON RECORD
Volume XXVIII. Number 30.
HIS FATHER WAS TALENTED
Doses of Calomel Tasted
Good, Shoes Fitted Fine
“My daddy could make calomel
taste best and shoes fit the best of
any man that ever lived,’’ Billy K.
Hopkins told members of the ZeLu
lon Rotary Club last Friday night.
As the newest member of the
group, he was giving the high
lights of his life during the pro
gram tirfie.
Billy’s father, Mr. “Tete” Hop
kins, was a big man six and a half
feet tall weighing 385 pounds,
plenty big to take care of his wife
and twelve children.
“Every spring it would come
time for us all to take our dose
of calomel,” Billy related. When
K the children heard Mrs. Hopkins
begin to pound the calomel tablets
P into powder to be mixed with mo
lasses, they scattered, usually hid
ing under the house.
When Mr. Hopkins lent his aid
in rounding up the younguns, it
took only a word and a threatening
swing of a tree branch to get all
twelve meekly lined up around the
kitchen table with their tongues
stuck out ready to receive the
dose.
“Don’t it taste good?” Mr. Hop
kins would demand. “Yes, sir,” the
dozen would chorus, weak smiles
on their faces.
When it came time in the fall
for shoes to be bought, Mr. Hop
kins would lead the parade of
Rural Fire Dept.
Meeting Tonight
An important meeting of the
Zebulon Rural Fire Department,
Inc., will be held tonight at 7:30
in the municipal building. Officers
for the coming year will be elect
ed, and a report by the treasurer
will be given.
Every member of the Rural
" Fire Department is urged to attend,
said Willard H. Gay, secretary
treasurer of the group.
Burial Rites Held
For Local Plasterer
Funeral services for L. Ernest
Patton, 63, local Negro plasterer
who shot himself to death last
week after writing a note asking
that he be buried in his Masonic
apron, were held at the Wakefield
Church Sunday afternoon at 3:30.
* Hundreds of people attended the
services for Patton, who had made
elaborate preparations for his
death, including the suicide note
and the gift of rings and watches
to younger men.
Nobody Knows the Exact Age
Os Hannah Baker, Centenarian
How old was Hannah Baker?
Nobody knows for sure, but best
estimates are that the prolific old
colored lady, who died last week
near Hopkins Cross Roads, was
certainly over 100 years old. Some
local folks believe that she was
between 120 and 125 years old.
Chief of Police Willie B. Hop
kins, who knew Hannah Baker as
an old lady when he was still a
boy, says that she had 16 children,
and must have more than 150 des
cendants, many of whom are of
the fifth generation.
One of her grandchildren, Gar
field Baker, has several grand
little Hopkinses to Satisky’s Store
in Zebulon, seating them beside
the bargain shoe table. He would
grab a pair off the counter, and
little Billy would try them on.
“Do they fit?” Mr. Hopkins
would demand. “Yes, sir,” was al
ways the answer, Billy said, be
cause he was afraid that a second
pair would fit worse or else Mr.
Hopkins would decide a new pair
of shoes was not needed, anyhow.
But he learned a great deal from
his father in earning a living, Billy
said. The whole family learned to
be independent and to take care
of themselves, and Mr. Hopkins
saw that they had a practical
knowledge of bookkeeping and the
rudiments of running a store.
“I’m the only true countryman
here tonight,” Billy told the Ro
tarians. Some of the other mem
bers might dabble in farming and
might have grown up on a farm,
but since then they had moved
into town and adopted city ways,
even “wearing perfume.”
His schooling was received at
Union Level School and Hopkins
“College,” he said. It was after he
finished his schooling that the
school at Hopkins Cross Roads was
consolidated with Wakelon, caus
ing right much hard feelings be
tween the people who lost their
school and the folks in town.
“But consolidating the schools
was a good thing,” Billy said, “be
cause it brought about an under
standing between rural and town
people, and they are cooperating
well now.”
His mother was the former Lucy
Pearce of Franklin County, “but
we grew to forgive her for com
ing from Franklin County,” Billy
said.
In tracing the history of his
family, he said that he understood
the first Hopkinses in this part of
the country were three who came
here from New Bern. His great
grandfather settled a quarter mile
south of where Hopkins Cross
Roads is now about 1820, and
owned over 1,000 acres of land and
numerous slaves.
His grandfather was born in
1840. Three tracts of land owned
by these two men are still in the
Hopkins family, owned today by
Billy and two of his brothers, Wil
lie B. and Cecil.
In commenting on his philoso
phy of life, Billy said he thinks a
man should take care of the way he
lives, because you can never know
when someone else is patterning
his life after you.
children. Weldon Baker, a son, was
over 60 years old at the time of
his death over 20 years ago. .
Ernest “Boy” Williams, whose
own grandmother died eight years
ago at the age of 104, says that his
grandmother had always told him
that Hannah Baker was an “old
lady” compared to her.
Without birth certificates from
pre-Civil War days, there is no
way of telling the exact age of
Hannah Baker who expired this
month at the Morgan place near
Booger Hopkins’ store: But one
thing is certain: she was the old
est resident of this community by
a good many years.
Zebulon, N. C., Tuesday, January 19. 1954
Funeral Services
For Charlie Baker,
Dr. Horton Held
Charlie Baker
Charlie Baker, 73, of Zebulon,
Route 3, died at his home Thursday
night following a short illness. Fu
neral services were conducted Sat
urday at 3 p. m. from Bethlehem
Baptist Church by the Rev. El
dridge Vinson and the Rev. Fred
Crisp. Burial followed in the
church cemetery. The body was
taken to the church one hour prior
to the funeral.
Surviving are his wife; six sons,
Horace, Grover, Freddie and Ru
dolph, all of Zebulon, Route 3,
Charlie D. and Monroe Baker, both
of Youngsville, Route 1; a daugh
ter, Ethelene Baker of the home.
Three brothers, J. S., J. D. and
K. W. Baker, all of Zebulon; three
sisters, Mrs. Mary Belvin of
Youngsville, Route 1, Mrs. Dave
Price of Wendell, Route 2, and
Mrs. Siddie Perry of Zebulon,
Route 3; and 12 grandchildren.
Dr. W. C. Horton
Funeral services for Dr. Wil
liam C. Horton, Raleigh physician
who was well known in this com
munity, were held Saturday morn
ing at 11 o’clock from the Mitchell
Funeral Home Chapel in Raleigh.
Dr. Horton, who died Thursday,
was formerly with the North Car
olina Industrial Commission with
offices in the Education Building,
but retired from his medical work
several years ago. He practiced
medicine privately for many years
in Raleigh, going there soon after
the turn of the century from a
practice in Wakefield.
Dr. J. A. Ellis, pastor of Taber
nacle Baptist Church, and Dr. E.
McNeill Poteat, pastor of Pullen
Memorial Baptist Church, officiat
ed at the services. Burial followed
at Oakwood. Nephews served as
pallbearers.
Surviving Dr. Horton, who lived
on North Bloodworth Street after
leaving Wakefield in 1903, are a
daughter, Miss Savon Horton of
Raleigh; a sister, Mrs. Mamie Kim
ball of Wakefield; three brothers,
Dr. M. C. Horton of Pine Bluff,
Dr. S. Robert Horton and Roger
Horton, both of Raleigh; and sev
eral nieces and nephews.
Miss Siler fro Speak
Afr Junior Meeting
“Proper Light for Homes” will
be the program topic for the Zeb
ulon Junior Woman’s Club meet
ing tonight. Miss Lane Siler, Car
olina Power & Light Company
Home Service Representative, will
be guest speaker.
Miss Siler will be introduced
by Mrs. Haywood Jones, who heads
the American Home Department of
the Junior Club. »
The club is meeting tonight at 8
o’clock in Mrs. G. R. Massey’s home
on Arendell Avenue. Mrs. Rochelle
Long is co-hostess with Mrs. Mas
sey.
March of Dimes
Receptacles Placed
Coin containers are being placed
in business establishments in Zeb
ulon this week to receive contribu
tions for the March of Dimes. Ed-
Ellington, who headed the cam
paign last year, is serving as chair
man for the drive which will last
until January 31.
PRESIDENT
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G. C. Massey, retired Wake
County deputy sheriff, was elect
ed Friday night to be president of
the Zebulon Rota: y Club. He will
take office in June. G. C. is at pres
ent vice-president of the Rotary
Club. He will succeed Barrie Da
vis.
Pilot to Be Host
To Mass Meeting
In support of the efforts of
Southern Baptists to enroll “A
Million More in ’54,” four mass
meetings for churches of the Tar
River Association are scheduled
for January 21 at 2:30 in the af
ternoon.
Pilot Baptist Church will be the
site for one of the meetings. The
Rev. M. A. Pegram, pastor, an
nounced that Dr. Garland Hen
dricks of the Southeastern Bap
tist Seminary, will be speaker.
All officers, teachers, and other
interested workers of the churches
of the Tar River Association are
urged to attend the nearest meet
ing, according to V. E. Duncan, As
sociational Missionary.
Cpl. Ronald Sfrone
Recuperates in Japan
Cpl. Ronald T. Stone, whose
wife, Jean, and parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Chester Stone, live on Route
2, Middlesex, recently spent a
seven-day rest and recuperation
leave in Kobe, Japan.
Normally stationed in Korea
with the 45th Infantry Division,
Stone stayed at one of Japan’s
best resort hotels and enjoyed
many luxuries unobtainable on the
war-torn peninsula.
A little given seasonably excus
es a great gift. George Herbert
Public Is Invited to Dedication,
Concert, Dance in New Armory
Invitations are being mailed
this week to special guests for the
dedication of Zebulon’s new Na
tional Guard armory. The cere
mony will be held Tuesday, Feb
ruary 9, with Governor William B.
Umstead as guest speaker.
The public is invited to attend
the entire series of events, with
the single exception of the special
supper for National Guardsmen.
The $100,000.00 building will
be open to the public at 3 o’clock.
The dedication ceremony begins at
4 o’clock, and the special supper
will follow at 5:30, with Major
General John Hall Manning as
Theo. Davis Sons, Publishers
Installation Rites
Held for New
WOW Officers
Zebulon Woodmen were told last
week that they belong to the fi
nancially strongest fraternal order
in the United States by S. A.
Smith, superintendent of the Free
Will Baptist Orphanage at Mid
dlesex.
The statement was made by Mr.
Smith, a former field representa
tive for the Woodmen of the World
in the principal address at the an
nual Ladies Night and installation
of officers of the Little River
Camp on Wednesday, January 16.
Mr. Smith discussed other phases
of WOW work, thanked the local
Woodmen for their interest in the
children at the Middlesex orphan
age, and paid tribute to the ladies
present.
Other speakers during the eve
ning included J. P. Price, new con
sul commander of the local camp;
Hiram Melvin, state representa
tive, who installed the new officers
in an impressive ceremony follow
ing the Smith address; and L. G.
Woodward, field manager for the
Raleigh WOW district, to which
Zebulon was recently transferred
from the Wilson district.
The speakers were introduced
by Ferd Davis, who served as mas
ter of ceremonies.
Officers installed by Sovereign
Melvin included Consul Comman
der Price, Paul Strickland as past
consul commander, Melvin Lanier
as adviser lieutenant, Bertie
Brantley as banker, Claud Dunn
as financial secretary, Wilton Price
as escort, D. C. Richardson as
watchman, C. F. Wallace as sen
try, and Casey Stallings, Barrie
Davis, and Jimmy Spivey as au
ditors. Stallings will serve a 3-
year term, Davis a 2-year term,
and Spivey a one-year term.
Following the installation, Sov
ereign Woodward presented past
consul commander pins to Thur
man Hepler, Dalmon Whitley, and
Paul Strickland. Hepler headed the
local WOW in 1950, Whitley in
1951, and Strickland in 1952 and
1953.
Price discussed plans for the
local camp in 1954, and assured
the Woodmen and their wives that
this year would be an active one.
Prior to the addresses and the in
stallation, the Woodmen and their
wives were served a chicken and
pork barbecue supper. The meeting
was held in the Zebulon Woman’s
Club building.
“Even though you are on the
right track you will get run over
if you just sit there.”—Marshall
Craig.
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guest speaker.
At 7:30 the famous 94th Army
Band of Raleigh will be present
ed in concert. The program will be
open to the public.
A public dance beginning at
9:00 will complete the big day.
Special committees were ap
pointed at the National Guard
drill last night to plan for various
parts of the occasion, including
displays of the weapons and elec
tronic equipment used by the bat
tery.
Battery A expected to move into
the armory on Monday, February