War-Time Reminiscences and  Other Selections
by J. M. Hollowell
THE GOLDSBORO HERALD   JUNE 1939

Early Residents, Soldiers, Railroad Workers, Early Churches

S.M. Hunt, Fritz Hummell, S. R. Hood, Josiah Howell, H. S. Hazell, F. F. Harrell, F. M. Harrison, Erastus Ham, R. W. Henry, J. B. Henry, J. M. Hollowell, J. T. Hamilton, Ezekial Ham, R. P. Howell, Lewis Hummell, Sam Holt, Warberton Hill, John Hollister, H. Clay Hazell, R. H. Harrison, J. D. Howard, J. W. Ham, Mike Heiniman, Henry Howell, Solomon Hoover, G. W. Hislop, Asa Head.

J. P. Jordan, Major Johns, Everett Joyner, G. C. Jones, W. H. Jones, R. M. Johnson.

W. R. Kornegay, Blount King, J. T. Kennedy, J. T. Kemn, C. E. Glengee, A. H. Keaton, W. S. Keaton, G. W. Keese, Jas Knight, Jas King.

Thomas Losing, A. H. Langston, Jas Long, J. S. Lucas, Wm. Lemons, John Lowry, Wm. Langston, B. J. Langston, Grif Long, Lemon Lynch, J. J. Lawrence, J. E. Langston.

W. H. Moore, J. S. Moore, A. B. Massey, Alex Murdock, W. G. Morisey, Robt. McIntire, George Morrow, G. J. Moore, Smithson Moore, D. D. Monroe, Aaron Moses, D. H. Miller, Joseph Murphrey.

W. A. Nichols, C. J. Nelson, C. E. Nelson.

Henry Oettinger.

Wm. Privett, J. C. Privett, H. C. Premperst, Chas. Parmalere, J. G. Parker, J. R. Powell, Henry Proctor, R. B. Potts, J. H. Privett, B. M. Privett, E. S. Parker, N. D. Parmalere, Pino Powell, Willis Pipkin, Ed Pitman, J. H. Powell.

N. M. Ray, Wm. Robinson, John Randolph, S. C. Robertson, A. J. Riggs, Thos. Ruffin, Phillip Riley, Kedar Raiford, Hardy Robinson, W. S. Robertson, A. M. Rockwell, W. S. Royall, D. S. Ryan.

Wm. Sampson, G. V. Strong, Green Solomon, B. F. Stanton, John Snipes, Josiah Sauls, John Scarboro, Arthur Stancell, J. C. Slocumb, W. G. Summerlin, Tobias Snipes, J. G. Smith, N. B. Stanly, Solomon Satterwhite.

J. R. Tumber, John Taylor, J. W. Tadlock, E. A. Thompson, Wm. Taylor, A. D. Tumblor.

Thos. Waters, J. B. Whitaker, J. A. Wilson, J. A. Washington, P. A. Wiley, James Wills, Bennett Webb, J. H. Wiggs, J. N. Wood, W. H. Wilson, Richard Washington, W. H. Woodard, John Wright, Mike Wood, Wm. Webb, Wm. Vaughn.

The above represents two hundred and twenty-five names that forty-eight years ago were residents of Goldsboro and who had reached twenty-one years of age. Of this entire list, I can only name fifteen whom I know are living. There may be perhaps three of four others living that I have not been able to trace up. There are only seven living in Goldsboro, viz: E. B. Borden, J. A. Washington, Devereaux Creech, L. D. Giddens, W. W. Crawford, R. P. Howell, and J. M. Hollowell. Col. J. T. Kennedy is living in Grantham township. This would make only eight of the two hundred and twenty-five living in Wayne County.

J. F. Devine, Wm. Bonitz, and James King live in Wilmington; J. H. Crawford in Raleigh; E. S. Parker in Graham; John Randolph in Greene county; Josiah Sauls in Chicago; and R. G. Best in LaGrange.

This shows how fast a population dies out - less than 10 percent now living and by April, 1911, which will round out a half century, it is doubtful if a solitary one of the two hundred and twenty-five will be alive.

Wayne county furnished at least two thousand soldiers for the Confederate army; some claim as high as twenty-five hundred. Its list of killed and wounded was large, and it is doubtful if there is a county in the state that in proportion to the number of soldiers furnished, has as small a number on the pension rolls; and at this time there is not an old veteran in the Old Soldiers' Home at Raleigh who went into service from Wayne.

But few places fared worse during the war than Goldsboro. It escaped until near the close. Scholfield's army from New Bern captured the place on the 21st of March, 1865. He had about 35,000 men, and in the next few days Sherman's and Terry's army reached here. So within a radius of five or six miles of Goldsboro there was encamped about 110,000 Federal soldiers, with their usual following of "Bummers," and remained here for a little more than two weeks. When they left there was scarcely a yard fence left standing in the town, or a panel in the country in the territory occupied by them while here.

When the three armies combined left here to follow Johnston's army, they left a regiment or two here. While the army was encamped here the county was scoured from one end to the other by foragers, who took all the horses, cattle, hogs, sheep, chickens, bacon, land corn, and fodder, in fact everything they could lay hands on, the women, children and old men being left entirely destitute of substance. So thorough was their work of devastation that hundreds of the people, some of them the best people in the county, had to draw rations from the government or starve. I know of cases where women and children walked fifteen miles and back home and toted the rations they had drawn. Some of the Provote Marshal with which the town was afflicted were very rough in their treatment of our citizens. Many of them were hauled up before this officer and heavily fined on most trivial offences, at least one being sent to jail. About the worst of these officers was a scoundrel named Capt. Glaves, of the Freedmans Bureau, who employed a native negro, Grant Sasser, as an officer to make arrest of white men. I remember the first election held here after the negroes were given the right to vote. The negroes were corralled in Little Washington by J. E. O'Hara, a West India negro, and formed in two lines and marched to the Court House. I was standing on the piaza of the old Griswold Hotel, when they turned down Walnut Street, and as the last of the line passed where I was standing, the head of the column was turning into the court house square near where Col. I. F. Dortch's office stands. The election lasted for three days and the votes were sent to Gen. Canby's headquarters at Charleston, S. C. to be counted. At the first election held after the adoption of the Canby Constitution, one negro, Green Simmons, was elected on the Board of County Commissioners. Negroes were appointed on the police force of the town. A Yankee, J. H. Place, who came here with the army, was elected mayor. The finances of the town and county both got into bad shape, county orders getting down as low as forty cents on the dollar.

Goldsboro was garrisoned from March 1865, until early in 1869, a good deal of the time by negro troops, a full regiment of ten companies being kept here the last year of the garrisoning. I have known men and their wives to be halted on the street by soldiers while returning from church on Sunday night and made to give their names and place of residence. This was reconstruction by a republican administration. I said darn them then, and have never changed my mind to this day.

It is a great wonder with such provocations there was not more trouble between the races than there was, the negroes were encouraged in their disposition to be insolent and insulting by a few white men who had run away from here during the war and gone north, but who returned after the place was occupied by federal troops.

The Union League was formed and officered in some instances by white men (scallawag) and almost all the negroes were members of the League, and this was one of the menaces that gave rise to and made necessary the "Ku Klux Klan," this organization much as it has been abused and the members hunted down; cast into prison, and hung up by the thumbs, proved the salvation of the south during the reconstruction period.

And the true condition of affairs as shown in Thos. Dixon's play, "The Clansman," is what raises the rage of the men who so loudly abuse Dixon and his play - it's the truth that hurts.

Following the close of the war a great horde of adventurers (carpet baggers) squatted in the south most of them after office and spoils. Wayne County got its share of them. I don't know as those who came to this county were any better or any worse than those who infested other places. They were not all bad, but they lacked a blamed sight of being all good.

A few of these fellows rented farms and engaged in cotton farming. They were going to learn the ignorant and lazy Southerner how to farm.

I remember one of these smart alexs, Dick Vanderburg, who rented the Phil Sasser place now owned by Mr. E. B. Borden. Dick was one of these Yankees who had a whine and drawling voice. He used to come to the A. & N. C. R. R. warehouse to get hay and corn. He would tell me how he was going to farm and going to show the Southerners how to farm.

My recollection is it took just two crops to put Dick out of business, and he went back north a poorer if not a wiser man. J. K. Miller, another northern man, tried to learn us things about farming. He experimented on the fine Collier plantation across Neuse River. He held out longer than Vandenburg, but the same result followed.

It was not many of them who came South to engage in farming, they were mostly politicians, and lots of them got office. The Constitutional Convention that gave us the Canby Constitution was largely composed of these men, together with a number of negroes. A pretty set to make a Constitution for North Carolina. David Herton, of Ohio, was elected to Congress from this district. Gen. J. C. Abbott (I don't recollect from what state) was elected United States Senator.

Goldsboro at the close of the war was a wooden town. I recall only about one dozen brick buildings here, this including the Court House and jail. Now, there is over two hundred. Speaking of the jail brings to mind a job performed by the late W. Hop Smith and myself. The new Constitution adopted in 1868 provided for the election of township officers, including magistrates and the number to be elected. Two were given each township, and in townships in which were incorporated towns an extra one was allowed for each 500 inhabitants. An election was to be held for these offices in the summer of 1869 and the question arose about how many Goldsboro township was entitled to. This could not be ascertained unless the number of inhabitants of the town was know. The Board of Aldermen employed Hop and myself to take the census and when we got through and counted up it showed 1,983 lacking seventeen of enough to give us four magistrates. We were disappointed for we were anxious to get four magistrates, but we had stretched out figures as far as we could. We were in the office of the Register of Deeds doing our figuring when Dave Ezzell, who was jailer, came in from carrying dinner to his prisoners, and some one present asked Dave how many prisoners he had and replied twenty-four. I at once turned to Hop and said, if a person is in jail in Goldsboro he sure is an inhabitant of the town and these 24 persons must be added to the other 1,983 making 2,007 or enough to entitle us to four magistrates for the town, and there were four nominated for the town.

Seeing that ever polite old colored man Isaac Hodges, a few days ago, put me to thinking about the old Griswold Hotel before the war. It was run under the name of Mrs. Susan A. Griswold & Co., old man Dick Gregory being the Company. He had been more or less a rheumatic ever since I first knew him. I remember seeing him shuffling around old squire Bill Bridgers, John R. Powell and George Griswold, clerks, and Isaac Hughes and Allen and Peter and Simon and Ned and Randal and Dock, as porters.

In those days the W. & W. R. R. relayed engines here, and there was always three or four engineers laying off between trips and equally as many from the N. C. R. R. Nearly all were Northern men and full of fun, and they would gather around the hotel at night and crack jokes, and anyone who could listen and not laugh was a poor judge of a joke.

I recall the names of a good many of them now. In the W. & W. was Geo. Tarlton, Ike Farley, John Urquahart, Wilbur Trast, Gus Tarlton; Petteway, John Hollister, Bill Paul, Geo. T. Curtis and James Knight. On the N. C. R. R. was Tom Swan, Will Swan, Corneal Davis, Sr., Corneal Davis, Jr. Chas. Caroll, Dick Furnell, Chas. Parmenter, Tom Hudson, Jack Bissett, and John Earle. On the A. & N. C. was Ed Clayton, Asa Blanchard, and Angus Lietch.

None of the engines were numbered like they are now; all bore names. On the W. & W. I remember the Express, President, Director, Wilmington, Gov. Bragg, Farmer, Merchant, Polk, Guilford, Brunswick, and soon after the war came the Bridgers, Kidder, Dickinson, Wright, Potter and Ellis.

On the N. C. R. R. was the Cyclops, Astron, Midas, Helios, Pactolus, Neuse, Rowan, Guildford, Watauga and Ajax.

On the A. & N. C. was the Bragg, Fisher, Stanly and Whitford.

On the W. & W. were the following conductors: Dolly Browning, Joe Howell, John Ivey, Bob Lee, Bill Smith, Dick Fulghum and Archy Alderman.

On the N. C. R. R. Kleuge, Hislop, Thomas, Summer, Kirkland, Bradbury, Hazell, Davidson and Allen were pulling the bell cord, and Hancock, Jones, Richardson, Parrot and Lane on the A. & N. C.

The engines were beauties - wide brass bands around the boilers, cylinders encased in brass - and they were kept neat and clean.

The ticket and telegraph offices were under the old railroad shed. The telegraphing was by the old paper system. The first operator that I remember was Tom Oates; the next a young man named (I think) McCombor. Dave Ryan was operator at the beginning of the war. I was learning under Ryan at the time, but my patriotism got the upper hand and I volunteered, but I was sorry before the war ended that was not an operator.

After the female college was built, the old Borden Hotel was reopened by Col. Baker, who conducted it a year or two and sold it to T. A. Granger.

About 1855 or '56 Jesse Pipkin ran a steam saw mill on the bank of the river at old Waynesboro. I remember the boiler exploded, killing several, among them the proprietor, Mr. Pipkin.

In 1860 Lawrence and Blount started the first daily paper here and it was named the "Rough Notes." It was a small affair, being four pages and about 10 x 12 inches. It did not live long. Blount went to the war. After the war Lawrence became wealthy as manufacturer of the one-time famous medicine "Rosadalis."

J. G. Parker and Thos. Loring printed a paper here for several years called the "Tribune." I have a copy of the Tribune now, printed in 1862.

Wm. Bonitz started an envelope factory here in 1862 and did quite a lucrative business. After the war, Mr. Bonitz went into the hotel business. He built the Arlington, but sold out about twenty years ago and removed to Wilmington and engaged in the hotel business and is still following it successfully. He has always been an energetic man and a good citizen.

His brother J. A. Bonitz came here about 1860. In '66 or '67 he revived the old "Rough Notes," soon afterwards changing the name to the "Messenger." For a long time he had an up-hill business but by energy and perseverance, he succeeded. The paper reached a large circulation and was of great influence in Eastern North Carolina. He removed the paper to Wilmington and run it as a daily until his death. While living in Goldsboro he built the Messenger Opera House and the Messenger printing house, this being the building recently known as the Commercial Hotel. He was for years chairman of the County Democratic Executive Committee. He was one of the principal promoters of the Goldsboro Graded School and was chairman of the board of trustees of the school as long as he resided in Goldsboro.

During the latter part of the war there was a fellow around here named Andrew Wilson. He was said to be a deserter from the Yankee army. Some thought he was a spy. After the Yankees came he did considerable piloting of them around. While the army lay around Goldsboro, Frank Coley, son of Jack Coley, prowled around the outskirts with a company of cavalry and did a good deal of damage to the Yankees. He would intercept foraging parties of Yankees who Piney Wilson, Simon Gay, Bill [sic] were robbing and pillaging in the country. There was many a Yankee who started on the raid who, on account of the vigilance of Coley, never returned. I don't know whether Coley ever had any trouble with Wilson or not, but at any rate, Wilson determined on killing Coley and after Coley returned from the war Wilson went out to Coley's father's one night and prepared to shoot Coley next morning. About light next morning Joe Peacock, a white man working for Mr. Coley, started out to feed the stock and was shot down by Wilson, who thought it was young Coley. Wilson then put out for Goldsboro, where he knew or expected he would be protected by the Yankees. A crowd of ex-Confederates in the neighborhood got together in an hour, all mounted, and, headed by a brave and determined leader, followed Wilson. They were pursuing him so closely that at a point this side of Greenleaf he left the county road and took down the railroad. The pursuers came in by way of the Carolina Rice Mills, turned down Boundary street towards the railroad and when they reached a point a little north of Giles Hinson's store, Wilson was seen on the track about where the Norfolk and Southern track crosses the A. C. L. track. They opened fire on him. At the first fire he made a run for the store in which Mr. Geo. W. Brown now does business and fell dead on the steps as he attempted to go in the door, to the surprise of everybody. Peacock, after a long and lingering time of it, recovered. The Yankees sent out a squad of cavalry to arrest these men, but I don't think any of them were ever arrested.

In writing these reminiscences I feel that I want to pay a deserved tribute to the old time colored people, the old slaves who were faithful and true; the old darkeys who when the war came and their masters enlisted and went to the front, with no white people at home, except a few old men and the women and children continued to labor to raise something to feed his mistress and the children, and yet I do not recall now of a crime against the whites being committed in the county; they knew that the success of the Confederate arms meant a continuation of slavery for them and still with this knowledge before them they proved true and faithful, and theirs is a creditable record.

It is only since their emancipation and a new set grown up that hell has broke loose among the negroes. And I now write of one of the blackest and most devilish crimes ever committed anywhere.

About ten miles west of Goldsboro is a section known as the Neuse River Island, it is the river low lands, subject to overflow and sickly, and very few white people have ever lived on them. In 1878 James Worley, a poor but respectable and industrious white man lived in this section with his family, a wife and three small children. One morning persons passing found Worley and his wife both killed. He had been called to the door and killed with an axe, and a crime committed upon his wife and then she was killed. The 3 children found in the house unhurt, the oldest child being less than six years of age, had witnessed the killing and spent the night all alone. An inquest and investigation began and after several days evidence came up that caused the arrest of Noah Cherry, Bob Thompson, Harris Atkinson and Jerry Cox. They were put on trial and Jerry Cox turned states evidence. Thompson, Cherry and Atkinson were convicted and Sheriff D. A. Grantham hung them all three at the same time. Cox, who turned states evidence was afterwards arrested in Halifax County. I believe, and put in jail and he set fire to the building and was burned to death. Old Noah Cherry (and I expect the other two) were buried just south of the residence of Leslie Weil and A. A. Joseph's and near Mr. Traylor's house. A negro grave yard was started there just after the war, the land at one time belonged to Judge Robinson. Some of the negroes used to say old Noah could often be seen over there at times.

A friend reminded me a few days ago of an incident that I had entirely forgotten. It occurred in 1860 under the old car shed. Blount King and James T. Hamilton were about to engage in a fight. John R. Smith was engaged to Hamilton's sister and quite naturally he went between King and Hamilton to keep them apart. Just as he stepped in, Hamilton attempted to draw his pistol and in some way the weapon went off, the ball striking Mr. Smith in the instep. He cried out he was shot and a number of us who were looking on took John up and carried him to the office of Dr. Davis, he complained that he was bleeding to death and could feel the hot blood in his boot. John's boot was pulled off and out dropped the ball, but there was not a sign of blood anywhere. The only sign on his foot was a dark bruised spot where the ball struck.

 

At August Court 1851 (the first term held in Goldsboro) Mr. W. B. Edmondson had just discontinued his turpentine distillery which stood near where is now the residence of Rev. S. H. Isler, and there was a big open well on the lot uncovered. On Monday morning of Court, Black Bill Smith, Elijah Cotton, Alfred Ham and Benj. Ellis all came to town together and tied their horses to trees not far from the open well.

After tying them Black Bill turned to the other three and said: "Boys, we will all be drunk tonight when we start home, and if you are not careful some of you will fall in that well." They did not get together when they started home. So just after dark old man Cotton started on his horse, forgetting all about the well and he walked headlong into it, the water being six or eight feet deep, but mischievous boys of the town had thrown old logs and stumps in the well and by clinging to them there was not much danger of drowning. Old man Cotton said that he had succeeded in getting a log under each arm so as to keep afloat when ker-chug went the water and he had company by someone else falling in, and as the new comer struck the water he sang out. "In the well by God."

Cotton recognized the voice and said, "Is that you Black Bill?" Bill replied yes and asked, "Is that you Elijah?" who promptly replied "Yes, can you give me a chaw of tobacco?"

Together they set up a yelling which after a while was heard by an old negro Ennis Lane who was passing and who after learning their situation started of for an axe to cut a pole to put in so they could climb out on it. Smith said old Ennis was gone so long after the axe that he came to the conclusion he had to go to old Waynesboro after it, but he finally came and cutting down a sapling dropped one end in the well and they succeeded in getting out.

On Boundary street opposite the residence where J. M. Grantham used to live stands an old two story frame building that used to stand on James street near the corner of James and Boundary. It was built pretty soon after Goldsboro came into existence and was called the Battle house, and sixty years ago it was said to be haunted, that when not occupied it was no unusual thing for a light to be seen in the upstairs windows on the south end. I heard old aunt Chelly Lanston say that on one or more occasions she was with parties who went there to investigate the strange light but they could never discover any haunts. And it was finally decided that the lights only appeared on nights when room number fifteen in the Borden Hotel was occupied and it was supposed to be the reflection of light from room fifteen that shone in the window of the Battle house.

I read in the New York World some days ago, that there remained only fourteen log school houses in New York.

I would be glad to know how many there are yet in N. C. I hardly think there are many.

I doubt not that some of the brainiest men in this country has ever produced received their early education in log school houses. These houses had what was known as dirt chimneys, and a door in each side, that had to stand open to give light, for none of them had a window. The fire place would easily burn four foot wood and in cold weather rousing fires were kept going. At the back end a log was sawed out and a plank with hinges was attached to the log above the crack. This plank would be let down to keep the wind out, but raised to give light to the pupils when doing their writing lessons. The desk was a wide dressed plank arranged just under the crack so that the light from the opening would shine on the desk. The pens were all made of goose quills, and an applicant for teacher who did not own a pen knife and know how to make a quill pen stood very poor show of getting a school. He must not only be able to make a pen, but also how to repair one.

In those days there were but few churches in the county (I mean the rural district) and these had preaching only a month. I remember Salem, Ebenezer, Fort Chapel, Stoney Creek, Smith's Chapel, Hood Swamp, Falling Creek, Indian Springs, Pleasant Grove, Thompson's Chapel, Hill's School House, Providence and Nahunta.

There were but few educated ministers. Most all were poor hard working men, who to led on their farms and preached on Sunday's, often walking several miles to fill an appointment.

They were consecrated men going about doing the Master's work without money and without price.

These Godly men did a great work - the Lord blessed their labors - and the effect of their work performed so many years ago is visible today.

Among those that I now recall was John Smith, Thos. Moores, Shade Pate, Morris Powell, Council Scott, Wm. Vernon, Ransom Rose, Curtis Hooks, Elisha Holland, Dickinson D[ail?], [David?] H. Maher and J. R. Parker.

D. F. McKinne and Richard Rayner were cattle dealers. They used to buy up nearly all the fat cattle in the county and ship or drive them to Wilmington.

I am very sure there is but one fence standing in Goldboro that was here at the beginning of the war. The Yankees destroyed nearly all of them, what few they left have rotted. The fence I speak of is the iron one around the Pridgen property next to the Catholic church.

The late W. T. Dortch had it put up I think in 1859. I known I was clerk under J. G. Parker in the A. & N. C. office the latter part of '59 and the early part of '60, and while I was there I attended to the unloading of the fence.

Only a year or two ago there were several panels of a wood fence standing at old Everettsville that I was told was built by D. B. Everett in 1858 and when I saw it last the pickets appeared to be sound.