Record #:

23463

Author(s):

Kammerer, Roger

Abstract:

In 1950, Greenville resident Bryce Cummings, as well as his parents Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Cummings, appeared as characters in a work of western fiction, "Gee Whillikins," written by his aunt Mrs. Adda Mae Sharp of Denton, TX. Mrs. Sharp had already written several school textbooks for the Texas school system, but this was her first attempt at fiction. Later, Mrs. Sharp wrote several more works of fiction, including the Woodland Frolic Series. In February 1922, Greenville businessman George W. Hemby announced that he had patented a new type of coffin. This new coffin would have shelves on which to place flowers, a strip on top to place vases on, and would be easier to lower into the ground, as the ropes would unfasten themselves. Hemby also announced that this design was the newest of its kind anywhere in the county. In Belvoir Township in March of 1900, Mr. Jesse James went to the home of Mr. E.S. Lewis in order to marry his daughter. Mr. Lewis objected to the marriage, but James was not deterred, returning that night with his brother Sam to take Miss Lewis by force. When the two James brothers arrived, a gunfight broke out. No one knows who started the fight, but it ended with Mr. Lewis and Jesse James wounded and Sam James dead. One night in 1911, Greenville residents were awakened by three pistol shots. As it turned out, a possum had gotten into the poultry house of the Manning family. Miss Pink Manning had gone outside to investigate and, upon finding the possum, shot it three times; this caused the neighbors to believe that a burglary was in progress. In 1851, an outbreak of small pox was reported in Pitt County. Several residents suffered from the disease including: Mrs. Zilpha Brown, David House, Rev. Lanier Griffin, John Hardy, Oliver Dixon, Benjamin Cory, and Lewis Smith. In September 1858, sightings of the Aurora Borealis, with its brilliant display of colors, were reported in the skies over Eastern North Carolina. It was also reported that it affected the telegraph wires between Greenville and Tarboro. In May 1901, during a terrible hailstorm, it was reported that nearly 18 inches of black hail fell on W. Hartsfield's farm near Ayden, some of it almost 1.5 inches in diameter. Louis Flake came to Greenville with his family in October 1897 to have their pictures taken. While in the studio, the Flake family had nearly 187 pictures taken altogether, 17 pictures of each family member individually and 17 of Mr. and Mrs. Flake together.

Source:

Greenville Times / Pitt's Past (NC Microforms), Vol. Issue , Nov 26-Dec 9 2003, p13, 18

Subject(s):

Pitt County--History