Collection contains Greenville and Pitt County, North Carolina, related photographs and ephemera (1917-2007) concerning the Pickwick Book Club, Girl Scouts, Greenville High School, and the Greenville Rotary Club, as well as documents commending the 7th Division American Expeditionary Force for their service in World War I. A large portion of the collection relates to the genealogy of the Goree, Kittrell, Hardee/Hardy, Tull, Proctor, and Hinton families, especially in Eastern North Carolina.
James Knott Proctor (1927-2013) and Elizabeth Kittrell Proctor (1926-2013) were two long time members of the Greenville community. Married for over fifty years, the couple played a role in a variety of activities in Greenville throughout their lives. One of the major sources of family history in this collection is Just Who Do You Think You Are?, by John H. Proctor. Proctor (1931-2013) was a distinguished member of several organizations; along with an impressive military career, developing manuals for evasion and escape for the Vietnam War, among numerous other publications and achievements.
Sources:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/reflector/obituary.aspx?pid=166342123
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/reflector/obituary.aspx?pid=168129030
This collection contains a variety of family documents relating to the history and activities of several families rooted in the Pitt county area: the Kittrell, Proctor, Hinton, and Goree families, and related families. Additionally, ephemera and photographs related to Greenville scenes in the first half of the 20th century, high school reunions, book club meetings, and other clubs in the Pitt county area are found in this collection. This collection provides a variety of information on different points in Greenville and Pitt county history. Even with the heavy focus on particular family histories, this collection has a strong degree of information about Greenville as a whole.
The first series in this collection contains a create deal of genealogical research, typescripts, clippings, and correspondence for several families. Family lineages discussed relate to the Hardee, Goree, Hinton (especially Pasquotank Co.), Tull, Kittrell, and Proctor families; these generally date back into the 18th century with a few considerations on pre-colonial ancestors. Much of what was considered for establishing links between families present in this collection relates to notes James B. Kittrell had from a Bible belonging to the Hinton family. Furthermore, while much of the effort in the correspondence and typescripts was focused on developing family lineages, they also provide a reasonable amount of information regarding local histories of their particular family. For instance, documents related to the Hardee family describe the role of Colonel J. Hardee's place in the development of boundaries lines for Pitt County.
In conjunction with the genealogy efforts in this collection, is a book on the Proctor family's history, written by John Howard Proctor, entitled Just Who Do You Think You Are? This book organizes the knowledge found in the Proctor genealogy documents in this collection into a single, well-organized history of the Proctor family and their place in Pitt County. John Proctor lays out the role his family has had in various facets of Pitt County over the years since the 19th century; notably the vast extent to which previous generations held influence on agriculture in the region. Some further interesting points in Proctor's book are a variety of pictures relating to businesses during the mid-1900s and a map of downtown Greenville circa 1935-1950 (p. 39). Much of the remainder of the book relates to John Proctor's own life, and of interest are his views on life in Greenville during the 1940s-1960s.
The next series contains personal items related to the Kittrell and Proctor families of Greenville, North Carolina. A 1919 memorandum congratulates the efforts of the 7th Division infantry in the Battle of Voëvre Valley (1918). The memorandum is accompanied by a roster listing the men who served in the division at the time. A 1925 memorandum contains a summary of the conflict and commendations towards the 7th Division on their efforts. There are a number of photos in the collection including several of the Kittrell family. Also included are a signed portrait of former NC congressman Herbert C. Bonner; a group photo of the North Carolina delegates at the 1930 Democratic Party National convention in New Orleans; the groundbreaking photo for the creation of Rose High School (later became Eppes Middle School) in Greenville; the 1941 visit of Eleanor Roosevelt to the Girl Scouts in Greenville; and numerous shots of buildings throughout the town during the early 1900s such as the Tar River Bridge, the Frank Wilson Store (clothier), and the J. B. Kittrell Home at 801 E. Fifth St. which was sold in 1962 to Delta Zeta Sorority. Also included are a few photos of East Carolina University while it was still East Carolina Teachers College--Old Austin Building, the campus in the snow. There are also a few awards to James K. Proctor, for his work in the military and in the Post Office.
Lastly, the third series of this collection contains an assortment of ephemera and personal documents not relating to the genealogical research of the aforementioned families. Material related to Greenville local history includes a set of pamphlets outlining the Pickwick Book Club of Greenville, NC (1987-1998), items related to the 50th anniversary of the Girl Scouts in Greenville (1920-1970), and printed ephemera related to Greenville High School including graduation programs and commencements, reunion memos (especially for the 1943/44 class), and outlines for club and general activities. There is a substantial amount of material related to the Greenville Rotary Club between 1919-1989, including an official banner, a pamphlet outlining its history in Greenville, several printed items describing the goals and practices of the club, an assortment of clippings related to club activities, and a copy of a painting of the club's founder. Not related to Greenville's history are commencement items pertaining to the graduating 1946 and 1948 classes of the Women's College at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
One oversized item in this collection is an issue of the The Potanezen Duckboard, a U.S. Expeditionary Force army newspaper for Camp Potanezen in Brest, France. From June 11, 1919, it covers a variety of events and topics for soldiers stationed at the camp. Other oversized items are a Rotary Club banner; a placemat showcasing old class photographs for the Greenville High School 50th anniversary reunion (June 19, 1993) for 1943/1944 class; and a 1969 certified copy of a 1943 certificate produced in lieu of a lost or destroyed discharge certificate for James K. Proctor who fought in WWI with Battery B, 113th Field Artillery of the U.S. Army.
Gift of James Knott Proctor
Gift of Elizabeth Kittrell Proctor
Gift of James K. Proctor III
Encoded by Apex Data Services
Processed by Robert Hines, June 2016, and Martha Elmore, October 3, 2016
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.