Seagrove Area the Library of the University of North Carolina
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1 Mil '.v ":::,: Wfifi8BU»TOK««?wM£«(' SEAGROVE AREA THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA THE COLLECTION OF NORTH CAROLINIANA PRESENTED BY VJal t er and Dorothy Auman C971.76 A92s FOR USE ONLY IN THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://www.archive.org/details/seagroveareaOOauma Seagrove Area Compiled By Dorothy and Walter Auman September, 1976 Printed By VILLAGE PRINTING COMPANY Asheboro, N. C. Forward The old Seagrove School District was selected as the area covered by this writing. This includes all of Union, Richland and Brower Townships in Randolph County. Small portions of Ceder Grove and Grant are also embraced since the school lines lay at a point north of Ulah, east to Erect and west to Strieby and south to the county lines. Materials were gathered over a period of eight weeks and made possible by the various communities working with the scribes of their area. Hearty gratitude is given those as well as all who took time from their busy schedules to relive incidents of days gone by and to procure photographs of these remembrances. Errors have been made and occasions omitted but there are memorandum pages in the back of the book for corrections and additions to continue the story of the people living in and around Seagrove. Appreciation is extended to Ralph Bulla who has documented most of the churches of our county and opened his files for our use. Those lacking were supplied by the cooperation of the church historians. Charlesanna Fox, through her interest and love for the people has collected and encouraged collection of news items which she most generously shared through the Historical Room of the Asheboro and Randolph County Library. Most of the school records were extracted with the kind permission of the County Board of Education. Thanks, too, are given to those who labored in producing materials. This Las truly been a community project. But especially are we grateful for the patient work of Bill Tyler and his office in making this presentable in printed form. Contents Education 1 Map of 1912 Schools 8 & 9 Why Not Academy 10 Seagrove Schools 15 Teachers 1921 - 1930 25 Occupations ' 31 Cox's Mill Transcript 36 Erect Community 57 Pisgah Community 64 Ulah Community 68 Why Not Community , 74 Dolphin Graves Recollections 76 Alexander Spencer Diary Extractions 80 Esau Spencer Family History 90 Early Developments 96 Covered Bridges 99 Plank Road 103 1902 Richland Township Tax List 106 A & A Railroad 107 Henry Yow's Store 113 Highway 70 115 Town of Seagrove 118 First Town Tax List 1 20 Map of Seagrove 1915 123 1976 Map of Seagrove 125 Bank of Seagrove 126 Civic Organizations 132 Seagrove Town Officials 136 Chronological Events 138 Post Offices 147 Seagrove Area Churches 170 j k I #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 Randolph County School Districts 1840 Each district was 4 miles east and west and 9 miles north and south totaling 21 districts for the entire county Education In the beginning, education in this area often consisted of a few weeks of "formal" learning taught by a man who was passing through, and who could read and cipher arithmetic. Usually this teacher would only lodge long enough to earn a small fee, and then he would move on. One such teacher was Nathan Cummings, who stayed at the home of William Lassiter. George Auman and Thomas Cox were two of the fortunate neighborhood children who were asked to participate in these brief weeks of education. James Goodwin, who lived in the vicinity of Waddell's Ferry, was also listed as a teacher, and a mention of a "Shady Oak" school has been found in this same area. Churches, too, often served as places of education with the minister teaching adults as well as children. Reverend Enoch Spinks was a vital force in those days; he was thought to have taught and to have inspired others, in turn, to teach those people who desired to learn to read. In 1825, a "Literary Fund" was established by the state, and in 1839, the first efforts for the establishment of a State Common Schools System was approved. Each county voted on participation in this system. Randolph County's vote was 847 for and 515 against the proposal, and all but seven counties in the state accepted the Common Schools. The law required that each county would be divided into school districts of not more than thirty-six square miles. In Randolph County, there were twenty-one districts each of which was four miles wide from east to west, and nine miles long from north to south. Each district was to provide $20. to which the Literary Fund would add $40. for a total budget of $60. per district. The local people usually erected a building and used the funds for paying a teacher's salary. The southern part of the county was numbered districts 15-21, and their divisions, according to the "Report of the Superintendent of Common Schools, February 4, 1840" were as follows: #15 Beginning at a stake in the county line north of Mannering Gardner's thence each crossing Thomas Cox 4 miles to a stake in A. Skein's field thence south crossing Uharrie 9 miles to a stake in the Montgomery County line thence west crossing Uharrie 4 miles to a post corner of said county line thence north on the county line 9 miles to the beginning. #16 Beginning on a stake in A. Skeins field thence east crossing Thomas Creek and Uharrie 4 miles to a Haw Bush in Belfour's old field thence south 9 miles to a stake in the county line thence west on said line crossing Barns Creek 4 miles to a stake on the east of Uharrie thence north crossing Uharrie 9 miles to the beginning. #17 Beginning at Haw Bush in Belfour's old field thence east 4 miles to a B. Oak north of Jacob Williams thence south crossing Little River 9 miles to a stake at the county line thence west 4 miles to a stake in the corner of #16 district thence north 9 miles to the beginning. #18 Beginning at a B. Oak north of Jacob William's thence east 4 miles to a hickory south of Jothia Cox's thence south 9 miles to a Pine in the county line thence west crossing Pee Dee Road 4 miles to a stake thence 9 miles to the beginning. #19 Beginning at a hickory south of Joshia Cox's thence east crossing Richland Creek 4 miles to a Red Oak north of William Moffitt's Mill thence south crossing said creek 9 miles to a stake in the county line in the boundry line thence west on the said line 4 miles to a Pine tree in the corner of the #18 district thence north 9 miles to the beginning. #20 Beginning at a Red Oak north of William Moffitt's Mill thence east 4 miles to a Post Oak thence south 9 miles to a stake in the county line thence west on said line 4 miles to a stake thence north crossing Fork Creek and Richland 9 miles to the beginning. #21 Beginning at a Post Oak thence east crossing Deep River 4 miles to a stake in the county line of Eli Bray's thence south on the said line 9 miles to a post in the corner of Randolph County thence west on the said line crossing Deep River 4 miles to a stake thence north crossing Fork Creek and Crooked Creek 9 miles to the beginning. The county courts appointed Zebedee Rush, William B. Lane, and Jonathan Worth, as a committee for the common schools with J. Worth serving as chairman. At the first meeting on February 14, 1841, it was requested by A. W. Hogan that the districts be divided in half, four miles by four miles, but it was decided to leave the plots as they were surveyed and to allow those districts which so desired to hold an election for the people to determine their own area boundries. In March 1841 , other commissioners were elected. Present at this second meeting were Jonathan Worth, chairman, Joseph Newben, Zebedee Rush, William Branson, John Brown, and Jacob Auman. The districts began their inner divisions, and by 1847, there were 59 areas which had or were in the process of building schoolhouses. The committeemen elected from these districts were as follows: July 31, 1847 School District Committee 1. A. Smith, B. Y. Hunt, Enoch Mendenhall 2. Amos Lambeth, Thomas Jones, Nathan Andrew 3. Alexander Robbins, Thomas White, William Hill 4. William Elliott, David Col , Johnathan Walker 5. Joseph Spencer, Enoch Farlow, George Davidson 6. John Coltrain, James Pool, Isaac Frazier 7. Solomon Wall, John Adams, Franklin Garner 8. Samuel Miliken, Issac Farlow, George Davidson 9. Michael Reding, David Ballentine, Joseph Causey 10. William Cavaness, Miles Cavniss, Jesse Wilson 11. Alexander Frazier, John Hinshaw, Davis 12. Z. Wood, Isaac Patterson, H. Wilson 14. Malhon Allred, John Julian, Harvel Julian 15. Peter Julian, William Staley, Christian Kime 16. William Allred, Oliver Cox, Abrham Richardson 17. J. W. Brower, Simon McMasters, J. W. Long 18. Robert Kirkman, John Staley, N. P. Kivett 19. G. W. Kinby, Brinkley Pierce, J. Jones 20. Benjamin Nana, Wyatt Nana, J. K. Wood 21. Riley Hill, Azel Rush, Allen Keerans 22. Henry Fulton, William Walker, Emisley Beckerdite 23.