The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

The average container ship can carry about 4,500 containers. This blog was viewed about 15,000 times in 2010. If each view were a shipping container, your blog would have filled about 3 fully loaded ships.

In 2010, there were 119 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 128 posts. There were 539 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 449mb. That’s about 1 pictures per day.

The busiest day of the year was October 22nd with 150 views. The most popular post that day was John Allan Taylor and the Marble House.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, sncsurf.com, stblock.com, search.aol.com, and mail.yahoo.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for claude howell, pembroke jones, claude howell artist, susan taylor block, and minnie evans.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

John Allan Taylor and the Marble House June 2010

Governor Arthur Dobbs and a 1993 Trip to Ireland February 2010
4 comments

Claude Howell and the Little Chapel on Wrightsville Beach January 2010
1 comment

Captain Kidd and the Legend of Money Island February 2010

Researching Wilmington’s First Photograph July 2010

The Dollhouse at Ailrie, about 1950. (Photo by Gilliam Horton)

susan747.wordpress.com has a new address.  To read any older posts, plus the new ones, like the history of Orton Plantation and the story of the Airlie Dollhouse, please visit   susantaylorblock.com

(With apologies to Lydia Maria Child, songwriter for the 1844 classic, ”Over the River and Through the Woods”)

Over the keyboard and through the Net

To Grandmother’s blog we go;

With fingers we trace our path through space

And dodge the spam and porno.

Over the keyboard and through the Net

To see Thanksgiving fare;

We’re wanting to read our Nana’s new feed

On what she will prepare.

Over the keyboard and through the Net

We long to see that she

Is going to cook by Paula Deen’s book

And give us food so  yum-my.

Over the keyboard and through the Net

We open up the blog

“I’ve dissed Ms.  Deen for food more green -

No bird, no cow, no hog.”

Over the keyboard and through the Net

We send her our reply:

“We’d better eat here, but please don’t fear -

We’ll pay for you to fly.”

Over the keyboard and through the Net

Our Nana, she did state,

“Am happy to say I’ll pay my way :

You’ve stepped up to the plate!”

__________________________

Copyright 2010, Susan Taylor Block

Florence Hill Kidder (Courtesy of Peggy Moore Perdew)

When George Wilson Kidder of Wilmington married Florence Hill of “Pittsborough,” The Charlotte Observer named the bride one of the “reigning belles of North Carolina,” and The Raleigh News called her “one of the most beautiful and accomplished ladies of the State.” Throughout her adult life, those attributes would hold steady. She founded the National Society of the Colonial Dames in North Carolina, offered support for suffrage, played a key role during the famous Columbian Exposition of 1893, and was a Wilmington pioneer in the preservation of historic artifacts.[1]

Florence Hill Kidder was born in Pittsboro, NC June 28, 1851, but she had coastal roots, being a descendant of Nathaniel Moore, brother of “King” Roger Moore, owner of Orton Plantation; and Susannah Mabson and Thomas Hill who were married at Orton and lived in Wilmington and at Nesses Creek Plantation in Wrightsboro. Florence was the fifth of six children born to Thomas H. Hill and Eliza Yeaman Toomer.[2]

Florence and George Wilson Kidder’s wedding took place on  December 19, 1877, in Hickory, North Carolina at the home of her brother-in-law E. J. Hale, Jr. After the ceremony, the newlyweds traveled by train to New York for a stay of ten days. On December 27, 1877, they boarded the steamship Frisea to spend several months in Europe. While in England, they toured the town of Maresfield in Sussex, the ancestral home of the Wilmington Kidders.[3]

During his days as a single man, George traveled extensively. He made frequent business trips to the islands and South America where his father, New Hampshire native Edward, carried on a brisk trade business. Edward exported lumber from the Kidder steam sawmills on the Cape Fear River, near Greenfield Lake, and imported guano. The lumber business alone ran night and day, and employed fifty men. George provided quality control with his business trips, but he also took long sight-seeing trips to Russia, Asia, Europe, and Africa. He continued to travel frequently after his marriage, sometimes spending as much as five months away. His bride must have taken an interest in business matters: at one point, she owned a British schooner used for lumber transport.[4]

George Wilson Kidder (Courtesy of Peggy Moore Perdew)

The Kidder steam sawmill. (Photo by Eric Norden. Hill-Taylor Collection)

When Florence Hill married George Wilson Kidder, her mother-in-law, Connecticut native Ann Potter Kidder, had been dead for five years. Florence took charge of the social calendar and the household, a large group that included her father-in-law, various other relatives, a steady flow of visitors from other parts of the country, and staff members. The Kidders lived at 101 South Third Street during the cooler months, but moved to Wrightsville Beach when temperatures heated up and mosquitoes began to bite. Their beach home was located on Ocean Avenue, a street that now sits beyond the lines of low tide.

The Kidder House sits on the left. Click on images to magnify. (New Hanover County Public Library)

The town home with its large rooms, distinctive art, high ceilings, luxurious rugs, and beautiful furnishings created a wonderful setting for parties. The congeniality of the host and hostess set the mood. Musicians, dim lighting, sumptuous repasts, and choice beverages added to it. A written record survives of at least one of those events; a March 4, 1889 event at which the Kidders hosted 35 couples for a reception and German.

Theodore B. Kingsbury, a classical scholar who served as editor of the Wilmington Star and Messenger during the 1880s, was one of the Kidders’ guests that night and he left us with a good description of 19th-century Kidder-style hospitality.[5]

“Cold type is, at best, but a poor reflection of softly lit chambers, delicately spoken words, and the enchanting environment that garlands good taste and refined hospitality. It almost seems a desecration of the weird, magical, and delightful experiences of an evening spent in laughter-loving, daintily clad and chef fed company, to recall the same in the cold glare of the morning.

“Between 12 and 1 o’clock, after experiencing every thrill which a large and congenial company can experience with music accompaniment, the guests of this occasion were ushered into a banquet hall that will never be deserted, so long as the memory of those present lasts. Every substantial and dainty was there in superabundance, so that no palate was left unsatisfied.

“Mr. and Mrs. Kidder have the assurance of those who know, that their hospitable home closed upon the social season this morning triumphant – the veritable citadel of good taste, elegance, and good cheer.”[6]

By 1892, the upcoming Chicago World’s Fair was the buzz for many Wilmingtonians. Also known as the World’s Columbian Exposition, the fair was centered around the 400th Anniversary Celebration of Christopher Columbus’s 1492 voyage to the New World and mankind’s accomplishments since that time. The city of Chicago was transformed in preparation for the event by the erection of two hundred new buildings, one of which was dedicated entirely to women – a situation made possible in part by the efforts of a growing band of suffragists, including Susan B. Anthony.

The Women's Building was designed by architect Sophie Hayden. (K. L. Mitchell)

Florence Kidder; Sallie Southall Cotten of Cottendale Plantation in Pitt County; and Mary Roberts Price of Salisbury were named “Lady Managers” of the North Carolina exposition, and Florence advanced to the national level.  All three were wives of “prominent men,” a prerequisite to such honor in those days and each had a particular sponsor. Florence and George Kidder were close friends of architect Henry Bacon, a former South Third Street neighbor whose strong role in the Exposition led eventually to his commission as architect of the Lincoln Memorial. Bacon may have made encouraged Florence’s appointment.[7]

Mrs. Cotten took to the rails, traveling throughout the state publicizing the Exposition and gathering information on the accomplishments of women, whether they lived in large towns of crossroad communities. In her absence, Florence Hill Kidder and Mrs. Price traveled by train to Chicago in 1891 and 1892 to represent the state at some heated organizational meetings in which a minority contingent of suffragists attempted to center the focus of the Exposition on their cause. A spirit of compromise prevailed, but what a change of scenery and topic it must have been for Florence Kidder.

Mrs. George W. Kidder, a vice-president among many male directors of an organizational process for the Columbian Exposition, occupied a prize place for a woman in those days. However, in those days, women never actually “wore the pants,” figuratively or literally. Florence appeared at the Exposition’s opening ceremonies, on October 21, 1892  wearing an “imported costume of roseate satin brocade with puffed sleeves of olive-green velvet harmonized with the foliage of rare old lace…flowing down the train, held  in place by jeweled clasps.”[8]

Art and NC history blend in this certificate of appreciation to Florence Hill Kidder. (Courtesy of Kathy and Jack Dunn)

The North Carolina Lady Managers worked under the assumption that North Carolina legislators set aside $25,000 for the women’s North Carolina building in Chicago. As a salute to North Carolina’s place as an original colony, they planned to build a replica of the original Tryon Palace in New Bern. When it became apparent that the building budget was practically nonexistent, the three women traveled across North Carolina to raise $10,000 of the needed money, themselves. Ladies’ groups contributed substantial funds, but state legislators failed to grant additional money that would have made the project possible. Donors were offered their money back, but most left their gifts in the hands of the women.[9]

Perhaps led by the results of an impassioned editorial in the Wilmington Messenger urging donations for the “good ladies’ efforts,” Cotten, Kidder, and Price turned to the statewide press for more assistance. All three women were quick studies in good journalistic spin, but a spin that was delicate and oh-so-Southern. Referencing the story of Virginia Dare, North Carolina became “the Mother of the Colonies,” and the building itself; “a picture of home life transferred to the land of the land of the stranger,” and a place in which visitors would receive “help and loving care.”

Despite all their hard and smart work, the women only raised $4,000. In general, men were not enthusiastic about the building and women had little control of money and had not yet learned to make their own livings. The Tarheel-three bounced back quickly, accepted their place within the national Women’s building, and set about to do their own projects.

Named chairman of the National Committee on Colonial Exhibits, coordinated projects in several states – a task described as being “encompassed by difficulties of a peculiar and delicate nature.” Locally, she procured Colonial treasures from Wilmington and other parts of the state to exhibit in the Thirteen Colonies exhibit. Her brother-in-law, author and New England historian Frederic Kidder, provided some assistance and at least one rare book. Housed in the fair’s Government Building, the array created quite a show and won Florence Hill Kidder an award of specific merit.[10]

As noted on a commemorative poster, the items included: “Proclamation of Governor Tryon with Provincial Seal attached, 1771; a beautiful copy of “Hariot’s Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, from De Bey’s Collection, Latin Edition of 1590, with John White’s Drawings of Indians; certificate of ordination of William Hooper, signed Bishop of Gloucester (sic) 1747; warrant for arrest of Archibald McBride for debt, 1774; characteristic letter of Dr. Franklin, London, 1765, to his cousin, Kezia Coffin, and miniature of the latter in oil; curious London print, colored, “Downfall of Oppression,” illustrating Rebellion of 1775; colonial paper currency, 1748-1771; Provincial and State Seals of North Carolina; communion service, silver, 1728; street lamp, 1760, and fine copper service used by Moravian settlers; silver service of Governor Eden; miniature of Gabriel Johnston, governor of North Carolina from 1734 to 1752; silver service of Mrs. William A. Wright, inherited through several generations from Oliver Cromwell.”

Frederic Kidder, an author and benefactor of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, contributed to the exhibit.

Florence’s partners chose different types of preservation. Mary Roberts Price created a North Carolina Room filled with native crafts. Sallie Cotten worked on various projects, including the commission of a desk that would honor the first white child born on North Carolina soil: Virginia Dare.

Virginia Dare had been a focus of Sallie Cotten’s for years. She collected many stories and legends about the Roanoke settlement from elderly eastern North Carolina residents, then wrote her own fanciful account as a poem. “The White Doe,” published as a slender volume in 1901, sold well throughout the nation. In addition, Mrs. Cotten commissioned the Virginia Dare statue that still stands on the grounds of the North Carolina State Capitol. She even attempted to found a Virginia Dare School, dedicated to the higher education of females, only. Her preoccupation with Dare and scholastic achievement makes it seem natural that she suggested the centerpiece of the North Carolina exhibit be a handsome, distinctive desk, dedicated to the memory of Virginia Dare.

Florence Kidder shared her friend’s enthusiasm for the Virginia Dare story. Frederic, her husband’s uncle, had long been a fan of the story. His interest in Roanoke began when he purchased an original copy of the book, Virginia, by Thomas Hariot – doubtless, the same copy Florence Kidder exhibited in Chicago. The 1590 volume, published by Theodore DeBry, was quite rare and contained drawings by artist John White. Kidder exhibited the book at his presentation, “Settlements on Roanoke Island,” a speech Frederic gave to many different groups, including the Historical and Scientific Society in Wilmington. Society president, the Rev. G. D. Bernheim, announced February 27, 1877, that Kidder would deliver an address on the “early colonization of North Carolina.”

Florence Kidder and Sally Cotten collaborated on the project, choosing artisans and monitoring the execution of the desk. Apparently at Mrs. Kidder’s suggestion, artist, architect, editor, and writer Silas McBee was named to design the desk they would be made of white holly hewn from the forests of Roanoke Island. McBee designed many works in wood, but was especially proud of the reredos he crafted for many different churches — including St. James in Wilmington, the Episcopal Church of which Florence was a member.

(North Carolina Museum of History)

(North Carolina Museum of History)

Silas McBee lived in Sewanee, TN and Lincolnton, NC, but had editorial offices and a design studio in New York City, where he drew the plans for the St. James Episcopal Church reredos in 1891. McBee spent ten days in Wilmington installed it himself in 1892, just when Sallie Cotten and Florence Kidder were in the throes of outlining their exhibit plans. The church was just a block away from the Kidder House and McBee stayed with friends who lived nearby. Florence Hill Kidder would have had ample opportunity to become acquainted with the artist and the quality of his work.

Master carpenters of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad shops crafted the desk. The chief woodworkers were supervisor E. V. McKenzie and carpenter E. B. King. McKenzie was a maker of patterns for train cars that varied from simple, for coach fare, to elaborate designs used in privately owned train cars.

Katherine Drane Cheshire, a resident of Tarboro, carved elaborate panels for the desk that include images of Scuppernong grapevines and clusters of grapes; dates written in Roman numerals; Sir Walter Raleigh’s coat of arms; and a white fawn – an animal Mrs. Cotten considered symbolic of Virginia Dare.

When the carvings were complete, Atlantic Coast Line paint shop employees M. M. Parker and J. A. Craig gave the desk a “piano polish.” The unusual quality of the wood and the wonders wrought by the workmen made the desk appear as if it were ivory. Just before shipping it to Chicago, the railroad workmen delivered it to the elegant Orton Hotel at 115 North Front Street where it was displayed in the lobby. Hundreds of viewers paid ten cents each to see the desk and the accumulated funds helped pay for materials and shipping.

Today, the Virginia Dare Desk has been owned for many years by the North Carolina Museum of History. Dr. Christopher Crittenden used the desk and occupied the accompanying chair during his long tenure as Director of North Carolina Archives and History, from 1935 to 1968. The “Colonial style” chair was made of Roanoke Island ash wood, and carved in pine boughs and cones.

Though scheduled to open in 1892, due to construction delays, the Columbian Exposition was not launched until May 1, 1893. By the time it closed on October 30, the fair had drawn 25,500,000 visitors from all parts of the world. That was a whopping amount at a time when the population of the United States was only about 65 million people.

While the exhibit was ongoing, on June 13, 1893, production began on one of the most unusual results of Lady Manager ingenuity: Forty thousand silver quarters minted in honor of Queen Isabella of Spain, Christopher Columbus’s benefactor. The “Isabella Quarters” were the idea of suffragist Susan B. Anthony and Exhibition patron Bertha Honore Palmer of Chicago. Directors for the Lady Managers helped usher the idea into a reality, no easy task considering they were creating the very first American coin stamped in honor of a nonfictional woman.

Florence Hill Kidder was a member of this Board of Lady Managers, along with fellow North Carolinian Mrs. Charles Price. The other ten members represented Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, North Dakota, and New York — and all were photographed by famous photographer Napolean Sarony. The ladies chose a female artist to design the coin, but that did not set well with the male designer for The Mint in Philadelphia – Charles E. Barber. Barber commissioned artist Kenyon Cox to draw sketches from which Barber himself designed the Isabella Quarter, complete with the quaint term, “Lady Managers.”

(Coin Community Forum)

(Coin Community Forum)

Florence Kidder’s work and networking at the 1893 World’s Fair proved valuable after she returned home, for she brought with her an idea that spawned a permanent state association. While in Chicago, she learned of a new organization being formed, known as “The Colonial Dames of America.” A month later, in April 1894, she attended the Second Council Meeting in Washington, DC. Florence Kidder brought excitement and ideas home to Wilmington where she organized the North Carolina Society of Colonial Dames. The Tarheel state was the last of the original thirteen colonies to do so.[11]

The organization was founded for the purpose of stimulating interest in history of a “time when the Royal Standard of England floated over the Provinces.” The first official meeting of the Colonial Dames took place January 2, 1895, in Wilmington at “Miss Hart’s School House,” now part of the Children’s Museum property at 114 Orange Street. Mrs. Kidder delivered an eloquent speech that ended with these words, ” We are long past the period when it is said that ‘a Bible, a cooking book and a dictionary should constitute a woman’s library,’ but after all our higher education … will we leave to our children the heritage of as goodly a name and fame as was left to us by the real Colonial Dames of over one hundred years ago?”[12]

Another meeting was held July 5, at the Kidder House at 101 South Third Street. The “reorganizing officers” included Mrs. George Wilson Kidder, President; Mrs. Virginia Gwathmey Empie and Mrs. Clayton Giles, Vice Presidents; Augusta Lane McPherson, Recording Secretary; Adelaide Meares, Corresponding Secretary; Louise Cutlar, Treasurer; Miss Mary Sumner Kingsbury, Historian; and Caroline Green Meares, Registrar. Many other organizational meetings were held at the Kidder Home.

President Florence Hill Kidder was described as “possessing fine executive capacity, a bright and cultivated mind, together with dignity and a handsome personal appearance. She is well suited to fill the office to which she has been elected.” Mrs. Kidder’s influence in Colonial Dames exceeded the bounds of North Carolina. She was credited for nationalizing an idea from Mrs. A. Livingston Mason of Newport, Rhode Island that stated “traditions, relics, and momentoes of bygone days,” should be preserved and used to educate the history novice and remind those who have studied the past. Florence’s speechmaking abilities, sharpened by her work with the Columbian Exposition, stayed strong while she toured other parts of the country encouraging preservation of artifacts and accompanying stories.[13]

Granddaughter Peggy Moore Pewdew remembers hearing a story about Florence Hill Kidder from her own mother. “When my grandmother represented the North Carolina at the second national organizational meeting of The Colonial Dames of America, she apparently was quite the Grande Dame. An Englishman happened to be placed next to her at dinner. He turned to her and said, ‘Madam, I suppose you, like most Americans, chew gum.’

“She replied in her grandest manner, ‘And I suppose you, like most Englishmen, travel third class!’ That was the perfect squelch. She represented North Carolina well and redeemed the Colonial Dames.”[14]

Wilmington's Burgwin-Wright House (1771), headquarters of the NC Colonial Dames since 1937. (Photo by the author)

Though there is no record of the Kidder family taking part in the Wilmington Race Riot of 1898, unfortunately, Florence Hill Kidder’s name appeared in connection with it.  “During that horrible Race Riot of 1898,” said Peggy Perdew. ” My grandmother’s brother-in-law, Fred Kidder of Kendal Plantation, had been hunting and, afterwards, was dropped off at my grandmother’s house. He was trying not to track dirt into the house and asked her to take his gun inside for him. Unfortunately, a reporter for the local paper passed by the house just as Florence Hill Kidder leaned against the shotgun while chatting with him. The reporter jumped to conclusions because of the racial turmoil and the next morning the headline screamed, ‘Mrs. Florence Kidder Protecting Her Family.’”

Florence continued her preservation work with the Colonial Dames throughout her life, but was hampered by heart disease in her later years. She died on July 5, 1917, at age 67. Though eight years younger than her husband, she only survived him by 22 months. Like George Wilson Kidder, she died at the family’s Wrightsville Beach cottage. She was survived by her four children: Anne Kidder (Mrs. F. Hopkinson Smith); Florence Hill Kidder (Mrs. Louis Toomer Moore); George Everard Kidder, who married Frances Bailey; and Elise Kidder (Mrs. William P. Wishaw.)

This 1922 photo features the Kidder house and three of Florence Kidder's grandchildren - Florence Moore (Dunn), George E. "Roddy" Kidder, and Peggy Moore (Perdew). Annie Green and Mandy Devon stand near their charges. (Photo by Louis T. Moore, New Hanover County Public Library)

Florence Hill Kidder’s finest “obituary” may have been a letter penned during her lifetime. It speaks of the vibrance, presence, and beauty that accompanied her accomplishments, qualities not fully represented in her two surviving images. Close family friend James Sprunt wrote to her following a Colonial Dames reception Mr. and Mrs. Sprunt hosted at one of their homes, most likely the Governor Dudley Mansion at 400 South Front Street.

“When you favored us by accepting our residence for the reception, we tried to make it more attractive for your sake. To our minds, the society was reduced to a personality, and that was embodied in one whom we delight to honour, who has done more than any other woman in the South to promote the praiseworthy motive of your organization.

“Moreover, we were prompted by feelings of affectionate regard and admiration for you, in grateful remembrance of your unceasing kindness and loyalty to us.

“The house was the background of a galaxy of beautiful women in which the gifted and honoured president shone resplendent.

“Yours sincerely, James Sprunt”

usflags

by Susan Taylor Block

Campaigns heat up

Political trouble.

Spin witches stir in

Acid and rubble.

Ten thousand newsmen

Report on the double.

Voters must forage

Whole grain from stubble.

Stand in the line,

Declare in the booth –

Then, you’re  a part

Of electoral truth.

(From Sit Right Here by Me, by Susan Taylor Block. Wilmington, 2005. Edited by Barbara Brannon, Winoca Press.)

by Susan Taylor Block

Randy Trull’s memoirs, My Life on the Fringe: A Journey into Design, is now available at www.createspace.com/3477199.  Randy is a born and bred Southerner with all the quirks his heritage suggests. Add in his inborn artistic nature and you get a man full of spontaneity, creativity, and adventure. Thoughout his fifty-five year design career, Randy has produced products ranging from fabric to clothing to home furnishings. In terms of fabric alone he made his mark: His designs sold 18 million yards of material and his “Randy Trull” bedspreads and pillows graced 3.5 million American homes. In recent years, his name has been more closely associated with Sunbrella, beautiful hearty fabrics marketed by Glen Raven Mills, Inc.

Randy moved from New York City to Wilmington a few years ago and opened up a shop on Oleander Drive called, “Classic Designs of Wilmington.” Living in a Little Apple gave him more time to do other things, including typing up his memoirs. By the time I met him, he had completed many chapters. He asked me for editorial help. Our first meeting was a day-mare. “Let me see, what did I do with that next page?” he said, looking down at the floor  of his shop – a wooden surface covered in unbound, unnumbered pages. Somehow he located the next page and the next and at some point while he was reading it to me, I knew I wanted to work on the project. I liked his offbeat humor and I was fascinated with the many forms of creativity that swirled around him, his inborn business genius, and the fact that somehow things seemed to work out for him despite his seemingly random approach.

I asked a friend and colleague in Richmond, Robert Hill Camp, to reorganize and copy edit the manuscript. Robert did a Herculean job of that while I scanned 150 photos, wrote captions for about 100, prodded Randy to expand on some of his topics, and edited new chapters of material that he continued to write throughout the editorial process. Randy had no trouble expressing himself on paper, but he spells things artistically. I laughed out loud numerous times while I worked through the text, for many times his phonetic-style spelling made better sense than the “correct” arrangement.

The two things I like best about Randy’s life story are the illustrations his life offers to support the facts that artistic talent tends to bud early and that encouragement is the water and sunshine of artistic achievement. In elementary school, Randy was drawing house plans, augmenting austere doll house interiors, and designing exterior decorations. His mother, Mabel Holland Trull, believed he could do anything he set his mind to, and told him so frequently. He attributes his success to her, and dedicated the book in her memory.

Randy, a native of Raleigh and graduate of  Ravenscroft School, Broughton High, Campbell Junior College, and Parsons School of Design, includes anecdotes of his early years in the North Carolina capital; design school forays; anecdotal brushes with the rich and famous; and much interesting information about the workings of New York’s fabric district. He shares bits of design advice based on decades of scrutiny, and does so in his inimitable way.

Others who have helped with this book are Kiki Vera Johnson who created the interior design, and more; and Christopher Bazzani who designed the cover. Chip Scala, president of Waverly Home Fashions and Randy’s lifelong friend, furnished the preface.

Brothers James and John Dawson came to Wilmington, North Carolina from Northern Ireland, about 1821. John made several trips back and forth to Ireland. In 1823, he sailed back to America with relative and fellow County Antrim native, Alexander T. Stewart (1803-1876) of Lisburn.  Stewart’s innovative merchandising techniques earned him great wealth and the unofficial title of  “The Merchant Prince of New York.” John Dawson kept close ties with Stewart after settling in Wilmington and visited him often at his New York mansion, located on the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 34^th Street.

John Dawson made a small fortune selling building supplies to the general public. Later, his business, located on the northeast corner of Front and Market streets and at 19 Market Street, went full throttle after he began supplying track and trestle materials to the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. About 1857, he built a graceful two-story house at 502 Market Street that featured pink marble fireplaces, stained glass, and choice timbers.

The John Dawson House. (Photo courtesy of Cape Fear Museum)

Brother James Dawson built a house at 203 North Front Street on a space now occupied by the Murchison Building. In 1875, James Dawson’s residence became headquarters for the Cape Fear Club, the oldest men’s club in uninterrupted organization in the American South. The location with its river breeze, the building with its handsome features, and the garden helped make members’ visits a very pleasant experience where Civil War veterans relived battle while rocking on the expansive porches. About 1875, James Dawson moved to the Windsor Hotel in New York City, located a short distance away from Alexander Stewart’s home. James Dawson died in 1882. In 1913, the Cape Fear Club moved to its present location, on the southeast corner of 2^nd and Chestnut streets. The James Dawson House was razed and its gardens destroyed to make way for the Murchison Building.

The James Dawson House. (Photo courtesy of Cape Fear Museum)

About 1860, the Dawsons welcomed one more relative, Isaac Bates Grainger who was a native of Belfast. Though fresh to Southern soil, Grainger took part in the Civil War under the command of another Irish immigrant, Major James Reilly. He served as a Captain in the Commissary Department and in the Artillery. John Dawson did his own form of service as mayor of Wilmington during the 1865 Federal Occupation.

Long before Major Reilly hoisted the white flag at Fort Fisher, James Dawson envisioned defeat and came up with a hedge for the day when Bank of Cape Fear notes and Confederate bills would become play-money. Dawson began buying cotton anywhere he could find it.

Soon after the fall of Fort Fisher, cotton prices soared. He sold his holding for $300,000, a genuine fortune during Reconstruction. He subsequently founded the Banking House of James Dawson, and named Isaac Bates Grainger cashier.  Grainger established a presence at the new bank and in his adopted city.

The term “cashier” meant a different thing back then. Cashiers were executives, so tied to their jobs they actually lived in the bank building. Such was the case with Isaac Bates Grainger. The Banking House of James Dawson occupied the old Bank of Cape Fear building at 17 North Front Street., following Dawson’s purchase of the structure in 1868, for $105,000. Dawson set up a stagecoach company in the basement, and designated the second floor as Isaac Bates Grainger’s living quarters. In 1878, James Dawson merged his bank with the First National Bank. The building was razed in 1899 to make way for the Masonic Temple, which still stands.

Previously, the James Dawson Banking House. (Photo courtesy of Cape Fear Museum)

Back in Civil War days, while Isaac Bates Grainger performed his military duties in 1862, his future wife was a student at St. Mary’s Hall in Raleigh. Her name was Josie McRae and she was the daughter of Duncan McRae of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Aldert Smedes, president of the school, had his hands full keeping young women calm in the face of mounting fears of Yankee attack. The school itself would become a haven for Southern refugees, including Robert E. Lee’s daughter Mildred and the family of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy.

In the midst of her worries, young Josie McRae did what many Southern girls do — she called on her Daddy for help. Her note, made more charming because we know the outcome, appears here typed as written, and is in the possession of Walker Taylor III of Wilmington.

“St. Mary’s Hall

March 16^th/62

“My Dear Papa,

I suppose you have heard that the Yankees have taken Newbern, and burned the bridge, and are expected to come on to Goldsboro to day, It is reported the Gen Branch behaved disgracefully, how much of it is true I don’t know, The girls are all terribly frightened. Dr. Smedes has told us to hold ourselves in readiness to leave at any moment, Poor Dr. Smedes is very much distressed, he says that if his school is broken up he is a ruined man, It is terrible! Only think how near they are to us, and they say that Wilmington will certainly be the next place of attack. Let us put our trust in God, for what is the use of having a God, unless we trust in him. Write to me immediately and tell me what to do, We may be unnecessarily alarmed, but if what we have heard is true, I am sure we are not, Write soon and tell me what you think about it,

With much love for yourself and Rob

I am your affectionate daughter,

Josie”

(See below for actual note and wedding announcement. Click to magnify.)

Josie survived the war just fine, and on December 14, 1865, she married her sweetheart – Isaac Bates Grainger! The wedding service took place at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville and soon the couple took up residence in Wilmington.

In 1874, the widowed Josie McRae Grainger purchased the John Dawson House, across the street from the Bellamy Mansion, for $7,500. The house was razed in the 1960s. Jean McKoy Graham, one of Josie and Isaac Grainger’s great-granddaughters, moved the iron fence to her residence at 218 Forest Hills Drive, where it stands today.

(Sources: “The Memoirs of Katie Reston Grainger,” http://susan747.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/the-memoirs-of-katie-reston-grainger/; Wilmington’s Vanished Homes and Buildings, by Emma Woodward MacMillan; Cape Fear Lost, by Susan Taylor Block; The Federal Reporter, Volume 69, googlebooks.com; The Cape Fear Club, edtied by Leslie N. Boney, Jr.; and The Bank of Cape Fear, by Robert S. Neale.)

(Courtesy of Walker Taylor III)

The Memoirs of Katie Reston Grainger

Victor and Katie Grainger (Courtesy of Walker Taylor III)

I really have omitted some of the things (that for lack of strength of writing so long) that I wish to put into this sketch. As it is only for my children – or some of the others who would wish to read or add any part to -

My sister and brother Walter & Belle have two daughters who are particularly close to us in face like our own. Isabel Reston who married David H. Scott from Edinburgh – Scotland. They have one son David H. Jr. a fine young chap with a brilliant mind. He is a Phi Beta Kappa – also was Vice President of Phi Beta Kappa at North Carolina University. He is now at Harvard business school. There was a darling little girl – Isabel Clayton Reston who was a precious little invalid and passed away in her 6th year. Louise

March 7th 1946

In the interim some time has passed. David graduated from Harvard business then took a course in law and graduated from Harvard University. He has been overseas for nearly two years and is now out of the Army with rank of Captain.

Bates – the 2nd daughter of Belle and Walter married Dr. Joseph Ward Hooper of Baltimore – a young surgeon. They have two children – Joseph Jr. & Louise. Joseph Hooper – Jr. is a darling young chap of 16 yrs. Now at McCallie Military School in Chattanooga – Tennessee. Louise has great personality and charm and is quite a leader in the younger set. Of all of the family I would love to write – my sisters & brothers especially but I am selecting one who has always been near and dear to me. She was a beautiful little child and when she was about four years old I loved to curl her hair and make little curls on her forehead – Dress her up like a big doll with a red hood on and take her out. This is Edith. She must have been more like our own English Grand  Mother with dark hair and lovely blue eyes. She is now very handsome and Queenly. She married Benjamin Robinson Graham of Duplin County – Nature’s true Nobleman. A great Physician. To this union was born nine children. Marie Du Brutz Benjamin Jr. Elizabeth Frederick Bolles Charles Pattison Edith – Flora – Mary Montgomery & Margaret. A remarkable family of children brought up well and all outstanding.

Charles Pattison Graham a young surgeon and a very much loved nephew is to marry in the Spring our own beloved Jean Victor McKoy daughter of Katie and Adair. So the union will unite a grand -son of our Mother & a great -grand daughter. Mary Montgomery Bolles married Dr. Andrew H. Harriss and they had 5 children – Andrew – Jr. Mary Evelyn Julia and David. Julia died at the birth of her little daughter. Dr. Charles P. Bolles – Jr.- was married twice. His 1st wife was Abbie Chadbourn who died suddenly and left four chlidren Blanche Chadbourn Charles Jr. and Louise. Blanche died at the birth of a little girl. He married a second time Christine Black. I am not able to say just how Fred and Polly’s children came but there was Louise Evelyn Fred Wallach Victor Mary Adele & Richard.

It seems as if I had passed over our own children – John Victor Grainger marreid Helen M. Kenly. His sweet lovely daughter is now a young lady and lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Katie Reston married Adair M. McKoy and they have a lovely family. Jean Victor of whom I have spoken & Adair Jr. the eldest now finished college and living in Baltimore. Kitty Reston & Douglas Hart – two lovely children. Marie Louise married Edwin Brewster Phillips & there are two children – Brewster II who is now in the 2nd year at the Naval Academy – 19 years old & Ann a darling girl of 11 yrs.

Isaac Bates Grainger married Catherine Jarrett of Philadelphia & they have three charming sons. Isaac Bates – Jr. William Garrett John Victor III. Fannie married Walker Taylor Jr. and they have a lovely family. Frances is a beautiful girl. Walker III and Victor Grainger.

I must say our family – our beloved children & grandchildren are & always have been a great joy and blessing to us.

There are many things that have come to us in blessings. Our life has been a most unusually happy one and we are most grateful to God for each and every blessing & joy that has been our privilege to have. We had one lovely trip to Europe (1909) just before the World War when I am sure the “old world” was really at its best before the great changes came which did make a difference in many ways. The standards of living – the loss of beautiful old English estates – particularly in the Lake regions where the servants had a new vision of breaking away from what they had been accustomed to. The high wages and mingling of every other nationality – which broke down the lovely old life. We were glad to see it when we did. There is one special event which stood out for me in our visit to our sister Lou who lived in London in a delightful part Willesden Bleuheim Gardens. She had made the most wonderful friends in London – by her own sweet personality. Every one who visits London does not always have the opportunity of being invited to have Tea at the Houses of Parliament simply because they do not have the privilege of meeting or knowing members. This especial event was thoroughly enjoyed by me. (I was so sorry that Victor missed it). He had another engagement for something else in the city that day. Lou had many friends who were members.

Isaac Bates  – British Army

John Bates Attorney – was his son

John Bates married Margaret Dawson in Dublin.

She was sister of James and John Dawson of Castle Dawson and Wilmington – NC.

Capt John Victor. Capt. in the British Royal Army

His daughter Jean Victor married John Bates at St. Ann’s in Belfast.

Gayer Grainger

Yorkshire – England

Married Margaret

Bates the sister of

John Bates – attorney

Three children -

Margaret Grainger

Jane Grainger

Isaac Bates Grainger – He was born in Belfast April 9th – I think 1841.

Married Josie C. MacRae in St. John’s Church Fayetteville – North Carolina – in 1865. Came to Wilmington in 1858 from Belfast – County Antrim to visit the family of Mr. James Dawson. Mr. John Bates’ first wife was a Miss Dawson. There was always a very close friendship. Isaac Bates followed Isaac Bates Grainger to the States. He married Louise Reston. John Victor Grainger the eldest child of Isaac Bates Grainger & Josie C. MacRae – born in Wilmington N.C. Nov. 2nd – 1866 – Isaac Bates Grainger was a Captain in the Commissary Dept. of Confederate States Army. Also was Captain in the Artillery. Was under Major James Reilly.

We arrived at the Houses of Parliament and had especial escort to the members who had invited us. It was a wonderful London day – & we had tea served on the Terrace over looking the Thames – and we were guests of Sir John Redmond – and the Hon. Stephen Gwynn — the writer and we met many others. The Hon. John Burns the great Labor leader and a member also of the King’s Cabinet. We were shown many especial attentions & also saw every part of Commons and the House of Lords. It was a memorable day for me – for L?? often went. It was a fine day in July. There were many such invitations established by her friend – for if we had just been tourists on our own – we would have never known anything of the home life in England. The next event was a brilliant party given at the home of Mrs. Cloman – a very wealthy Boer woman who had married Capt. Cloman – military attache to Mr. Whilelow Reid our Ambassador to the Court of St. James. It was a brilliant affair and every nationality was represented. Ambassadors and Ministers from every country were there. The Chinese and Japanese Russians and all – in the beautiful native full dress – beautiful women – & each speaking the most beautiful languages. It made me an American woman feel that our education had been sadly neglected. Such lovely soft tones to their voices. The home was so beautiful and the flowers – the lovely different types of carriages and cars & the Livery of the men on the cars and boxes – the traffic was handled so wonderfully too. I really fell in love with everything English & the great dignity in which the English people conduct themselves and everything about them. I should love England – My own GrandMother Kitty Beck for whom I was named never came to this country until she was sixteen years old. I could write of many interesting places we were invited & people we met & there is such age to everything there. Such beautiful private gardens, &fruits of all kinds growing on age old walls. I guess I did a rather indiscreet thing at Windsor Castle. Our own Mr. James Sprunt of Wilmington was in London at the time & he sent us his large car with his chauffeur for the day – & we all went to Windsor Castle. It was so interesting & being on our own with this car could spend as much time as we wished, We saw Windsor thoroughly – & St. George’s Chapel where there is much history as many of the well known Henry the 8th Jane Seymour & Edward the youg son of Henry. Now also the beloved King George the Fifth is there – The indiscreet remark I was guilty of was made very pleasantly to a fat “Beef Eater” who was showing us all the flags of the world that England had taken. We were in the gallery, where all these were hanging. I smiled my best at him & said, “I see all but ours.” He tried to look austere but he had a twinkle in his eye. Later on when we took a trip to Paris and we were with Thomas Cook’s party seeing Paris we were at Versailles, a young man sidled up near enough to say “I am glad to see you here for I have been laughing ever since the day I heard you say about – the U. S. Flag at “Windsor Castle” – He was an Austrian, had rather resented what the guide had had to say about Marie Antoinette’s demanding the first Bath tub in Paris. He spoke up & said “She had been born to every comfort & expected it.” There were so many lovely days in Paris. We stayed at a real French Hotel. “The Louvre” the beautiful gallery “Louvre” was right there So we were able to spend much time there – & when we became tired because to see the great Masters & all of the choice things often you could come to the point of doing something else but we could always go back. We were fortunate enough to hear “Faust” – “The Valkyrie in the brilliant Opera House which was just at the end of the Avenue “le Opera” from the hotel. One of the great excitements we had was being in Paris on “Bastille Day” July the 14th. I realized and saw then what the French could do, and would in event of war. It was a sight never to be forgotten. Troops were on the march from sun-rise – The streets of Paris are given over to the people. If you go by vehicle of any kind you do so at your own risk. You have no protection – It was a stirring sight – & also the martial airs – “The Marsellaise” & little did we realize how very very soon there would be war ______ and our own boys fighting side by side with the French & English – I think we saw everything to be seen. We were there several weeks. “Malmaison” the home of Josephine & the lovely quaint gardens, Fountainbleau where Napolean bid fare-well to the “old guard” – St. Germain” & “Barbizou” & of course “The Madeleive” and “Notre Dame” – and the lovely pictures and the works of Art every where – & So on & on we crossed Folkstone – Bologne both coming and going – back to lovely England. Our next trip was to the North of Ireland to see all of Victor’s relatives – & to County Antrim where his Father was born. Also all of the Bates family. Isaac Bates who married my sister Lou was brought up with Isaac Bates Grainger (Victor’s Father) as brothers though only first cousins – Mr. John Bates Barrister was Isaac Bates Grainger’s Uncle John Victor was a Capt. in the Royal Marines instead of the Navy – His services were recognized by the English Govt. – He was very highly thought of – Also (Isaac Bates gave one this information.)

We went up into Wales and crossed the Irish Sea & landed at Kingston then by train to Dublin for a few days & on to Belfast – Giants Causeway – We were so delighted with all of the delightful kin – & such hospitality – A wonderful country. We are very proud of Victor’s family. They all hold positions under the Crown – the 1st John Victor was a Captain in the Royal Navy and commanded a Frigate – at the Battle of Trafalgar & was there fighting with Lord Nelson when he received his mortal wound – His daughter Jean Victor married John Bates – So the connection on account of the marriage of these two cousins, I. B. Grainger and Isaac Bates, into our family has kept the bond very strong, and we have kept in weekly touch with all the kin overseas. The young ones have come many times on visits to us here in the South – Dawson Bates now Sir Richard Dawson Bates was knighted about seven years ago by King George V and at the Coronation of King George VI. . He was raised again and given an inheritable Baronetcy to go to always the oldest son. He will always be a Sir. His Honor Judge Harry Bates in at present the oldest of the Judges on the Beach. He was on Queen Victoria’s, Edward VII, Geroge V, and now George VI. My own sister’s son was called to High Courts of England as a Judge.

Well to go on and tell a bit more about our silver for the grand children to have. I will tell of the delightful we have paid to the Marburgs in their lovely home in Baltimore & also to visit them in Bar Harbor Maine – and the many distinguished and international figures we have me there & dined with in their homes and also Mr. Marburg’s home. Such men as Dr. Henry Van Dyke, the writer, and at one time our minister to the Netherlands.

One of the most delightful personalities I ever knew. We saw him intimately and knew his family. He was a charming Host and dinner guest. His stories of fishing were good – He was a great fisherman himself. At some of the dinners there would be six or eight Ambassadors and Ministers. There was a brilliant dinner at the home of Henry Morganthan at one time minister to Turkey. He & his wife were quite a part of the summer colony at Bar Harbor.  At that dinner I sat next to the governor of Maine & on my right was the Ambassador to Argentina. Mr. Stevenson – Dr. Van Dyke (Netherlands) Mr. Magenthau (Turkey) Mr. Theodore Marburg (Belguim.) Many distinquished guests – the party consisted of 30 guests. Other notables who often lunched or dined with us beside these were many Bishops (as Mt. Desert Island is a great resort for many of our church spend much time in the summer -  Admiral Byrd – Mr. Phillips Ambassador to Rome at this time – and many of the ? ones to this country – So I have been privileged to meet many of these only through our Marburg family, and hope the opportunity of having real conversation and many great international problems discussed which has been the greatest education to me. Two of my very close friends have been Dr. Henry Van Dyke and Dr. William Osler or should I say Sir Willianm Osler whom England gave the greatest of honor to. Both of these have passed on. Just before the World War (it seems now as if our beloved country was asleep) we were more or less pleased to have German warships and submarines & often many kinds of German ships in our dry-docks for repairs when they were here and there getting maps of our harbors and coast & entries with our ports. Wilmington had a visit from a German war ship, “The Panther” She came on a friendly visit; and the town entertained her officers royally. A beautiful dance was given in the Masonic temple ball room which was a lovely ball room. I opened the ball with the Captain of the Ship. Captain Jawseu. I was quite pleased but after a series of rapid round dancing with never a reverse I said to him “What does two bells mean? If they mean reverse please do.” They were in port for several days and we were entertained by them and one officer sent me many beautiful cards from all over the world that he had collected. It was said ‘That this ship had been guilty of procuring very valuable papers while lying alongside of one of our own boats in Norfolk. “The Panther” was the first ship that was sunk in the “world war.” The Germans fooled the world before the war by their having their ships and men in all places on a friendly? mission but getting the most valuable information. Now to-day in this year of 1939 we are so near a great conflict again. For I think the last week of September 1938 was a fearful night – mare. We are so much more in touch with nations and hourly of what they are doing by our radios than in 1914-1918. Hence the great strain we live under. We had a Service Flag that hung over our door during the war. A red Flag. A white centre & as many blue stars as there were sons in service. There were three stars on ours – Two sons & one son-in-law. Our blue star turned to Gold before the Armistice. The Murchison National Bank of which my husband was Pres. Mr. H. C. McQueen was chairman of the Board, gave the American Red Cross our Chapter here the whole floor in the Bank building for our use during the war. Mr. McQueen was our Red Cross Chairman. We had been busy getting things to gether & we had use of the Old Marine Hospital at 8th & Ann. Diplomatic relations were broken in Feb. but not until April 6th. Good Friday was war declared. we had to go quickly that day those who were workers & remove all of our materials & dressings that – we had begun on & move out of the Marine Hospital (for the first act of war in Wilmington was the taking of all men from two interred German ships we had here, & placing them in the old government Hospital so that is when the Board of Directors & Officers gave us the 3rd floor of the Murchison National Bank.

This is now 1946 that I am adding this. The Wilmington Chapter of the American Red Cross was formed here in 1908. I was one of the first members and have continuously through these 38 years worked ardently & hard for the Red Cross – At first our work was to put a colored nurse in the City to work among the poor white and colored and particularly to find cases that were suspicious of Tuberculosis – which was followed up always by members of the Red Cross & reported. We had a small Tubercular Hospital that was given I think by Mrs. Walter Parsley who was a devoted member. We carried the nurse and gave $300 a year to help with the Hospital – We had donations from individuals & we owe everything to Dr. John C. Wessell who really gave his life for the little Sanitarium. He was a chest specialist and we had a devoted nurse in Miss Williams & we carried on our colored nurse in the Community until Public Health Nursing came in – We truly laid the foundation for finding and arresting cases of Tuberculosis – The community became interested in the Sanitarium and many attentions were given patients. It did great service for a long period of years and we were responsible for decreasing cases in New Hanover County. All the work was done & the credit goes to the Red Cross & Dr. Wessell. After World War I, the Red Cross grew tremendously in membership before we were few and struggling. I received since the World War a 20 year service ribbon that was fine but my services date back nearly 38 yrs. but this community only began to realize what the Red Cross meant when we went to war in 1917. So I think I will just let the National Red Cross know that I am the only living & working member since it was first begun in 1908.

The Needle Work Guild has always been a great supporter of Red Cross work. Each year when we had our annual distribution of linen and garments (all new) we the Needle Work Guild always gave largely to the Red Cross, James Walker & Community (Colored) Hospital – In this World War I we lost our beloved young Son John Victor Grainger, Jr – & in this war we had 8 grandsons in the Pacific & in the North Atlantic6 of them my own – and 2 of them married to our own granddaughters – the youngest of all John Victor III is still in the Pacific (only 18 yrs. now)  – Brewster Phillips II is still (in duty – S.S. N. a graduate of Annapolis – was at Casa Blanca on the Flag Ship Augusta – Admiral Ernest King. He also was on Augusta at Atlantic Charter – was Deck Officer the day of the meeting when Winston Churchill met Franklin Roosevelt on the Augusta – He has since been transferred to U. S. Naval Air Corps & saw terrible & great action from Okinawa up the China Coast. He is now Lt. Col. – Walker Taylor III is still in Merchant Marines will be released after this next trip – He is an Ensign in U. S. N. R. also holds a 2nd Mate Commission. Isaac Bates Grainger, Jr. was a St. U.S.N.R. on San Juan Cruiser. She had terrible experiences & was at Tokyo two months before surrender. He was sent into Tokyo to release prisoners. He is out. Also Charles Pattison Graham was on Battle Wagon Indiana. She also was at Tokyo. He was a surgeon in U.S. N. R. & they saw a plenty. He came out a Lt. Com. William G. Grainger did hard and manual work at Guam on B29s was a Corporal – Ground work of U.S.A.A.F. Bad vision kept him from flying – I could go on and on – but I must tell of other things – After World War I a small group of women of which I was one – I think it was in 1921 – 1922 formed themselves into a Womans Auxiliary to James Walker Hospital – We have labored long and earnestly to do everything to help the Board of Managers. As in giving many expensive and useful needed things to make our patients more comfortable & to add to the attractiveness of the rooms. My own beloved husband was Treas. of James Walker Memorial Hospital for 35 years – ws on the Board of Managers & was Prest- of Hospital at the time of his death. We have always worked in the interest of the Hospital – We disbanded our Auxiliary last Spring as the women every where were putting their energy into all kinds of War activities not knowing that the V.E I V J would come so soon – when I look back now upon the interest that Victor & I had in the community for 50 years, I realize that we were, and I am still a vital part of this dear old town where both of us were born – Where when we went to school, he carried my books up to Tileston every morning. then hurried back to Mr. Catletts a private school for boys.

After we married (which was very young) every interest he had in life, I shared with him – We loved our dear old Parish where we were baptized confirmed and married – April 11th 1888. He became a vestry man there when 29 or 30 yrs – of age. The first young vestry man to be elected ever as they were all olf enough to be his Father. In several years he was made Sr. Warden until his passing in 1942. Our great-grandchildren are the 6th (?) generation to be baptized at that old Font – Thought I had other close kin who were members of the old Parish, which would be about 211 years old.

We have just celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Auxiliary to the American Legion – Post – No. 10 -

I had the great honor in 1921 of being asked by a committee from the Legion if I would organize A Woman’s Auxiliary which I did & was made their 1st President – We celebrated the 25th Anniversary in the Legion’s new home on Third and Dock – formerly the handsome home of Mr. Burke Bridgers  It was a delightful affair with a supper & I cut the lovely cake. All of these 25 yrs. I have had much courtesy shown me by the Legion and many loving attentions by the Auxiliary which is greatly appreciated by me. I being one of the “Gold Star Mothers.”

I must before finishing this tell you of our home and home life. Our two first children were born in 1889 – 1890 – Then we were living next to my sister who afterwards became Lady Donkin – when she was the widow of Isaac Bates in London. The house was at the corner of 3rd & Church Sts. In March 1890 when Katie was just two months old Victor bought the property on which we built our present home (813 Market Street) – The house was begun in March – We moved into it in Sept. 1890 – About 1911 we bought the property on the west side of our home and have always had a pretty garden there which we have always enjoyed so much – Marie Isaac & Fannie were all born here in their home & not a Hospital. Though I am a great believer in Hospitals I really think there is a sentiment about the home of your birth – Adair M. McKoy Jr our first beloved grand-son was born in this home. Jean Victor Grainger was known as the first white child born in Oleander (at 2501 Mimosa Place). Pricilla Claggett Grainger, the adored baby of John Victor Jr. was our first grand child born in our Hospital but since then we have kept the hospital quite busy – The motto of this Home has been for over fifty years and hangs in our hall -

“Home – Where each lives for the other and all for God.”

Victor and I tried to give our children a religious training and an example of what a true home is – Home must be built upon a firm foundation that stands for high Christian Character – and it is in the home where the Mother and Father abide in love for each other – and unselfish devotion for their children – commanding obedience and respect from them.

Stafford and Gail Camp of Courtland, Virginia.

In 2008, I discovered a pretty place filled with many interesting people. “Commonwealth” is a fitting label.

I’m delighted to have a few of my impressions published in the current issue of  Western Tidewater Living – a beautiful magazine. The article starts on page 18 ,     http://issuu.com/tidewater/docs/wtl_fall2010