1906 Industrial Issue - Woodington Township  

This Industrial Issue of the Kinston Free Press was published in 1906 although there was an earlier Industrial Issue published in 1899. The issue is composed of both text and numerous pictures of places and people. This will be a slow project so please be patient.

We are grateful to the Free Press for permission to post anything of historical or genealogical in nature published prior to 1939.

WOODINGTON TOWNSHIP

Woodington township covers an area of 27,006 acres, of which 26,794 acres are owned by white people and 212 are in the hands of Negroes. There are in the township 191 polls, 134 white and 57 colored. Land is worth from ten to fifteen dollars an acre. The township contains considerable valuable timber such as pine, oak, and gum. There are not many Negroes in Woodington, not so many as there were at the close of the war; and as is the case with the other townships, "Peg-Leg" WILLIAMS is responsible for their disappearance. The township contains about four thousand acres of swamp land, much of which may be reclaimed and placed under cultivation.

Woodington contains five churches for the whites, six white schools and two for the Negroes. The Woodington Methodist Church has about thirty members. Rev. W.A. FORBES, is pastor and H.A. EDWARDS is superintendent of this Sunday-school, which enrolls about sixty pupils. Elder HENRY CUNNINGHAM is pastor of the Woodington Baptist Church, which has about a hundred members. There are 104 members of the Woodington Universalist Church, of which Rev. Mr. CHAPMAN is pastor. O.A. POTTER is superintendent of the Sunday-school connected with this church, and the school enrolls about 30 members. Beaver Dam Primitive Baptist Church has a good attendance. Smith's New Home, of which Elder CUNNINGHAM is pastor, has a membership of about 50.

The Woodington school situated near WALLER'S mill, has about 57 pupils, and is taught by Miss VERDIE NOBLE, Miss ELLA MEWBORNE teaches school No. 2, which has 50 pupils. School No. 3 is in charge of Miss JESSE BRYANT. School No. 4, known as the Maple Grove School, is taught by Miss MAMIE KINSEY. There are 25 pupils enrolled. PHILLIPS STROUD is in charge of school No. 5, where the enrollment is 65. WILLIAM H. GRADY teaches school No. 6, and the enrollment reaches about 60.

The township is traversed by some fifty miles of public roads, making it accessible throughout.

Almost anything that can be raised anywhere else in any township in any State in the union, can be produced in Woodington-as is the case with the other townships of Lenoir county. The people of the community can raise three crops a year without much trouble, and usually have good gardens up to Thanksgiving. On November the first, at E.H. WALLER'S, in this township, the Free Press men were treated to nice white peaches, direct from the tree, fine large tomatoes and lima beans just from the vine. The rutabaga turnips were a sight to behold, and the collards were three feet across.

The WALLER Brothers' and Dr. HENRY TULL'S mills-the later just over the line in Trent Township-supply the people of this section with milling facilities.

WALLER BROS. MILL

Located on South West Creek in Woodington township, is the WALLER bros. Grist mill, saw mill and cotton gin, combined.

The mill site is about six miles from Kinston on the Wilmington road, about a half-mile from the Woodington churches and the school. The capacity of the grist mill is something like a hundred bushels of corn a day. At present, corn only is ground; but the owners are making preparations to grind wheat. They have planned and will install a wheat mill, having a capacity of a hundred bushels a day. This will no doubt, encourage farmers of Woodington and nearby townships to raise wheat and make their own flour. Thus they would get their flour cheaper than they can buy it, and what they get will be of a much more wholesome quality.

The WALLER Brothers also operate a fifty-saw cotton gin in connection with their grist mill. This has a capacity of about ten bales a day. Besides this they run a saw mill, and are always ready to fill orders for rough or dressed lumber for general building and repairing purposes. In the mill-house a room is set apart as a store, from which can be procured various articles of household necessity.

The WALLER Brothers own about 1,800 acres of land in Woodington township. Of this about 200 acres are cleared and the remainder is in timber. There are 700 acres in the mill tract.

The mill site itself is one of nature's beauty-spots in Lenoir county. As one enters the opening surrounding the mill, just off the Wilmington and Kinston county road, an attractive panorama presents itself. The old mill building, with fisherman's home adjacent, the water-fall from the pond into a placid pool teeming with fish-including pickerel, black-bass, cat-fish and chub-together with the tall cypresses with festooning of Spanish moss overhanging the waters, makes a sight inviting to the lover of nature and picnic party on pleasure bent.

These interests are owned and controlled by E. H. WALLER and M. F. WALLER, who compose the firm of WALLER Brothers.

EGBERT H. WALLER is a member of the school committee of Woodington township, a miller, a farmer, and a man who takes pride in his home and family.

He was born at the old WALLER homestead, February 6, 1863. Like most people of his day, Mr. WALLER did not have the advantage of an extended education. Appreciating the fact of his own lessened opportunities, he is taking an active interest in the education-al welfare of his community. His farm consists of 100 acres of some of the best land in the county. His crops are corn, cotton, tobacco and home supplies. He married Miss LETTIE M., daughter of SIMPSON and LETTIE ANN HARPER. The children are Mrs. FLORENCE HUMPHREY, ELLEN, DAISY, SIMPSON, SADIE, LETTIE and NANNIE.

MILLARD F. WALLER was born at the HAYWOOD WALLER homestead, in Woodington township, August 29, 1868. His parents were HAYWOOD and LETTIE WALLER, the mother being the daughter of the late WHITFIELD GRADY.

MILLARD has always been on the farm, with the exception of a short time when he was attending the district school in the neighborhood. He cultivates about 100 acres of land and has a neat cottage home. He is associated with his brother in their milling interests. He married Miss SUSIE BRINSON, daughter of EVERETT and MARIA BRINSON, of Kinston. The children that blessed this union are ROLAND LEE, aged seven, and HARRY TUTTLE, aged two. The good wife has been called to her final reward, and MILLARD is a widower, living at home with his children.

SIMPSON HARPER

SIMPSON HARPER and wife are two of the oldest citizens of Woodington township; but they are hale and hearty, their years easily on their shoulders. SIMPSON HARPER was born at Deep Run, six miles from his present home, July 7, 1834. His parents were BLACKLEDGE and SALLIE HARPER. His mother was a daughter of JOHN and ELIZABETH TYNDALL. His father owned 1,000 acres of land when he died. He had nine sons, SIMPSON, CORNELIUS, ZACHARIUS, WINDALL, BRIGHT, JESSE, ROBERT, FRANK and THOMAS.

Mr. HARPER has served his county twice as magistrate and has been school committeeman several times. He owns 197 acres of land on which he raises tobacco, corn and cotton, besides his home supplies. He lives at the old NUNN homestead in a house which is one of the oldest in the county, being over a hundred years old. During the Civil War he was a member of the 76th N.C.

SIMPSON HARPER married Miss LRTTIE ANN, daughter of MATHEW and ELIZA HILL The children are JESSE, JR., Mrs. LETTIE WALLER, Mrs. SALLIE STROUD, Mrs. MINNIE L. TYNDALL, Mrs. MATTIE SUTTON and Mrs FLETA STROUD.

WILLIAM B. BECTON

One of the young farmers and leading citizens of Woodington township is W. B. BECTON, born at the old BECTON homestead, April 9, 1874. His father, now dead was named JARMAN BECTON, and his mother, who still lives, was Miss ELIZA J., daughter of ELIJAH and ELIZABETH DENNY, of Guilford county. Mr. JARMAN BECTON was a leading man in his community, taking an interest in affairs and for ten years filling the position of school committeeman in his township.

WILLIAM B. BECTON attended the schools of his district and the Kinston Collegiate Institute. With the exception of the time spent in school he has lived practically all the while with his mother, on the farm at the old homestead. Here his industry and intelligence have made him a successful farmer. He is a school committeeman, and is regarded as a leading citizen of his township.

His brothers are MAX WILLIAM, senior member of the firm of BECTON, DICKINSON & Co., manufacturers and importers of druggists specialties; EDWIN J., of the firm of FIELDS and BECTON, Kinston, N.C.; and SIMEON ISLER, who is a member of the New York firm above mentioned.