Ima Eula Mewborn  Born May 30, 1912 Died February 5, 2002

A Sister: Talented needle artist, sharing examples of her beautiful needlepoint and crochet work with her relatives and friends. She and her sister, Ailine, were famous for their tatting. They made each of the nieces and nephews a bedspread. Cherished family heirlooms by all those who were fortunate to receive one. Ima Eula Mewborn was born May 30, 1912, at Nehucky Farm, Bullhead Township, in Greene County, the second child of George Lemuel Mewborn and Eula Virginia Mewborn. After graduating from Snow Hill High School in 1929, She attended East Carolina Teachers College and graduated in 1933. (today East Carolina University) A Healer: Ima's life has been one of service. She enjoyed working along side her brother, Dr. John Mewborn, a family practice physician. Ima enjoyed a long career as a nurse. Among the cherished memories Ima held close to her heart included having had the opportunity to assist her brother in the delivery of many healthy babies in the Farmville community and surrounding area. Ima's service did not end with the living. Ima and Ailine, her sister, shared a special connection and love that included their many ancestors. Historian : Ima enjoyed a lifetime interest in genealogy and local history. After retiring from nursing, Ima was able to devote her energy full time, to her passion family history. She and Ailine had the opportunity to travel widely while researching the family lines. Ima relished a lively correspondence with genealogists throughout the nation, and often welcomed friends to their Farmville home to share the fruits of their research. It is the rare Eastern North Carolina researcher who has not heard of Ima Mewborn. In her quest for information and in the spirit of sharing, Ima, became an active member of several genealogical organizations. She was member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of American Colonists, Colonial Dames of Seventeenth Century, Jamestown Society, Magna Carta Dames, Eastern North Carolina Genealogical Society, Old Dobbs Society and many others. Ima served many years as registrar for her chapters of the DAR and DAC. Ima was driven by her love of the research and she will never know the invaluable service she provided to those of us who follow in her footsteps. The best tribute we can pay to her is to follow her example and support each other as we trace our ancestors.   Ima and Ailine Mewborn were also early benefactors of Heritage Place at the Learning Resources Center of Lenoir Community College, contributing time, print resources and funds to the establishment of the premier genealogical collection in eastern North Carolina. In 1999, she donated her collection of personal papers and research, "These Are My People," to Heritage Place. Author: "These Are My People," is a compilation of seventy-two "2 in" notebooks which reflect her fifty years of work on the Mewborn and allied families. These notebooks contain information on numerous family lines, many of which are intertwined through out the generations. Each notebook contains newspaper clippings, obituaries, and family lines carefully organized by hand. Although Ima used her own system to organize the many family surnames she researched, several faithful genealogist are currently working together to reorganize her research for the age of computers. Ima's system takes a while to figure out, but still takes a lot less time than it did for her to do the original work, by hand, personally visiting the many places where the original information was archived. Ima also contributed genealogical information to "Parrott Talk" and other genealogical magazines. Some of Ima's work has been microfilmed and can be accessed a local "Family History Center" at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. SLC Microfilm #1711458 "Ima Eula Mewborn collection studies, Magna Charta-1990, alphabetical surname index family records : Aldredge, Barrington, Best, Dixon, Fields, Hill, Mercer, Mooring, Wooten, and others." This is microfilm of originals found in the Family History Center in Goldsboro, North Carolina. This "book" consists mostly of DAR papers submitted by Ima. Although at times the film is dark and hard to read, it contains a massive amount of paperwork including charts (pedigree and family group sheets), histories, maps, letters, certificates, newspaper clippings and other miscellaneous information. Philosopher: Some of Her Favorite Sayings In the absence of proof, use common sense. Go to the actual primary source - the abstract could be wrong Always backtrack on any written work you see, even mine, because it could be wrong. Share your work and give credit to others Ima Eula Mewborn was preceded in death by her brother, Dr. John Moses Mewborn and wife Margaret McNeill Mewborn; brother-in-law, Varner Rayford Garner; brothers, Henry Drew Mewborn, Quentin Alexander Mewborn and Marvin Bruce Mewborn; and sister, Manora Mewborn Nunn and husband Malcolm Dee Nunn. She is survived by three sisters including her devoted sister, Ailine Eloise Mewborn of Farmville, three sisters-in-law, many cherished nieces, nephews, dear friends and many "cousins" linked together eternally through one or more of the several genealogy lines Ima researched.   A memorial service was held Friday February 8, 2002 at the Farmville Presbyterian Church. A private interment took place prior to the memorial service at Forest Hills Cemetery in Farmville.     For those who wish: Contributions may be made in her name to Heritage Place, Learning Resources Center, Lenoir Community College, Kinston, N.C. 28501 Farmville Presbyterian Church, 310 Grimmersburg St., Farmville, N.C. 27828. Preservation Projects Home