Ministers and preachers of Township 5: 1860: William Thomas, B.B. Culbreth & Pearce W. Gorrel

In the 1860 Census for Goodings District, Craven County, NC, I was able to locate three white Methodist Episcopal Ministers residing within Township 5. One was living in the household of William Temple where my husband's great grandfather* was apprenticed with his siblings following their parents' death.

William Thomas:
1860 Census; Goodings, Craven, NC;
Roll: M653_894; Page 9; Image 18;
 Family History Library Film: 803894.

Since first locating this document some years ago, I have often wondered how much exposure Isaac*, Nancy, Annanias and Zaccheus (recorded here as Zachariah) had to the teachings of the Rev. William Thomas. Only ten years before, Mr. William Thomas was enumerated as a 46-year-old farmer, living with his wife Elizabeth (30), and his children: John (12), Susan (10), William (7), Eliza (2), and Benjamin (0).

What happened during those years that his wife and four oldest children no longer lived with him, and that he and his youngest son no longer lived in their own home? And what events would cause him to leave farming and become a Methodist Episcopal Minister?

After reading the book, Rebuilding Zion: The Religious Reconstruction of the South 1863-1877, by Daniel W. Stowell, my thoughts drifted toward Cousin Hattie (Carter) Becton's emphatic, "We were always Methodist."


Could it be that my husband's ancestors had been part of a biracial Methodist Episcopal church? . . . or had they broken away into an independent free black Methodist Episcopal congregation sponsored by the white church? . . . had they their own black preachers by 1870? or did they still listen to the white minister's sermons on Sunday morning? Another mystery to ponder. . . .

B. B. Culbreth:
1860 Census; Goodings, Craven, NC;
Roll: M653_894; Page 18; Image 36;
FHLF: 803894.

The Rev. B. B. Culbreth and wife, Ada M., were also enumerated in another's household: that of Marcus C. and Margaret Bogay.

Pearce W. Gorrel:
1860 Census; Goodings, Craven, NC;
Roll: M653_894; Page 11; Image 21;
FHLF: 803894.

The Rev. Pearce W. Gorrel was the only Methodist Episcopal to own property (valued at $6,500) in Goodings District in 1860.

Ministers and preachers of Township 5: 1850: Abraham Taylor & Paul J. Carraway

As I began wading through page by page of each Census for Township 5 from 1850 to 1930, I discovered some interesting things...some of which may serve as subjects for the imagination more than sources of hard facts. Come along with me on this journey and you'll see what I mean...

In 1850, the U.S. Federal Census for Craven County, NC was divided into two sections: New Bern, and Not Stated. Somewhere within "Not Stated" lies Township 5. Within the 145 pages of this enumeration, only two ministers surfaced, both white:

1850 United States Federal Census; Craven, NC;
Roll: M432_626; Page: 321B.

 The first enumeration was for Abraham Taylor, a 51 year old Free Baptist Minister, and his family: a wife and daughter and three sons. Abraham married Mary Civils in Craven County on 5 Aug 1829 (Craven County Marriage Record Index, Marriage Register 3, marriage bond). In 1860 his wife is supposed deceased, and he is living with his children in Richardsons District, Craven County, NC. This places his residence outside of the North Harlowe area, which is enumerated as Goodings Distirict.

1850 United States Federal Census; Craven, NC;
Roll:M432_626; Page: 321B. 

The second enumeration was for Paul J. Carraway, a Methodist Episcopal Minister, age 25, along with his young wife and daughter. The Craven County Marriage Record Index records the marriage of Paul J. Carraway and Julia A. McCotter on 8 Dec 1964 (Marriage Register Book 1: Marriage Bond). In 1860 Rev. Carraway was enumerated in Cumberland, Cumberland, NC with his wife and then five children.

By going back before Emancipation, I find only white ministers. I have read about Master/Slave churches where freedmen also attended (Masters & Slaves in the House of the Lord, ed. by John B. Boles, 1998). I can try to  imagine a time when there were no organized black churches in the rural parts of Craven County. Perhaps my husband's ancestors attended a church such as this...or, perhaps they only worshiped corporately when circuit preachers came through for brush arbor or camp meetings. Possibly they had their own lay preachers...or some may even have traveled the long trek to New Bern. This is what I hope to discover.

Perhaps if I can place these white ministers with churches in the county, I may find their church histories overlap with those of the the freedmen. A cousin told me about Methodist churches in Harlowe and Adams Creek...and since the Rev. Carraway eventually became a Presiding Elder, I plan on contacting Dr. William B. Simpson, historian for the North Carolina General Commission on Archives & History.

From Pension Files to Occupations to Lumber Companies

The 1900 U.S. Federal Census for Township 5, Craven County, NC showed me that Hezekiah Carter was a laborer, hauling logs. I decided to determine how many other relations in that area also held that occupation and discovered that four of his brothers worked at a saw mill.

By 1910, however, Hezekiah was recorded as a farmer...but then, in 1912, he bought two tracts of land: one on the South side of the Neuse River and West side of Clubfoot Creek, the other on the South Side of the Neuse River and East of King's Creek, with one stipulation: "Subject to timber rights and rights of way: original owners maintain ownership of all timber above 10 inches in diameter for 20 years [until March 1932]. They can build tram roads and railroads across the land and run locomotives and rafting to remove said timber."


This opened a whole new avenue of exploration. I started out with trying to locate any information on the Grantors: C.W. Munger and his wife, Martha A. Munger of Craven County, and K.E.Bennett and his wife, Grace G. Bennett of Camden, NJ.

I began by looking for C.W. Munger in the 1910 Census. Chauncey W. Munger was living with his wife and three daughters at 173 Middle Street, New Bern, NC. His death certificate indicated that while he was buried in New Bern, he died in Asheville, Buncombe, NC on July 30 1912. . . .just less that four months after the land was deeded to my grandfather-in-law. According to The National Register of Historic Places, Chauncey W. Munger House in Black Mountain, Buncombe, NC has been preserved in the Dougherty Heights Historic District.

George Prowell wrote in History of Camden County, New Jersey (1886),  "George A. Munger & Bro. are manufacturers and wholesale dealers in North Carolina pine lumber. Their planing-mill in Camden is on North Delaware Avenue. George A. and Chauncey W. Munger, the members of this firm, began in 1883, the business of planing and preparing North Carolina pine lumber for the market.... (Part 2, Chapter 7)."

Also in this chapter is a report on Volney G. Bennett, owner of a lumberyard. It goes on to state, "On July 27, 1864, he was married to Emeline...by this marriage he has five children, Killam Edgar (who is associated with his father in the lumber business....." That was the same K.E. Bennett stated as the Grantor for the second tract of land purchased by by grandfather-in-law.

I then started emailing fellow researchers to see if they knew anything about early lumber companies operating  in Township 5 at that time; and while waiting for replies, I began looking through other deeds involving lumber companies in the area...checking the employers recorded on WWI Draft Registration papers for men from Township 5...and my list of lumber companies in the area began to grow.

That led me to research the timber culture of the area...

...and in the midst of waiting for responses to emails, I read a book: The Grace of Silence, by Michele Norris, which led me to ask myself some tough questions regarding family legends hiding within the spaces between entries in the timeline....