DARK, FRANK – Friends of Geer Cemetery

1849–4 Apr 1924

Last updated: 6 Feb 2023

According to his death certificate, Frank Dark died at the age of 75 on 4 April 1924.¹ This would suggest that Frank was born in 1849, 14 years before emancipation and 21 years before all black Americans were counted as citizens in the 1870 US Census. It is in this census that Frank’s name is first documented.

Frank is listed as being 17 years old (implied birthdate 1853) and living in Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina as a farm laborer with Maria Dark, age 23, and Victoria Dark, age 5, on the property of Robert Love. Robert was a farmer with his combined estate amounting to $13,000 or $295,735 in 2023 dollars.² In 1860, he was also an enslaver, owning five persons: three females ages 23, 4, and 2, and one male, age 9.³ It is possible that Frank could be this young boy, as prior to the 1870 census enslaved men, women, and children were listed only by their gender, age, and a designation of black or mulatto on a supplemental slave census or “slave schedule.”⁴ More likely, however, is that Frank and Maria were enslaved by one of Robert Love’s neighbors. An1860 slave schedule lists John Dark, Willis Dark, and Henry (sp?) Dark as owning slaves.⁵ The Dark surname may have become associated with Frank and Maria, and after emancipation the two chose to labor on Robert Love’s farm. By the 1880 census, Frank is listed as being 26 years old and living in Baldwin Township, Chatham County. He was working as farmer, and is listed as a widower. Curiously, the census entry goes on to list Caroline (wife, age 25, keeping house), Harry (son, age 6 months), and Robert (son, age 3 months), all with lines drawn through their names.⁶ No additional information for Caroline, Harry, or Robert can be located to assist in understanding this unique entry.

1880 US Census shows Dark Family members crossed out.⁷

On February 19, 1881, Frank married Polly Milliken.⁸ Prior to her marriage to Frank, Polly was married to West Milliken and had three daughters: Julia, Eliza, and Roxanna.⁹ Eliza and Roxanna would go on to take the last name of Dark.¹⁰

Little information is available about the life of Eliza Dark. She was born in 1872 and in 1898 gave birth herself to a daughter, Roxie Anna Dark.¹² In 1900, Eliza and Roxie were living as boarders in the home of Aron and Nancy Delsraffeureidt.¹³ Roxie Anna would marry and go on to have seven children of her own (see below). Eliza’s name disappears from the written record until her death on 1 January 1934.¹⁴

Roxanna “Roxie” Dark was born in 1876.¹⁵ She married John Overby, age 25, on 12 January 1898.¹⁶ They eventually moved to Granville County, NC, and had four children together—Lucius, Theo Otis, Bettie, and Edna—before John died in 1909/10.¹⁷ By 1920, Roxie had married Ed Davis, age 65. They lived with Roxie’s children by John Overby and three children of their own: Moses, Ola May, and Elson (or Aaron). Ed’s granddaughter, Elizabeth (1 year old) lived with them as well.¹⁸ Ed died in October, 1923, and a year later, Roxie married Robert “Bob” Cannady.¹⁹ Roxie remained in Granville County and lived with Moses and Aaron until her death on 8 August 1953.²⁰ Curiously, Roxie’s parents are listed as Essex and Judy Strong, not Frank or Polly Dark.²¹ Essex and Judy Strong did live in Granville County, but no evidence exists that Roxie was their daughter.²² It is possible that Roxie and her family had close ties to the Strongs and considered them family. Moses Davis, the informant on Roxie’s death certificate, may not have known Roxie’s biological parents and chosen the Strongs to fill this role.

Frank and Polly had four children of their own: Dianna and James born in May 1884, John born in February 1887, and Corina born in February 1890.²³ It is notable that in the 1900 census, Polly is listed as having birthed ten children with eight of them surviving.²⁴ By the 1910 census, only five of her children had survived.²⁵

Dianna Dark was the first child born to Frank and Polly Dark.²⁶ It is possible that she was a twin to her brother, James, but due to the lack of available records on James we cannot be certain. One possibility for this lack of records is that James was one of Polly’s five children to have passed away by 1910. Death records were not required statewide in North Carolina until October 1913.²⁷ On 31 March 1907, Dianna married George Norwood; the ceremony was performed in Frank and Polly’s home.²⁸ As with James, no additional documentation is available for Dianna after her marriage to George. Could she too have passed away at a young age?

Frank and Polly’s third child was John. By 1910, he was working as a brick layer; he was married to Lela Baldwin; and they had the first of their seven children, John Jr.²⁹ John had various jobs through the years, but at the time of his passing—on 18 May 1926, from a ruptured appendix—he was a factory worker at Liggett & Myers Tobacco company.

Corina Dark was the couple’s youngest child. Corina married Orange “Lee” Christmas of Durham NC on 11 August 1912.³⁰ Their first two children, Frank and Alvester, died as infants and were laid to rest in the Oddfellows Cemetery in Winston-Salem NC.³¹ The couple continued to live in Winston-Salem, where Lee worked as a Press Operator.³² They went on to raise seven children together before Lee’s death on 30 September 1939.³³ After Lee’s passing, Corina and her children resided at 1117 Gray Street in Winston-Salem, where she was employed as a seamstress in a sewing room project.³⁴ Corina died in September 1972 and was buried in Mount Lawn Cemetery, Philadelphia.³⁵

Frank and Polly remained in Chatham County, farming the land for 24 years before moving to Durham and residing at 804 Cameron Street.³⁶ In 1910, Frank owned his home on “Graded School Street” (probably Thaxton Street) and was doing odd jobs in the community while Polly worked as a washer woman. Their daughter Corina and a niece, Rachel Hargrave, lived with them.³⁷ The date of Polly’s passing is unknown as no further documentation is available for her after the 1910 census. What we do know is that Frank went on to marry again, this time to Mandy Jane Mason on 20 June 1915. Frank was 61 years old, and Mandy was 53.³⁸ According to various Durham city directories, the couple resided at multiple homes in Durham during their time together, including 209 Tatum Alley and 605 Pine Street.³⁹ Frank and Mandy shared nine years together before his passing on 4 April 1924. He was 75 years old.⁴⁰

BORN: 1849.⁴²

DIED: 4 Apr 1924.⁴³

BIRTH PLACE: Chatham County, NC.⁴⁴

DEATH PLACE: County Home, Durham NC.⁴⁵

SPOUSE: Polly Milliken, Mandy Jane Mason.⁴⁶

PARENTS: Lee Dark and Julia Jones.⁴⁷

CHILDREN: Dianna, James, John, Corina.⁴⁸

OTHER FAMILY: Stepchildren Eliza, Roxie, and Julia Milliken.⁴⁹

FAMILY BURIED IN GEER CEMETERY: N/A

OCCUPATION: Farmer.⁵⁰

CHURCH: N/A

AFFILIATIONS: N/A

ADDRESS: 605 Pine Street.⁵¹

MILITARY SERVICE: N/A

Notes

1
Frank Dark Death Certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/343551:1121 : accessed on 24 Nov. 2022. Original data: North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. North Carolina Death Certificates. Microfilm S.123. Rolls 19-242, 280, 313-682, 1040-1297. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.
2
Frank Dark: Federal Census: Year: 1870; Census Place: Pittsboro Road North Side, Chatham, North Carolina; Roll: M593_1129; Page: 167B. 1870 U.S. census, population schedules. NARA microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/19899298:7163 : accessed on 24 Nov 2022.
3
Slave Schedule: 1850: The National Archives in Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Eighth Census of the United States 1860; Series Number: M653; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7668/images/ncm653_921-0231 : accessed on 10 Dec 2022.
4
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/African_American_Census :accessed on 31 Dec 2022.
5
Slave Schedule: 1850.
6
Federal Census: Year: 1880; Census Place: Baldwin, Chatham, North Carolina; Roll: 957; Page: 16D; Enumeration District: 021. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/43013014:6742 : accessed on 24 Nov 2022. Original data: Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
7
Federal Census: Year: 1880.
8
Polly Milliken: Marriage Registry: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/9132436:60548 : accessed on 25 Nov 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.
9
Polly Milliken: Federal Census: Year: 1870; Census Place: Pittsboro Road North Side, Chatham, North Carolina; Roll: M593_1129; Page: 165A. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/22817845:7163 : accessed on 25 Nov. 2022. Original data:1870 U.S. census, population schedules. NARA microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

Polly Milliken: Federal Census: Year: 1880; Census Place: Baldwin, Chatham, North Carolina; Roll: 957; Page: 16C; Enumeration District: 021. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/14344480:6742 : accessed on 25 Nov. 2022. Original data: Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
10
Eliza Dark: Death Certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1178619:1121 : accessed on 3 Dec 2022. Original data: North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. North Carolina Death Certificates. Microfilm S.123. Rolls 19-242, 280, 313-682, 1040-1297. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Roxie Dark: Marriage Certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/13634473:60548? : accessed on 3 Dec 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.
11
Shared on Ancestry by Stephanie Golden. https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/4885268/person/222444708474/media/00a5c9e4-6de1-4b82-8692-ccbf58afa108 : accessed 6 Feb 2023.
12
Eliza Dark: Death Certificate.

Roxie Anna Dark Small: Death Certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/751504784:1121 : accessed on 15 Jan 2023. Original data: North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. North Carolina Death Certificates. Microfilm S.123. Rolls 19-242, 280, 313-682, 1040-1297. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.
13
Eliza Dark: Federal Census: Year: 1900; Census Place: Centre, Chatham, North Carolina; Roll: 1188; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0006; FHL microfilm: 1241188. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/50088503:7602
14
Eliza Dark: Death Certificate.
15
1900 US Census.
16
Roxie Dark: Marriage Certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/13634473:60548 : accessed on 3 Dec. 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.
17
Roxie Overby: Federal Census: Year: 1910; Census Place: Sassafras Fork, Granville, North Carolina; Roll: T624_1113; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 0087; FHL microfilm: 1375126. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/20548071:7884 : accessed on 3 Dec. 2022. Original data: Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: https://www.archives.gov/research/census.
18
Roxie Davis: Federal Census: Year: 1920; Census Place: Stovall, Granville, North Carolina; Roll: T625_1301; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 122. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/66417344:6061 :accessed on 2 Jan. 2023.
19
Ed Davis: Death Certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2271679:1121 :accessed on 5 Jan 2023. Original data: North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. North Carolina Death Certificates. Microfilm S.123. Rolls 19-242, 280, 313-682, 1040-1297. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Roxie Davis: Marriage Registry: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/9212630:60548 :accessed on 3 Jan. 2023. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.
20
Roxie Cannady: Death Certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1391108:1121 :accessed on 3 Jan. 2023. Original data: North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. North Carolina Death Certificates. Microfilm S.123. Rolls 19-242, 280, 313-682, 1040-1297. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.
21
Roxie Cannady: Death Certificate.
22
Essex Strong: Federal Census: Year: 1880; Census Place: Oak Hill, Granville, North Carolina; Roll: 965; Page: 474C; Enumeration District: 104. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/14531145:6742 :accessed on 15 Jan 2023.
23
Federal Census: Year: 1900; Census Place: Baldwin, Chatham, North Carolina; Roll: 1188; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 0002; FHL microfilm: 1241188. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/50082066:7602 : accessed on 24 Nov. 2022. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.
24
Federal Census: Year: 1900, Baldwin.
25
Federal Census: Year: 1910; Census Place: Durham, Durham, North Carolina; Roll: T624_1108; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 0033; FHL microfilm: 1375121. Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/20475495:7884 : accessed on 24 Nov. 2022. Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: https://www.archives.gov/research/census.
26
Federal Census: Year: 1900, Baldwin.
27
https://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/blog/2021/04/05/vital-records-north-carolina-death-certificates : accessed 7 Feb 2023.
28
Dianna Dark: Marriage Certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/13022451:60548? : 1 Dec 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.
29
John Dark: Federal Census: Year: 1910; Census Place: Durham, Durham, North Carolina; Roll: T624_1108; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 0033; FHL microfilm: 1375121. Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: https://www.archives.gov/research/census. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/152547247:7884 : accessed on 25 Nov 2022.

Lela Baldwin Dark: Funeral Program: https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/23991?ln=en : accessed on 15 Jan 2023.
30
Corina Dark: Marriage Registry: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1285445:60548 : accessed on 15 Jan 2023. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.
31
Frank Christmas: Death Certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Deaths, 1906-1930 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/377188:60090 : accessed on 2 Dec 2022. Original data: North Carolina, Deaths, 1906-1930. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.

Alvester Christmas: Death Certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/751730961:1121? : accessed on 2 Dec 2022. Original data: North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. North Carolina Death Certificates. Microfilm S.123. Rolls 19-242, 280, 313-682, 1040-1297. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.
32
Corina Christmas: Federal Census: Year: 1930; Census Place: Winston-Salem, Forsyth, North Carolina; Page: 28B; Enumeration District: 0051; FHL microfilm: 2341424. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/76994586:6224 : accessed on 2 Dec 2022. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.
33
Corina Christmas: Federal Census: Year: 1930.

Corina Christmas: Federal Census: Year: 1940; Census Place: Winston-Salem, Forsyth, North Carolina; Roll: m-t0627-02910; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 34-70. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/153612126:2442 : accessed on 2 Dec 2022. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.

Orange Lee Christmas: Death Certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1632833:1121 : accessed on 15 Jan 2023. Original data: North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. North Carolina Death Certificates. Microfilm S.123. Rolls 19-242, 280, 313-682, 1040-1297. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.
34
Corina Christmas: Federal Census: year: 1940.
35
“Corina Dark Christmas,” Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/145381927/corina-christmas : accessed on 15 Jan 2023.
36
Title: Durham, North Carolina, City Directory, 1905. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/729831868:2469 : accessed on 25 Nov. 2022. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
37
Federal Census: Year: 1910.
38
Mandy Jane Mason: Marriage Registry: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1285603:60548 : accessed on 25 Nov 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.
39
Title: Durham, North Carolina, City Directory, 1919. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/723940151:2469 : accessed on 25 Nov 2022.

“209 Tatum Place/Pipe Street,” Open Durham (Durham NC). https://www.opendurham.org/buildings/209-tatum-place-pipe-st : accessed on 8 Feb 2023.

Title: Durham, North Carolina, City Directory, 1923. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/722247235:2469 : accessed on 25 Nov 2022.
40
Frank Dark: Death Certificate.
41
Geer Cemetery (800 Colonial St, Durham, NC), photographed by Friends of Geer Cemetery, 9 Mar 2021. Used by permission.
42
Frank Dark: Death Certificate.
43
Frank Dark: Death Certificate.
44
Frank Dark: Death Certificate.
45
Frank Dark: Death Certificate.
46
Polly Milliken: Marriage Registry. Mandy Jane Mason: Marriage Registry.
47
Frank Dark: Death Certificate.
48
Federal Census: Year: 1900.
49
Federal Census: Years: 1870 and 1880.
50
Federal Census: Year: 1880.
51
Durham City Directory: 1923.