BARBEE, SAMUEL

Samuel Barbee was born on 15 March 1872 in Johnston County NC to Joseph and Louisa McCullers Barbee.¹Birthdate: Samuel Barbee headstone: Geer Cemetery (800 Colonial St, Durham, NC), photographed by Open Durham, 15 Mar 2023. Used by permission.

Mother’s maiden name: Julius Barbee death certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1467939:1121 : accessed 29 May 2013. 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.

By 1880, he was living in the small rural community of Pleasant Grove in Johnston County with his older brother Julius and two younger sisters, Clara and Martha.²1880 US Census Pleasant Grove. He was later joined by three more sisters: Emma, Pattie, and Viola.³Year: 1900; Census Place: Durham, Durham, North Carolina; Roll: 1193; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0026. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/68132809:7602 : accessed 29 May 2013. 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. In Pleasant Grove, the Barbees were farmers, so Samuel likely grew up helping his family with various farming tasks. By 1892, the family had migrated to Durham and were living on Corporation Street in North Durham.⁴Ramsey’s Durham Directory, for the Year 1892 (Durham, NC; Ramsey, N. A., 1892) p. 171, Barbee surname; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/25120: accessed 29 May 2013). Perhaps they were drawn by the promise of work with the booming tobacco factories and industry.

On 26 December 1895, Samuel Barbee married Annie Brown, with Rev. Paul Yancey, the pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, officiating.⁵Ancestry.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/1274660:60548 : accessed 30 May 2013. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC. At first the newlyweds were working class; they moved into a rented home and both worked in the city’s factories. However, in 1906, the couple had saved enough money to purchase property at the corner of Pine Street and Piedmont Avenue, in the neighborhood then called “Doom’s Hill” and now known as Southside.⁶Deeds: Durham County Deed Book 36: 420; Book 36: 551.
(https://rodweb.dconc.gov/web/search/DOCSEARCH5S1)

Neighborhood: Durham, NC Directory 1909-1910 (Durham, NC: Hill Directory Company, 1909-1910) p. 49, Barbee surname; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/25158 : accessed 31 May 2023). Samuel began working as a bricklayer and Annie as a homemaker.⁷Durham NC Directory 1909-1910 p. 49. The Barbees’ ability to buy a home and the fact that Annie did not have to work outside the household were markers of status and success that placed them squarely in Durham’s growing Black middle class.

In 1915, Samuel Barbee founded a funeral service company with Johnson Ray known as Ray & Barbee.⁸The Morning Herald (Durham NC), 15 Aug 1915, p. 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/73337933/?terms=Barbee&match=1 : accessed 31 May 2023. Over the years, the company grew, taking on new employees, and they changed their name to Barbee, Williams, Dunnegan and Company in 1919.⁹The Morning Herald (Durham NC), 23 Oct 1919, p. 6. https://www.newspapers.com/image/787294849/ : accessed 31 May 2023. By 1922, it was known as Samuel B. Barbee and Company.¹⁰Durham, NC Directory 1922 (Durham, NC: Hill Directory Company, 1922) p. 63, search for “Funeral Directors”; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/25156 : accessed 31 May 2023). In addition to his work as an undertaker, Samuel Barbee was also on the Board of Trustees of the Fraternal Bank and Trust, which served Durham’s Black community and later merged with Mechanics and Farmers Bank. The list of officers and trustees for the Fraternal Bank and Trust in 1921 includes many of Black Durham’s most prominent citizens, including members of the Shepard, Pearson, and Strudwick families.¹¹The Durham Morning Herald (Durham NC), 13 Jul 1921, p. 6. https://www.newspapers.com/image/788350837/ : accessed 31 May 2023.

Samuel and Annie were active in their community, particularly as members of the long-standing White Rock Baptist Church. Annie, in fact, was listed on the honor roll of members who had given weekly to the church in October, November, and December, 1927.¹²White Rock Baptist Church Bulletin (Durham NC), 1 Jan 1928.

Samuel Barbee passed away on 9 May 1928, predeceasing Annie, who died on 18 January 1935.¹³Samuel Barbee death certificate. They had no children. Samuel is buried in Geer Cemetery along with Annie, his older brother Julius, and his sister, Emma Barbee Howell.

BORN: 15 March 1872.¹⁵Samuel Barbee headstone.

DIED: 9 May 1928.¹⁶Samuel Barbee death certificate.

BIRTH PLACE: Pleasant Grove, Johnston County.¹⁷1880 US Census Pleasant Grove.

DEATH PLACE: Durham NC.¹⁸Samuel Barbee death certificate.

SPOUSE: Annie Brown Barbee.¹⁹Julius Barbee death certificate.

PARENTS: Joseph Barbee (a.k.a. Barber) and Louisa McCullers Barbee.²⁰Samuel Barbee marriage record.

CHILDREN: N/A

OTHER FAMILY: Siblings: Julius Barbee, Clara Barbee, Martha Barbee, Emma Barbee Howard, Pattie Barbee, Viola Barbee.²¹1880 US Census Pleasant Grove, 1900 US Census Durham.

FAMILY BURIED IN GEER CEMETERY: Wife: Annie Brown Barbee; Siblings: Julius Barbee, Emma Barbee Howell; Brother-in-Law: Mance/Manse Howell; great-niece and nephew: Infants Thomas and Emma Howell.

OCCUPATION: Bricklayer, undertaker.²²Bricklayer: Durham, NC Directory 1909-1910 p. 49.

Undertaker: The Morning Herald (Durham NC), 15 Aug 1915.

CHURCH: White Rock Baptist.²³White Rock Baptist Church Directory (Durham NC), 1926.

AFFILIATIONS: On the Board of Trustees of Fraternal Bank and Trust (later merged with Mechanics & Farmers).²⁴The Durham Morning Herald (Durham NC), 13 Jul 1921.

ADDRESS: 806 Fargo Street.²⁵Samuel Barbee death certificate.

MILITARY SERVICE: N/A