{"id":2020,"date":"2022-08-21T13:38:14","date_gmt":"2022-08-21T17:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/friendsofgeercemetery.org\/?p=2020"},"modified":"2022-08-21T13:58:19","modified_gmt":"2022-08-21T17:58:19","slug":"james-armstead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/friendsofgeercemetery.org\/index.php\/2022\/08\/21\/james-armstead\/","title":{"rendered":"ARMSTEAD, JAMES E."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

5 January 1880\u201324 April 1944<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Last updated: 20 Aug 2022<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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James E. Armstead was born in Farmville, Prince Edward County, VA, on 5 January 1880.1<\/a><\/sup>Year: 1880; Census Place: Farmville, Prince Edward, Virginia; Roll: 1384; Page: 257C; Enumeration District: 189. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints \u00a9 Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. All use is subject to the limited use license and other terms and conditions applicable to this site. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/12473489:6742<\/a>: accessed 7 Ayg 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.

\n\n\n\nDate: James Armstead death certificate: North Carolina State Archives; Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina 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\/1555950:1121<\/a>: accessed 9 Aug 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. Note that the year is wrong; had he been born in 1881, he could not have appeared in the 1880 census.<\/span> His parents, Patrick and Margaret Armstead, don\u2019t appear on any census before 1870, making it likely that they had been enslaved. The Slave Schedules for 1860 list three slaveholders in Prince Edward VA named Armstead, including a John Armstead with 33 enslaved people.2<\/a><\/sup>Query: https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/search\/collections\/7668\/?name=_Armistead&count=50&residence=_prince+edward-virginia-usa_2436&residence_x=_1-0<\/a>

\n\n\n\nJohn Armstead: 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. Ancestry.com. 1860 U.S. Federal Census – Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/imageviewer\/collections\/7668\/images\/vam653_1396-0092<\/a>: accessed 12 Aug 2022. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1860. M653, 1,438 rolls.<\/span> A document recording Patrick\u2019s third marriage gives his father\u2019s name as John Armstead.3<\/a><\/sup>Patrick and Shelby Armstead marriage: Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2014 https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/4895398:60214:<\/a> accessed 9 Aug 2022. Original data: Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

James was the fifth of seven children that Patrick had with Margaret, including Pattie (b. 1872), Lizzie (b. 1874), unknown male (b 1875), Britania (b. 1877), Essie (male, b. 1882), and Robert (b. 1884).4<\/a><\/sup>Britania and older: 1880 US Census Farmville.

\n\n\n\nEssie and Robert: Year: 1900; Census Place: Farmville, Prince Edward, Virginia; Roll: 1723; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0075; FHL microfilm: 1241723. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/72222060:7602<\/a>: accessed 7 Aug 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.<\/span> Margaret died sometime between 1884 and 1898, when Patrick married Sarah E. Paterson. The marriage certificate shows Patrick\u2019s mother as \u201cJ. Armstead,\u201d and no father is listed.5<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2014. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/3925320:60214<\/a>: accessed 7 Aug 2022. Original data: Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.<\/span> Patrick and Sarah went on to have a child of their own, Nathaniel, in 1902.6<\/a><\/sup>Year: 1910; Census Place: Farmville, Prince Edward, Virginia; Roll: T624_1642; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0101; FHL microfilm: 1375655. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/29441366:7884:<\/a> accessed 7 Aug 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: NARA.<\/span> Patrick, widowed again, married a third time, on 5 Oct 1908, to Shelby (or possibly Silvie) Randolph, who was 26.7<\/a><\/sup>Marriage: Patrick and Shelby Armstead marriage.

\n\n\n\nName Silvie and age: 1910 US Census Farmville.<\/span> This marriage document shows Patrick\u2019s father as John Armstead, and his mother as \u201cJennie.\u201d Patrick died of natural causes at age 76 on 4 March 1921, in Farmville, where he was born. The informant on his death certificate is Patricia James, probably the married name of his daughter Pattie.8<\/a><\/sup> Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/imageviewer\/collections\/9278\/images\/43004_162028001249_0111-00443:<\/a> accessed 8 Aug 2022. Original data: Virginia, Deaths, 1912\u20132014. Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t know where his son James met Mary Overby, but we do know that they married on 23 May 1901 in Prince Edward County.9<\/a><\/sup>ames Armstead marriage record: Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2014. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/5107188:60214:<\/a> accessed 7 Aug 2022. Original data: Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.<\/span> The next we see of James, in the 1907 Durham City Directory, he had moved into the Overby family home at 507 Pine Street in Durham. This is also the first record we have of his working as a barber; apparently he owned his own business at 203 East Main Street.10<\/a><\/sup>Durham, NC Directory 1907-1908<\/em> (Durham, NC: Hill Directory Company, 1907-1908) p. 307, Armstead surname; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https:\/\/lib.digitalnc.org\/record\/25126<\/a> : accessed 11 Aug 2022).<\/span> By 1918, he was working for the Martin and Leach barber shop.11<\/a><\/sup>Registration State: North Carolina; Registration County: Durham County. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/16191711:64822:<\/a> accessed 9 Aug 2022. Original data: United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microfilm.<\/span> Like his father, James seemed to enjoy stability\u2014from his arrival in Durham on, he would pursue the same profession, and live in the same house, and stay married to the same woman, until he died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James and Mary had two daughters, Ruby (b. 1903) and Amy (b. 1907.12<\/a><\/sup>1910 US Census Durham ED 39: Year: 1910; Census Place: Durham Ward 3, Durham, North Carolina; Roll: T624_1108; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 0039; FHL microfilm: 1375121. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/20479777:7884<\/a>: accessed 7 Aug 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: NARA.<\/span> When Mary\u2019s sister Sallie <\/a>died in 1918, James and Mary adopted her daughter Friendrica<\/a> (b. 1908) and raised her until her sudden death from tuberculosis on 25 Mar 1920.13<\/a><\/sup>Sallie Yancey 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\/1736620:1121:<\/a> accessed 27 Jul 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.

\n\n\n\nAdoption: Year: 1920; Census Place: Durham Ward 3, Durham, North Carolina; Roll: T625_1292; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 55. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/27190222:6061<\/a>: accessed 7 Aug 2022. Original data: Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 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: NARA. Note: Enumeration Districts 819-839 are on roll 323 (Chicago City).

\n\n\n\nFriendrica Deyancy [sic] Death Cerfificate: North Carolina State Archives; Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina death certificates. 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\/1851309:1121:<\/a> accessed 10 Aug 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.<\/span> They also took in Jacob Overby (b. 1897), Mary’s late brother Anderson’s son.14<\/a><\/sup>Year: 1920; Census Place: Durham Ward 3, Durham, North Carolina; Roll: T625_1292; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 55. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/27190222:6061:<\/a> accessed 7 Aug 2022. Original data: Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 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: NARA. Note: Enumeration Districts 819-839 are on roll 323 (Chicago City).<\/span> Mary\u2019s mother Amy, the family matriarch, also shared the house with them until her death on 13 July 1932, at somewhere between 95 and 101 years old.15<\/a><\/sup>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\/imageviewer\/collections\/1121\/images\/S123_1086-0063?pId=1853646<\/a>: accessed 21 Jul 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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

James continued to work as a barber until his death on 24 April 1944.16<\/a><\/sup>James Armstead death certificate.<\/span> From 1936 on, he was the owner of the Court Square Barber Shop at 130 E. Main in downtown Durham, on the SE corner of Church Street, in the basement.17<\/a><\/sup>Hill’s Durham (Durham County, NC) City Directory 1936-1937<\/em> (Durham, NC: Hill Directory Company, 1936) p. 168, search \u201csquare barber\u201d; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https:\/\/lib.digitalnc.org\/record\/25141<\/a> : accessed 11 Aug 2022).<\/span> He\u2019d previously run the Excelsior Barber Shop, a few doors away at 112 Church.18<\/a><\/sup>Hill’s Durham (Durham County, NC) City Directory 1935<\/em> (Durham, NC: Hill Directory Company, 1935) p. 176, search \u201cexcelsior\u201d; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https:\/\/lib.digitalnc.org\/record\/25147<\/a> : accessed 11 Aug 2022).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary died on 10 Oct 1967; she\u2019d been living with her daughter, Ruby Dasher, at 1016 Cana Street in Durham.19<\/a><\/sup>Mary Armstead death certificate: North Carolina State Archives; Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina death certificates. 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\/450444246:1121:<\/a> accessed 7 Aug 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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruby married Dr. John Milton Dasher Jr., a physician and surgeon, on 23 June 1930 in Durham, with her parents as witnesses.20<\/a><\/sup>Series: Marriage Register (1882 – 1975). 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\/2356697:60548<\/a>: accessed 9 Aug 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.<\/span> They had a daughter, Mary A. Dasher, in 1932, then divorced.21<\/a><\/sup>Marital status \u201cD\u201d for \u201dDivorced\u201d in the 1940 US Census: Year: 1940; Census Place: Durham, Durham, North Carolina; Roll: m-t0627-02902; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 32-22. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/154825583:2442:<\/a> accessed 9 Aug 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.<\/span> By 1940, Ruby was back in the family home with her father, mother, and daughter, working as a schoolteacher.22<\/a><\/sup>1940 US Census Durham 32-22.<\/span> On 12 June 1947 Mary T., Ruby\u2019s mother, sold her the house on Pine Street on the condition that Ruby would support her and maintain the house until Mary T.\u2019s death.23<\/a><\/sup>Durham County Register of Deeds: Self Service Web. Book 173: 232.  https:\/\/rodweb.dconc.gov\/web\/document\/DOCCOPR-100016687-0<\/a>: accessed 10 Aug 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy married Major (his given name, not a military rank) Courts, a clerk at a general store, in Reidsville, Rockingham County, on 4 Mar 1938.24<\/a><\/sup>Marriage: Series: Marriage Register (1811 – 1948). 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\/8295809:60548:<\/a> accessed 10 Aug 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.

\n\n\n\nClerk: Year: 1940; Census Place: Ruffin, Rockingham, North Carolina; Roll: m-t0627-02967; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 79-35. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/159612320:2442:<\/a> accessed 10 Aug 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.<\/span> The couple lived in Rockingham County until Major\u2019s death on 14 January 1963.25<\/a><\/sup>Residence: United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Ruffin, Rockingham, North Carolina; Roll: 1022; Sheet Number: 8; Enumeration District: 79-63. Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/147547400:62308<\/a>: accessed 12 Aug 2022. Original data: Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. 1913-1\/1\/1972. Population Schedules for the 1950 Census, 1950 – 1950. Washington, DC: National Archives at Washington, DC. Population Schedules for the 1950 Census, 1950 – 1950. NAID: 43290879. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 – 2007, Record Group 29. National Archives at Washington, DC., Washington, DC.

\n\n\n\nDeath date: Find a Grave. https:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/memorial\/84722723\/major-allan-courts<\/a>: accessed 12 Aug 2022.<\/span> (Curiously, Amy is also shown in the Durham City Directories for 1946 and 1948\u2014but not 1947.26<\/a><\/sup>1946:  Hill’s Durham (Durham County, NC) City Directory 1946<\/em> (Durham, NC: Hill Directory Company, 1946) p. 108, Courts surname; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https:\/\/lib.digitalnc.org\/record\/25168<\/a> : accessed 11 Aug 2022).

\n\n\n\n1948: Hill’s Durham (Durham County, NC) City Directory 1948<\/em> (Durham, NC: Hill Directory Company, 1948) p. 128, Courts surname; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https:\/\/lib.digitalnc.org\/record\/25164<\/a> : accessed 11 Aug 2022).<\/span>  It\u2019s possible that the family asked her to make some extended visits in the aftermath of her father James\u2019s death in 1944.) Eleven days after Major\u2019s death, Amy married a second time, to retired farmer Rafe Johnson Jr. on 25 Jan 1963 in Reidsville.27<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Index, 1741-2004 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/623949:8909:<\/a> accessed 10 Aug 2022. Original data: Dodd, Jordan, Liahona Research, comp. (P.O. Box 740, Orem, Utah 84059) from county marriage records on microfilm located at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, in published books cataloged by the Library of Congress, or county records in possession of the individual county clerks or courthouses. North Carolina State Archives. North Carolina County Marriage Indexes. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina. North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. North Carolina Marriage Index, 1962-2004. North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, Raleigh, North Carolina.<\/span> At this point she was 56. Rafe died on 14 September 1972, and Amy died on 13 December 1980, still in Reidsville.28<\/a><\/sup>Rafe: North Carolina State Archives; Raleigh, North Carolina; North Carolina Death Certificates. Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/451939970:1121: accessed 10 Aug 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.

\n\n\n\nAmy: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Death Indexes, 1908-2004 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/5965894:8908:<\/a> accessed 10 Aug 2022. Original data: North Carolina Deaths, 1997-2004. North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, Raleigh, North Carolina. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. North Carolina Death Records, 1968-1996. North Carolina Vital Records, Raleigh, North Carolina. North Carolina Archives and Records Section. North Carolina County Records, 1908-1967. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.<\/span> Mary\u2019s nephew Jacob, who spent many years in the Overby\/Armstead home, was inducted into the Army on 15 October 1918, less than a month before Armistice Day.29<\/a><\/sup>The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Lists of Men Ordered to Report to Local Board for Military Duty in the District of Columbia; NAI Number: 1159403; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System (World War I), 1917-1939; Record Group Number: 163. Ancestry.com. U.S., Lists of Men Ordered to Report to Local Board for Military Duty, 1917\u20131918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/imageviewer\/collections\/4906\/images\/41550_1821100522_1141-00312?pId=256858:<\/a> accessed 10 Aug 2022. Original data: War Department, Office of the Provost Marshal General, Selective Service System, 1917\u2013 07\/15\/1919. Lists of Men Ordered to Report to Local Board for Military Service, 1917\u20131918. NAI: 578684.Textual records. Records of the Selective Service System (World War I), Record Group 163. National Archives at College Park. College Park, Maryland. U.S.A. War Department, Office of the Provost Marshal General, Selective Service System, 1917\u2013 07\/15\/1919. Lists of Men Ordered to Report to Local Board for Military Duty in the District of Columbia, 1917\u20131918. NAI: 1159403.Textual records. Records of the Selective Service System (World War I), Record Group 163. National Archives at Atlanta. Atlanta, Georgia. U.S.A.<\/span> Afterward he continued to live at the Pine Street home for several years doing manual labor.30<\/a><\/sup>Durham City Directories, 1921-1923.<\/span> He married Dorcas E Peace on 29 May 1921 and left the family home to live on Pickett Street.31<\/a><\/sup>Marriage: Series: Marriage Licenses – Colored (1809 – 1975). 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\/imageviewer\/collections\/60548\/images\/42091_331660-04081<\/a>: accessed 10Aug 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.

\n\n\n\nAddress: Durham, NC Directory 1922<\/em> (Durham, NC: Hill Directory Company, 1922) p. 380, Overby surname; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https:\/\/lib.digitalnc.org\/record\/25156<\/a> : accessed 11 Aug 2022).<\/span> By 1924 he had followed the lead of his uncle James and became a barber, and eventually the manager of the North Carolina Barber Shop.32<\/a><\/sup>Durham City Directories, 1924\u20131928.<\/span>

The last few years of Durham City Directories, ending in 1963, show Mary T. Armstead still living in the family home, with Ruby living there at least as late as 1962. We may never know the exact date that Mary moved to Cana Street. In any case, the story ends as too many Durham stories do, with the bulldozing of the family house in the Hayti neighborhood to make way for the Durham Freeway. In early 1967, the family home was acquired by the Redevelopment Commission of the City of Durham under the power of eminent domain and eventually demolished.33<\/a><\/sup>Durham County Register of Deeds: Self Service Web. Book 329: 552. https:\/\/rodweb.dconc.gov\/web\/document\/DOCCOPR-7273156-0<\/a>: accessed 10 Aug 2022.

\n\n\n\nDurham County Register of Deeds: Self Service Web. Book 330: 605. https:\/\/rodweb.dconc.gov\/web\/document\/DOCCOPR-7273016-0<\/a>: accessed 10 Aug 2022.<\/span> Perhaps it\u2019s merely coincidence that Mary died in October of the year the house was sold.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Geer Cemetery.34<\/a><\/sup>Geer Cemetery (800 Colonial St, Durham, NC), photographed by Friends of Geer Cemetery, 9 Mar 2021. Used by permission.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

BORN<\/strong>: 5 January 1880.35<\/a><\/sup>Year: 1880 US Census Farmville. Day and month: James Armstead death certificate..<\/span>

DIED<\/strong>: 24 April 1944.36<\/a><\/sup>James Armstead death certificate.<\/span>

BIRTH PLACE<\/strong>: Farmville, Prince Edward County, VA.37<\/a><\/sup>1880 US Census Farmville.<\/span>

DEATH PLACE<\/strong>: Durham NC.38<\/a><\/sup>James Armstead death certificate.<\/span>

SPOUSE<\/strong>: Mary Overby.39<\/a><\/sup>James Armstead marriage record.<\/span>

PARENTS<\/strong>: Patrick and Margaret Armstead.40<\/a><\/sup>James Armstead marriage record.<\/span>

CHILDREN<\/strong>: Ruby (b. 1903) and Amy (b. 1907).41<\/a><\/sup>1880 US Census Farmville.<\/span>

OTHER FAMILY<\/strong>: The Overby in-laws on Mary\u2019s side.42<\/a><\/sup>1910 US Census Durham ED 39.<\/span>

FAMILY BURIED IN GEER CEMETERY<\/strong>: Grandmother-in-law Hannah Williamson<\/strong>, mother-in-law Amy Overby<\/strong>, brother-in-law Anderson Overby<\/strong>, sister-in-law Sally Yancey<\/strong>, and adopted daughter Friendrica Yancey<\/strong>.

OCCUPATION<\/strong>: Barber.43<\/a><\/sup>Durham City Directory 1907.<\/span>

CHURCH<\/strong>: N\/A

AFFILIATIONS<\/strong>: N\/A

ADDRESS<\/strong>: 507 Pine Street.44<\/a><\/sup>The address of the family home changed over the years as the city renumbered the houses on Pine Street (later South Roxboro Road). 507 was the address on James\u2019s death certificate.<\/span>

MILITARY SERVICE<\/strong>: N\/A<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Notes<\/h3>