Onslow County History
This is the last installment in my series of randomness and researching local history. From the last post, we discovered an African American farmer named John Grice buried in the Caucasian Huggins Family Cemetery. I tried to dive in to find his connection to the Huggins family.
John E. Grice the Farmer
John was born between 1883 and 1888. His year of birth is questionable due to different censuses that listed him with different birth years. However, his death certificate stated his birth year as 1888. He was born in Craven County, North Carolina to Moses Grice and Ella Harris Grice, both born in Onslow County. He died 21 Nov 1935 of chronic nephritis. His death certificate stated that he was buried the next day at “Huggins Place by friends.” In order for John Grice to be buried in the Huggins family cemetery plot, there must be some connection to the Huggins/Canaday family. So let’s work this backwards…
Census Records
Since John died in 1935 and we’ve viewed his death certificate, the next document reviewed was the 1930 census. In 1930, John lived on a farm he rented with his wife Lula McLamb Grice and children on Highway 24 (no cross street listed). His children were Susie (b. 1912), Donzie (b. 30 May 1913), Marvin Woodrow (b. 26 Nov 1914), Viola (b. 1918), Daisy Bell (b. 24 Sep 1921) and Eula (b. 1924). From maps viewed, this area was still within the downtown Jacksonville area near Railroad, Ann, New Bridge and Old Bridge Streets.
In 1920, John Grice lived on New Bridge Street in a rented home with his wife and four children – Charlie (b. 1904), Beatrice (b. 17 Feb 1909), Susie (b. 1912) and Donzie (b. 30 May 1913). John worked as a laborer. Old Bridge and Railroad Streets are within the radius of the Huggins Family Cemetery. Were they friends or neighbors? Did John Grice work for the Huggins/Canaday families? Inquiring minds want to know!
Unfortunately, John and his family could not be located on the 1910 census. John was married by 1910 because his son Charlie was born in 1904; however, no record for Lula Grice could be located either. I found a death certificate for their daughter Beatrice who died 29 July 1923 and is also buried at the Huggins Farm (that was a surprise).
In 1900, John lived in the household with his parents Moses Grice and Ella Harris Grice and siblings David (b. 1883), Hannah (b. 1890), and Moses Jr. (1893). His parents got married in 1884. Moses worked as a farm laborer who rented a house eight homes away from the families of John Huggins and Tina Huggins, the African American Huggins! The plot thickens!
Death Certificates Can Tell A Story
A total of four African American Grices had Huggins Farm listed as their cemetery:
- Moses Grice, Jr. (1921-1924)
- John Grice (1888-1935)
- Beatrice Grice (1909-1923)
- Lelly Grice (1900-1923)
This information led me to one conclusion – the Grice family had to be enslaved by the Huggins family (death certificates weren’t required in North Carolina until 1913 so there might have been more Grices buried on the Huggins Farm). We knew from Part 1 that Owen Huggins, inferred uncle of Augustus Cicero Huggins, owned slaves so this should not be a surprise. Because so many African Americans were buried on land that they did not own, this is one reasonable possibility. Another possibility is that the Grice family were sharecroppers on Huggins land. Either way, it is comforting to know that the Huggins family showed kindness by allowing them space to bury their dead.
The Conclusion
Now, do you remember the original question I posed in Part 1 of my randomness (It’s ok if you don’t remember – after all it was 25 March 2022)? My question pertained to wondering if the current resting place for Augustus Huggins in the middle of Downtown Jacksonville in an obscure plot was the family land of the Huggins Family? Well, after reviewing the North Carolina Land Grant Files, 1693-1960 for Onslow County on Ancestry, I found that Owen Huggins owned 370 acres of land in Onslow County, most of it near the New River Inlet and Downtown Jacksonville area. That acreage would be the same area where those gravestones are now. So yes! It was family land. Whew…mystery solved!
Sidebar
Thank you for indulging me with my 4-part series! I encourage everyone to start researching local history in their hometown, either by going to your county/state museum (mine is Onslow County Museum) or your local library which usually has a local history and genealogy section. This goes to show you how far I am willing to research a genealogical question. If you are interested in knowing more about your family history and would like me to do the research for you, click here for more information.