The Davis family lived on Postal Route #1 of Laurel (Myrick receives its mail from the Laurel Post Office), east of Big Bogue Homo Creek, very close to the county line. For modern day equivalence, the family home was likely on what is now Myrick Strengthford Road, Mill Creek Road less likely. The Davis family home was a farm on land owned, not rented, by the family. Lucille’s painting of the house shows a small, raised wooden structure, painted white with a red roof and two chimneys.
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Their living situation could be summarized as being, according to Diana, “poor dirt farmers.” The family was poor, but they made ends meet by working the land, growing whatever they needed for themselves. This included, but was not limited to, corn and cotton. Everyone helped on the farm, with the possible exception of Rubye Faye. They were average farming people.
Charles and his siblings all finished school at or graduated from Myrick High School (now torn down), but the older children previously attended school in Strengthford, Wayne County, which is right across the county line. Charles would attend high school for two years, John Harold for three, before leaving to help the family. |
Leaving school to help the family constituted certain things. For one, they contributed more time to work on the farm. John Harold would pass down many farm stories to Diana, one being that him and Charles would spend dawn to dusk taking the family wagon (not car) to the Laurel mercantile store to load their farm stuff. At the end of the day, they would sleep on the floor, taking the wagon back home the next day. For two, the men might get a job: Charles himself worked at Masonite. The family would not have a car until the late 1940s.
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For fun, Charles and John Harold played basketball. In fact, they both played on the high school team, the Myrick Maroon Panthers.
The entire family worshipped at Mill Creek Church of God (including David Phipps Lawson when he married into the family). It was a close-knit family. However, they would hold their funerals at Myrick Baptist Church, the family grave plot being down the street at Myrick Cemetery. Davis, Jr., Ruby Lee, John Harold, Earlene, Rubye Faye, Edith Mae, and Jackearl are buried together there. Charles would have many girlfriends. Coincidentally, up to the point of his draft for World War II, he was dating the aunt of Charles Cooley, husband of Diana. |