Nancy Jane Elmore was born on November 9, 1863 in Randolph County, North Carolina. Her parents were Parish Garner Elmore, age 24 and Elizabeth Caroline Ellison, age 23. Parish was a worker in the cotton factory, most likely at Randleman. His wife Elizabeth Caroline Ellison worked as a reeler in the cotton factory prior to their marriage. The Ellison and Elmore families lived in close proximity to each other in the community of New Salem. The Elmores moved to the area from Chatham County after 1850. Here is W. S. Lineberry’s description of the New Salem Community.”
From the Courier Tribune Thursday May 10, 1923, page 3
New Salem is one among, if not the oldest towns in the county. It is located a mile east of Randleman on the Greensboro and Hillsboro road. It has never grown to be a large town, but some prominent, and business men have lived and done business in this little village.
At the east end in the forks of the Greensboro and Hillsboro road is the cemetery, and until a few years ago stood the old Quaker church, which was built more than a hundred years ago. This church has been torn down and a Methodist Protestant Church erected. At this old church the Friends used to meet twice a week, on Sunday and Thursdays to worship. The men wore broad brim hats and spike tailed coats. The women wore plain purple dresses with scooped bonnets trimmed with purple. About their shoulders they wore a large silk hankerchief of the same color. They would meet at 11:00 o’clock and sit for an hour so quietly you could hear a pin drop. At the end of this time, some leader of the church would arise, and then they would shake hands and exchange greetings.
The first house at the east end lived Jonathan Vickory, later A.L. Lamb. Uncle Jonathan was a good, honest old man. He ran a smith shop and was always in a good humor. The boys liked to meet here on rainy days to hear him tell jokes. He moved to Indiana in the sixty’s.
Next lived Dr. C. W. Woollen. He was a noted doctor and had a large practice. He married the daughter of Hiram Worth, an Abolitionist preacher. Woollen had a daughter, Ida, who married A.W. Vickery and lives in Florida, and a son Charles, who died in Florida several years ago. Opposite of him lived Mark Albertson, who ran a tin shop. People came for miles to get their coffee pots and tinware. Next was Sammy and Elwood Lineberry. They made buggies and carriages. Sammy was also a preacher. He moved to Indiana where he has several children. Among them the Rev. W.W. Lineberry who has been president of the Methodist Protestent Conference for years and is said to be a noted preacher. Opposite of them lived Peter Dix, a noted and popular man of his day. He had a son James who built the grist mill at Randleman, and was one of the builders and stockholders of the Union, now known as Randleman Mills. Peter Dix had a daughter, Sallie, who married Dr. John M Worth. They lived at New Salem for several years, where he practiced medicine. Dix had another daughter Annie, who married Jesse Walker, one of the stockholders of Union Factory and father of James E. Walker of Asheboro.
Later Frank McCollum, the noted boot maker lived here. Then the blind preacher, Dr. Brantley York who ran a graded school in New Salem several years. On the opposite side lived Addison Worth, who was a merchant. He had a young man, Bill Elliott, for a clerk. One day Worth was looking over his books and found charged to Bill Elliott, a saddle $17.50 fools experience. He made inquiry what it meant, Elliott said one day a man came in and was showing him a trick in cards. Elliott was sure he knew what the top card was and bet the saddle against so much money and when he turned up the card it was a different card, so he charged up the saddle as fool’s experience. Back of Worth’s house some 200 yards is the spring where Naomi Wise met Bill Lewis when he took her to Deep River and drowned her. A few years ago, the stump could still be seen where she got upon Lewis’ horse behind him. On the opposite side from the Worth’s house, N.C. and M Jarrell had a store and in the piazza was where the elections were held. People came for 10 and 15 miles to vote and as New Salem went, so went the county. Here was also the post office, we had mail on Friday going from Greensboro to Asheboro and back on Saturday. People came for 10 to 12 miles for their mail and in time of the war Friday was like a general muster, so many people came for their mail. After N.C. Jarrell moved away Miss Addie Ingold was post mistress.
Next house on the south side lived Wm. B. Vickery. He ran a tan yard and harness shop. From the Naomi Springs he obtained his water for his tannery, which was conveyed to his tannery through a lead pipe some 300 yards.
During the war one night a squad of deserters stole all his pipeing. He then quit the tanning business and devoted the balance of his life to farming. He had three sons and three daughters by his first wife, Joseph C. Vickery, a prominent business man of Bloomingdale, Ind., who died a year ago. H. B. Vickery, who died in Kansas several years ago and A. W. Vickery, who now lies in Florida. His daughters, Mrs. A.L. Lamb and Mrs. W.S. Lineberry live in Randolph and Mrs. H. C. Lambe in Bloomingdale, Ind. He had several children by his last wife, the most of them living in Randolph County. Opposite his house once stood the Masonic Lodge.
Next we come to the Ingold hotel, which was owned by Joel Ingold. He was prominent in his day. He had some intelligent boys; A.W. Ingold who for a number of years was editor and proprietor of the Greensboro Patriot. Later he moved to Yorkville, S. C. and edited the Yorkville Enquirer. He was a fine writer. E. Ingold was the finest boy writer I ever ead after, but he was only 18 years old. F.N. Ingold was express messenger on the railroad for years, but later ran a hotel in Randleman. He was the father of Fred Ingold, of High Point. Miss Addie Ingold the only sister lives in Randleman. Then we come by the Ingold store and bar room (all hotels in that day had bar rooms) where Billy Brown lived. He was a prominent man in his day and was deputy sheriff under the late Sheriff Joe Steed for many years. Opposite his house was the camp ground. On this lot on election days you could find many wagons and cards peddling out their wares of different kinds. Old Miss Davenport would be selling her ginger cakes baked in a dirt oven and they were good too. I never saw any cake that I thought was as good. Then you would see Clark Fentress at the end of his wagon, selling cider, and you would see many wagons selling water melons and that were raised on Muddy Creek and they were such fine melons. Then you could see Miles Lamb with the back gate of his wagon off selling whiskey. You could buy it by the glass or quart or any way, and strange to say you saw but a few men drunk. I don’t remember ever seeing a man drunk at an election. Then the “fiddle” and banjo would be sounding all day and some dancing, others would be playing marbles and out in the bushes you could see some playing cards. These election days were big days. Every man went and voted as he pleased, no buying of votes.
When a boy about 10 years old, my father let me go with him to the election one day. Mother gave me a six pence (we had no nickels then) to buy me a ginger cake and I was very happy. During the day I saw Ephram Whittington come out in the street and Jonathan Frazier was following him with a large cane. Withington was telling him not to follow him, all at once he turned around and with a small pen knife he cut Fraier across his stomache, and Frazier walked off with his bowels in his hands. They took him over to Billy Browns lot and placed him on a table and the doctors sewed him up. This act caused a great deal of excitement and various opinions were expressed. Some thought Whittington would be hung, but I don’t think there was much done about it. Frazier had been a noted fighter and was never whipped, but this cured him and I never heard of his having a fight afterwards.
Nancy Jane Elmore was born in the midst of the War Between the States. Randolph County and the New Salem Community were not slave holding communities and Randolph County voted against secession. There is no indication that Parish Garner Elmore, Nancy Jane’s father, participated in the War as a soldier.
On the day, that Nancy Jane Elmore was born, November 9, 1963 there was an advertisement in the Fayetteville Semi Weekly Observer on page 1. This article indicates the kind of life that a girl of her economic means could hope for (being a servant or working in the textile economy).
In the 1880 census, the Elmore family has moved down Deep River to Cedar Falls where Parish Garner Elmore, the thirty-nine year old father is listed as being a shoemaker. His wife Elizabeth Caroline is keeping house. Seventeen year-old Nancy Jane and her fourteen year-old brother Calvin Laban are working in the cotton mill.
On August 17, 1882, Nancy Jane’s mother, Elizabeth Carolina Ellison Elmore died at the age of 42. She is buried at Mount Lebanon United Methodist Church in Randleman, North Carolina.
On August 26, 1886, Nancy Jane Elmore married Daniel Julian Allred from Franklinville in Randolph County. They soon started a family. Son Arthur Labon was born in 1887. William Henry was born in 1888. John Wesley was born in 1891. Daughter Martha Ada was born in 1894 and Lydola “Dola” was born in 1897. Ada Augustus “Addie” came along in 1900.
On June 26th, 1900 when the census was taken, Nancy Jane Elmore Allred was 39 and she was living with her 35 year old husband, Daniel Julian in the East Franklinville Precinct with her six children. The three oldest children, Arthur Laban, William Henry, and John Wesley had attended school three or four months out of the year. The three girls, Martha Ada, Lydola and Addie were not old enough being 5 years old, 2 years old and 10 months. The adults could read and write and the two oldest sons could read or write. Nine-year old John Wesley had not yet mastered the task according to the census taker. Nancy Jane had no other occupation besides looking after her family. Daniel Julian’s occupation was farming and that the family rented their dwelling.
Nancy’s father, Parish Garner Elmore lived in Randleman, North Carolina in 1900. He was widowed and lived with his two unmarried sisters, Sarah, and Lucy. He was listed as a farmer. He may have been a sickly man because he received an allowance in 1876 as an outside pauper as reported by the Randolph Regulator on October 11, 1976. Parish Garner Elmore died sometime after 1900.
In 1902, another girl joins the family. Her name is Bertha Pearl Allred. In 1908, son Arthur Labon died at age 21. He is buried at Cedar Falls Methodist Church Cemetery. The Courier Tribune reported on April 22, 1909, Mr. D.J. Allred has recently accepted a position with The Cedar Falls Manufacturing Company as overseer of the roping department.
In 1910, the census shows the family has completely left farming and joined the textile revolution. Daniel Julian is working in the cotton mill as a space hand. William is a slubber hand, John Wesley is an oiler and Ada is a spinner. The father and the older boys can read and write. The family again is renter and does not own their home.
According to the Randolph Bulletin paper January 18, 1906, page 3, the Cedar Falls Cotton Mill was a good place to work.
Nancy Jane’s only sibling, Laban Calvin died (age 51) on March 7, 1917 in Randolph County, North Carolina. He was suffering from cancer of the stomach. He is buried at the Country Holiness Church in Randleman.
In the 1920 census, the family continues to work in the cotton mill. William Henry has married Crissie Geneva Laughlin and is living nearby and is working in the cotton mill. John Wesley has left home and is living nearby working in the cotton mill. He has started a family with his wife Alice Leonard Allred with children Delsie, Bill, Claude, and James. Ada has married John Pugh and they live nearby with son Clarence. John Pugh works in the cotton mill also. Living with Daniel Julian and Nancy Jane are daughter Dola and Bertha who are working in the cotton mill with their father. Also living with the family is son-in-law Theron Laughlin with wife Addie. Theron also works in the cotton mill. The Allred family is again renting their home, presumably from the cotton mill.
In the 1930 census, 65-year-old Daniel Julian Allred is living alone with 67-year-old Nancy Jane Elmore Allred. They both report that they are able to read and write but that they never attended school. Also, there is no radio set available in the home.
Nancy Jane suffered from paralysis beginning June 30, 1930 according to her death certificate. She died on December 24, 1933 and was buried at Cedar Falls Methodist Church.
Daniel Julian Allred and Nancy Jane Elmore Allred had the following children:
1. Arthur Laban Allred 1887-1908
2. William Henry Allred 1889-1970 married Crissie Geneva Laughlin 1892-1978
3. Martha L “Ada” Allred 1894-1971 married John Milton Pugh 1888-1960
4. John Wesley Allred 1891-1985 married Flossie Alice Leonard 1892-1960
5. Lydola “Dola” Allred 1897-1985 married Lee Watson Shaw 1901-1939
6. Ada Augustus “Addie” 1900-1984 married Theron Lesley Laughlin 1901-1987
7. Bertha Pearl Allred 1902-1969 married Emery L Smith 1901-1977
8. Charles Melvin Allred 1903-1905
References available at Rogers Family Tree on Ancestry
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/34712803/family
and at Family Search https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KL6R-J4W
Martha's Family Connections 