Person Page - 2

     Hettie Laura Gurley was born on 28 December 1894 at Wayne County, North Carolina.¹ She died on 26 May 1981 at Wallace, North Carolina, at age 86.¹

     Flossie Absiley Gurley was born on 6 March 1897 at Wayne County, North Carolina.¹ She died on 30 October 1991 at age 94.

     Mary Ellen Gurley was born on 22 January 1900 at Wayne County, North Carolina.¹ She died on 5 February 1964 at Wayne County, North Carolina, at age 64.¹

     Eula Verina Gurley was born on 29 June 1903 at Wayne County, North Carolina.¹ She was on the census of between 22 January 1920 and 24 January 1920 at Buck's Swamp Township, Wayne County, North Carolina, as Eula V. Gurley she was a 16 year old girl who attended school and could read and write.² She married Paul Atwood Cogdell on 29 October 1922 at Wayne County, North Carolina.¹ Eula Verina Gurley died on 28 January 1988 at Wayne County, North Carolina, at age 84.³

     Cherle Gurley was born in 1821 at North Carolina.¹ Cherle Gurley was also known as Cherry.² She was on the census of 23 June 1860 at Crossroads District, Wayne County, North Carolina, as Cherry Gurly Cherle was a 38 year old woman who could not read or write.³

     Raiford Gurley was born circa 1822 at Wayne County, North Carolina; based on census age.^1,2,3,4 He married Cherry Howell after 2 April 1841 at Johnston County, North Carolina.^5,6,7 Raiford Gurley witnessed the voting rec of A.J. Gurley on 21 October 1902 at Fork Township, Wayne County, North Carolina; listed as 41 years old on voting records.⁸ Raiford Gurley died before 1906.⁹

     Needham Gurley In 1930, Justus R. Moll. He died; died unmarried in the Civil War.¹ He was born in 1825 at North Carolina.²

     Lewis Gurley Jr. was born circa 1784 at Wayne County, North Carolina.^2,3,4,5 He witnessed the land transfer of Lewis Gurley on 23 December 1797 at Wayne County, North Carolina; when he began a 8 year accumulation of 159 acres of land that originally was from the estate of John Bridgers Sr. The land was purchased from John Bridgers Sr. sons: George, John, David, and Benjamin in 39 3/4 acre tracts. The most important witnesse to the these deeds is son, Lewis Gurley Jr.⁶ Lewis Gurley Jr. witnessed the land transfer of Lewis Gurley on 25 January 1805 at Wayne County, North Carolina; when a deed was entered between David Bridgers and Lewis Gurley, witnessed by Lewis Gurley Jun.⁷ Lewis Gurley Jr. married Grace Wiggs, daughter of John Wiggs and Cherry (?), circa 1809 at Wayne County, North Carolina.^{8,9,10,11,12,13} Lewis Gurley Jr. was listed with Morris Wise on the survey of land Anson Gurley inherited on 5 November 1810 at Wayne County, North Carolina. Next to Lewis Gurley's name and Morris Wise's name was the initials S.C.B. According to a historian a the North Carolina archives in the fall of 2000, these initials stood for the term Supreme Chain Bearer. A chain bearer was usually a strong young man. Was received 100 acres of land from his fathers estate. The land was laid out and surveyed and presented to the Court.¹⁴ Lewis Gurley Jr. and John Gurley were neighbors based on the census in 1840 at Fork River District, Wayne County, North Carolina.¹⁵ Lewis Gurley Jr. helped his mother-in-law Cherry (?) apply for a widow's pension on 5 June 1843 at Wayne County, North Carolina.¹⁶ Lewis Gurley Jr. died after 1850 at Wayne County, North Carolina.⁸

     Lewis Dixon Gurley was born on 11 May 1832 at Wayne County, North Carolina.^2,3,4 He was on the census of 23 June 1860 at Crossroads District, Wayne County, North Carolina, as Lewis Gurly he is listed as 24 years old, which is probably wrong, he is a farmer with property value of about $500.⁵ He began military service on 7 September 1861 at Wayne County, North Carolina, when he enlisted in Co. H of the North Carolina First Cavalry (9th St. Troops), this company was made up almost entirely by men from Wayne County.^6,7 He married Betsy Edwards on 18 February 1869 at Wayne County, North Carolina; they were married by Hillery Hastings, J.P.^8,9,10 Lewis Dixon Gurley died on 24 June 1905 at Wayne, North Carolina, at age 73.¹¹ He was buried after 24 June 1905 at Wayne County, North Carolina.¹² He and Betsy Edwards In September of 2000 I made a research trip to North Carolina and Virginia, here's a note I sent to several Gurley researchers.

...After several successful trips all was right on target until, I found myself looking for the plot for Mr. Lewis Dixon Gurley. Below, you will find a copy of the note I wrote to the New-Argus in Goldsboro.

Last week I spent four days in the area doing research. I met some great folks and had a good time in spite of the rains. Thursday was dedicated to driving the county cemeteries.

I had a very unique and disturbing experience last Thursday afternoon. I was driving around the county trying to visit cemeteries and document my line. I was trying to find one behind the Rosewood High School. It was listed as cemetery #256 in the Wayne Co. Gravestone book, I was looking for the stone for a great uncle, Lewis Dixon Gurley and his family. I searched and searched and could not find the place. Finally, I saw a woman who was one of the groundskeepers and I asked her about some graves behind the school. She had a perplexed look on her face and said that she remembers seeing four or five stones this past summer when they were doing some cleaning behind the school. She took me out to the area on her tractor and we found one overturned stone that was not the one I was looking for but, clearly we were in the right spot. Broken stones were being used to prop up the tongue of a rusted trailer. Other stones had been busted up. She said she told the workers who were cleaning that one day someone would come looking for their relatives.

She called one of her co-workers on the radio who came right over and the worker related to us that the Principal wanted the area cleared up last summer and that several of the school employees were working on the area. She saw several stones loaded on the back of a truck and taken to the Dudley dump with the other trash from the back area! I was appalled. We all just shook our heads in disgust.

I could tell both of the workers were very surprised and almost embarrassed to realize that less than three months later a 40 year old guy from Texas would show up looking for these stones. I said my thank you's and left.

In my opinion, this story should be made public. Just maybe someone at the dump didn't let these stones get trashed. At the least, new stones should be set up for all the folks buried in #256 by the Rosewood High School. I would like for someone at the News-Argus to look into this.

Please let me know what you feel I should do.

According to the Wayne Co., NC Cemeteries book p. 253:

Lewis Gurley b. 5-11-1832 d. 6-24-1905
Wife Elizabeth Gurley b. 5-4-1848, d. 8-26-1882
Mack Edwards
Sallie, daughter of Sampson and Clarkey Edwards
Sula, wife of J.S. Edwards
Elizabeth G. wife of A.J. Swinson
Carl Raymond, son of Ad and Lucretia Pierce
two sunken plots and three infant graves
in September 2000.

     William Gurley was born in 1810 at North Carolina.^1,2 As of after 1833, William Gurley also went by the name of Wylie Wylie, Wiley or Wilie according to Justus Moll in a 1930 letter.³ He married Lydia Edwards after 26 February 1833 at Johnston County, North Carolina.^4,5 William Gurley is head of household on the census of 1840 at Boonhill, Johnston County, North Carolina. Wiley Gurley is listed as head of household Boonhill, Johnston Co with one male 0-5 (John), 1 male age 20-30 (Wiley), 1 female age 0-5 (Nancy) and one female 30-40 (Lydia).. Enumerated with were John T. Gurley, Nancy Gurley and Lydia Edwards.⁶ William Gurley married Sallie Hines on 19 November 1868 at Wayne County, North Carolina; the Justice of the Peace was Hillery Hastings.^7,8,2 William Gurley died before November 1894 at Wayne County, North Carolina.⁹

     Daniel Gurley was born in 1813 at Wayne County, North Carolina.^2,3 He was issued a marriage bond on 21 August 1837 at Johnston County, North Carolina, it appears that either this marriage bond was not acted on or that the wife shortly after the marriage might have died.⁴ He married Edith Phillips, daughter of Dixon Phillips, on 10 February 1838 at Johnston County, North Carolina.^5,6,7 Daniel Gurley and Robert Gurley were neighbors based on the census of in 1840 at Fork River District, Wayne County, North Carolina.⁸ Daniel Gurley was a witness to a land transaction between Peter Lee and Plyer Barber on 1 September 1843 at Johnston County, North Carolina.⁹ In 1939, J.M. Hollowell, a local writer put together a collection of stories about growing up in Goldsboro and wrote about his memories. In the late 1840's, he remembered the stage line that ran from New Bern, NC to Raliegh, NC and that Goldsboro was the Half-Way House. During this time, Hollowell noted, "I occasionally came to town with my father in those days on Saturday and I saw a good many of the most prominent men of the county who would come in on Saturday to get their mail. Among them I remember John W. Sasser, Daniel Gurley...."¹⁰ He married Chelly Sasser on 13 February 1855 at Martha Sasser's home, Wayne County, North Carolina; they had no children.^11,12 Daniel Gurley died before 13 July 1871 at Wayne County, North Carolina.^13,7,14,15

     Lizzie Eestelle Deans was born on 14 January 1889.² She married Andrew Daniel Gurley, son of Needham Dallas Gurley and Evelyn Woodard, circa 1915. Lizzie Eestelle Deans died on 2 April 1970 at Gurley Family Cemetery, Wayne County, North Carolina, at age 81.³

     Molton Gardner Gurley was born on 24 March 1917 at North Carolina.² He was buried after 16 March 1983 at Wayne Co., NC. Wayne Memorial Park.^3,2

     Russell Crawford Gurley lived at 617 Gurley Dairy Rd., Pikeville, NC. He was born on 16 September 1920 at Wayne County, North Carolina.¹ He was he established Gurley Dairy in 1943 at Pikeville Community.² He was in attendance when My Dad and I visited with Clara Lee in 1999, she and her sister, Lila, both came to Russell & Mozelle Gurley's home for lunch. Elizabeth Gurley, Russell's sister was also there. When I asked who was driving, Lila responded, "Clara Lee, she's the oldest" She was 98 years old at the time. with Clara Lee Stevens in 1999 at Russell & Mozelle Gurley's home, Smithfield, North Carolina. Russell Crawford Gurley died on 3 June 2008 at Wayne County, North Carolina, at age 87.³

     Lena Elizabeth Gurley was born on 28 June 1926.¹ She married Thomas Quentin Overman in 1946.² Lena Elizabeth Gurley was a witness My Dad and I visited with Clara Lee in 1999, she and her sister, Lila, both came to Russell & Mozelle Gurley's home for lunch. Elizabeth Gurley, Russell's sister was also there. When I asked who was driving, Lila responded, "Clara Lee, she's the oldest" She was 98 years old at the time. with Clara Lee Stevens in 1999 at Russell & Mozelle Gurley's home, Smithfield, North Carolina. Lena Elizabeth Gurley died on 7 April 2019 at age 92.³

     Foster Lee Gurley was buried at Wayne Co, NC Gurley Family Cemetery.¹ He was born before 1917 at Bucks Swamp Township, Wayne County, North Carolina. He died after 1920 at North Carolina.²

     Allie Leona Adams was born on 30 August 1899 at Marathon, Brewster, Texas.¹ She married John Rufus Gurley, son of Needham Dallas Gurley and Evelyn Woodard, on 18 June 1922 at Marfa, Texas.² Allie Leona Adams died on 19 March 1940 at Pearsall, Frio, Texasl, at age 40; Heart Desease.³ She was buried on 20 March 1940 at Cemetery, Pearsall, Frio County, Texas.⁴

     John Gurley was born on 14 September 1767.¹ He died on 27 August 1771 at age 3.¹

     John Sharp was born after 1802.