Life in
Currituck county, north Carolina
Currituck County is the most northeastern county in the state of North Carolina. It’s a costal county, with the Atlantic Ocean to its east, and a rural county as well.
Most people who lived in the county, especially those who lived in and around Jarvisburg, were farmers. The land of Jarvisburg is removed from the mainland a bit, and residents lived spread out from one another. Many walked long ways to go to church, school, and do their errands throughout their days.
Many of our relatives attended the Jarvisburg Colored School, a school opened in 1868 for newly freed Colored children in Currituck County, N.C. For nearly 20 years Alice Hunt Lindsey, daughter of Julia Jefferson (Hunt), has been in the forefront of efforts to preserve the building and the memories associated with the Historic Jarvisburg Colored School (HJCS), The project’s website states that the school was closed in 1950 and efforts to save and restore it began in 1998.
Along with her late husband, Douglas P. Lindsey, Alice and other determined community members petitioned and worked with local and state officials to bring the preservation and restoration project to fruition. For Alice, a retired school teacher who has lived in Washington, D.C., for many years, it was a long-distance project requiring many hours on the highway between Washington and Jarvisburg. The result has been a stunning restoration and museum that eventually came to commemorate not only the Jarvisburg school, but five other schools that served black children in other counties in the region. The newly restored HJCS holds memories for past generations of Hunt and Jefferson children. The school has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Corinth Baptist Church - Jarvisburg
In addition to Corinth Baptist, our patriarch, Joseph Jefferson was on the deacon’s board at New Chapel Baptist Church in Plymouth, Washington County. New Chapel Baptist Church was established in 1867 as a congregation of freedmen organized by Abraham Mabens.
Our family attended many churches in the Currituck County area, including the Corinth Baptist Church in Jarvisburg. Many of our ancestors final resting place is in the church cemetery, including Lena Bray.
Joseph Jefferson was also the manager of a singing group named The Happy Jubilee Singers. They performed at churches all around North Carolina and the surrounding areas.