Notables

"The Comes Heres"

The Charlton/Charity Family

Dr. Jaehn B. Charlton was the first Black doctor for Northumberland County, VA, the second Black doctor on the Northern Neck; Dr. Morgan E. Norris being the first. An excellent book to read about Doctors Norris and Charlton is “Fight On, My Soul,” written by Dr. Norris’s son, Dr. James E.C. Norris.

Dr. Jaehn B. Charlton was a Hoosier, and his wife, Mrs. Emma Charity Charlton, was from Charles City, VA. Together they built a home, a practice, and a foundation for their children, and for their extended family that produced doctors, lawyers, judges, colleges graduates from Ivy Leagues universities, and HBCUs.

Dr. Charlton was also an inventor; he invented the catalytic converter, and a device to use in chimneys that spewed coal smoke which could clean the air quality…these were just a few of his inventions, and registered patents.

Nat Jones

Waterman

“A lifelong Chesapeake waterman, father of nine, World War II vet, teacher, carpenter, farmer, and husband, Jones’ life is nothing if not rich.
Born in 1926 along Carter’s Creek, the 92-year-old has brackish water in his veins. When he wasn’t at school, soft-shelling, swimming across the Corrotoman River, or working on neighboring Holly Haven Farm, Jones would watch his Uncle Jerry, nicknamed Moody, carve cedar trees into poles for pole fishing.

Jones was drafted and sent to Europe. He became a combat engineer in the Army, shipped across the English Channel in the follow-up to D-Day. Jones marched through France to southern Germany, building bridges ahead of the infantry, witness to indescribable devastation.

After the war, he was stationed in Bremen where he taught math to German schoolchildren. Jones raced cars on the Autobahn, explored Holland and Switzerland, and fell in love with Europe, but after roughly two years, he was called home to Virginia’s Northern Neck when his mother took ill.

When he returned, Jones started working on one of the boats out of Reedville, fishing for menhaden. After years of hard, physical labor, Jones became the cook on the boat, serving up fried chicken and potatoes or shrimp and grits. When he grew tired of cooking, Jones became a pilot, acing the rigorous exam in one try. He’d navigate the shipping channels as the captain mapped out the boat’s itinerary.”

excerpts from blog by Emmy Nicklin of Chesapeake Bay Foundation https://www.cbf.org/blogs/save-the-bay/2018/09/chesapeake-born.html

Kiara Eubanks

Community Notable

Ms. Eubanks played three years as a guard at Bishop McNamara High School for head coach Frank Oliver – played her senior year at New Hope Academy in Hanover Hill, Md., for head coach Sam Caldwell – McDonald’s All American Honorable Mention – Honor Roll student. She majored in health sciences at Wilmington University Cum Laude, with aspirations of becoming a physical therapist. She is a twice inductee Chi Alpha Sigma.

Ms. Eubanks is an Academic All Star, All Academic, and inducted into the National College Athlete Honor Society.

Armistead S. Nickens

Delegate

“Armistead Stokalas Nickens (1836 – April 26, 1906) was an American Republican politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing Lancaster County from 1871 to 1875. He was one of the first African-Americans to serve in Virginia’s government.

Nickens supported his family as a laborer, and then as a sawyer. Lancaster County voters twice elected him as their representative in the Virginia House of Delegates. He introduced a bill for building a bridge over the Rapppahannock River at Tappahannock. After his legislative terms, Nickens received an appointment as collector of delinquent taxes. He also built the first schoolhouse for African Americans in Lancaster County.^“

Willsonia Boyer

Soprano, Opera Singer/Concert Artist; VP, The Lighthouse Opera Company

“Opera singer, concert artist and Lancaster County native, Ms. Boyer has appeared at the New York City Opera, Virginia Opera, Bregenzer Festspiele, New Jersey Concert Opera, the Bronx Opera, Dicapo Opera Theatre, and The Petersburg Symphony Orchestra and has performed in Europe, South America and the United States.”

PJ Haynie

Philip J. “P.J.” Haynie, is a fifth generation Black farmer from Reedville, VA. From the audio interview recorded in April of 2021, this video was produced, in it where Mr. Haynie gives a perspective on an ongoing issue that, to date, is still very much evident.

2nd Lt. John C. Curry

Tuskegee Airman

“Trained as a twin-engine pilot at Tuskegee Army Air Field, John Carol Curry served at Godman Field, Kentucky, and Lockbourne Army Air Base, Columbus, Ohio, before being honorably discharged from the military in August of 1946 at the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

Curry was born on August 8, 1922, in Kilmarnock, Virginia, to William and Annie Curry. He, along with his brother William and sister Claudine, was educated in local schools. John was the 1939 valedictorian at Julius Rosenwald High School in Reedville, Virginia, winning a scholarship to Virginia State College in Petersburg, Virginia, where he majored in Animal Husbandry and Agricultural Engineering. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1943 in only three and a half years.

After being told that military enlistment would facilitate his entry into Officer Candidate School, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves in 1942 at Local Board No. 1 in Chesterfield, Virginia. He was working at the U.S. Post Office in Indianapolis, Indiana, when he was called to active duty on June 21, 1943, earning the highest IQ score ever recorded to that date at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. He received basic training at Camp Pickett, Virginia, and Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. He scored the second-highest score up to that date on Aviation Screening at Jefferson Barracks, where he was also a rifle instructor and on the crack drill team. Sgt. Honi Coles (a famous dancer) met the team when they got off the train. Later, they performed in St. Louis, where Cab Calloway was the headliner. They brought down the house.

John was sent to Kessler Field, Biloxi, Mississippi, for further testing. He passed with flying colors and was sent to Tuskegee Army Flying School as a pre-aviation cadet. John became a pilot and was assigned to Godman Field, Kentucky, 477th Bombardment Group, Tactical Training. He was later assigned to Lockbourne Army Air Base, Columbus, Ohio, 617th Bombardment Squadron, Tactical Training and Administration. His aviation service culminated as an Assistant Operations Officer and pilot for Flights of 825, C-47, and C-45s.

Curry graduated from the Tuskegee Army Flying School on August 4, 1945, in Class 45-E as a twin-engine pilot. He flew the PT-17, AT-6, and B-25 during training. Curry, who already had a commercial rating based on his military service, earned his FAA Certified Flight Instructor rating in 1947. As a CFI, he was able to train individuals who wanted to become private pilots. However, Black pilots, no matter how well trained, were not welcomed in the aviation industry post-World War II.

Curry’s training in Animal Husbandry led to his employment as a Supervisory Animal Husbandman at the Walter Reed Institute of Research in Washington, DC, on January 26, 1948. He later served as Assistant Chief of Animal Husbandry from 1948 to 1961, then as Chief of Animal Husbandry and Chairman of the Department of Laboratory Animals from 1961 to 1977 before his retirement.

From 1949 to 1951, he was a member of the Civil Air Patrol. He took classes at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School in 1948, 1950, and 1954. He served on the Board of Examiners of the National Institutes of Health in 1955, the Board of U.S. Civil Service Examiners, the Department of Army Grievance Examiner Panel, and was a consultant to several corporations. While working at Walter Reed, Curry founded and presided over Caprice Enterprises, Inc., which provided animal serum used in the development of the Salk vaccine.

John C. Curry’s passion for self-improvement allowed him to develop many talents. He took law courses at American University that proved beneficial when he served as a Metropolitan D.C. area Grievance Examiner, helping Walter Reed employees combat injustice. His professional associations included the Civil Air Patrol, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Flight Instructors Association, Air Force Association, American Association of Laboratory Animal Science (local and national), and the Dairy Science Association.^“

Isaac Herbert Lewis

Community Leader

“Born January 8, 1896, in White Stone, Virginia, Isaac Lewis was an inspiration to the community and was always ready to help his fellow man.

A dedicated worker to the PTA of A.T. Wright School, he tried to bring change to the schools and community by addressing issues that involved both Blacks and whites as well.

Mr. Lewis was not satisfied with the school board ability to provide educational facilities and services to the schools for black children. He led the children of A.T. Wright school to the white school for enrollment. They were refused, but it opened the eyes of the Lancaster School Board and the people of Lancaster County.

Although his life was threatened, he did not stop fighting for integration and equality for facilities and services. Mr. Lewis lived to see two granddaughters in Lancaster High School. He was a World War I veteran and proud of his record of fighting for his country.”

Terry "TSoul" Pinkard

Singer

A graduate of Northumberland High School and lifelong resident of Burgess, VA, Mr. Pinkard, professionally known as TSoul, said he’s been performing professionally for about 10 years. Mr. Pinkard’s love of music started when his grandmother taught him to play the piano and he began singing in the Shiloh Baptist Church choir.

He took a chorus class at Northumberland High School, where he sang the national anthem at ball games and played football. At Virginia State University in Richmond, he joined the gospel choir, which took him around the world.

At 20, he decided singing was his calling and he made it a full-time career, traveling to Japan, France, Italy, Canada, Hungary and across the U.S. His sister Karla “Kp_” Pinkard is a singer also.

Excerpts from the “Rappahannock Record” June 7, 2017 article by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi

Karla "KP_" Pinkard

Singer

“KP_ (don’t forget the underscore) is an upcoming R&B artist born and raised in a small town called Reedville, VA. Now residing in the DMV, she is ready to share her talent with the rest of the world. Her passion for singing began at a young age in the church where she led many solos in the youth choir. She continued to sing throughout college in the gospel choir. Once her vocal talents were discovered, her brother Tsoul began pushing her to sing with him at concerts, festivals, and online platforms. Her vocal inspirations include Jazmine Sullivan, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, and Brandy to name a few. In 2019 she released her debut single “Crazy Over You.” Shortly after she was featured in Ciscero’s “Good to Know” with Masego and Ambriia. This song has over 4 million streams on Youtube.”

source: Slaps

The Nickens Nine

Dr. Karen E. Sutton has the unique position of having nine ancestors; free Black men from Northumberland and Lancaster Counties, VA, to fight in the Revolutionary War; a war for independence and freedom. From an interview recorded July 2024, her research recounts that time in history and all the hardships associated with their sacrifices for this country.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Robert Berkley Jackson

Singer

Robert Berkley Jackson was born in Reedville, Virginia on August 3, 1887. He was the son of Robert Jackson (1860 – 1944) and Lucy Sydnor Jackson (1867 – 1943), Andrew’s youngest brother. Berkley attended the local schools in Northumberland County. After completing high school, he attended Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia. Upon completing studies at Hampton Institute, he went to the Boston Conservatory of Music where he cultivated his fine tenor voice. His career as a singer allowed him to travel with the “The Golden Show” and the Hall Johnson Choir and in 1937 he sang background for “The Green Pastures” (Warner Brothers Studios), and many other productions including “Raisin in the Sun.” On Broadway, he sang in “Run Little Chillun’.” Berkley and his wife, Irene, made their home in Los Angeles, California after having moved from New York, New York. In addition to his singing career, he became a real estate investor in and around the Los Angeles, California area. Robert Berkley Jackson, “Uncle Berkeley” was Andrew’s youngest brother, and visited and stayed at his brother’s house (Ma Margaret’s House) whenever he and his wife Irene, were in town from Los Angeles. He died on February 12, 1984.

Robert Andrew Jackson

Advertising

Robert Andrew Jackson was born May 16 1959 in Ma Margaret’s House in Reedville, Virginia. His family relocated to Washington D.C.in the early 1960’s. He was educated in the D.C. public schools and he eventually attended and graduated from St. John’s College High School Military Academy in 1977. He attended Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida and earned a B.S. and later M.B.A. in 1983. His first major job was with Leo Burnett, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world, as an Account Executive located in Chicago, Illinois. Later, he worked at Burrell Advertising Agency, and rose to the rank of Vice President. He also served as a US Marketing Director for McDonald’s corporation and retired in 2017. He is the son of Robert Jackson (the youngest child of Andrew and Margaret Jackson) and Lucy B. Jackson. He has fond memories of being in the home with family and with his dog “Champ” until moving to DC. One of his unforgettable memories is the story of how he and his sister Alva conspired to free their grandmother’s parakeet (Pete) that flew out of the window, never to be seen again. He is also credited for having convinced his sister to make the house a bed and breakfast instead of a restaurant. Robert lives in Chicago, Illinois with his wife, Felicia.

Lisa Marie Henry

USAF veteran and Assistant Professor at MGSU

Lisa Marie Henry was an assistant professor and air traffic control instructor for Middle Georgia State University, and former air traffic controller for the United States Air Force. She studied commercial aviation at Delta State University, and had a BS in Professional Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,

In part is the introduction to the occasion by the officers of Women in Aviation, which Lisa Maria Henry was affiliated with: “Her journey began with struggles and setbacks, but she persevered. She worked hard and strive for excellence. The payoff from her efforts took her around the world and she was able to participate in some pretty incredible experiences!”

Lisa was a United States Air Force veteran and was an advocate for more women to be in the field of aviation.”

William Rich

The Northern Neck Fights for Independence

Mr. William Rich was born on the Northern Neck of Virginia in 1775. What makes his story unique was he was a free Black man who was born to a free Black woman.

What is even more unique was he voluntarily fought in the Revolutionary War, and received veterans benefits for his service.

His descendant, Ms. Desyree Hooper, tells his story.

Mr. Willis Hampton Caster, Sr.

Laboratory Animal Manager

Mr. Willis Hampton Caster, Sr. was one of eleven children; several who would become great educators within the Northern Neck Public School Systems during the Jim Crow era of segregation within the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Mr. Caster graduated from Julius Rosenwald High School in Northumberland County in 1946, and, upon graduating, worked as a waterman with his father before joining the United States Army in 1950, where he served in Korea, discharged honorably in 1952.

Mr. Caster accepted a position at Howard University College of Medicine Veterinarian Department as a Laboratory Animal Technician 1964. In 1967, Mr. Caster was selected as the National Capital Area Branch of The American Association of Laboratory Animal Science as Outstanding Laboratory Animal Science Technician of the Year. In 1979 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the College of Medicine. He would become the manager and leader for the laboratory before retiring in 1986.

His work in the animal science field led him to collaborate with another Northern Neck resident, Mr. John C. Curry, president and owner of Caprice Enterprise, Inc.; they both helped with developing animal serum for the Salk vaccine that was instrumental in the treatment of polio.

Cpl. Nathan Montague White

Red Ball Express

Cpl. Nathan Montague White was born to Arthur and Rebecca White in Northumberland County February 19, 1913. He served in World War II, 567 Quarter Master Truck Company, wherein he was a member of the “Red Ball Express.” The Red Ball Express was an enormous truck convoy system that supplied Allied forces moving quickly through Europe after breaking out from the D-Day beaches in Normandy in 1944. The route, marked with red balls, was closed to civilian traffic; the trucks were marked with the same red balls and also given priority on regular roads. The French railway system had been destroyed by Allied air power before the D-Day invasion to deny its use to German forces, leaving trucks as the only way to move supplies across France. There were 28 Allied divisions in the field. During offensive operations, each division would consume about 750 tons of supplies per day, a total of about 20,000 tons. At its peak, the Red Ball Express operated 5,958 vehicles and carried about 12,500 tons of supplies per day. The Red Ball Express was primarily operated by African-American soldiers. Andrew and Margaret had six children, Helen, Calvin, Randolph, Gladys, Evelyn and Robert. (Calvin and Randolph died as infants). Helen, the eldest daughter, was a devoted mother and house maker like her mom. She married Nathan Montague White in 1932, and he served in World War II, in the Quartermaster Corp, and served on The Red Ball Express. He was also among the first African American Fish Captains from the Northern Neck to work for Harvey Smith Fishing fleet in Cameron, Louisiana. Nathan and Helen spent many days at Ma Margaret’s House enjoying food and family.

George R. Lewis

Finance

Corporate executive George R. Lewis (1941 – ) was President and CEO of the Philip Morris Capital Company between 1997 and 2001. He was born on March 7, 1941. Lewis enrolled at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. He earned his B.S. degree in 1963. Later, in 1968, he earned his M.B.A. Degree from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. Lewis’ first major job was with General Foods Corporation as a sales analyst for the Kool-Aid division in New York. In 1966, he moved to W.R. Grace, a specialty chemical company, where he worked as a financial analyst. In 1967, Philip Morris hired Lewis as a corporate analyst, and the next year, he became a senior planning analyst. He was promoted to Manager of Industrial Relations in 1970, Manager of Financial Services in 1972 and Assistant Treasurer in 1973. In 1975, Lewis became Treasurer and Vice President of Financial & Planning for Philip Morris Industrial, a subsidiary company. In 1982, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he worked for a different subsidiary, the Seven-Up Company, as Vice President of Finance. After two years, Lewis returned to the parent company, Philip Morris Companies, Inc., as Vice President and Treasurer. He was in charge of Philip Morris’ worldwide treasury activities. He oversaw the company’s takeover of General Foods in 1985 and of Kraft in 1988. In 1997, Lewis became President and CEO of Philip Morris Capital Company, the finance and investment subsidiary of Philip Morris. He retired from this position in 2001. George “Ralph” Lewis is married to Lillian Lewis and is the father of Tonya Lewis Lee, the wife of “Spike” Lee (the American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor), and is also the father of Tracy Lewis, who is a University Professor in Chicago, Illinois. Ralph reflects on his visits to the house, “I have very fond memories of Aunt Margaret’s house. When I was a young boy, between six and eight years old, my mother and I visited Aunt Margaret’s house on Wednesdays, twice a month during the summer. I always looked forward to those visits.” Ralph’s maternal grandmother, Bessie Jackson Tolson, was a sister of Andrew Jackson.

George Theophilus Walker

Composer

George Theophilus Walker (born June 27, 1922) is the first African-American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He received the Pulitzer for his work Lilacs in 1996. Walker was first exposed to music at the age of five when he began to play the piano. He was admitted to the Oberlin Conservatory at 14, and later to the Curtis Institute of Music to study piano with Rudolf Serkin, chamber music with William Primrose and Gregory Piatigorsky, and composition with Rosario Scalero, teacher of Samuel Barber. He received his doctorate from the Eastman School of Music. Walker taught at Rutgers University in New Jersey for several years before retiring in 1992. Walker’s first major orchestral work was the Address for Orchestra. His Lyric for Strings is his most performed orchestral work. He has composed many works including 5 sonatas for piano, a mass, cantata, many songs, choral works, organ pieces, sonatas for cello and piano, violin and piano and viola and piano, a brass quintet and a woodwind quintet. He has published over 90 works. He has received commissions from the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and many other ensembles. He is the recipient of six honorary doctoral degrees. George Walker recollects spending time at Ma Margaret’s House as a child. His mother, Rosa King Walker, and her mother, Melvina King, were close cousins of Mom Margaret Jackson. Walker writes “…. When we went to Cousin Margaret’s house, I have a faint recollection of sleeping upstairs in a freshly beamed attic. Everything was immaculate. We were close to the water where there were oyster beds. We were taken to a swimming area where I paddled around with only my Dad watching me. I remember Cousin Gladys fondly (Gladys is the second daughter of Andrew and Margaret). She lived with us in Washington, DC for several years”. She moved to Washington, D.C after she graduated from high school to begin her working career and lived with George T Walker’s mother, Cousin Rosie, and her husband, Dr. George Walker, Sr., a Family Practice Physician in Washington, DC who was on staff at Howard University Hospital.

Laws, Causey, and Sorrell

The Northern Neck Fights for Independence

Messrs. William Laws, Edward Sorrell, and James Causey were Black slaves born on plantations on the Northern Neck of Virginia. Each of them were forced to fight in the Revolutionary War, but in doing so, became freed Black men. Mr. Garfield Parker tells their stories.