Editor’s note: This week’s installment of Steve Bailey’s column on Anson County history consists of text from an article published in The Anson Times on Feb. 28, 1884 and is continued from last week’s column. The text is published here as copied from the article:

Next was the store house occupied by Flake and Aleen. This house was un-roofed. The store goods were slightly damaged. Mr. Allen, the only one in this house, was not hurt. Next was the dwelling occupied by Clarence Staton and Lafayette Allen, two colored employees, of Mr. Flake. Staton was instantly killed by falling timbers and Allen was badly hurt. The out buildings and dwelling occupied by Henry Sanders, another white tenant, were all blown down. His house and personal property consumed by fire. Some of the occupants were burned, but not otherwise injured. Next, came the buildings and dwelling occupied by Mr. Flake. The building withstood the storm but with considerable damage to the roof. Counting all, barns, stables, cribs, gin house on this plantation, the number is fifty-one, only five of which stood.

Next, was the plantation jointly owned by M. J. and J. T. Allen. On it the dwelling occupied by James Thomas was blown down and in it was Mr. Thomas, his wife and child. Mr. Thomas was slightly burned. Next, was the outbuildings and dwelling occupied by Wiley Thomas. The dwelling stood with damage to the roof. The outbuildings were demolished and some clothing was lost to fire.

Next was the dwelling occupied by James Hough. Mr. Hough was absent from home. The house and a center brick chimney went to pieces over and around Mrs. Hough and her five children. The youngest of which is about three weeks old. The house caught on fire and would have been consumed but for the commendable effort of Mrs. Hough who extinguished the flames after losing her bedding and clothing. Thence it passed across Brown Creek. Robert Ballard was out camping and was killed by a falling tree.

The storm went through the plantation of R. H. Carter’s. There it tore down a dwelling occupied by Jack Ingram, colored. One of his sons was killed. Mr. William Little’s plantation was next where considerable damage was done to buildings and timbers. Some hurt here but only one killed.

As per request I send you some corrections of storm items in neighborhood of Brown Creek Church in Anson County NC. First, on this side of Brown Creek was Gray Taylor’s, whose out buildings were un-roofed and timbers demolished. No one hurt. Richmond Sturdivant, colored, Green Shepperd and Miss Patsy Taylor escaped with similar loss. Next in the line was P. Martin, whose dwelling, tenant houses and out buildings were completely wrecked. The colored cook, who was sleeping in the stove room, was killed by falling timbers. Mr. Martin was considerably bruised and burnt in extinguishing the fire which was fast gaining headway. The bed on which his little children were lying caught on fire. Mrs. Martin and infant were jammed by the timbers and unable to move but were unhurt.

On Tom Martin’s place lived two white families who escaped in safety but their houses were ruined. Sidney Sturdivant, colored, was next. Only his out houses were un-roofed. Brown Creek Church was splintered and the debris was scattered for hundreds of yards. Hubbard Ledbetter, colored, on Henry Huntley’s plantation was wiped out first by wind then fire cleaned up what was left.

Next, was little Jim Flake, the hero, whose staunch house cornered the winds and weathered the storm. Windows were blown in and one door was blown off its hinge. Clothing, books and papers were blown in the fire and the fire blew over the house. Still, little Jim stood at his post ordering all hands to keep cool and finally conquered with the loss of chimneys, roofs and one tenant house. The cyclone skipped Henry Beverly and dropped under Presley Beverly’s large and commodious house completely ruining it. Other houses were un-roofed. Hugh Ingram, Allen Carpenter and Guilf Carpenter suffered much. So did Alex Biles and James Smith.

It is a terrible sight to see articles of clothing, old hats, stockings, shingles, boards, fodder, shucks and a little of almost everything else strewn all through the land. Strange to say, but few were hurt in the least. Cora McLendon, Mr. Martin’s cook, being the only one killed. No stock injured. William A. Liles reporting.

Steve Bailey is employed with the Anson County Historical Society and has specialized in local African-American family history for 20 years.

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1884 article recounts tornado damage

Steve Bailey

Contributing Columnist