The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-02-19
By Roger Meekins

COtlu 1ldWhIlS MCChllo, Wiling
toms oldest man, celebrated his
85th birthday Saturday, February
10, and many of his friends and
relatives dropped by to pay their
respects. Among those there were
the three children: Mrs. Robana
Toler, Mrs. Evelyn Haywood, and
Mr.. and Mrs. John Oscar Meekins
and son; also, Rep. Bruce Ether
idge, Leven Stetson of Manteo;
Mr.. and Mrs. Barney Midget of
Kill Devil Hills; Mr.. and Mrs.
Marvin Toler and daughter, and
Clara Faye Haywood of Broad
Creek Village, Norfolk; Sarah Hill,
Mrs. Aldine Hayes, and Edith Toll
er.
John Hawkins Meekins was born
at Chicamicomico February ID,
1869, the son of Matilda Frances
Midget and Anthony Meekins.
Soon after that his parents moved
up to Mays Head and then Coling-
ton. He has followed the water all
his life. s.,
When he was II years old, John
Hawkins started fishing, and for
% springs he set long nets for the
run of shad. At IL, he took charge
of a boat at the salary of So per
month. "There wasn't much money
around back in those days." Mr..
Meekins recalls. "Things were
cheap, but there wasn't any money
to buy with. 1 believe people got
more enjoyment out of life then
you hardly ever saw anybody with
any money"
That was way back before the
turn of the century. Club were
selling for cents per pound, rock
from 5 to cents, and shad brought
about 10 cents. Herrings weren't
worth anything, but the people
sailed them for their own use.
There was no market for crabs.
Sometimes a thousand sailed her.
rings could be sold for $685.. Ice
then came from somewhere up
north, cut in blocks from the riv-
ers and shipped south. 1t was kept
between layers of sawdust in pack
ing houses, and lasted long time.
Today there is not one hog,
sheep, or COW on Colington Island,
but John Hawkins recalls when
the people raised just about every
thing they needed to live on. They
killed and sailed their own meat,
had plenty of milk and made their
own butter, had big gardens and
raised vegetables the year round.
There was plenty of game in the
woods then, and ten thousand
geese and ducks were around here
every winter, but it's seldom that
you see one now" Mr.. Meekins re-
called. "Why," he went on, sit used
to be that you could kill and sell
all the game you wanted to, but
now it seems that everything you
w Is d NlOldGlOH VI Tie law uIlSSS
you've got a license"
When he was % years old, John
Hawkins married Miss Sally Shan
non of Manteo, and last December
81 she was SO years old.
The mail used to come into Col
ington by sailboat once a day, and
sometimes twice. There were no
gas engines around then. The sail
boat sailed from Powells Point in
to Kitty Hawk Colington, Mays
Head, and then Manteo, and made
the return trip by the same route.
Mr.. Meekins himself once ran a
freight route to Elizabeth City, but
did not run the mail. Passenger
fare on the mailboat to Elizabeth
City was less than so cents. Mr..
Meekins also hauled gas from
Elizabeth City to Manteo for sew
eral years.
Bodie Island beach, where Mr..
Meekins spent some part Of his
early life, used to be covered with
tall pine trees. Today there is not
a blade of grass on some of that
I~-L IT, 49, oxs,ox,, bax.o xyscsfc