The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1955-08-05

4
married the former Annie Shaver
der and he and his bride went Il
Pantego to farm for his father-in
law.
| August Of that same year found
Julian on the go once again and
he wound up at Belport, which be
came Belhaven while he was q
resident.
AS he explained it, "There was
a Mrs. Montgomery at the town
commissioners meeting when the
town was ready for incorporation
and she had originally come from
New Haven, Conn. Another of the
commissioners had an eldest
daughter named Bell, and SO it
was decided to name the town us
ing Belle and Haven, and the name
has been with the town ever since.
The town is now known as Bel
haven, and l was the first police
man that the town had"
One Of the largest industries in
Belhaven at that time was the
Booth Oyster Co. But in 1900 the
great storm came and millions of
bushels of oysters were sanded up
in Pamlico Sound, according to
Mr.. Brown.
After leaving the police job, he
decided to become a salesman and
started selling horses and mules to
the farmers around Belhaven.
Buys Island
November. 1904 he bought what
was known as Craney Island from
the McCagey Nelson heirs in
Beaufort, and the island was re-
named by the Federal government
about 20 years ago as Brown Is
land.
Jan, 1, 1905, Mr.. Brown moved
into Carteret County and he and
most of his family have been liv-
ing here ever since.
His recollection concerning the
island that he purchased makes a
truly interesting story.
Originally Harkers Island and
Craney Island were all part of a
grant made by King George in
England to Thomas Pollock, one
of the colonial governors in 1870.
Islands Sold
The sons of Mr.. Pollock sold the
islands to Ebenezer Harkers, and
in Ebenezer's will he bequeathed
the islands to his children.
The southern part of Harkers
Island went to James Harker, the
eastern end to daughter Clarissa,
the straits to Ebenezer Jr., and
Craney Island was bequeathed to
Zachariah.
Zachariah bequeathed the island
he received to his only daughter,
Rachel, and upon her death the
island was to go to her first born
son, John Harker Gooding.
Rachel married ship-wrecked
mariner from Nova Scotia who
worked for a time as overseer of
her fathers slaves.
She and Jonathan Gooding had
five other children including Mat
thew, who purchased the island
from his brother, John Harker.
Matthew made his money as
captain of a ship, the Condor, and
he bequeathed the island to bis
wife upon his death in 1868. His
wife, Rebecca Gooding, sold the
island to Jim and Henry Davis
and they in turn sold it to Nc
Cagey Nelson. 1t was from Mel
sons heirs that Mr.. Brown bought
the island.
Lies in Beaufort
The body of Matthew Gooding
lies buried in the graveyard back
of the Methodist Church in Beau
fort.
1t is Mr.. Browns contention that
a lot of the work that Matthew
Gooding was doing in the 1S20's
led to the Civil War.
AS he worded it, captain Good
ing was in charge of an English
ship which picked up cotton at
Southern ports and took it to Eng
land where it was manufactured
into finished goods and then would
be brought back for sale in the
South.
"The Northern manufacturers
who had to bring the cotton North
by vessel and then resell in the
South were finding that they
couldn't compete with the English
on the reselling of their products. "
Thus more fuel was added to the
smoldering fire of a North South
battle.
On the island that Mr.. Brown
owns, which he's had many offers
for, he raises horses, cattle, sheep
and hogs. He said, "The cattle we
have on the island have really
gotten wild. They're wilder than
deer on open ground. At present
when we want one to eat we 60
to the island and shoot it. Then the
carcass is cut up for food"
NJ nroxxxx, 50 n hsr, vcor ua cold