The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1959-02-06
PERRY
Continued from Page One)

! ton Ferry. he naQ llVed many
years at Colington, and in Curri-
tuck County, and had resided at
Sound Landing, Kitty Hawk, for
So years.
Capt. Perry married for the
third time when he was 70, and
all three of his wives were widows
when he married them. Years aft
err becoming the oldest man on
Kitty Hawk, he continued to split
his own wood, set and fish several
30-yard nets, and pole his boat.
He was born October %, 1861,
at Newbern's Landing in Curri-
tuck County, where his father was
a mill attendant. That and the
next four years were perilous ones,
and Mr.. Perry, though only about
four years old at the time, remem-
bers some men called "Red Caps"
who came down, and "they scared
me so bad ! ran and hid from
them" Men We're going to war
then. 81 remember that my faith
err said they didn't draft him, be-
cause he was helping to supply
the soldiers with food by running
the windmill and grinding the
meal" Mr.. Perry recalled. The
mill was known as Chadwick's
Mill.
When he was 81, he married a
widow of his acquaintance, Hol-
land Crank Perry, Of Colington.
They lived for year at Point
Harbor, then moved to Colington
for the next ten years. "There
wasn't any school at Colington
them" Mr.. Perry said, $50 John
Nelson and l hired a teacher, AL
bert Lewis, for $40 a month dur
ing the summer for a couple of
months" Each of them had four
children, and they hoped that 9TH
er families would come in with
them and help share the expense,
"but nary a one sent their chill
dren to the teacher"
After Mr.. Perry moved to Kitty
Hawk, where he has been for the
past So years, because the schools
were BETTER" he said. "There were
two schools then, and none on
Colington." He wanted his chill
drnn to have better education.
Capt. Perry followed the water
all his life. He worked for a long
time as a deck hand on a freig t
boat between Norfolk and Balti-
more, hauling sometimes as much
as 10000 shingles. Capt. Sykes
was the skipper of the vessel.
"My father told me that it was a
dogs life going to sea, so l never
sailed on seagoing vessel" Aft
err his experience with Capt.
Sykes, Mr.. Perry became Captain
of a two-masted freighter sailing
between Elizabeth City and Ocra-
coke, the boat belonging to Capt.
Banks, who operated stores at
Kitty Hawk and North River. He
was paid the monstrous salary of
500 per month, but that was a lot
of money in those days. His deck
hand got $40 per month. Capt.
Banks also had charge of the
mail route between Powells Point
and Manteo, and Mr.. Perry ran
that for him too.
One winter while he was run
ming the mail he and Tom Baum,
Elijah Baum and another man
walked from Kitty Hawk to Pow
ellis Point on the ice, dragging a
skiff behind them in order to cross
few thin spots here and there.
After his first Mrs. Perry died,
he married Mrs. Florida Harrell
also widow, of Columbia, N. c..
His third wife, also widow and
from Columbia, is the former
Mrs. Jennette DeMary. They have
been happy in an attractive look
ing home and grounds at Sound
Landing.
OF the first marriage Mr.. Perry
has four children: Theodore Wes-
ley Perry, who works at the Naval
base in Norfolk; Dennis A. Perry
of Kitty Hawk; Mrs. Elsie Thorn
as, now a widow; and Mrs. Otila
williams of Norfolk. He had 15
grandchildren, Is great-grand-chil-
dren, and 6 great-great-grandchil-
dren; also three step-daughters,
Mrs. Polly Harris of Kitty Hawk;
Mrs. Ada Smith of Annapolis
Nd, and Mrs. Calvin Beacham OF
Norfolk.
Mr.. Perry's funeral was con-
Quoted in the Kitty Hawk Method
list Church at Q pm. Wednesday
Rev. Stanley S. Snead, the pastor
offciated. "Jesus Savior Pilot Me-
and "When They Ring Those Gold
en- Bells were sung by Mrs. Clyde
Twiford; Mrs. Jesse Baum at the
organ.
The pail was Of red gladioli and
white carnations.
Burial was in Austin cemetery
Pallbearers were Hallett, Russell
! Colon and Walter Perry, Ervini
Hines and Eldrige Beacham.