The Yadkin County Historical Society plans to publish its second book on The People of Color of Yadkin County, North Carolina, in 2022. It will include new information and family histories that were not published in Volume I, which the Society published in 1992.
Rita Williams Anthony, of East Bend, is leading the project, with the help of Andrew Mackie, president of the Yadkin County Historical Society, and contributor to the first volume. Williams, Mackie, and their book committee have planned this project for several months.
Williams said, “It has been 30 years since the first book was published, so we thought we ought to do a second one.”
Mackie agreed, and added, “During the past 30 years, another generation has been born and led lives that are worth remembering. I am glad that we can compile a second book to preserve this information.”
The second book will include new stories and photographs about Yadkin’s families of color and their descendants. Each family will be allowed 500 words and two photographs. A family consists of a father and mother and the names of their children. Each child can submit a separate family history. The deadline for submitting articles to Williams through her email ritasoccermom13@aol.com is May 1, 2022.
Patrick Long, of Yadkinville, will lay out the book using GoogleDocs, which he said is a good way for a group to collaborate on a book like this.
The book committee encourages every family of color to share stories about their families and submit their articles to Rita as soon as possible. The book committee includes Diane Russell Murphy, Brenda Glenn, Judy Williams Dobson, Gladys Lackey Speaks, Annice Forrest Williams, Michelle Ravit, Clarence and Betty Valentine Gray, Rita Williams Anthony, and Andrew Mackie.
To make this process easier, the book committee is sponsoring a series of writer’s workshops throughout the county between now, and the end of February. Last October Boonville Presbyterian Church hosted the first workshop. This past January Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Yadkinville hosted the second one. The dates and places for these workshops are Sunday, February 6, 2022, at the East Bend Senior Center, 473 East Main Street, East Bend. On Sunday, February 13, 2022, at the Yadkin Valley Senior Center, Delos Martin Drive in Jonesville. Workshops will be announced later for Tabernacle United Church of Christ in Huntsville and Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Carson Town on US Highway 21 in Harmony. Anyone who is interested can attend these workshops, which will provide writers with the history of the project and guidelines for submitting their articles, photographs, and list of sources. All workshops will start at 2 pm and last about an hour.
The second book will be sold through the book committee and the Yadkin County Historical Society in Yadkinville. The cost of the book will depend on the number of articles and photographs submitted. The first volume of The People of Color of Yadkin County is still available through the book committee, the Yadkin County Public Library in Yadkinville and the Yadkin County Historical Society. Its cost is $25, tax included, shipping and handling extra.
For more information, call or text Rita Williams Anthony, 336-416-2160, email ritasoccermom13@aol.com or the Yadkin County Historical Society, 336-679-2702, email yadkincountyhistoricasociety@yahoo.com.
