North Carolina did not require death certificates until 1914. The following abstracts record the deaths of several generations of Colverts.

Lew Colvert.  Died 27 Mar 1915, Statesville, of cerebral paralysis.  Resided near Center Street, Statesville.  Black. Aged about 40. Married. “Laborer for city driving team mules.” Born in Iredell County NC to unknown father and Rebecca Colvert of Iredell County NC. Buried colored cemetery; J.W. Nicholson & Co., undertaker. Informant, L.W. Colvert.

A Runaway and a Driver Hurt

Wednesday afternoon Mr. Isidore Wallace’s team was being driven from the depot with a load of roots and herbs.  Just as the wagon turned into Front street from Center a sack of herbs fell off the wagon and struck one of the horses.  This frightened them and they ran away, colliding with an electric lightpole on the sidewalk.  The colored driver, Lou Colvert, was thrown off and a wheel passed over his head, inflicting a severe but not serious injury.  One of the horses broke loose from the wagon and the other ran on to the stables.  The wagon was slightly damaged. 

— Statesville Semi-Weekly Landmark, 11 Oct 1895.

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Becky Colvert.  Died 26 May 1915, Statesville, of general paresis. Widow. Born 1839. Resided Harrison Street. Born to Jerry Gray and Lettie Gray, both of Iredell County. Buried Zion Hill cemetery; J.W. Nicholson, undertaker.  Informant, John Colvert.

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Selma Eugenia Colvert.  Died 7 Oct 1916 of exhaustion from severe burns. Single. Born 25 Aug 1889 to John Colvert of Iredell County and Adaline Hampton of Wilkes County. Informant, John Colvert.

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John Colvert.  Died 6 Oct 1921, Statesville, of endarteritis. Black. Married to Adline Colvert. Age 71. Worked as laborer/teamster driving team. Born Iredell County to Walker Colvert and Elvira Gray, both of Iredell County.  Married to Adline Colvert.  Teamster laborer, driving team.  Buried “colored cemetery,” 9 Oct.  Informant, Adline Colvert.

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Frances Josephine Bradshaw. Died 6 November 1925, Statesville, of colitis.  Colored. Minor.  Born 12 May 1924, Statesville, to Will Bradshaw of Rowan County and Golar Colvert of Iredell County. Informant, Will Bradshaw.

Me: Now, who was it that you were telling me that — was it William Bradshaw’s sister?  What was it about, something about — there was a baby that couldn’t eat certain things. 

My grandmother: Oh, yes.  His sister….  Oh, she was the prettiest thing I ever saw in my life.  Like a doll.  Oh, she was a beautiful child.  And had this curly black hair just like Papa’s.  She was such a pretty little girl.

Me: And who fed her something that she wasn’t supposed to have?

My grandmother: You see, Golar, Mat and Walker’s mother was different from our mother. 

Me: Right.

My grandmother: And they would always go out in the country to visit these people.  You know.  And Golar took her children and went out, you know.  To visit.  And she, I don’t know what was wrong with the child that she couldn’t eat any, certain things she couldn’t eat.  And string beans was one of them.  And when she gave her some string beans, and it just …  just killed her.  And, ahhh, that child suffered.  My God, that child suffered.  I can remember that evening.  I can remember so well seeing that child.  She just suffered.  [Pants heavily.]  It was, I mean, that’s just the way she was breathing and everything.  So one morning after she had been sick, her daddy came over there, he said, “You all better come over to the house if you want to see the baby, ‘cause she is dying.”  I said, “You are crazy.”

My mother: What’d she have, Mama?

My grandmother: I don’t know what she had.  Don’t know what she had.  But they say whatever it was – it just tore her intestines.  … And little William.  William, he just grieved over that, he just grieved for that child.  William. We were just so sorry for that child.  And then on top of that, then his mother died.  It was just awful.

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Laura Colbert.  Died 21 April 1926, Statesville, of mitral insufficiency. Widow of Louis Colbert. Age 66. Cook. Father, Noahie Sharpe of Iredell County. Mother, unknown. Informant, Adgie Colbert.

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Lon Walker Colvert.  Died 23 Oct 1930, Statesville,  of encephalitis and catarrh pneumonia in Statesville NC.  Clinical test done by C.R. Nicholson, MD. Born 10 Jun 1875 to John Colvert and Harriet Nicholson.  Buried 24 Oct 1930 at Union Grove.

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Adeline Hampton Colvert. Died 4 March 1940, Statesville, of uremia. Resided 623 Harrison Street. Negro. Widow of John Walker Colvert. Born 12 July 1864, Wilkesboro NC to Horace Hampton and Myra [last name unknown], both of Wilkes County. Buried Greenwood cemetery. Informant, Lillie Colvert.

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George Randolph Colvert.  Died 31 Jan 1959, Statesville NC.  Resided 423 Harrison Street. Laborer. Never married. Born 9 April 1917 to [illegible] Summers (name blacked out) and Lillie Mae Colvert.  Buried Belmont cemetery. Informant, Lillie Mae Colvert.

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Ida Mae Stockton. Died 23 August 1967, Statesville, of cerebral hemorrhage. Resided 403 Harrison. Widow of Eugene Stockton. Born 27 June 1891, Iredell County, to John W. Colvert and Adline Hampton. Buried Belmont cemetery. Informant, Lillie M. Ramseur.

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Interview of Margaret C. Allen by Lisa Y. Henderson, all rights reserved.