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Caswell County Genealogy
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 1903 - 1969 (65 years)
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| Name |
Cole, Clyde Caviness [1] |
| Born |
8 Mar 1903 |
Roxboro, Person County, North Carolina  [1] |
| Gender |
Male |
| Reference Number |
6130 |
| Died |
18 Jan 1969 |
Durham, Durham County, North Carolina |
| Buried |
Yanceyville Presbyterian Church, Yanceyville, Caswell County, North Carolina |
| Person ID |
I6045 |
Caswell County |
| Last Modified |
21 Jun 2022 |
| Father |
Cole, Ralph Garland, b. 29 Jan 1885, d. 8 Apr 1943 (Age 58 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Mother |
Long, Mary Josephine, b. 19 Nov 1879, d. 7 May 1945, Roxboro, Person County, North Carolina (Age 65 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Married |
11 May 1902 |
| Reference Number |
45274 |
| Family ID |
F2439 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
Hooper, Elsie Lea, b. 13 May 1910, Caswell County, North Carolina , d. 20 May 1994, High Point, Guilford County, North Carolina (Age 84 years) |
| Married |
10 Aug 1930 |
Yanceyville, Caswell County, North Carolina [1] |
| Reference Number |
44249 |
| Children |
| | 1. Cole, Patricia Anne, b. 4 Sep 1935, Caswell County, North Carolina , d. 2 Aug 1988, Morehead City, Carteret County, North Carolina (Age 52 years) [natural] |
| + | 2. Living |
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| Last Modified |
21 Jun 2022 |
| Family ID |
F3187 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Notes |
- Clyde Caviness Cole (1903-1969)
(click on photograph for larger image)
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Second Photograph:
Bartlett Yancey High School
Class of 1957
Class Day Program
Awards
Newspaper Article: The Danville Register (Danville, Virginia), 21 Jan 1969, p. 3B.
Tire Advertisement: The Bee (Danville, Virginia), 27 February 1943, Saturday, Page 17.
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Clyde Caviness Cole came to Yanceyville, North Carolina, May 28, 1928, to open a Chevrolet dealership. The grand opening was held June 5 and 6, 1928 in the "old Tom Lea" building. Mr. Cole secured the first Chevrolet franchise ever granted to Caswell County.
In 1947 he constructed a new Chevrolet dealership building on Hooper Street in Yanceyville. This new structure was 75' by 136' and totaled 12,775 square feet including the mezzanine. Construction was brick and steel, with no posts to hinder work flow. The floor was five inches of concrete, and the roof was 20-year built-up bonded. Ceilings were thirteen feet (eight feet on the mezzanine). The building included two large steel roll-up doors and two large plate glass windows in the show room. Heat was oil-fired steam with nine unit heaters individually thermostatically controlled. The boiler, which had 6,080 square feet of radiation, burned sixteen gallons per hour. There was a used car lot to the right and an alley to the left.
Employees in 1947 included Irving Reagan, Wallace Burke, Billy Oakley, Steve Poteat, Billy Aldridge, Jim Aldridge, and Bessie Shaw.
Reference: The Heritage of Caswell County, North Carolina, Jeannine D. Whitlow, Editor (1985) at 155-156 (Article #132, "Clyde C. Cole" by Elsie Hooper Cole).
The 1930 US Census (Yanceyville, Caswell County, North Carolina) shows Clyde Cole as a boarder in the household of William M. and Erma Hooper. There were four other borders. The Hoopers also had two daughters living in the house: Elsie (age 20) and Clara (14). Was this Elsie Hooper the future Elsie Cole? Yes it was.
Erma Hooper was shown as a Hotel Operator. Clyde Cole was shown as Manager Justice Chevrolet.
The Caswell Messenger (Yanceyville, NC), May 11, 1933: Justice Chevrolet Company reopened.
The Caswell Messenger (Yanceyville, NC), June 4, 1936: Justice Chevrolet occupied new building constructed by T. E. Steed.
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"C. C. Cole of Yanceyville was elected secretary of the N. C. Automobile Dealers' Association at the recent meeting in Pinehurst." The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina), 31 May 1948.
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Cuba Trip
Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Caviness Cole and Mr. and Mrs. John Oliver Gunn returned home Saturday from a week's visit to Miami, Florida, where they attended the annual convention of the National Automobile Dealers Association. On Thursday they flew from Miami to Cuba by way of Key West and spent the day in Havana.
The Bee (Danville, Virginia), 20 January 1951, Saturday, Page 5.
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The following was provided by a family member:
"In addition to the information already on file about the beginning of Cole Chevrolet Co., Clyde Cole worked tirelessly to get electricity to Yanceyville from Carolina Power & Light and water by establishing the Yanceyville Sanitary District. He was a 32nd-Degree Mason and was active in the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association. Clyde Cole's passions were his family, his quest for knowledge, and selling automobiles. He was instrumental in the restoration and maintenance of the Yanceyville Presbyterian Church cemetery where he has eternal rest."
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Rotary Industrial Committee
The Rotary Club of Yanceyville took the initiative to begin the industrialization of Caswell County. In 1938, when the club was just in its second year, an industrial committee was appointed under the chairmanship of John O. Gunn, and it reported some specific plans to the club. The result was the organization of the Caswell Development Company with Gunn, T. E. Steed, and S. A. Malloy as incorporators. When the company was organized C. C. Cole became president while T. E. Steed and Hubert H. Page were vice president and secretary-treasurer, respectively.
An intensive campaign was begun to raise funds to construct an industrial building, and with the full cooperation of the Rotary Club and other citizens in the county a substantial sum of money was raised to begin construction. Additional money was borrowed and construction was completed very early in 1939 so that the Caswell Knitting Mill opened in late February. Artie Glenn Holt of Burlington (Company Shops) had recommended this particular type of industry and he became the operator of the mill, which gave employment to around 150 people. This was a significant beginning and it was symbolic of the future.
Source: "When the Past Refused to Die: A History of Caswell County North Carolina 1777-1977," William S. Powell (1977) at 304.
Newspaper Article:
Four members of the Rotary Industrial Committee are pictured above, as follows: Jn. O. Gunn, chairman, upper left; T. E. Steed, upper right. Clarence L. Pemberton, lower left; Dr. S. A. Malloy, lower right. This committee, with the cooperation of the entire club and other county citizens, has been working on plans for the industrial development of Caswell county, and it is expected that an important announcement concerning this activity will be made at an early date.
The Caswell Messenger (Yanceyville, North Carolina), Thursday, 22 September 1938.
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Caswell Promotion Unit Stockholders Vote to Dissolve
Yanceyville, Sept. 19 -- Stockholders of the Caswell Development Co. have voted to pay off the shares of the stockholders and dissolve the corporation, according to J. O. Gunn, secretary-treasurer. The company was organized here some 20 years ago to promote the industrial development of the county. Shares were sold and the corporation erected the building for the Caswell Knitting Mills here, which later purchased the building from the corporation. The company then erected the building for Atwater Hosiery Mills. Shares of stock were sold to finance the operation.
Later, Gunn [John Oliver Gunn] and Clyde C. Cole bought the mill and changed the name to Cole-Gunn Hosiery Mill. During the past 10 years the company absorbed the taxes and other expenses connected with the building and paid the stockholders of the Caswell Development Co. six per cent on their investment.
In bringing two new industries to Yanceyville, the development company has aided in doubling the population of the town and bringing thousands of dollars of extra income to the county.
The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina), 20 September 1957, Friday, Page 36.
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For a mini-biography published by the Rotary Club of Yanceyville in 1942 see Wheel Tracks
Cole Family Photographs
Cole Chevrolet Photographs.
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In 1948, Atwater Hosiery Mill was established through the sale of stock by the Caswell Development Company and operated by Roy Vincent Atwater and William Bennett Atwater. Initial financing was provided by T. E. Steed. The debt purportedly was repaid in three years. Presumably the building (across from Cole Chevrolet) dates from 1948. Building construction probably was part of the original financing. The product was ladies’ hosiery (seam up the back). Unknown is whether brothers Roy and Bill Atwater were the sole owners at the time. Presumably the business was organized as a corporation. Around 1955, the Atwater Hosiery Mill was sold to Clyde Caviness Cole, Johnny Oliver Gunn, William Bennett Atwater, and David Johnson, and the name was changed to Cole-Gunn Hosiery Mills, Inc. In 1958, Cole-Gunn Hosiery Mills, Inc. was re-purchased by brothers Roy Vincent Atwater and William Bennett Atwater, and the name was changed to Royal Hosiery Mills, Inc., and production was shifted to ladies' seamless hosiery. William Bennett Atwater may have been continuously part of the ownership from 1948-1974.
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The Caswell Messenger (Yanceyville, NC): May 11, 1933: Justice Chevrolet Company reopened.
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Justice Chevrolet Company (Yanceyville, NC)
Clyde Caviness Cole (1903-1969) came to Yanceyville, North Carolina, May 28, 1928, to open a Chevrolet dealership. The grand opening of Justice Chevrolet was held June 5 and 6, 1928, in the "old Tom Lea" building on the Square. Mr. Cole secured the first Chevrolet franchise ever granted to Caswell County. Whether he was the sole owner is not known, but it is believed that he had one or more investors (possibly T. E. Steed).
In January 1932, the Tom Lea Building burned, damaging the A. H. Motz Building and threatening the entire east end of the Square. Lost were Lea's Garage (Justice Chevrolet), Richardson's Barber Shop, and Swicegood Funeral Home. Lea apparently leased the building to Justice Chevrolet and began rebuilding immediately. The Caswell Messenger (Yanceyville, NC), January 7, 1932.
Justice Chevrolet Company reopened, having been closed since the fire of January 1932. The Caswell Messenger (Yanceyville, NC), May 11, 1933.
In 1936, Justice Chevrolet occupied a new building constructed by T. E. Steed. Where this new building was located is not known. Nor is it known when the name of the dealership was changed to Cole Chevrolet. The Caswell Messenger (Yanceyville, NC), June 4, 1936.
In 1947 Clyde Cole constructed a new Chevrolet dealership building on Hooper Street in Yanceyville (now Cole Street). This new structure was 75' by 136' and totaled 12,775 square feet including the mezzanine. Construction was brick and steel, with no posts to hinder work flow. This building was demolished a few years back.
January 19, 2018
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When Clyde Caviness Cole (1903-1969) came to Yanceyville, NC, in 1928 to establish a Chevrolet dealership he wanted to call it Cole Chevrolet. However, there already was a Cole Chevrolet dealership in Hillsborough, NC. So, he named the dealership Justice Chevrolet. Later, when the Hillsborough dealership closed, Clyde Cole was able to adopt the name know by many: Cole Chevrolet. In 1950 he added Oldsmobile. Information courtesy Jerry Lea Cole.
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1920 United States Federal Census
Name: Clyde Cole
Home in 1920: Roxboro, Person, North Carolina
Age: 16 years
Estimated birth year: abt 1904
Birthplace: North Carolina
Relation to Head of House: Son
Father's name: Ralph G
Father's Birth Place: North Carolina
Mother's name: Josephine
Mother's Birth Place: North Carolina
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Sex: Male
Able to read: Yes
Able to Write: Yes
Image: 738
Household Members: Name Age
Ralph G Cole 32
Josephine Cole 39
Clyde Cole 16
Alice Cole 10
Edna Cole 8
1930 US Census
Name: Clyde Cole
Age: 27
Estimated birth year: abt 1903
Birthplace: North Carolina
Relation to head-of-house: Boarder
Race: White
Home in 1930: Yanceyville, Caswell, North Carolina
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| Sources |
- Details: Wheel Tracks: Biographical Sketches (1942-1943), Service Publication of the Yanceyville North Carolina Rotary Club (1943).
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: Address
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: County/Shire
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