Adolphus Bradshaw Clarence DePriest

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Adolphus Bradshaw Clarence DePriest and

Sarah Blanche Jenkins

Adolphus Bradshaw Clarence DePriest was born in New House, Cleveland Co., NC 3 Sep 1881. Clarence died 18 August 1965 in Shelby, NC, at 83 years of age. His body was interred 1965 in Sandy Plains Baptist Cemetery, New House, NC. He was known as "Clarence", "ABC", and "Alphabet".

He married Sarah Blanche Jenkins in NC, 16 August 1904. She was born in Rutherford Co., NC 16 August 1884. Her body was interred 1975 in Sandy Plains Baptist Church Cemetery, New House, NC. Sarah died 28 September 1975 in Shelby, NC, at 91 years of age. Her husband always called her "Sar' ree". Apparently this was a nickname, not a countrified pronunciation of Sarah. On the back of many photos he had typed " This is Sarrie's . . ."

Clarence he first noticed Sarah when they were in "grammar school". At nine years old, she was a young girl who had just moved into the community. She beat Clarence in a spelling bee. He took notice. Later he would say he married her because she was the smartest girl he had ever meet.

Sarah's engagement and wedding ring set was made not of diamonds, but of opals. For their honeymoon they attended the St. Louis World's Fair in St. Louis, MO

Clarence had a general merchandise store in Mooresboro, NC with his sister Bessie. In 1911 he and Sarah moved to Polkville, NC to operate a store there. They sold this store to The Stamey Co. and moved to Shelby, NC in 1926. From the late '40's to early 60's they operated an antique shop there. Clarence refinished and sold furniture; Sarah restored and sold gold leaf frames and other decorative items.

When Sarah and Clarence had their antique shop, their business philosophies were quite different. Clarence sold only good antique furniture. Occasionally he had a high quality (hand crafted) reproductions. He was very careful the customer understood it was a reproduction. He even worried, if he sold a reproduction to a knowing antique dealer, that it would be resold as an antique. On the other hand, Sarah would sell anything that would sell. Most of her stock was good decorative items and frames. But there was one item she continually sold which was new: In his later years Clarence had intestinal problems and took Milk of Magnesia daily. He went through one bottle (cost $0.75) a week. She would wash the label off and put the pretty blue glass bottle in the shop. She priced the empty bottle $1.00. For years, she sold these bottles as quickly as Clarence could consume their contents. When customers asked if they were old, she always said, " I can't guarantee anything in the shop is an antique."

One of Clarence's great loves was history -- American history and genealogy. He meticulously collected and labeled family photographs and also just typed up small (sometimes 2" x 3" bits of paper) notes on the family history. Much of the details in this DePriest-Jenkins family book comes from his notes. When his grandchildren came to visit, Clarence took great pleasure in taking them to his bedroom and getting out the family pictures. Picture by picture he would tell about the person and how they were related. He followed this routine month after month. Eventually it became a game - "who is this?" "how are you related?" Correct recognition always brought a big smile to his face. Without that game, much of this family history would not be possible.

Two of his most prized possessions were the DePriest Bible (1817) and the Canselor Bible (or more accurately, Barbara Rudisill's Catechisms) (1788). The DePriest Bible was passed directly from William to Thomas Baxter to A. B. C. He gave it to his only grandchild to carry the DePriest name, Tom DePriest (son of T B). Written in German, the Canselor Bible originally belonged to his great grandmother and apparently his great great grandmother. It was given to him by his great aunt Elizabeth "Aunt Bets". He gave this bible to his granddaughter, Lela Whisnant (daughter of Ruth), probably because she was always asking to see and hold it, plus she promised him she would learn German so she could read it.

Sarah, on the other hand, was more outgoing and concerned with things of the present. At her funeral the young preacher, a distant relative, eulogized her by saying "Aunt Sarah was the first assertive woman I ever knew. At family gatherings when the women would sit together talking about their families and the men would gather and talk about what was going on in the world, Aunt Sarah would chat first with the women then move out and join in the men's conversations. This just wasn't the way women around behaved. As a child I was intrigued by my aunt who would go talk with the men."

For all her assertiveness, talking with the men, even maintaining her own bank accounts, Sarah had her limits. There was one thing she never did because "I don't think it is lady-like" - vote.

Adolphus Bradshaw Clarence DePriest and Sarah Blanche Jenkins had the following children:

i. Goldie Madge DePriest was born in Mooresboro, NC Aug 1905. Madge died 7 May 1996 in Shelby, NC, at 90 years of age. After graduating from Women's College in Greensboro, NC, she was a first grade teacher in Fallston, NC. She married Blaine E. Baker about 1931. Blaine was born in 25 Sep 1902. Blaine died Aug 1987 in Shelby, NC, at 84 years of age. Blaine operated a dairy farm in Fallston, NC. They are buried in Cleveland Co., NC..

ii. T B DePriest was born in NC 28 Apr 1907. T B died 29 August 1983 in NC, at 76 years of age. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he operated a service station in Shelby. He married Mary Gayl Uden 1945. Mary Gayl Uden was born 16 Jul 1910. Mary Gayl Uden was the daughter of Edgar A. Uden and Nellie Bashore. Mary Gayl Uden died 14 Apr 1990 at 79 years of age. Mary Gayl was a biology teacher and guidance counselor at Shelby High School. Their bodies are interred at Sunset Cemetery in Cleveland Co., NC.

iii. Blanche DePriest (living). Blanche married Caesar Cone "Buck" Coble.

iv. Ruth DePriest was born in Polkville, NC 21 Feb 1916. Ruth died 26 Jul 1994 in Shelby, NC, at 78 years of age. She married Clyde McCiver Whisnant in York Co., SC, 17 Feb 1940. Clyde was born in Polkville, NC 17 Apr 1908. Clyde was the son of David Barrett Whisnant and Lela Maude Eaker. Clyde died 11 Aug 1991 in Shelby, NC, at 83 years of age. He graduated from Shelby High School Jun 1927. Clyde completed his pre-dental studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC and received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from Emory University, Atlanta, GA in 1932. Clyde was a dentist in Burnsville, NC from 1933 to 1981. Clyde and Ruth are interred in Polkville Methodist Church Cemetery, Cleveland Co., NC.

v. Adolphus Bradshaw Clarence DePriest, Jr. was born in Polkville, NC in 1918. Joy died Jul 1968 in Shelby, NC, at 50 years of age. He married Virginia Greene in Mooresboro, NC, 11 Jan 1947. Ginger Greene was born in Mooresboro, NC 13 Oct 1921. Ginger Greene was the daughter of Lawson Wofford Greene and Ida Edwards. Ginger died 7 Apr 1992 in Shelby, NC, at 70 years of age. They are interred at Sandy Run Baptist Cemetery, Cleveland Co., NC. They had no children.

Elsewhere on the Web

The Star Online Shelby Star's special section on Cleveland County in the 20th century by decade.

Descendants of Robert DePriest (DePress) of New Kent County. Kathy Waggerman's comprehensive site on the DePriest family.

DePriest Family Genealogy Forum GenForum

Cleveland County North Carolina USGenWeb Project