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State Archives of North Carolina, Military Collection, WWI Papers, Box 2, Folder 37: Orange County Red Cross History (typescripts, 1918-1919), scan 21.Open the sourceAll sources
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Early twentieth century · 1900–1944
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Black congregations in Chapel Hill form Red Cross auxiliaries
Among the auxiliaries of the Chapel Hill Red Cross chapter were groups at the Black Methodist church and the Black Baptist church of Chapel Hill, and one at Zion Church. Like the country circles they made hospital and refugee garments and comfort kits for the chapter.
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Chapel Hill's Rally Day of 1917 becomes a "Win the War Day" with a Red Cross booth
Rally Day in 1917 was given over to the war effort: Red Cross members ran booths on conservation and service, a farm exhibit showed county produce, and cooks displayed war breads and canned goods for prizes judged by the state Department of Agriculture. Women in uniform made surgical dressings in the Red Cross booth and signed up many new members.
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Dr. C. S. Mangum teaches a daily first aid class at the 1917 UNC Summer School
Dr. C. S. Mangum taught first aid every day through the six weeks of the 1917 Summer School to a large class of Chapel Hill people and summer visitors, with two local Red Cross members helping with bandaging. The course closed with practical and written examinations sent from Washington.
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Hillsborough children aged six to sixteen learn to knit for soldiers in a Red Cross class
Henrietta P. Collins and Mrs. J. Cheshire Webb taught girls and boys from six to sixteen to knit wash cloths for soldiers, using knitting cotton that Daniel Miller and Co. of Baltimore donated through Lillie Bivins. The room was full at every meeting, and the better knitters moved on to wool; by October about fifty children were knitting for the chapter.
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The Chapel Hill Red Cross gathers country women into auxiliaries across southern Orange County
Auxiliaries of the Chapel Hill chapter formed at Bethel Church, Calvander, Antioch, Williams Chapel, Smith Level, Mount Moriah, Union Grove, Damascus, Carrboro and Orange Church, and among Chapel Hill women who could not come to the workroom. They sewed hospital shirts and refugee garments, paid for supplies by selling eggs, jelly and apples, and passed magazines and papers to families who could not buy them; Mrs. H. C. Hogan of the Calvander circle made 100 hospital bed shirts in 100 days.
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Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents vote to form a Red Cross chapter at the Graded School
Dr. Louis H. Webb, charged with organizing chapters in his medical district, called a Monday night meeting of Chapel Hill and Carrboro people at the Graded School building on May 28, 1917, which voted almost unanimously for a full chapter rather than an auxiliary. Seventy-one people enrolled at the chapter's first meeting, which elected George Howe chairman and Alice Noble vice-chairman.
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The Daughters of the Confederacy in Hillsborough move to start a Red Cross chapter
At its May 1917 meeting the Gen. George B. Anderson Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy, discussed the war, and presiding officer Rebecca Cameron named a committee to form a Red Cross chapter in Hillsborough. The committee wrote many letters for information, which led to the organizing meeting of June 1.
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Hillsborough residents meet at the Session House library to organize a Red Cross chapter
About thirty people met in the library at the old Session House on June 1, 1917, heard Sarah Cheshire of Raleigh explain Red Cross work with sample bandages, and joined the Red Cross. They chose J. C. Webb temporary chairman, Henrietta P. Collins secretary and Rev. T. M. Grant treasurer, and set a mass meeting for June 4.
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A Red Cross mass meeting at the Hillsborough court house enrolls new members
On the eve of draft registration, J. C. Webb presided over a mass meeting at the court house where Edward Bond of Edenton, a soldier back from the Mexican border, and Rev. Alfred S. Lawrence spoke, and Frank Nash introduced Mrs. Palmer Jerman of Raleigh on the purpose of the Red Cross. Six young women then enrolled members.
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A Sunday rally at the Hillsborough court house gives $400 to the Red Cross War Fund
After a week of canvassing by C. H. Robertson's membership committee, a Sunday afternoon service at the court house led by the town's ministers raised $400 for the national Hundred Million Dollar Red Cross War Fund and brought the chapter to 200 members. By July 1 the chapter reported 400 members to Atlanta.
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The Chapel Hill Red Cross chapter receives its papers and works from a Main Street store
By June 18, 1917 the Chapel Hill chapter had all its organization papers, with jurisdiction over the part of Orange County on its side of the railroad, and was making surgical dressings in a large store on Main Street lent by Mayor W. S. Roberson. The store served as its headquarters and workroom for six months.
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Nurse Mrs. R. B. Hayes starts a surgical dressings class in the Hillsborough Red Cross room
Mrs. R. B. Hayes, a registered nurse, began a class in surgical dressings that met Tuesday and Friday mornings in the Red Cross room, John Norwood's old law office east of the court house, which J. Cheshire Webb lent for as long as the Red Cross needed it. Notice of the classes went to Cedar Grove.
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The Orange County Red Cross takes on a quota of 200 knitted sets for soldiers
Headquarters allotted the Hillsborough-based chapter 200 sets of a sweater, muffler, socks and wristlets, and on August 20, 1917 the executive committee named committees to find knitters and raise money for wool, asking the Cedar Grove branch for ten to twenty-five sets. By September 1 Mrs. C. H. Robertson had sixty experienced knitters waiting for yarn.
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The Orange County Red Cross grants New Hope Church a branch
The chapter's executive committee read and granted New Hope Church's application to form a Red Cross branch on September 7, 1917, and filed Cedar Grove's certificate of organization at the same meeting. By December New Hope was sending surgical dressings to Hillsborough for shipment with Cedar Grove's.
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The Orange County Red Cross reports 455 members at its first annual meeting
At a public meeting in the Hillsborough court house, chairman John W. Graham reported 455 members since June 4, branches at Cedar Grove and New Hope, an auxiliary for Black residents, a case of 1,453 surgical dressings shipped to Atlanta, about 150 knitters, and $1,535.43 given. The officers were re-elected, and Capt. Stuart Allen of Canada's Princess Patricia regiment spoke on the fighting in France.
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The Chapel Hill Red Cross re-elects its officers and names delegates to the state Red Cross congress
At the chapter's second meeting, held under its constitution on October 17, 1917, members re-elected the officers except treasurer Mrs. J. H. Pratt, who resigned, and chose Dr. J. M. Bullitt in her place. George Howe, Bullitt and Mrs. K. J. Brown were named delegates to the state Red Cross congress in Raleigh on November 1 and 2.
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The Orange County Red Cross fills its quota of 133 Christmas packets for soldiers
Asked to furnish 133 Christmas packets for soldiers, the chapter put Mary Spurgeon in charge on November 12, 1917, raised money in the community for the packets not yet paid for, and had the whole quota shipped by December 1. In January she read the executive committee letters from soldiers who received them.
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A Christmas membership drive signs the Orange County Red Cross's quota of 400 members
J. Cheshire Webb led a membership drive in the week before Christmas 1917, run from an office in the Orange Trust Company room, and reported on January 5, 1918 that the chapter had reached its quota of 400 members. Half the drive's receipts stayed with the chapter and let it pay its bills.
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Chapel Hill Red Cross treasurer Dr. J. B. Bullitt resigns to enlist in the Army Medical Corps
In the spring of 1918 Dr. J. B. Bullitt, who had set up the chapter's monthly subscription plan, resigned as treasurer to enlist in the Medical Corps of the United States Army. Dr. J. M. Bell succeeded him, and after about a month Dr. W. M. Dey took over when Bell went to Washington for government work.
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The Orange County Red Cross counts 850 knitted articles and 41,396 dressings for
During 1918 the chapter and its branches at Cedar Grove, New Hope and Oaks sent 850 knitted articles to Atlanta and fourteen boxes holding 41,396 bandages and surgical dressings. The history adds that the Black auxiliary did little sewing but drew in Black members.
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C. H. Robertson becomes chairman of the Orange County Red Cross executive committee
At the chapter's first meeting of 1918, Robertson was elected unanimously to succeed the Rev. Thomas M. Grant, who had moved away, as chairman of the executive committee. He led the committee through the end of the war and signed the chapter's history as its chairman.
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Mrs. J. Cheshire Webb is named the Orange County Red Cross's director of woman's work
At the request of Mrs. John W. Grant, the executive committee named Mrs. J. Cheshire Webb director of woman's work on May 11, 1918, and set supervisors over the work: Sue B. Hayes for surgical dressings, Mrs. S. Strudwick for hospital garments, Mrs. W. H. Webb for supplies and shipping, and Henrietta P. Collins as chief clerk.
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Orange County Red Cross knitters report more than 1,100 garments in seven months
Mrs. C. H. Robertson, chairman of knitting, reported in May 1918 that from September 10, 1917 to April 10, 1918 the chapter bought 381 pounds of yarn for $877.03 and its knitters made 234 sweaters, 211 mufflers, 214 wristlets, 521 socks and 6 helmets. The count included work taken over from the Navy League when its knitting merged into the Red Cross.
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The Orange County Red Cross sends literature to women in outlying communities to start Red Cross work
On May 31, 1918, after accepting the Oaks branch's certificate of organization, the chapter sent Red Cross literature to Nellie Perry at Cane Creek, Mrs. Cain Roberts near St. Mary's and Mrs. Clyde Compton at Carr in hopes of organized work there. Carr became a branch that August.
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The Orange County Red Cross's June box of 8,000 compresses goes straight to France
The chapter's June 1918 box to headquarters held 8,000 compresses, which were sent on to France without repacking, as the executive committee heard on July 19.
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The Orange County Red Cross sends $120 for canteen work among troops passing through Raleigh
Answering James H. Pou's appeal, the executive committee voted on John W. Graham's motion on July 19, 1918 to send $120 from chapter funds to Mrs. William Grimes of the Raleigh chapter for troops passing through Raleigh. The same meeting reported War Fund receipts of $4,294.38.
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The Orange County Red Cross forms a canteen committee to give packages to men leaving for camp
On September 2, 1918 the chapter appointed a canteen committee of five women, each to add another, with authority to buy supplies for packages worth up to a dollar for men leaving Hillsborough for camp. In October the Chapel Hill chapter offered to share the cost, since the men came from all parts of the county.
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Chapel Hill Red Cross membership grows to 687
The Chapel Hill chapter, which had enrolled 71 members at its first meeting in 1917, counted 687 members on October 1, 1918.
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Black residents keep an influenza soup kitchen at the Black school
During the 1918 epidemic in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, Black residents ran a soup kitchen at the Black school and looked after the sick in their settlement, work the Chapel Hill Red Cross history singled out.
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Chapel Hill women nurse influenza patients as volunteers in the University hospital
When influenza broke out after the University opened in the fall of 1918, the Red Cross offered its help to the physicians, and for weeks Helen Shell, Katherine Bourne and Mrs. K. J. Brown nursed as volunteers in the University hospital while other women helped stricken families in the village.
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The Orange County Red Cross ships 2,682 pounds of clothing for Belgian relief
In October 1918 the chapter shipped eleven boxes holding 2,682 pounds of clothing for Belgian relief and sent 706 linen articles, valued at $234.90, for soldiers in French hospitals. The Oaks branch, unable to send clothing, gave $40 for Belgian relief.
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The Chapel Hill Red Cross elects A. H. Patterson chairman at its annual meeting
At its annual meeting on Thursday, November 21, 1918, the chapter elected Dr. A. H. Patterson chairman, with Alice Noble vice-chairman, Nellie Roberson secretary and Dudley Carroll treasurer. Earlier that fall George Howe had resigned for his duties on the University's Student Army Training Corps committee, and J. M. Bell had taken his place.
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The Chapel Hill Red Cross moves its workroom to the University Inn
After the armistice of November 11, 1918, the chapter left the Zeta Psi fraternity hall for roomy quarters in the University Inn that the University provided.
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The Orange County Red Cross mails 111 Christmas boxes to men overseas
In November 1918 a chapter committee inspected, packed and mailed 111 Christmas boxes for men in the American Expeditionary Forces. A hundred comfort kits that Mrs. C. H. Robertson's workers had made for a Capt. Davies, which could not be shipped to him, went instead to fill a headquarters order for Italian comfort kits.
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The Chapel Hill Red Cross signs 550 members in its 1918 Christmas Roll Call
J. S. Holmes chaired the chapter's Christmas Roll Call of 1918, which secured 550 members. The school's Junior Red Cross auxiliary enrolled 310 in the same roll call, with every grade of the graded school at full membership.
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Alice Noble writes the history of the Chapel Hill Red Cross chapter
As chapter historian, Alice Noble signed the Chapel Hill chapter's account of its war work, from the 1917 first aid class through the 1919 welcome home for soldiers and sailors in Memorial Hall.
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The Chapel Hill Red Cross reports 66 cases of supplies shipped since its founding
The chapter's report of woman's work to April 12, 1919 counted 66 cases shipped from its workroom and auxiliaries: 200 comfort kits, 306 oakum pads, 8,155 dressings, 1,004 hospital garments, 20 cases of refugee clothing weighing 2,500 pounds, 235 Christmas packages and about 725 knitted articles.
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Orange County towns and townships win honor flags in the Victory Loan
For meeting their Victory Loan quotas, Cedar Grove, Chapel Hill, Cheeks, Eno and Hillsborough townships and the towns of Chapel Hill and Hillsborough were awarded honor flags, the Chapel Hill News reported on May 29, 1919, crediting Mayor W. S. Roberson as Victory Loan chairman. The paper said county residents had put more than a million dollars into government securities since the first Liberty Loan.
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The Orange County Red Cross commits its women workers and $300 to the soldiers' homecoming
At the request of the homecoming chairman, Robertson called the chapter's executive committee and workers to the court house, where they agreed to decorate the town and serve the soldiers' dinner on July 16. He named Mrs. W. L. Wall chairman of the dinner, and the committee voted $300 of its $399 balance toward the celebration.
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