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Local figure

O. J. Forrest

O. J. Forrest and his partner B. B. Forrest helped set up Hillsborough's cooperative Alliance Store in 1890 and in 1895 bought out its stockholders. Trading as O. J. & B. B. Forrest, they built it by 1910 into a general store selling dry goods, groceries, hardware, farm implements and fertilizers from a two-story building and five warehouses.

Source: DigitalNC: Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), August 25, 1910, p. 1 (O. J. & B. B. Forrest)

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Life and Orange County connections

Storylines this person is part of, in date order. Each opens in the chronology.

The Farmers' Alliance in Orange County, 1887–18951887–1895 · Orange County farmers began organizing in 1887 and within a year had joined the Farmers' Alliance. Bingham Township farmers formed a club at Oaks that June, and in September an Orange County Club organized under Alex. McIver, though small attendance soon led it to put off a farmers' institute. After the Alliance's state organizer spoke at Hillsborough in March 1888, chapters formed quickly, and on May 18 delegates created the County Alliance under Sheriff John Knox Hughes. It opened an exchange in Hillsborough in 1890 and in 1891 endorsed the sub-treasury plan and all the Alliance demands. In 1893 a county committee called a bill to repeal the State Alliance charter a scheme to destroy the order.

Dated events connected with this person, in date order. See these 11 dated events in the chronology →

  1. C. M. Parks gives the Hillsboro Circuit its first parsonage C. M. Parks bought the James Y. Whitted house on Churton Street in January 1889 and fitted it up as a parsonage for the Methodists' Hillsboro Circuit, and the pastor moved in that February. Parks then gave the house, on about nine-tenths of an acre at Union and Churton streets and valued at $1,800 to $2,000, to the circuit as its first parsonage; the gift was announced in November 1890 and the deed to the church trustees is dated April 13, 1891. People: Samuel Mallett Gattis, O. J. Forrest, Joseph A. Harris, Charles M. ParksSearch the index · Pauline O. Lloyd and Allen A. Lloyd, History of the Churches of Hillsborough, N.C., ca. 1766-1962 (1963), scan p. 110 · Also: Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), November 15, 1890, p. 2; Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), February 9, 1889, p. 3
  2. The Hillsboro Exchange becomes an incorporated company under manager O. J. Forrest The Hillsboro Exchange, a cooperative store in Hillsborough, became an incorporated company with O. J. Forrest as manager. The paper said it was still selling a large amount of goods in spite of the hard times. People: O. J. ForrestSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), July 29, 1893, p. 3
  3. S. T. Forrest withdraws from the Hillsboro Exchange S. T. Forrest withdrew from the Hillsboro Exchange, leaving O. J. Forrest to settle its accounts and carry on the business at the same stand on King Street. People: O. J. ForrestSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), February 9, 1895, p. 3
  4. Hillsborough re-elects Mayor Joseph A. Harris over William Strain Hillsborough voters re-elected Democrat Joseph A. Harris mayor over Republican William Strain, 91 to 60, and elected the Democratic board of S. J. Lynch, James A. Cheek, James Webb Sr., E. A. Rosemond, O. J. Forrest, E. G. Sherrill and James H. Hedgpeth. People: Edward Atkins Rosemond, James A. Cheek, O. J. ForrestSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), May 10, 1900, p. 3
  5. Hillsborough elects Mayor Norwood and a five-member town board under its amended charter In the first town election under the amended charter, Hillsborough chose Mayor Norwood and Commissioners James Webb, James A. Cheek, O. J. Forrest, N. W. Brown and Fletcher R. Faucett, with Brown polling 92 votes. The new board took the oath on May 9, elected R. L. Faucett clerk and re-elected Dr. J. S. Spurgeon treasurer. People: N. W. Brown, John Sanford Spurgeon, James A. Cheek, O. J. ForrestSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), May 16, 1901, p. 3
  6. Mayor Norwood breaks a tie to license Hillsborough's three saloons for another year With Commissioner Fletcher R. Faucett absent, the town board split two to two on James A. Cheek's motion to license William F. Jackson, Theodore Turner and Cheek himself to sell liquor for twelve months from July 1, and Mayor Norwood cast the deciding vote for the licenses. James Webb and Cheek voted yes and N. W. Brown and O. J. Forrest voted no; the county commissioners granted the three their retail licenses on July 1. People: N. W. Brown, James A. Cheek, O. J. ForrestSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), June 6, 1901, p. 3
  7. Hillsborough votes for prohibition for the first time and elects Joseph A. Harris mayor For the first time in the town's history the prohibition ticket carried Hillsborough's election: Joseph A. Harris was elected mayor, and O. J. Forrest, N. W. Brown, P. H. Smith and A. F. Crabtree won on the prohibition ticket with James Webb on the license ticket, giving a board expected to refuse saloon licenses after July 1. People: Joseph A. Harris, N. W. Brown, O. J. ForrestSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), May 7, 1903, p. 3
  8. The Bank of Orange is chartered and elects its officers The Bank of Orange was chartered at Raleigh on April 18 with $5,000 capital, which might rise to $50,000, to do a commercial and savings business. Its stockholders met on April 26 at the court house, adopted by-laws and elected directors, who chose J. S. Spurgeon president, C. A. Scott vice president and Paul C. Collins cashier. People: John Sanford Spurgeon, Paul C. Collins, Shepperd Strudwick (1868-1961), Samuel Mallett Gattis, O. J. ForrestSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), April 21, 1904, p. 3 · Also: Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), April 28, 1904, p. 3
  9. Hillsborough elects a town board expected to license saloons Joseph A. Harris was re-elected mayor, and voters chose Shepperd Strudwick, William A. Hayes, Calvin R. Lassiter, Stephen E. Cole and George C. Lynch as commissioners over the old dry board of O. J. Forrest, A. F. Crabtree, N. W. Brown and P. H. Smith. The new ticket was understood to favor licensing barrooms, which the old board had refused for two years. People: Joseph A. Harris, Shepperd Strudwick (1868-1961), N. W. Brown, O. J. ForrestSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), May 4, 1905, p. 3
  10. Hillsboro elects Charles A. Whitaker mayor Hillsboro's town election made Charles A. Whitaker mayor, with John Christmas, Henry Murdock, C. R. Lassiter, E. A. Rosemond and O. J. Forrest as commissioners. At the new board's first meeting Whitaker offered to resign at once, and the board let him withdraw the resignation while he thought it over. People: Edward Atkins Rosemond, John Christmas, O. J. ForrestSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), May 18, 1911, p. 5
  11. The Globe Warehouse Company organizes to open a tobacco market at Hillsboro The Globe Warehouse Company organized permanently, electing George A. Durham president, O. J. Forrest vice president and R. D. Bain secretary-treasurer, with H. L. Parish and P. C. Collins also on the board. Its warehouse for selling leaf tobacco was to open in September. People: Paul C. Collins, Robert D. Bain, Harry L. Parish, George A. Durham, O. J. ForrestSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), August 14, 1913, p. 5

Places in this person’s story

Buildings, schools, churches and other sites named in the dated events on this page, the most often named first. The map shows the 1 with a known location.

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange, Orange County GIS, OpenStreetMap and a few other published sources named on each site’s page; town and community pins show approximate locations.

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People named in the same events

People named in the same dated entries as O. J. Forrest, those sharing the most entries first. Each line links one of the shared entries in the chronology, where its source is cited. A shared entry shows these people in the same event, not how well they knew each other.

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