The 1910 Census

Ollie Carawan Lewis, James Denard Carawan, Clinton Carawan. Photo taken in early 1910's

The year was 1910.  America was already into it's first decade of the new century.  Williiam Howard Taft was president, William Walton Kitchin of Scotland Neck was North Carolina's Governor and America was coming of age during the Progressive Era.  Goose Creek Island was coming of age also.  According to the 1910 census of Township 4, Goose Creek Island was making progress.  Although farming was the main economic engine in our community, the census indicated that more sailors, freight boat operators, and fishermen were gaining importance on the Island as well.

I have listed below some interesting tidbits from the 1910 Census of Goose Creek Island.

• Colton Green Carawan, a schoolteacher was the enumerator of Goose Creek Island's census in 1910. He was the son of Jesse Monroe Carawan of Middle Prong Rd.
• Wright Goodwin, Benjamin Thomas were listed as merchants in the Lowland district.
•  Garfield Alcock, Benjamin A. Sadler, William Gaskill, James Bateman, and John D. Sadler were listed as merchants in the Jones Bay (Hobucken) district.
• Some wives and daughters were listed as having the occupation of "washer woman".  (This was most likely what the women were doing when the census taker made his rounds on the Island)
• The Roanoke Lumber Company was operating at Springs Creek.  Many "off-island" names are found in the census such as William Selby, Nathanial Buttery, and William Flynn.  Several occupations were listed as swamp timber worker, log tram operator or labor on timber farm.  Nathanial Buttery was listed as manager of the timber farm.
• Five African American families are listed as living on the Island.  Those families were Church Ollison, Columbus Jones, Noah Moore, Sanders Jones and a Wilson family.  They primarly worked on the Jacobs Farm with the Roanoke Lumber Company.  It would be interesting to know if the Ollison family in the community of Mesic are connected to Church Ollison.
• Joella Mayo, Colton Green Carawan and Henry Carawan are listed as school teachers.
• Captain Mumford Gwynn (born in Virginia) was Lighthouse Keeper at Pamlico Point Lighthouse.  
• Devaney Farrow Jennette of Hatteras was Assistant Lighthouse Keeper.  
• 45 men are listed as either fisherman, sailors, captains of merchant vessel or work on freight boat. These occupations had increased since the 1900 census. 
• Cora Leary was listed as a dressmaker.
• Molsie Ireland is the postmaster at Hobucken.
• Issac Swindell was mail carrier.
• William Alpheus Carawan was a surveyor of real estate.
• Rufus Alcock was a speculator.
• William Spain and his son Herman Spain operated a steam mill in Hobucken
• Joseph Carawan with sons Thaxton and Charlie operated a steam mill in Lowland. 
• Augustus M. Sadler was a fish merchant operating his business "on the water."
• A preacher with the last name Yarbrough was listed in Lowland.  Possibly Primitive Baptist preacher.
• The majority of residents continued to run family farms or worked as farm labor.