Murderers In The Family: Background on the State's Star Witnesses Lucy and Pinkie

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 Lucy and Pinkie were sisters. They had been born in Nash County, North Carolina. 

Their mother was named Mary Jane Brewer and everyone called her by her middle name of Jane. Jane had been born a free person of color in 1835 to David Wilkins and Penelope Merritt, also free persons of color in Nash County, North Carolina. They had married on Nov. 20, 1833 in Nash County. Jane's mother died young and her father David remarried to another free woman of color, named Martha.

In 1850, Jane and her family are living in Nash County, NC. David Wilkins, her father, was listed as head of the family and 43 years old. He is a free person of color. With him are Martha aged 29, his wife. The following children are listed: William 14, Jane 11, Martha 9, George 6, David 4, Matilda 2 and Louis one month old. 

In 1860, Jane is living in Dortches, Nash County, North Carolina. She is listed as 24, mulatto and a housekeeper. She has two children named Isadore aged 3 and William aged 1. Next door to her is a white man and his family. His name was James Brewer and he was listed as 49 years old. With him are wife Sallie, daughter Frances, son James, son Archibald and son Samuel. This man is important in this story, because he was the father of Jane's children. 

In 1870, Jane is Liberty, Nash County, NC. She was listed as keeping house and being 31 years old. She has 7 children. Isidore 18, William 12, Bettie 9, Mary 7, Pink 4, Lucy 2 and Henry 17. Again, next door is James Brewer and his family. James is 61, Sallie is 60,Sam is 19 and Bowett (?) is 13. 

On May 22, 1872 James Brewer makes a will. In this will he names his wife Sallie, two sons Samuel and Archibald and a grand daughter named Ellen Barrett. He leaves them land on the north side of the public road leading from Hilliardston to Rocky Mount in Nash County. He also names Jane Wilkins in his will along with her seven children Isadora, William, Betty, Mary Jane, Pink, Lucy and Henry. He leaves them the land on the south side of the public road from Hilliardston to Rocky Mount in Nash County. He also leaves Jane $500. If his children were to die without issue then all their shares would to go Jane's children and if all of Jane's children died without issue then their shares would go to Samuel and Archibald and Ellen. This will was probated on January 20, 1879 in Nash County, NC. His widow Sallie contested this will on April 30, 1879. I do not know what happened once she contested the will. 

However, it is obvious that he wanted to provide for Jane and the children. At the time he made this will James Wilkins had not been born yet. James Wilkins was born in 1876. 

So Lucy and Pinkie were biracial. Apparently they were also very pretty women and they garnered a bad reputation in Nash and Franklin County. ( I would take their reputation with a grain of salt considering who was telling the story.) 

Lucy and Pinkie had lived most of their lives in Nash but at the end of May 1892, they moved into Franklin County, in the Gold Mine area. They rented a little house known as the Lam place. Pinkie had been married twice before and had two kids. I do not know the name of these two children. I have been unable to find out anything about her kids or her husbands. One husband was named Pete Wilkins and the other was a man with the last name Joyner. Her children were said to have been by her husband, but it wasn't specified whether it was the deceased husband or the living one who had abandoned her. That was how she came to live with her sister Lucy. 

When Lucy and Pinkie moved to Franklin County they were helped by Calvin Coley and Tom Moseley. Tom Moseley was visiting with Lucy. By the last week of June, Tom Coley had taken a liking to Lucy. Calvin and Pinkie were seeing each other regularly once or twice a week in the months before the murder. 

More about them tomorrow. I have to run for now.  


Location: Greenville, NC, USA

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