Moore-Cumberland-Alamance County NcArchives Biographies.....Rankin, William Jones  July 1, 1862 - August 31, 1932
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Dorothy King tristatedts@yahoo.com September 1, 2008, 8:01 pm

Author: Dorothy King

Dr. William Jones Rankin was a Negro in near Elmwood North Carolina. He 
attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and earn a STB AND MASTER degree 
in 1892. He married Mattie Elizabeth Cooper a Negro who was born in 1871 and 
they married in 1892. They moved to Aberdeen, North Carolina in 1893. Mattie 
started teaching children in their home. They were property owner. Mr. Rankin 
further his education earning a Doctorate in Divinity from Biddle University 
which later became known as Johnson C. Smith University. His contemporary was 
Booker T. Blue. Dr. Rankin was highly respectly by all nationalities. he and 
his wife later founded a school for negro children in Aberdeen, North Carolina.
Did I mention that he was a Presbyterian Minister of the PSUSA. He was 
prominent. He was a Synod of Catawba and a Moderator. He pastored Faith 
Presbyterian Church in Aberdeen, North Carolina and Emanuel Presbyterian 
Church in Southern Pines, N.C. which stll exist but has 10 members and no 
telephone. Faith Presbyterian Church is located on the same grounds with 
Bethesda Presbyterian Church. Faith Prebyterian Church grounds was donated By 
JOHN BLUE for the Negroes to start their own church. The land on PeeDee Rd was 
also where the school was built prior to the $500.00 donated to assist the 
school. The Rankin's didn't have any natural born children but did ADOPT A 
DAUGHTER- "My GRANDMOTHER named Teresa Inez Rankin who married BOOKER T. BLUE, 
SR." There is a blood relationship in Booker T. Blue and Mack BLue and Nora 
Blue who work for the A&R Railroad and Nora being a Public School teach of The 
Wood School and later Sarah Lincoln. Mr. Book Blue drove the school bus for 
the Berkerley School for it brief existence and was alson a janitor there. Now 
back to Dr. Rankin he died reportedly in Graham, North Carolina..
During his lifetime he pastored several churches simultaneously. He HAS BEEN 
LISTED IN the Era of Progress amd Sarah Lincoln Academy is also, named. Dr. 
Rankin was a Mason. He owned land in Sandhill, Aberdeen, Southern Pines and 
Graham North Carolina. His wife, Mattie Elizabeth Cooper Rankin, was 
instuctmental in the growth of Negro life and affected positively the life of 
white folk as well. She sat as one of  the Vice President of the Advisory 
Board of the Women's Presbyterian Magazine distributed nationally for that 
time of which I do have a 1920 original copy. Thank You for allowing me to 
share some of the history of my GREAT GRANDFATHER.

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