James Lewis Page and Pearl Bell Walker Page, operators of J.L. Page and Sons Grocery Store next door at 1304 Fayetteville Street, were the original and longest owners of 1302 Fayetteville Street. The house was their family home, built around the time the couple were married in 1909. Their four children, Lois Page Collins, James Waverly Page, Benjamin Frank Page, and William Douglas Page, all grew up in the home.
James Lewis Page was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. He attended Shaw University, and after graduating, became an insurance agent for North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, where he worked at the Concord, North Carolina, branch. After five years in Concord, he moved back to Durham. He opened a grocery store in 1907, originally J. L. Page Grocery, eventually renamed J. L. Page and Sons Grocery. J. L. Page and Sons Grocery would go on to become one of the oldest grocery stores in Durham before it closed in 1997. The grocery store was a community staple and supported the community through a credit-based pay system, with the credit often going unpaid and thus forgiven. The store represents a crucial part of the history of the Fayetteville Street Corridor, as J.L. operated under the tenet that “if a Black man was going to be free, he ought to be self-employed.” This self-sustaining mantra was pertinent to building wealth and influence outside of the white purview and control, central to the creation of the Hayti community.
Pearl Bell Walker Page was born in Granville County, North Carolina, but moved to Durham in the early twentieth century with her brother, Reverend Thomas V. Walker. She met James when he returned to Durham, and they got married in 1909. The couple, and eventually their children, attended White Rock Baptist Church.
Pearl always had an influential role in J. L. Page and Sons Grocery Store, but took on a leading role after James passed away in 1942. She was assisted by two of her sons, James Waverly “J.W.” Page and William Douglas “Biddie” Page.
All four of the Page children were born and raised in Durham, attended Durham public schools, and were members of the White Rock Baptist congregation. The Page’s oldest child, Lois, was an early attendee at North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University). Lois was the least involved with the store, as J.L. believed that the grocery store business was not suitable work for girls. Despite this, Lois did occasionally help out around the store. Lois married Whittier “Whit” John Collins at the Page family home in 1928. The couple then moved to New Jersey, first to Newark, and then eventually settled in East Orange. While in New Jersey, Lois was a longtime employee of Tung-Sol Lamp Works. Lois and Whit also owned and operated an apartment complex in East Orange. After Whit passed away in 1991, Lois moved to California to live with her daughter until she passed away in 1992.
J.W. Page was born in 1911 and would go on to co-own J.L. Page and Sons Grocery Store with the youngest Page child, Biddie. He was married to his wife, Margaret Juanita Page, for sixty years. After Biddie passed away in 1979, Juanita stepped up to help run the grocery store with her husband. They created a legacy for the family business, with their children and grandchildren also involved in running the store. J.W. worked at J.L Page and Sons Grocery for most of his life, retiring from the business at age 88. J.W. was lovingly remembered for his kind spirit and for his role in running a community staple. J.W.’s retirement and death were a likely impetus for the closing of J.L. Page and Sons Grocery Store.
Benjamin Frank Page was the third Page child, born in 1915. He worked at the grocery store for much of his youth, but similarly to his sister, he took a different career path than his brothers. Benjamin attended North Carolina College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in History and English. He then attended the University of Michigan, where he began his studies for a Master’s Degree in History and Social Science. Before finishing his secondary education, Benjamin joined the United States Army and served during World War II. He was highly decorated for his service, honored with a Good Conduct Medal, a Bronze Star, and a World War II Victory Medal. He returned to Durham to complete his master’s degree at North Carolina College. After completing his secondary education, Benjamin taught history and social science at Hillside High School for almost 40 years. Although he did not have a career at J.L. Page and Sons Grocery, he continued to help out at the store throughout his life.
The youngest Page child, Biddie, was born in 1920. Following in his sibling’s footsteps, Biddie attended North Carolina College for his higher education. For a time, he worked as a substitute teacher in the Durham City school system and as an assistant to Dr. Arthur Lyman in the Department of Psychiatry at Duke Hospital. Biddie eventually joined J.W. in running J.L. Page and Sons Grocery. While working at the store, Biddie was deemed the “inquisitive one,” as he was always seen reading and asking questions about Durham news. Biddie worked at the store and lived at 1302 Fayetteville Street until his relatively early death at the age of 59 in 1979.
The Page family was the primary residents of 1302 Fayetteville for most of its history, but the property was also rented out to Dr. Charles Johnson for his private medical office. Dr. Johnson was a fellow in endocrinology at Duke University before working for Lincoln and Watts Hospital. While working for Lincoln and Watts Hospital, he also worked at his private practice located at 1302 Fayetteville Street.
The home is not currently occupied but is in stable condition.
Sources:
Carolina Times
Durham Sun
Herald-Sun
“Reflections: James Waverly Page,” Collection. R. Kelly Bryant Papers and Obituary Collection, Durham County Library, Durham, NC.
From Stokesdale National Historic District Nomination:
This one-story, gable-front-and-wing house is three bays wide and double-pile with a gabled rear ell on the northwest corner and a hip-roofed block south of the ell. The house has a brick foundation, aluminum siding and trim, and two interior brick chimneys. It retains original four-over-four, double-hung wood sash windows throughout with six-over-one, double-hung wood sash windows on the rear ell and a replacement front door. The hip-roofed front porch extends across the façade and projecting front-gabled bay; it is supported by decorative metal posts on brick piers and has a concrete slab floor and a metal railing. A stone retaining wall extends along the north side of the property, along Linwood Street. The building appears on the 1913 Sanborn map; the earliest known occupant is James L. Page in 1920. Page operated a Page’s Grocery next door at 1304 Fayetteville.
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