Tatum-Lyon-Mitchell Houe

04.08.12

        John and Mamie Tuten were the original owners of 1409 Fayetteville St. John passed away in 1925, likely before or around the time the home was completed. Mamie was a domestic worker. She went on to marry Lonnie Williams, a World War I veteran.

        The next owners were Eugene and Mittie Tatum. Eugene was from Sampson County, North Carolina. He attended North Carolina Religious Training School and Chatauqua, which is now North Carolina Central University. He originally was a public school teacher. When he moved to Durham in 1928, he worked as the operator at Carolina Barbershop. He then went on to become a business manager for the Carolina Times newspaper. Eventually, he created his own newspaper service for Burlington and Henderson, North Carolina, as well as a few other, undisclosed North Carolina locales.

The Lyon/Mitchell family has owned the home since 1935. Henrietta Lyon purchased the home and lived with her mother, ‘Aunt’ Mary Mitchell Lyon, and sister, Allie Mitchell. Mary Lyon was enslaved as a young child. She was eight when the Civil War ended, and she was freed. While enslaved, Mary was nearly separated from her mother, Roddie Green, as her mother was auctioned, but the highest bidder had attempted to pay with Confederate currency, which was essentially worthless. Mary and Roddie were both enslaved in Granville County, North Carolina, where Mary was forced to “...spin three ‘broaches’ of cotton a day, and carry water to the ‘staves.’” Mary and her mother were also whipped for visiting their friends who were enslaved on other plantations. When Mary and her mother were freed, they struggled to find jobs. Mary eventually became a domestic worker who took care of children.

Allie Mitchell married Oscar Mitchell, and together they had a son named O’Briant Mitchell who lived with the family at 1409 Fayetteville. O’Briant was a custodian at the North Carolina Mutual Life and Savings Company for 32 years. He married Virginia Mitchell, who worked at Duke University, and together they had Calvin Mitchell, who still lives at 1409 Fayetteville. 

Sources:

“Building Permits,” Durham Sun (Durham, North Carolina), November 16th, 1972.

“Eugene M. Tatum,” Herald Sun (Durham, North Carolina), June 14, 1956.

 “Aged Woman Living in Durham Was Born and Raised A Slave,” Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina), November 23, 1941.

(The information about Mary Lyon’s enslavement only comes from one article. While rare to have formerly enslaved people documented, it is important to note that this was only one article, likely written by a white person, which means there is likely bias and possibly misinformation in the article. General facts were taken from the article for this research to try to limit the bias.)

“Mrs. Allie L. Mitchell,” Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina), May 5, 1977.
 “O’Brient Mitchell,” Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina), May 29, 1983.