R. Oscar Frost Papers, PC.5023

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R. Oscar Frost Papers, PC.5023

Abstract

R. Oscar Frost (1883-1980) was the first Black schoolteacher in rural Currituck County, North Carolina, where he taught from 1905 to 1916. The R. Oscar Frost Papers, 1895-1974, primarily consists of personal papers of R. Oscar Frost, his wife, Emma Wilson Frost, and members of the extended Frost and Wilson families. Included are photographs of several Black citizens of Currituck County in the 1890s-1920s, correspondence, and papers related to the benevolent orders to which Frost belonged. There are very few items in the collection relating to Frost's work for Currituck County Schools.

Descriptive Summary

Title
R. Oscar Frost Papers
Call Number
PC.5023
Creator
Frost, Robert Oscar
Date
1895-1974
Extent
0.400 cubic feet
Language
English
Repository
Outer Banks History Center

Series Quick Links

  1. Collection Contents

Restrictions on Access & Use

Access Restrictions

Available for research.

Use Restrictions

Copyright is retained by the authors of these materials, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], PC.5023, R. Oscar Frost Papers, Outer Banks History Center, Manteo, N.C., U.S.A.

Collection Overview

The Rob The R. Oscar Frost Papers, 1895-1974, primarily consists of personal papers of R. Oscar Frost, his wife, Emma Wilson Frost, and members of the extended Frost and Wilson families. Included are photographs of several Black citizens of Currituck County in the 1890s-1920s, correspondence, and papers related to the benevolent orders to which Frost belonged. Much of the correspondence consists of love letters to various members of the family from admirers. There are very few items in the collection relating to Frost's work for Currituck County Schools.

Arrangement Note

Alphabetical

Biographical Note

Robert Oscar Frost, Jr. was born 25 December 1883 in Currituck County, North Carolina, to Robert Oscar Frost, Sr. (1843-1914) and Judy Barnard Frost. He attended the State Normal School (now known as Elizabeth City State University) and North Carolina A&T University, where he studied agriculture. In 1905, he became the first Black schoolmaster in Currituck County, where he taught in primarily small rural schoolhouses until 1916. After leaving teaching, he became a farmer. He married Emma J. Wilson (1891-1974) around 1917. He served as a checker in the tool room of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard during World War II. He retired in 1952 and lived on his farm with his wife and their daughter, Harriett (1924-1985), for the remainder of his years. He died 16 August 1980 and is buried in Elizabeth City.

Contents of the Collection

Collection Contents
Advertisements and Solicitations, circa 1900s-1920s
Box 1
Charlie Wilson Correspondence, 1926-1930
Box 1
Clara Wilson Correspondence, 1913-1916
Box 1
Currituck County Schools, 1905-1927
Box 1
Scope and Content

This folder includes several pieces of correspondence related to Currituck County Schools, a census of Black students attending school in Crawford Township, and Frost's 1903 teaching contract.

Doctor and Hospital Bills to Jerome Wilson in reference to his daughter, Florence Wilson, 1906-1921
Box 1
Emma Wilson Frost and Harriet Frost Papers, 1916-1969
Box 1
Florence Wilson Correspondence, 1911-1924
Box 1
Frost Family Finances, Receipts, Debts, Canceled Checks, 1915-1960
Box 1
Frost Family Insurance, 1912-1966
Box 1
Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, Eastern Star, 1923-1934
Box 1
Knights of Pythias, 1917-1924
Box 1
Photographs, circa 1890s-1927
Box 1
Scope and Content

Tintypes, photographic prints, and postcards featuring portraits of various members of the extended Frost and Wilson families and their friends. Most photographs are unidentified. Individuals identified in the photographs are R. Oscar Frost, Emma Wilson Frost, James E. Clark, Harriett Frost, Edna Spence, Bessie Wilson, Sarah Sue Wilson, Ernest Nomion Burnell, Dallas Baxter, Leland Wilon, Clara Wilson, and Charlie Wilson.

Robert Frost, Sr. Papers, 1893-1903
Box 1
R. Oscar Frost Astrology, 1907-1908
Box 1
R. Oscar Frost Correspondence, 1905-1913
Box 1
R. Oscar Frost Correspondence, 1914-1951
Box 1
Scope and Content

A 14 December 1914 letter from M. E. Sumner in this folder discusses a school and boarding house cloure due to a smallpox outbreak in Currituck, North Carolina.

R. Oscar Frost, Hampton Institute Records, 1914-1915
Box 1
Wilson and Simmons Families, Correspondence and Papers, 1890-1915
Box 1
Other Papers, 1901-1974
Box 1
Scope and Content

Includes an 8th grade domestic science exam completed by Maggie Wescott in 1918; farm machinery repair lists; a piece of racist hate mail, circa 1900s or 1910s, possibly sent to Oscar Frost by two anonymous white supremacists; a 1913 commencement schedule for Elizabeth City Normal School; several love letters, 1915-1916, from P.C. Williams to Mrs. P.A.V. Paige; a copy of a 1974 article on Oscar Frost; other papers.

Subject Headings

  • Frost family
  • Wilson family
  • African Americans--Education--North Carolina--Currituck County
  • African American teachers--North Carolina--Currituck County
  • Teachers--North Carolina--Currituck County
  • African Americans--North Carolina--Currituck County--History

    • Acquisitions Information

    Donated by Larry P. Sanderlin, October 2006.

    Processing Information

  • Processed by Sarah S. Downing, 1997.
  • Updated by Samantha Crisp, February 2021.