Catherine D. Meekins Papers, PC.5305

Abstract

Catherine Deaton Meekins (1904-1980) was a longtime Roanoke Island resident and co-founder of The Coastland Times newspaper with her husband, D. Victor Meekins. The Catherine Meekins Papers, 1900-1988, consists of correspondence, financial and property records, publications, and personal papers created by Catherine Meekins and the members of her immediate family, as well as posthumous papers related to the Catherine Meekins Estate.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Catherine D. Meekins Papers
Call Number: PC.5305
Creator: Meekins, Catherine Deaton, 1904-1980
Date: 1900-1988
Extent: 1.900 cubic feet
Language: English
Repository: Outer Banks History Center

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 the United States copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying these materials.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], PC.5305, Catherine Meekins Papers, Outer Banks History Center, Manteo, NC, U.S.A.

Collection Overview

The Catherine Meekins Papers, 1900-1988, contains the personal papers of Catherine Meekins and her immediate family members. Much of the collection consists of letters from Catherine's children, husband, and father. Letters from D. Victor Meekins are mainly love letters written during the couple's engagement and the early years of their marriage. Letters from Mary Blanche and Roger Meekins primarily discuss their family lives, marriages, and daily lives, including a bout of mental illness suffered by Mary Blanche during the collapse of her first marriage in the late 1960s.

In addition to correspondence, the collection includes financial records and records related to the Meekins and Deaton families' various property holdings, largely dating from Catherine's later years. Posthumous materials related to the Estate of Catherine Meekins are also included in the collection.

Also included are numerous publications owned by Catherine, including a copy of Eneas Africanus, Defendant by Harry Sitwell Edwards, a pro-slavery white supremacist novel written during the reconstruction era; as well as an early sales booklet for the Virginia Dare Shores development and a copy of Business Short Cuts advertising early 20th century office equipment. Of note in this series are several editions of The Sunnyside News, a miniature newspaper published by Roger Meekins from 1939 to 1942, when he was 9-12 years old. The newspaper includes local news "stories" about the places Roger went and the people he met, including news from his friends and his fellow students at Manteo Elementary School, as well as factoids and stories of interest to children, such as articles on the world's oldest toys and how much dinosaurs can eat. The newspaper has numerous typographical and spelling errors, including type set upside down and backwards, and includes pieces written by a young Roger as well as his adult acquaintances. The paper also includes advertisements by local businesses.

Personal papers in the collection include photographs, ephemera, vital records, and feature copy and other writings contributed to the Coastland Times. It is unclear whether these pieces were written by Catherine or Victor.

Arrangement Note

The collection is arranged into five series: Correspondence, Financial Records, Property Holdings, Publications, and Personal Papers. Folders are arranged alphabetically within series. Material within folders is arranged chronologically.

Biographical/Historical

Catherine Deaton Meekins was born 9 March 1904 to Harry Preston Deaton (1872-1945) and Minna Blanche McNeely Deaton (1878-1940) of Mooresville, North Carolina. She had a younger sister named Mary Moore Deaton (1906-1994). Catherine's father was the editor of the Mooresville Enterprise. She was a talented musician and music teacher in her early adult life. In 1929, she met and married D. Victor Meekins and moved to Roanoke Island, where the couple lived on the Meekins homestead in the Sunnyside neighborhood on the northwest end of the island. There, she founded the Coastland Times with her husband in 1935 and contributed feature stories and other services in support of the paper. She continued to work for the Coastland Times in various capacities until her death in 1980.

Catherine and Victor had three children: Roger Preston Meekins (1930-2018), Francis Warren Meekins (1933-2010), and Mary Blanche Meekins (1939-).

Contents of the Collection

1. Correspondence, 1929-1986

Harry Preston Deaton, 1929-1943

Box 1

General Correspondence, 1929-1979

Box 1

Greeting Cards, 1930s, 1973-1976

Box 1

End of Life Care, 1980

Box 1

Estate of Catherine Meekins, 1981-1986

Box 1

Major General R. C. Macon, 1965-1969

Box 1

Mary Blanche Meekins and Family, circa 1945-1972

Box 1

Roger Meekins and Family [2 folders], 1937-1967

Box 1

Roger Meekins and Family, 1968-1974

Box 2

D. Victor Meekins, 1929-1953

Box 2

Sympathy Cards, Death of Catherine Meekins, 1980

Box 2

2. Financial Records, 1933-1984

Estate Inventory, 1980

Box 2

Estate Tax Records, 1981-1984

Box 2

Expenses, 1979-1980

Box 2

Financial Ledger, 1964-1968

Box 2

Invoices and Receipts, 1933-1958

Box 2

Receipt Book, 1971-1974

Box 2

3. Property Holdings, 1909-1988

Appraisal of the Estate of Catherine Deaton Meekins, 1980

Box 2

Assets, circa 1970s

Box 2

Colington Property, 1980

Box 2

Construction Contract, Sunnyside House, 1970

Box 2

Deed: Evansville Subdivision, Roanoke Island, 1961-1971

Box 2

Deeds and Related Papers, 1938-1975

Box 2

Kill Devil Hills Land Inquiries, 1981-1982

Box 2

Kill Devil Hills Property Map, 1981-1984

Box 5

Lake Realty Company, 1943-1945

Box 2

Land Sale to Kill Devil Hills, 1971-1988

Box 3

Listing Agreement, 1985

Box 3

Map of Colington Land, 1973

Box 5

McCown and McCown, 1964-1975

Box 3

Catherine Meekins Home Map, 1953-1980

Box 3

Francis W. Meekins, 1971-1972

Box 3

D. Victor Meekins Estate, 1964-1971

Box 3

Mirlo Lands, 1981

Box 3

Old Deeds and Cancelled Deeds of Trust, 1942-1971

Box 3

William Ries et ux, 1974-1976

Box 3

Times Building, 1951-1967

Box 3

Warranty Deeds, Deaton Family, 1909-1947

Box 3

4. Publications, 1900-1972

Betty Lou Foxtrot, Words and Music by Pearl Baum Scharff, 1936

Box 3

Business Short Cuts, 1935

Box 3

Death Begins at 40 [Safe Driving Guide], 1938

Box 3

Eneas Africanus, Defendant, 1920

Box 3

Historic Edenton and Countryside, circa 1951

Box 3

Holmes First Reader (with Annotations by Estelle Meekins), 1900

Box 3

Magazines, 1941-1960

Box 5

Outer Banks Association Magazine, Summer 1972

Box 3

The Sunnyside News, 1939-1942

Box 3

Virginia Dare Shores Sales Booklet, 1927

Box 3

Waring Cook Book for the 8 Push Button Blender, 1967

Box 3

We the People of North Carolina, Vol. VI, No. 4, August 1948

Box 3

5. Personal Papers, 1911-1980

Brochures, 1927-1940s

Box 4

Clippings, circa 1934-1978

Box 4

Cradle Roll Certificate, Roger Meekins, 1931

Box 5

Day Planners, 1974-1976

Box 4

Death Certificate, 1980

Box 4

Event Programs, 1924-1977

Box 4

Family Photographs, circa 1930s-1958

Box 4

Feature Copy, 1935-1937

Box 4

Letters Testamentary, 1980

Box 4

Catherine Meekins Memorial Service, 1980

Box 4

Miscellaneous Personal Papers, 1911-1976

Box 4

Personal Reflections, 1973-1974

Box 4

Photograph: Breeches Buoy Rescue, Omar Babun, 1954

Box 4

Pinehaven Inn Guestbook, 1946-1948

Box 4

Poetry, circa 1950s

Box 4

Postcards, circa 1930s

Box 4

Power of Attorney, 1980

Box 4

Voters, Wanchese Precinct, Registered Prior to May 1936, 1936

Box 4

Will, 1975-1980

Box 4

Writings [by D. Victor Meekins?] [3 Folders], circa 1930s-1950s

Box 4

Subject Headings

Deaton, Harry Preston, 1872-1945

Meekins, D. Victor (Daniel Victor), 1897-1964

Meekins, Roger Preston, 1930-2018

Meekins family

Manteo (N.C.)--History--20th century

Roanoke Island (N.C.)--History--20th century

Love letters

Acquisitions Information

Donated by the Estate of Roger Meekins, August 2019.

Processing Information

Processed by Samantha Crisp, October 2019.