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Serving Princeton, Rosewood, Brogden, E. Johnston Co., W. Wayne Co., North Carolina Search past issues | CLASSIFIEDS | REAL ESTATE | HELP WANTED |
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ObituariesAnnie K. Ferrell, Jonathan C. Peedin, Sandra L. Williams, Maxine W. Sasser, Beatrice B. Williamson Headlines Langleys' empty nest now full of pecans Princeton considers annexation again Wrestling: Neal makes State championship history Basketball: Bulldogs' late start cuts tournament short • Princeton girls end season 11-6 • Eagles best North Duplin, take Ayden-Grifton loss Photos Movies There Will Be Blood
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Langleys' empty nest now full of pecansBy Barry Merrill 27 February 2008 — A Rosewood farming couple is finding a way in retirement to help hold onto some of the values of the farming life. Charles and Sue Langley tended the family farm Charles grew up on, on what is now Whitley Church Road. Charles continues to use the land to raise turkeys and tends about 100 acres of soybeans. The old tobacco pack house near Charles’ parents home was full of memories. He remembers the old bins where corn was stored for animals, the hole in the door where the cats would come in and out to control rodents, and the old farm equipment that had piled up on the floor. Five years ago Charles and Sue began dreaming of what they might do with the old pack house. Last fall the Pecan Barn opened at 317 Whitley Church Road. They bought a pecan shelling machine, and another machine to clean the nuts. They hoped to offer the service to those with pecan trees in the area, but this fall the pecan crop was short, and while they shelled and cleaned for some, in response to demand, they bought pecans from Georgia to shell and sell.
First, of course, they had to go into the old pack house and get it ready. The old farm equipment that had piled up was mostly cleaned out, but a mule harness and tobacco planter are among a few items that Charles has cleaned up and put up on the sides of the barn. The old floor of the tobacco barn had been cemented in the 1940s, but a son-in-law who works with concrete went back in and refinished and sealed the floor. On the cold wet day we visited, the old pack house was comfortably warm, as were the memories. Charles has spent 66 years on the family farm, working it with his father, Bernice Langley, and his mother, Louise. While they have been active with the Pecan Barn project, Charles’ mother broke her hip and she has not been able to get out lately. Sue, who is also from Rosewood, married Charles when she was 16. While she acknowledges that she grew up a spoiled brat, she quickly adapted to the farming life, with the help of her new mother-in-law. “Miss Langley taught me all about cooking. I couldn’t cook anything when we got married, but I learned quickly.” Their kids learned quickly over the years, too. Farming, particularly in the early years, was family work, as Sue and the kids would be out suckering and cropping tobacco along with Charles. “When children work on a farm, they all know they have a specific job,” Sue remembers. “They know that if they are not there, the work can’t start.” She says that helps them to become more responsible, lessons that are hard to unlearn.
The Langley neighbors’ and friends’ children helped on the family farm, along with one special youngster. Their son, Sammy, liked to race motorcycles, and one of his friends, Herndon Boyette, who was 14, needed a change of scenery. His parents contacted Charles and Sue, and one summer he came to stay with them in a home that was already full of kids, to live and work on the farm. Charles recalls that Herndon had some long hair when he came there, which was the fashion for some of the kids at the time, but after working the tobacco fields for a short time, he soon realized that the hair would have to go. Herndon’s father, who was a doctor, developed a brain tumor and passed away, and his mother died soon after. While their father had left money so Herndon and their other children could continue to live in their family home, Herndon chose to come to live with his new family. Herndon, whom they consider their oldest son though they never officially adopted him, is now married and lives nearby, working at Dean’s Wheel Aligning. Sammy also lives in the Rosewood area and makes fire extinguishers in Wilson. He is married to Sherry. Their daughter, Patricia, married Hal Woodard, and they live near Princeton Church of God. She is an Aloette Consultant, which Sue says keeps her looking young.
Amy married Brandon Head, who runs Custom Curbs in the Rosewood area. She is a mortgage lender with National City in Goldsboro. Deborah marred Robert Rouse, who runs a construction company. They live in the Seven Springs area where Deborah is a wife, mother and home schools their children. One of the values they felt strongly about was their faith. They sent all of their children to Christian school, though that was not always easy. “I wouldn’t live in a brick mansion,” Charles says. The Pecan Barn has been a family project that even some of their grandchildren have been a part of, as well as Charles’ parents. With their children’s encouragement, they are looking to expand on what was a successful fall. Besides pecans, they have grapevines and fig bushes on the property, so they will be looking at jellies and jams for the fall, maybe some pickles. “We’ve had a request for lye soap,” Sue reported, “so we’re looking at making lye soap.” She also says they are considering selling the pecan hulls to use for mulch. They seem to work well for that. “We don’t know what it will lead to,” she concludes.
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TOP AREA JOBS Wayne Wilson News Leader
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