The Southport Historical Society was pleased to be able to help John N Smith Cemetery Restoration and Preservation, Inc. (JNSRP) celebrate Juneteenth. As it turned out, this year was the first year that the occasion was declared a national holiday!

Eleven community members gave presentations about people who are interred in the cemetery. What made the event more touching was that each person was talking about their own ancestor. Among the presentations, Aywanna Moore spoke about her 2x Great Grandfather, John Wesley Smith, who was one of the few Black Life Savers employed on North Carolina’s coast; Annette Clemmons spoke about her great aunt Anna Clemmons who worked for Black women suffrage in Southport; and Caren Gordon spoke about her 2x Great Grandfather, Frank Gordon, who was one of the first Black educators in Brunswick County.

Southport Historical Society was pleased to assist JNSRP by storing the videos of these presentations on our youtube channel where we added subtitles and made them available to the public. You can listen to all these heartwarming presentations here.