The Grays of
Winston-Salem
For iiuin.v years they have been
listed as outstanding figures in
the business life of tlie state.
Their numerous henevolenees
have extended over a wide field.
By R. C. LAWRENCE
Wl NSTON-SA I. KM is a young
town. It may be said that it
is just getting its start. From
the standpoint of age, it is still in the
crawling stage, ami probably a little
later it will learn to walk anil really
can begin to go places.
Fifty years ago I knew two or three
of the cream of the cream at Winston.
There was Bishop Ed wan I Rond-
thaler, and the venerable Rev. Dr.
Henry A. Brown, both Moved of
Winston-Salem. There was the po¬
litical orator, the veteran campaign¬
er, Governor Robert II. Glenn; the
famous trial lawyer. Cyrus B. Wat¬
son; the knightly and gallant Clem¬
ent Manly. In big physicians the
eitv had liceii well furnished, from
Hr. Henry T. Bahnson, President of
the State Medical Society half a cen¬
tury ago, through Hr. Koluih Gray
and his son I)r. Eugene Gruy (both
Grays of Winston-Salem) down to the
present day of Dr. Wingate M. John¬
son, who hut lately headed the State
Medicos. When we come to big busi¬
ness men, there were a number of
them: Richard J. Reynolds; Pleas¬
ant II. and John W. Hanes; John W.
Fries and his brothers Col. F. II.
Fries and Henry E. Fries— folks like
that.
Forsyth County was not established
until 1849, and all that historian
Wheeler could say of Winston when
he wrote in 1851, was that "the village
of Winston was named in honor of
Joseph Winston, revolutionary hero,
legislator and congressman.'' I hear
Dr. Archibald Henderson is writing
a new Carolina history right now. I
am curious to know whether he will
have the temerity to call Winston a
village citing historian Wheeler as
his authority.
First Sale of Property
When the townsite of Winston was
platted and surveyed, it was right out
in the open country; nothing near it
except the venerable town of Salem,
and the owner of the property resorted
to the exjiedient of an auction .salt in
an effort to dispose of some of hi« lots.
The first lot sold was the one at tin-
corner of Third and Main, and it was
bid off by Robert dray, ancestor of
the Grays of Winston-Salem. Strange¬
ly enough this lot is now occupied as
a “home oflicc" by Carolina's premier
hank. Wachovia, with which the Grays
of Winstnn-Saleui have been so long
and so intimately connected.
ROBERT GRAY was a big man
and he started out by piodliciiig a big
family, his children being: Samuel
W„ JAMES A., Robert T.. (Raleigh
lawyer) Mary Belle, Dr. Rohali I\.
Eugene E., Emory S., and William
T. Limits of space preclude reference
to all the children other than to say
that most of them were outstanding
figures in the life of their State.
The Original James A. Gray
Come on to a consideration of some
of the outstanding service in the life
of the original .lames A. Gray. He
played a large part in the organization
of the Wachovia National Rank, and
became its president. He did the same
for Wachovia Rank and Trust Com¬
pany, and became its vice president.
He served the Wachovia hanks for
thirty-nine years. He was one of the
promoters of the railroad from Win¬
ston to Roanoke, now the Norfolk and
Western, and served as director of
the company when the line was known
as the Roanoke and Southern. He was
for many years chairman of the Board
of Stewards of Centenary Methodist
church ; and was for a iiiiiiiIm
of years
on the board of trustees of Trinity
College (Duke) and was treasurer
of that board. When poverty stricken
Trinity sent out an s.o.s. call, General
Julian S. Carr, John W. Alspaugli
and James
Л.
Gray rushed to the res¬
cue and kept the institution on its
financial feet for three years. One
of the great buildings on the campus
of Duke University Itears the name
of Mr. Grav.
JAMES A. GRAY had four chil¬
dren: BOWMAN GRAY. Mrs. Ma
uiic G. Galloway, Mrs. Bess Gray
Plainly and JAMES A. GRAY. Jr.
I<ct's take the youngest first:
Janies A. Gray, Jr.
JAMES A. GRAY, Jr., was born
in
188!»
and was graduated from the
University in 1908. lie served as
treasurer and vice president of the
Wachovia Bank until the end of 1919,
and then he joined the Reynolds or¬
ganization as vice president of R. .1.
Reynolds Tobacco Co., of which he
became president in 193-1. Now in
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