In Memoriam

 The USGenWeb Project began in 1996, and the NCGenWeb project shortly thereafter, all with the goal of providing free access to genealogical resources online for everyone. NCGenWeb is indebted to these volunteers who worked tirelessly toward this goal. May they rest in peace.


Derick S. Hartshorn (d. 2019)

On December 3, 2019,  Derick S. Hartshorn, longtime county coordinator and former State Coordinator of the NCGenWeb Project, passed away at his home in North Carolina.  Up until a short time before his passing, Derick had been the county coordinator for Burke, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, and Tryon counties. He was a good friend of the project and dedicated to the mission of providing information that would be of great use to researchers.

Derick Sibley Hartshorn III was the husband of the late Lana Cline Hartshorn and the son of the late Derick Hartshorn II and Eleanor Cheyne Joubert.  He was a US Navy Veteran and retired as a marketing executive from General Electric. For almost two decades, Derick served as a scuba instructor, a passion that took him to many diving places around the world. His full obituary was published in the Observer News Enterprise newspaper on February 22, 2020.


Deanne “Dee” Gibson Roles (d. 2018)

Dee Gibson-Roles

Dee was an active contributor to the NCGenWeb Project since 2002, and coordinated several counties – Buncombe, Cherokee Reservation, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Madison, and Swain.  She was active in her local genealogy community and cared about helping researchers with North Carolina roots.

Dee was 71 years old and passed away November 9, 2018. Born in Buncombe County, she was the daughter of the late Paul Joseph Gibson and Helen Louise Edwards Gibson. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister, Janet Gibson Becker of Silver Spring, MD. Deanne graduated from Western Carolina University with a degree in Chemistry and worked as a Chemist for BASF in Enka, NC. She was a member of Sylva-Webster Class of 1965; Macon, Jackson, Swain, Buncombe, and Madison Genealogy Societies; and the North Carolina Genealogy Society (she loved to attend the NC conferences and was a presenter at times).


Ann Propst (1937-2017) – Henderson County Co-Coordinator
Ann Katherine Schreiber Propst, 79, of Brevard, NC, passed away peacefully at her home on February 2, 2017.  Mrs. Propst was born on August 1, 1937 in Washington DC to the late Alton Schreiber and Katherine Wuttke Schreiber.

Mrs. Propst has resided in Brevard for the past 17 years.  Her prior residences have included Silver Spring, MD and San Antonio, TX.  She attended Strayer Business College with a focus on secretarial studies.  She held careers with several organizations including The Supreme Council – Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, serving as an Assistant Editor for their magazine.  She was of Lutheran Faith.  Mrs. Propst was an accomplished genealogist and was fond of collectables and antiques.  She also enjoyed painting with oil and other mediums, and was an award winning ceramicist.

Mrs. Propst is survived by her loving husband of 59 years, Adrian S. “Sid” Propst, Jr.; children, Mark Lee Propst (Dahna) of Ellicott City, MD, Edward Allen Propst (Cindy) of Middletown, MD, Glenn David Propst (Tracey) of Bunker Hill, WV and Dale Wayne Propst (Eva Chung) of Columbia, MD; her brother, James F. Schreiber, (Jeanne) of Chester, MD; 11 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, February 11, 2017 at 2pm at The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 22 Fisher Rd., Brevard, NC 28712.  Rev. Mary Hinkle Shore will officiate.  Private interment will be at Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Scleroderma Foundation, at either www.scleroderma.org or 300 Rosewood Dr. Ste 10, Danvers, MA 01923.


Claudia Harrell Williams (1952-2016) – Bertie County Co-Coordinator
Claudia was born in San Diego, California on May 7, 1952 to Clara Broglin Harrell of Goldsboro and the late Rupert Harrell. She was married to the late Howard L. Williams.  She was retired from Civil Service after thirty two years of service.  Claudia was a member of Sansom Community Church.  She was a loving daughter, mother and granny who will be truly missed. Funeral services will be Friday at 1:00 PM at Bethel Church with Rev. Steve Holder and Rev. Jerome Pope officiating.  Burial will follow at Wayne Memorial Park.   In addition to her mother, Claudia is survived by her daughter, Rebecca Holmes of Linden; brother, Rupert Harrell, Jr. and wife Myra; sisters, Lynn Cantrell and husband Steve and Cindy Konig and husband, Kevin; and her grandchildren, Jimmy McArthur, Nicholas Dunlow, Joshua Dunlow, Samantha Dunlow and Peyton Whaley, Alexis Motley, and Jylian Smith.  She is also survived by her nephews, Martie and TJ Harrell; her nieces, Tabitha Riggs and Candace Gearheart; her aunts, Barbara Owens and Diane Cooke; and numerous cousins and loved ones. In addition to her father, Claudia was preceded in death by her daughter, Caycee Lyn Smith.


Doyle Chambers (1932-2013) – Haywood County Coordinator

On February 22, 2013, the NCGenWeb project lost Doyle Chambers, CC for Haywood County. We unfortunately do not have a lot of information about Doyle, but do know that he was dedicated to the county and valued hearing from NCGenWeb participants sharing their family ties to the county. May he rest in peace.


Nola with NCGenWeb member, Derick Hartshorn
Derick & Nola

Nola Pegram Duffy (d. 2015) – Granville, Warren, and Wilkes County Co-Coordinator
Nola was not only an active contributor to the NCGenWeb for several counties during her tenure with the project, but many can tell you she was critically instrumental in the early development of the NCGenWeb project. An impassioned and highly staunch advocate of the USGenWeb overall, Nola always gave her all to see that family researchers and genealogists have free access to a wealth of historical data. Nola personally recruited many volunteers to the NCGenWeb, helped teach others how to create web pages, and shared her knowledge unselfishly.  Nola was unique, a great motivator to many, and she will be missed by NCGenWeb, USGenWeb, and the greater genealogical community.  (Nola is pictured with Derick Hartshorn)


SolomonWinona

Winona Ott Solomon (1944-2011) Bute County Coordinator
Winona Ott  Solomon, the coordinator for the Bute County site, passed away May 4, 2011. Winona was a long-time contributor to the NCGenWeb project, providing numerous records and material for area researchers. Winona was also actively involved with Warren County research and collaborated with family members and friends on the Pegram Family website.  Winona, a member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, was a graduate of Brigham Young University.


Sharon Pierce (1946-2010) – Cabarrus & Stanly County Coordinator
Sharon Pierce, 63, coordinator for Cabarrus & Stanly counties, passed away September 9, 2010. A resident of Gladewater, Texas, Sharon was an active participant in the NCGenWeb project and collaborated with many researchers to present genealogical information on her county sites.  Sharon leaves to mourn her passing many loved family & friends and the NCGenWeb wishes her family our best during this time.


sheliahannaSheila Hanna (d. 2010) – Franklin County Coordinator
Sheila Hanna, 49, of Louisburg, NC, passed away February 11, 2010 at her home. She was the county coordinator for Franklin County and an active genealogy & family history researcher in the county. A celebration of her life was held Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. from the chapel of Lancaster Funeral and Cremation Services. She is survived by her husband, Geoff Hanna; sons, Devon Hanna of Denver, CO, Jarrett Hanna of Toms River, NJ; daughter, Taara Hanna of Virginia Beach, VA and one grandson. A celebration of her life will continue after the service at her home. The NCGenWeb project extends our condolences to her family & friends.


John Burney McGowan
John Burney McGowan

John Burney McGowan (1941-2009) –  Hyde County Co-Coordinator
John Burney McGowan, 68, of Laurinburg died Friday, Sept. 18, 2009.  A graveside service will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Soule Cemetery in Swan Quarter.  He is survived by two sisters, Linda McQueen and husband Jim of Laurinburg and Kathy Mason and husband Greg of Salisbury; and a brother, James A. McGowan and wife Daisy of Garden City, S.C. He was preceded in death by a brother, Dorman J. McGowan.  Born Feb. 12, 1941 in Swan Quarter, he was a son of the late James Alton and Mary Hooper McGowan. John graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in History and served with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during the Vietnam conflict. Afterwards, he worked for many years as a painter.  Memorials may be made to a charity of one’s choice.  McDougald Funeral Home and Crematorium is serving the family.


[I was honored to become John’s co-host on the Hyde County website in 1997. I was scared out of my wits because I knew nothing about html editing or making a webpage but John was very patient with me through trial and error runs on my part. It was a privilege to have worked with him on that site (and later on others). My husband and I met John on two of our trips to North Carolina and I was delighted to finally put a face to the person that I had been speaking with for years on the phone. From a young man, his passion had always been genealogy and he worked hard at it. He spent a lot of his days just answering e-mail queries (or writing long handwritten letters before the advent of e-mail) from folks who needed help with their own Hyde County roots. John had several health issues and was in a wheelchair from having a leg amputation due to diabetes but that never seemed to phase him. He never complained about his disabilities to me. On any given day you could find him hunkered over his keyboard working on one database or another and I shall miss the camaraderie we had from working together. I have lost a friend today. He will be sorely missed by a host of other people who had the pleasure of knowing him.  — Kay Midgett Sheppard]


janemoyerJane Seaborne Moyer (1947-2008) – Martin County Coordinator
Jane Seaborne Moyer, 60, of Franklin, passed away Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008.  Born in Waupaca, Wis., she was the daughter of the late Frederick and Ellen Michie Seaborne. She was a member of the Board of Directors for 10 years at the Macon Program for Progress, and recently served as Chairman of the Board. Jane was a member of St. Agnes Episcopal Church. She was talented in the crafts of knitting and needlework.Mrs. Moyer is survived by her husband of 35 years, Carl H. Moyer; two sons, Matthew Moyer and his companion Connie, and Jonathan Moyer, all of Franklin; one brother, William Seaborne and wife Cindy of St. Petersburg, Fla.; and a number of nieces and nephews.A funeral service was held 11 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 5, at St. Agnes Episcopal Church, with Rev. Dorothy Pratt officiating.The family received friends from 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, Feb. 4, at Macon Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to Relay for Life, P.O. Box 1648, Franklin, NC 28744. Macon Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.  Online condolences are available by visiting www.maconfuneralhome.comThe Franklin Press, 6 February 2008. 


bjrountreeB.J. Roundtree (1941-2007) – Martin County Coordinator
Betty Jo “B. J.” Rountree, 66, was unexpectedly called to her Heavenly home on October 7, 2007, after a brief illness while visiting her sister in North Carolina.  B.J. was born September 18, 1941 to the late William Miller and Emma Morgan Miller. B. J. was predeceased by her husband of 41 years, Terry McCall Rountree, who was called home on August 31, 2007.B. J. had a lively, caring, fun-loving spirit that extended to the entire neighborhood. Everyone who came to the Rountrees’ home felt welcomed and significantly important in B. J.’ s eyes. For several years, B. J. was actively involved in recreational sports as a coach for girls’ basketball and softball. In her later years, she enjoyed gardening and lovingly caring for her husband.B. J. is survived by her three daughters, Karen James and husband Robert, Penny Evans, Renee Norman and husband Chris; and step-daughter, Terry Willis and husband Stuart; also five grandchildren, Tim Hall, Amanda Morisette, Megan Evans, Madison Evans, Alexis Norman; and her beloved dog, Kobe; lifelong friend, Agnes Manos; and a sister, Glenda Johnson and husband Kevin.The family will receive visitors one hour prior to the memorial service at Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home, Lynnhaven Chapel at 7 p.m. on October 18, 2007. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Virginia Beach SPCA, 3040 Holland Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23453.B. J. will never be replaced in the hearts and minds of her family and friends.


Linda Miller (d. 2006) – Cherokee County Coordinator
Linda Bradford Miller, 59, of Murphy, died Wednesday, July 12, 2006, at Murphy Medical Center. A native of Indianapolis, she moved to Murphy from Charlotte in 1993. She was the daughter of the late George Stanley and Phyllis LaDona Stack Bradford. She worked with Wachovia Bank as a trust officer and was a staff writer and reporter for the Cherokee Scout newspaper.Surviving are her husband of 35 years, Robert Miller Jr.; a sister, Gloria Bohanan of Indianapolis; and four nieces. An informal memorial service will be at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 20, in the chapel of Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy, with David Brown speaking. In lieu of flowers or donations, she would have everyone treat each other with dignity and respect. Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy, is in charge of all arrangements.