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I am leaving for NC on the April 6th. Over the last sveral weeks I have been speaking with Nancy Tingle, the ganddaughter of James Tingle, the man who built my house. She has been a wealth of information along with being so sweet! I have copied and pasted bits of emails from her pertaining to the family & bits of information. Forgive me if it is choppy.

You asked about Papa Jim's farm lands and I don't really have the answers in detail. I know that he had quite a lot of property and that he was a "Produce Broker." I am sure that he grew tobacco and I believe I recall that he grew cotton, corn and sweet potatoes too. I remember mother telling how she and Aunt Lennie would take a burlap sack (was is a tow sack or a toe sack?) go behind the real cotton pickers to see if they could get what was leftover. Mother said it was not easy and that you had to learn how to do it without hurting your fingers and hands too bad. Anyway, I will defer this question about acreage and crops to my cousins, Sally, Flora and Libby. It is very exciting to hear of your business in Alliance. More beautiful flowers will be on the Tingle property to brighten things. Will you take down all of the trees on the highway? I'll write again when things calm down.
I forgot to share with you that the house has been out of the Tingle family for many years. Ola Tingle Woodruff was the last that I recall having ownership or living there. I can get that clarified by an older cousin. Do you see why I am so thrilled that after all these years, love once again comes to the house? I had talked of trying to buy it myself but I have my riverfront property to sell now. It has all worked out for the best. You could probably search the County's public records and find when Ola & CE Woodruff sold the property.
Sally McCotter Saunders and Flora McCotter Buie will no doubt be making contact with you. They are the daughters of Dora Tingle McCotter and Perry Mccotter. There was also a son who is now deceased. Sally is one of the older cousins and she should be able to help fill in some gaps for you. Flora is younger than I but Flora always has input.Linda Holland Matthews and Trudy Holland Mills are daughters of my mother's identical twin, Lennie Tingle Holland. Libby Staples is the daughter of James and Helen Tingle. Her brother, James is deceased.Nancy Smith is the daughter of Mayona and Richard Noble. She had two brothers Richard (Dick) who is deceased and J.C. who lives in NC.Ola Tingle Woodruff and CE? Woodruff had two sons we called Billy and Buzzy. They are deceased and likely buried in VA.My brother, Charles Sutton (Chuck) Woodson, Jr. and I, Nancy Tingle Woodson Deacon finish out the gang, I guess. I do not know any more of our generation. I feel sure that some are going to want to contact you. I have no idea how the Richard Tingle family might connect. I'll talk to some friends in the County and see what they say. By the way, do I remember that it was Judy who give you my number? I thought the realtor was going to do it but I know how those things can be forgotten. Whoever helped us make a connection, to them I am deeply indebted.
I did want to let you know that Judy's house was not built for a daughter but by/for my Uncle James Tingle, the only son of James and Gertie. He died suddenly at an early age, from a heart attack in the early '60's. Uncle James as we called him was adored by all of my generation. He was the one who took time to wrestle with all the kids in the yard between Papa Jim's house and his house. He had business selling tractors and related equipment and later expended to have a Chevrolet Dealership. The business was located a short distance West of Papa Jim's house in what is now a run down brick building until a new building was built in Bayboro. That was about the time he died. I think Uncle James was the first Mayor of Alliance but I wouldn't swear to that. We always lived so far away..... Uncle James was the first of our family, that I can remember, who was buried in what was called the new cemetery behind the Methodist Church, instead of the family cemetery beside his house. I really don't know his reasoning. He had two children James became a minister and eventually moved to CO and started a real estate business in the mountains he came to love. A few years ago, he was fatally shot by a mentally ill man. It's still unimaginable. Uncle James and his wife Helen, also had a daughter, Elizabeth Tingle. She is now Libby Staples and she lives in Southern Pines, NC. All of this is probably more information than you really want but as I touch on a person, I thought I would give a little background.
Hopefully Nancy and her husband Otto will come to see the progress we have made on the house in May. For now I will be in 75 degree weather, working on the front parlor, insulating, sheetrocking, spackling and bracing the ceiling joists. I am also going to work on the restoration of the fireplace mantle, in an attempt to remove the 18 layers of paint that has hidden the beauty of the mantle. Talk to you when I get back!