HomeFinding Aids#9911 Margaret Workman Lynch Collection

#9911 Margaret Workman Lynch Collection

Margaret Workman Lynch Collection

MSS #9911

November 1999

Abstract: The papers of Margaret Workman Lynch, a Salisbury, NC music teacher, church organist and bookkeeper containing materials concerning the Workman, Lynch and Sells families of Rowan, Catawba and Davidson Counties, regarding Rowan musical groups and churches.

Subject Headings:

Calvary Lutheran Church (Spencer, N.C.)
Concert Choir (Salisbury, N.C.)
Labor Unions-North Carolina--Rowan County
Lynch family
Lynch, Gideon Lee
Lynch, Margaret Workman
Music-North Carolina--Salisbury, NC
St. John's Lutheran Church (Salisbury, N.C.)
Salisbury Music Club (N.C.)
Salisbury-Rowan Choral Society
Sells Family
Workman Family
World War (1939-1945)-North Carolina-Rowan County

Size: Approximately 3 cubic feet

Provenance: Donated by the family of Margaret Workman Lynch

Access: No restriction.

Copyright: Retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Introduction

Margaret Workman Lynch was born June 22, 1910 in Rowan County, NC, a daughter of William Thomas and Mary Ida Sells Workman. Her father, a boilermaker at Spencer Shops, was born in Davidson County and lived for years on Salisbury's Mocksville Ave. Margaret Workman Lynch was educated in the Salisbury schools, attended Flora MacDonald College and Catawba College. She married Gideon Lee "Jimmy" Lynch in June of 1939. He was a native of Pickens, SC was reared in Hickory, NC. and became interested in newspapers and printing in high school when he was a student worker at the Hickory Daily Record. Following High School he set type at the Greensboro News-Record and came to Salisbury in 1936 to work for the Salisbury Post, where he stayed until 1954, principally as an ad compositor. He later worked for the Charlotte News-Observer. Jimmy Lynch served in the Navy during World War II and was active in the Salisbury branch of the Typographical Union (no. 625) and the North Carolina Lutheran Brotherhood. He died in March 1969.

Margaret Workman Lynch was interested in music for much of her life and was a soprano soloist in much demand locally for weddings and special church events. She taught piano and voice to children and was choir director of Calvary Lutheran Church in Spencer for 27 years. Before serving Calvary she had directed the children's choir at St. John's Lutheran Church in Salisbury. She was also active in the Salisbury-Rowan Choral Society, the Concert Choir and the Salisbury Music Club.

In the mid-1950s Margaret and Jimmy Lynch moved to Lumberton, NC but remained only for a short time.

Mrs. Lynch had one son, Thomas Lynch, an employee with the railroad and three grandchildren. She died March 26, 1998.

Series I. Correspondence

This series contain the family correspondence of the Lynch family, primarily Margaret Workman Lynch. The letters in the1920s and 1930s are composed primarily of love notes between Margaret Workman and Jimmy Lynch. In 1947 Mrs. W.T. Workman, Margaret's mother, wrote a letter to a national radio show, "Heart's Desire," stating that it was her heart's desire to receive enough paint to cover the Cherry Hill Lutheran Church, which claimed only two members, but had been an active church in her childhood. The radio show sent the paint and some rose bushes, too. The letters in the 1950s are composed primarily of thank you notes and holiday greetings with several from "Rachel" concerning struggles with her faith. Letters from grandchildren begin in the 1970s and predominate throughout the rest of the series. There is one letter in 1978 from son, Tommy" describing a new kind of contraption, a personal computer. In the 1980s Dr. Buster Farrington's medical complex threatened Margaret Workman Lynch's property and her son, Tommy, led a neighborhood effort to control the development of medical facilities in the neighborhood. The correspondence of the 1990s are filled with condolences written by Margaret to various friends on the death of other friends. There is also a post card from Elizabeth Dole showing she and Bob Dole with Polish leader Lech Walesa.

Folder List

Box 1.

Folder 1. Undated

Folder 2. 1920s and 1930s

Folder 3. 1940s

Folder 4. 1950s

Folder 5. 1960s

Folder 6. 1970s

Folder 7. 1980s

Folder 8. 1990s

Series II. Subject Files

This series relates to Jimmy Lynch's WWII service, union, and Lutheran brotherhood membership; Margaret Lynch's Eastern Star membership; some party favors and invitations; and receipts from Rowan County businesses. World War II items include Lynch's certificate for Naval training school (aviation storekeepers), his honorable discharge, a navy pay roll list, notice of separation from the service, identification and tobacco ration cards, emergency pass, drivers permit, swim test card, order to report for induction, rating description, x-ray exam card, and navy training course certificate. Eastern Star items include a membership certificate and a program from the school of instruction held in 1952 in China Grove, NC. Union and Lutheran Brotherhood items include union cards, minutes of the 17th annual meeting of the state brotherhood and the program from the 31st annual convention of the North Carolina State Federation of Labor held in Salisbury in 1937. Salisbury-Rowan businesses having receipts in this collection are listed in Appendix A. Also found in this series are Margaret Workman's 1st, 3rd and 8th grade report cards.

Folder List

Folder 9. WWII Items

Folder 10. Eastern Star Materials

Folder 11. Union/Lutheran Brotherhood items

Folder 12. Report Cards

Folder 13. Place markers/party favors

Folder 14. Highland Drive zoning

Folder 15. Miscellaneous Clippings

Folder 16. Receipts

Series III. Church Materials

Church bulletins, programs and clippings pertaining to church activities comprise this series, along with poems, prayers, and meditations that Margaret Workman Lynch gathered for women's meetings, Sunday School classes, and her own daily devotionals.

The items are arranged primarily by individual church. Of special interest are materials relating to St. John's Lutheran Church's centennial celebration.

Folder List

Box 2.

Folder 17. Calvary Lutheran Church, Spencer

Folder 18. St. John's Lutheran Church, Salisbury-bulletins

Folder 19. St. John's Lutheran, Salisbury--special services

Folder 20. St. John's Lutheran, Salisbury-Women's yearbook, 1997

Folder 21. St. John's Lutheran, Salisbury-Centennial

Folder 22. St. John's Lutheran, Salisbury-bulletins/clippings

Folder 23. First Baptist, Lumberton

Folder 24. St. Mary's, Lumberton

Folder 25. Cherry Hill Lutheran, Davie County

Folder 26. Miscellaneous churches (First Presbyterian Church, Lumberton; First Presbyterian , Salisbury; VA Medical Center Protestant Service; First Baptist, Salisbury; First Evangelical and Reformed, Salisbury)

Folder 27. Prayers, meditations, poems

Series IV Music

This series consists of clippings and programs related to Salisbury and Rowan County musical associations such as St. John's Concert Choir, Concert Choir, Community Concert -Hori, Salisbury Community Chorus, First Baptist Adult Choir, Salisbury Music Club, Salisbury Symphony Orchestra, Salisbury Rowan Choral Society, in addition to the Charlotte Opera assoc. and the Robeson Choral Society.

Folder List

Folder 28. Programs

Folder 29. clippings

Series V. Photographs

This series holds family snapshots and portraits of the Workman and Lynch families dating from the late 1890s through the 1950s. Many of the photos are unidentified. There are also photos of the Eastern Star and churches, as well as photographs of Mrs. Lynch with Mary Hanford and Mrs. Hanford's daughter, Elizabeth Dole. Church photographs include Calvary Lutheran, Spencer; St. John's Lutheran, Salisbury; St. John's Episcopal, Decatur, Il; and Cherry Hill Lutheran Church in Davie County, NC.

Folder List

Folder 30. Photographs church

Folder 31. Family photographs/portraits

Folder 32. Hanford/Dole related

Folder 33. Elks?

Folder 34. Order of the Eastern Star

Series VI Scrapbooks

Two scrapbooks of Gideon Lee "Jimmy" Lynch and four kept by Margaret Workman Lynch. Scrapbook #1, "Jimmy" Lynch's scrapbook contains clippings concerning his student days at the Hickory Dailey Record, Hickory High School sports items from the 1930s, letters and snapshots. Scrapbook #2 contains clippings of poems, prayers and meditations collected by Margaret Workman Lynch. Scrapbook #3, begun in 198 and kept for twenty years, holds clippings of friends' weddings, and programs from Salisbury musical events as well as clippings concerning "Jimmy" with the Union and the Lutheran Brotherhood. Scrapbook #4 holds information about Robeson County musical events in the mid-1950s; St. John's Lutheran Church; Salisbury, family and friends marriage and death notices; Order of the Eastern Star; Cherry Hill Lutheran Church, Davie County; piano recital programs of Margaret Workman Lynch's students in the 1960s; and various Rowan musical groups. Scrapbook #5 holds numerous unidentified photographs of the Lynch family in the 1920s and 1930s along with one or two newspaper clippings written by "Jimmy" Lynch. Scrapbook #6 is the wedding scrapbook of Jimmy and Margaret Lynch, which is filled with letters of congratulations, photographs, lists of gifts, etc.

Box 3.

Scrapbooks 1-2

Box 4.

Scrapbooks 3-5

Series VII Oversized Items and Artifacts

This series contains 19 small artifacts relating to the Lynch's church and school activities along with items from "Jimmy" Lynch's World War II service. The following is a list of the nineteen items:

Box 5.

  1.  St. John's Lutheran Church Sunday School Certificate (1923)
  2.   Perfect attendance certificate, Salisbury Schools (1923)
  3.   Sunday School Promotion certificate, First Baptist Church (1927)
  4.   Hickory High School Diploma (1932)
  5.   Elementary School Promotion Certificate, Hickory City Schools (1928)
  6.   Vacation Bible School Certificate, St. John's Lutheran (1924)
  7.   WWII Navy Photograph (Co. 3022, US Naval Training Station Bainbridge, MD Feb. 16, 1944)
  8.   Window flag that denoted Gideon Lee Lynch's WWII Service
  9.   Wallet to hold service-related papers, gift of St. John's to its veterans.
  10.   Gideon Lee "Jimmy" Lynch's dogtags
  11.   One Masonic or Union pin
  12.   Margaret Workman Lynch's music teacher's advertising card
  13.   Margaret Workman Lynch's driver's license (She drove one time in her life-from Salisbury to Spencer.)
  14.   Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary Register for Mr. And Mrs. William Thomas Workman
  15.   Guest Pass for "Dole for President" welcome home celebration
  16.   A family photograph album of the 1870s and 1880s of the Sells family of Davidson County?
  17.   A female portrait, small photograph
  18.   Oversized group portrait of Cherry Hill Lutheran Church, Davie County
  19.   Seventh Grade Certificate, Hickory Public Schools (1928)

Appendix A

Receipts found in this collection :
City of Salisbury
Raney Miller Motor Co.
Prudential Insurance/Wachovia Mortgage Book
Piedmont Furniture Co.
First National Bank
Kesler Hardware Co.
G. T. Kluttz Tin and Slate Roofing
Salisbury Post
Reams - Jones Furniture Co.
Salisbury Waterworks
Geo. W. Wright Furniture Dealer "Embalming a Specialty"
Goodman Lumber Co.
Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph
North Carolina Public Service Company
Salisbury Hardware and Furniture
Chestnut Hill Cemetery
Cruse's Cash Market and Grocery
Lutheran Orphan's Home of the South
Dixie Furniture Company
Pilot Insurance and Real Estate
Duke Power
R.W. Norman Furniture Company
Pinkston Brothers General Contractors