"I stand on their shoulders — shoulders strengthened by African, Cherokee/Saponi, and European ancestry, woven together by history and by God. Their courage continues to guide me."

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WILKES COUNTY ROOTS

The Hunt family story begins in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Wilkes County, North Carolina — a region where African Americans labored under bondage, rebuilt their lives after Emancipation, and formed communities grounded in faith, music, work, and family pride.

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The early Hunt generations were born in Wilkes County, linking our lineage tightly to the land, the people, and the history of this region.

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Our ancestry, passed down through oral history, affirms that the Hunts were of mixed heritage—African American, Cherokee/Saponi, and European. This blended identity, often described as Red, Black, and White, gave the Hunts a cultural richness that shaped their resilience, spirituality, and connection to nature.

 

ALEXANDER & ELIZABETH HUNT — FIRST GENERATION

Alexander Hunt (b. 1822) and his wife Elizabeth Hunt (b. 1830) were listed on the 1870 census in Antioch, Wilkes County.            They were the parents of five children, all born in Wilkes County:

• Leander Hunt, b. 1851

• Lovill Hunt, b. 1852

• John Nelson Hunt, b. 1853 - 1890*

• Lafayette Hunt, b. 1859

• Martha Hunt, b. 1868

 

REV. JOHN NELSON HUNT — SECOND GENERATION (1853–1890)

John Nelson Hunt, born April 7, 1853, in Wilkes County, grew into a highly respected man of faith, work, and leadership. A barber, a farm laborer, later a cook on the Western North Carolina Railroad, and most significantly a Baptist minister, he became a guiding presence during Reconstruction and beyond.

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He married Mary Jane Parks on January 1, 1874. Mary Jane was the daughter of Adeline Parks, sister of Abraham Petty, making Abraham Petty the great-uncle of  Mary Jane & John Nelson’s children. (Abraham Petty served honorably in the 119th Regiment U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War.)

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John Nelson and Mary Jane raised six children — five sons and one daughter — all of whom inherited musical talent and discipline.

 

John Nelson's  life ended tragically on November 26, 1890.  After his passing, Mary Jane remarried John Jackson, a devoted stepfather, and the family later relocated to Marion and Halifax Virginia.

 

THE BARBER & MUSICAL GENERATION — THIRD GENERATION

John Nelson’s children — Leander, John William, Felix, James A., Walter, and Adelaide Hunt — were all born in Wilkes County. This generation defined the family’s legacy in barbering, music, and community leadership.

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• Leander Durant Grant Hunt - b. 1874-1926

• John William Hunt b. 1876

• Felix Able Hunt b. 1878

• Adelaide Hunt b. 1882

• James Adrian Hunt, Sr. b. 1885

• Walter Hunt b. 1886

 All  of the above are Buried at Round Hill Cemetery in Marion Virginia

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LEANDER “LEE” DURANT GRANT HUNT (1874–1926)

My grandfather, Leander “Lee” Hunt, was born October 16, 1874, in Wilkes County. A charismatic gentleman, barber, musician, and bandleader, he carried himself with elegance — three-piece suits, derby hats, polished shoes, and a gentle, quiet manner.

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Lee worked as a barber at the Hotel Roanoke, serving white clientele by day and cutting the hair of people of color after hours, with the shades drawn, due to racial restrictions.

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He married Margarett Ellen Edmondson of Halifax, Virginia, on June 2, 1902. Margarett was strikingly beautiful, deeply connected to nature, and carried Cherokee/Saponi heritage. She was a gifted fisherwoman, sharp shooter, homemaker, and spiritual teacher to her children. She won the local beauty contest.

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Their children:

• Mary Louise (1904 - 1989)

• Marguerite (1906 -1965)

• Henry Lee (1908 -)

• James Elijah (1910)

• John William Hunt, Sr. (1916 -2001)

• Addie Frances (1918)

 All are buried in Roanoke, Virginia, except for Mary Louise is buried in Chester S.C.

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JOHN WILLIAM HUNT, SR. (1916–2003)

My father, John William Hunt, Sr., was born December 4, 1916, in Brookneal, Virginia. A trained swimmer and lifeguard, he joined the CCC before entering the coal mines and later the U.S. Army during WWII.

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After the war, he joined the Great Migration, moved to New York City, and became a successful commercial artist. He married E. Patricia Clark in 1947 in Brooklyn, and together they raised eight children: Jacqueline, John Jr., Ruth, Marguerite, James, Kenneth, Angela, and Virgil.

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Later, the family reunited with his oldest son, Barry, born in England during WWII. My father was the Griot of our family — the keeper of stories and memory.

 

THE FAMILY MILITARY HONOR ROLL

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Civil War

• Abraham Petty — U.S. Colored Troops

 

World War II

• John William Hunt, Sr. — U.S. Army

• James Elijah Hunt — U.S. Army

• John Henry Hunt — U.S. Army

• Rev. David A. Hunt, Sr. — U.S. Army

 

Vietnam War / Vietnam Era

• John W. Hunt, Jr. — U.S. Army (Vietnam)

• James F. Hunt — U.S. Army (Vietnam era)

• James “Jimmy” Hunt — U.S. Army (Vietnam)

• David A. Hunt, Jr. — U.S. Army (Vietnam)

• Ernest Hunt — U.S. Air Force (Vietnam)

• Charles Hunt — U.S. Marine Corps (Vietnam)

• William Hunt-Rowe — U.S. Army (Vietnam)

• Harold L. Hunt — U.S. Air Force (Vietnam era)

 

Afghanistan (21st Century)

• Rodney Lynch — U.S. Navy (Desert Storm)

• Rachel Hunt-Ivory — U.S. Army (Afghanistan)