Rooted Since 1889
Peggie Mattocks was born Peggie Spicer - daughter of Joseph and Catherine Jones Spicer, who began farming this land in Onslow County around 1889. Joseph's mother, Peggy Taylor, was of Cherokee descent. This land was not just property. It was inheritance - won, farmed, and defended across generations.
A young man named Major Mattocks came to the Spicer home to receive his schooling. His teacher was Peggie. She became the love of his life. They married on February 13, 1921 - and together they fought for this land with everything they had.
In 1919, Joseph Spicer mortgaged the land for $2,875. It was foreclosed. In 1931, Major and Peggie purchased it outright - four tracts totaling 903 acres - for $3,000, paid in full in half the agreed time. The man who held their deed died without releasing it. His heirs finally delivered the Warranty Deed on November 6, 1942. In 1944, a tornado destroyed the family home - and Major rebuilt it with family, neighbors, and friends.
Major and Peggie raised nine children. From those nine, 312 known descendants have grown - educators, lawyers, military veterans, government officials, and farmers still tending this land. Today, 615 acres remain, held in trust. The family creed, passed down through every generation: Take care of the Land, and the Land will take care of you.
Algonquin Heritage
The Algonquin people were the original stewards of this land. Their name for the White Oak River was "Wee Toc" - meaning White Oak - and it served as a highway of life for hundreds of years before European settlement. The White Oak River Basin once held 458,297 acres of wetland; as of 2007, 60% remains nearly intact. A legacy of care for this land that we continue to honor.
Roots in Bondage
Joseph (Taylor) Spicer was enslaved by David Aman in Onslow County. After emancipation, Aman gave Joseph a parcel of this land. Joseph's mother, Peggy Taylor, was of Cherokee descent. Catherine Jones, who would become Joseph's wife, was also freed by Aman; she traded her land allotment for a horse and a cow. These are the oldest roots of this family's bond to this land.
The Spicer Family
Joseph and Catherine Jones Spicer married around 1877 and farmed this land in Onslow County. They raised children who attended school - a point of pride. A young man named Major Mattocks later came to their daughter Peggie for his schooling. His teacher became the love of his life. Major Mattocks and Peggie Taylor Spicer were married on February 13, 1921.
Fought Twice for the Land
In 1919, Joseph Spicer mortgaged the land for $2,875. It was foreclosed two years later and the land changed hands through repossession and auction. On January 9, 1931, Major Mattocks and Peggie Spicer Mattocks purchased four tracts - 903 acres total - for $3,000, paying in full in half the agreed time. E.W. Sabistan died without releasing the deed. The fight was not over.
The Chattel Mortgage
To buy fertilizer and seeds for the season, Major borrowed $175.00 at 6% interest - with only two and a half months to repay. This chattel mortgage is a window into the daily hardship of Black land ownership: holding 903 acres yet denied the credit and resources that would allow the land to sustain itself. They persisted.
The Warranty Deed
After E.W. Sabistan died without releasing the deed, his son W.E. Sabistan and the heirs finally delivered the Warranty Deed to the Mattocks family on November 6, 1942. Land they had purchased, farmed, and fought for - now legally, officially theirs. That the survey showed 903 acres upset neighbors who could not accept that an African American family had come to own so much.
The Tornado
A tornado destroyed the family home and the mortgage receipts that proved ownership. Major Mattocks - carpenter, logger, farmer - rebuilt the home with family, neighbors, and friends. The land endured. The family endured.
Working the Land
Major and Peggie raised nine children: Alice, Alva, Dorothy, Katie, Mary, Pearlie, Judge, Thurston, and Esther. Together they grew tobacco, cotton, corn, soybean, watermelon, sweet potatoes, peanuts, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, squash, collards, and more. Their daily nutrition came from the farm, the garden, the river, the creeks, and the forest. The family creed: take care of the land, and the land will take care of you.
Today
A Living Legacy
615 acres remain - held in trust for 42 direct beneficiaries. The farm was nonproductive for 40 years after Major's passing; in 2022, new trustees took over with a mission to reclaim the legacy. In 2024, the National Wildlife Federation and Longleaf Alliance designated it a model farm. From Major and Peggie's nine children, 312 known descendants have grown - educators, lawyers, military veterans, government officials, and farmers still tending this land.
Rooted in family, inspired by the land. Building a legacy for tomorrow.