Another Watauga Spinnerette index

March 4, 2010 in Watauga Spinnerette by Michael | 3 comments

I have added another index for the Watauga Spinnerette to the site. This index is for the July 1930 issue. For anyone curious what the Watauga Spinnerette is I’ll give a quick introduction. In the mid-1920s a German company that produced rayon silk opened a plant in Elizabethton, Carter, Tennessee under the name American Bemberg Corporation (or Bemberg to anyone that lives in the area) and the shortly after opened a second plant known as North American Rayon Corporation (NARC). The two plants were the main source of employment for the area and a sizeable percentage of people living in the area had some relation to someone that had worked at one or the other. By the end of the 1930s almost 4500 people worked for the companies. Throughout the 1920s and 30s the companies had a series of labor disputes, strikes, walkouts, etc and began putting out a monthly magazine not long after a couple of major disputes. The magazine was roughly 16 pages at first and consisted of gossipy news and quips, a few group photos, coverage of company sponsored sporting events, numerous safety warnings and announcements of marriages, births and vacations. Later issues would focus on area communities, schools, churches and the like. The magazines provide an unmatched resource for church member lists and class photos of area schools in the 1940s. I personally have yet to not find a relative within any given issue.

I am very interested in obtaining permission to digitize and publish the actual magazines at some point in the future and am in the process of searching for the copyright holder.

A proper webpage is in the works to provide a history of Bemberg and NARC along with the indexes and photos.

I can provide photocopies of any item that has been indexed for a small fee so feel free to contact me at michael at geneacentric.com

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  1. Juanita Buckley’s avatar

    Juanita Buckley on March 31, 2010 at 3:47 pm

    I have two Spinnerette’s 1950 & 1951.
    Our family (Stevens) are in both.
    Arwood family is in the 1930 one.
    I would like to have a copy of the 1930, how do I go about getting a copie?
    I will be in Tennessee last part of April for our family reunion.
    Thank you, Juanita

  2. Michael’s avatar

    Michael on April 5, 2010 at 6:54 am

    Hi Juanita,
    The McClung Collection located in the East Tennessee History Center in downtown Knoxville, TN has actual paper copies of many of the Spinnerettes. These are the copies that I am working from for the indexes. If you want a copy of any thing I have indexed email me and I will get back to you. I am currently on vacation and out of state. The paper copies I use for the indexes are old and depending upon the person that is working may be considered to fragile to get a photocopy from. If this is the case, I can access the microfilm but it usually takes a week or so to have it sent to me. Another thing about the indexes is that a lot of the names are mentioned in the context of sporting events which is why some names will have several mentions per issue. My email is michael @ geneacentric dot com.

  3. Rick Becka’s avatar

    Rick Becka on June 9, 2010 at 1:20 pm

    I am searching for a couple of photos that are probably in the 1950 or 1951 Spinnerette’s. The two photos I am looking for are of Cave Springs School and the students – 1 photo states CAVE SPRINGS SCHOOL 1949-1950. The other photo is the class in school with Mrs Francis Anderson the school teacher. I would like to obtain a good scan of these photos if that is possible. I appreciate any assistance anyone can provide me. Sure would like to be able to contact Juanita Buckley who wrote the comment above on March 31, 2010. My e-mail is rrbecka@gmail.com.

    Thank you,
    Rick Becka