I was born in Fayetteville, NC in 1948, and have lived in NC my entire life as did both of my parents. My father, Frank Shelby Cullom, was a banker. Since my brother was named for my mother's side of the family, I was named for my father's side of the family. My first name, Frances, was for my father and his father (both named Frank), and my middle name Cook was for his grandfather, David Thomas Cook. My older brother, Bowen, was always coming up with nicknames for everybody and everything in the household. I won't mention some of the names he used for me for obvious reasons, but one of the nicer ones was Cookie, derived from my middle name Cook. It stuck, and I have always been known as Cookie by my family and friends. However, my brother still likes to use those "other" names. Do we ever grow up?
In 1954, my father was transferred to Wilson, then five years later to Raleigh, my mother's family home, where I was graduated from Needham B. Broughton High School in 1966. By taking heavy class loads and attending summer school, I completed my BS degree in Primary Education at East Carolina University in three years. After teaching children and adults for over twenty years in public schools and community colleges, I decided to go back to school and earn my Master's in Library Science at North Carolina Central University in Durham. I completed my MLS in 1997 and am now working as a Media Specialist at Southwood Elementary School near Lexington, NC.
I love my new job, but it did mean uprooting myself from Cumberland Co. and all its rich Scottish history to move to Lexington. I could write volumes about the horrors of moving that we had to face - some of it you wouldn't even believe - but I'm sure that, in the long run, it will all be worth it.
When people ask me where I'm from or what city I consider "home", I'm not really sure how to answer. I have lived in many cities and towns in North Carolina including Fayetteville, Wilson, Raleigh, Greenville, Williamston, Fayetteville (again), Lillington, Linden (near Fayetteville), and now Lexington. I suppose I would call Raleigh and Fayetteville both home since I still have strong ties to both places. Although I love the Lexington area, none of my ancestors came from Davidson Co. and I haven't been here long enough to feel those ties yet. That will come in time.
I have always had a strong attachment to animals. At the moment we have a dog, a goat (affectionately known as Billy Butt-Head), ducks, geese, chickens, and peacocks. Over the years, I have owned a variety of animals including horses, a pot-bellied pig (in photo above), cats, and a kennel of Cocker Spaniels that I trained and showed in obedience and tracking.
Other activities that I enjoy include sewing, knitting, crocheting, and any kind of needlework, skills my mother taught me as a young child. For several years, I belonged to a square dance club in Fayetteville where I met my husband, Dave. We have recently joined a new club in Lexington. I love to lose myself in a good book. However, I never have as much time as I would like to devote to these activities, and most of the books I read now are for children. Life is full of priorities.
Another reason I have so little time for other activities is because so much of my free time goes to my passion, family research. Although I've had to let that go for several months while we were moving, I will get back to it again as soon as life settles down.
My parents tried to tell me about their families when I was young. Like so many other young people, I wasn't ready to pay attention until after they died. Fortunately, they each left a huge collection of notes, research, and old family papers. I'm still trying to get to the bottom of it. I have been trying to organize and transcribe these papers and share these treasures with other members of the family and anyone else who can benefit from it. I have already published the diary of Isabelle Carew Woodward and the journals of William Joseph Woodward. I have many letters written by Barzillai Gardner Worth and his wife Mary Elizabeth Jessie Carter Worth waiting to be done.
In the process of researching my ancestry, I've made contact with a number of people who were researching some of the same lines. By sharing our resources, we were able to extend the knowledge of these families tremendously. That is why I have gone to the trouble to create this web page - to make more contacts in hopes that we will all benefit.
I am very fortunate to have a super husband, David Zack Harper, who has supported me in this endeavor for years, although he did not develop an interest in family history until just recently. He is originally from Oklahoma where his immediate family still lives. His Harper ancestors trace back through Polk Co, MO, Adams Co, OH, to Culpeper Co, VA. Dave's father told him that his Harper line descends from one of the Harpers at Harper's Ferry, but we've never been able to prove or disprove the connection. I'm sure he'd love to hear from anyone who has knowledge of this Harper line.
I have no children of my own, but Dave has two married daughters and a son, three grandsons, and a granddaughter. My brother, Finn Bowen Cullom, who is the "spittin' image" of the grandfather he was named for, Arthur Finn Bowen, has two married daughters, a son, a grandson, and a brand new granddaughter.
If you're interested in seeing some photos, I have a page of recent photos that pretty well depict our interests and a page of old photos of ancestors and other earlier members of the family.
I hope you'll find something useful in these pages. If nothing else, maybe you'll have a good time exploring around.