Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2020/Spring/Section25/Charles Herman Trueblood

Charles Herman Trueblood
Born	September 6, 1884 Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Died	March 13, 1966 Goldsboro, North Carolina
Nationality	American
Occupation	Reverend
Years active	52 Years
Spouse(s)	Sadie Gertrude Cole Trueblood

Overview

Charles Herman Trueblood was a white man who grew up in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. As a child, he worked as much as he could in order to provide for his large family and rarely went to school. At a young age he found comfort in his spirituality which led him to become a Reverend who traveled between states on the East Coast serving at different churches. Trueblood became familiar with the movements within predominantly white colleges as a young man. Throughout his life as a Reverend, he encountered new ideas within Christianity and learned how to apply these said liberal views to his preachings.

Biography

Early Life

Charles Herman Trueblood was born on September 3, 1884, in Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County, North Carolina. Page text. He was the second of nine children and due to being a part of such a large family, Trueblood admitted that he felt that he was obligated to provide for his family. As a result, he worked the majority of his childhood and didn’t go to school much. He worked several jobs throughout his adolescence. In between the times that he worked he would go to school for a few months but return to the working community shortly after. In his teens, he secured a stable job at a lumber company in the middle of town. Around this time, Trueblood discovered Christianity and found that it suited him. Reverend Josiah Crew took him to a prayer meeting one evening and Trueblood felt that he had found what life-long job.

College Offerings

As Trueblood became more popular throughout the town after attending many church services, he was offered admission into the School of Ministry at Wake Forest College by a local pastor, Reverend Loftin. Loftin acknowledged Trueblood’s lack of funds and offered that he could pay off his debt as he went along in college. Trueblood was humbled and accepted the offer. He officially started school at 21 years old and admitted that he was nervous considering that he had not been to school in around 8 years. Trueblood was told he would finish in 7 years, however he finished in 5. He obtained many jobs as he went through college and had a small circle throughout the 5 years at Wake Forest College. After the first few years, he was able to make his bearings and shadow in different church services, which also sped up his time at Wake Forest College. During the summers, Trueblood would work in order to keep his funds paid off. At the end of his senior year, he was called to his first pastorate in Beaufort, North Carolina. After a few months of being in Beaufort, Trueblood met Sadie Gertrude Cole and married her a year later.

Later Life

In Beaufort, Mr. and Mrs. Trueblood had their first child, Charles “Charlie” Herman Trueblood Jr before moving to another location for his new calling. Trueblood and his family continue to travel for the remainder of his life. He left Beaufort after serving there for 3 years and then went to Roanoke Rapids where he served his pastorate for another 3 years. From the Rapids he and the family made their next move to Norfolk, Virginia where he became the pastor of Burrows Memorial Church. Trueblood stayed in Norfolk for 5 years where the family was extended; Edith Cavell Trueblood was born. After Norfolk, the family traveled to several more places such as Thomasville in NC and Concord in NC before serving his final time at Colonial Heights in Petersburg, Virginia. His time in Petersburg was very stressful for him which led him to retire. He spent the last of his years preaching every Sunday at Seaboard Church in Seaboard, North Carolina. He died on March 13, 1966.

Social Context

Changing Views of Religion in the 1900s

Charles Herman Trueblood experienced a shift in religion as he taught Christianity over his lifetime. When Trueblood took an interest into spirituality in his late teens, Christianity still followed deep traditions and the discipline of Christianity was strict on biology and science within the church views. In the early 20th century, churchmen and scientists – specifically eugenicists[1] did not get along. The differing belief that separated churchmen and eugenicists and scientists so largely was the discussion and beliefs of procreation. However, as times where changing and the Great Depression Era was building, Trueblood began to notice a feeling of acceptance for scientists within the church. “In fact we are so tolerant and liberal here that, graded in some departments of denominational work, we’d get zero." Trueblood mentions the liberal views of Seaboard Church. Trueblood also mentions within the interview how interracial marriages were becoming more common and less condemned.

White Christian Colleges in the 20th Century

In the interview with Trueblood, he talks about his transition in college and the lifestyle that he adapted to. In the early 20th century, white Christian colleges had many complexities revolving around lifestyle – specifically the integration of race on the campuses of these colleges. “Larger social movements and forces affected both communities as they addressed race relations. For the college, three larger religious movements helped shape the response to race” Although Trueblood does not mention much about other aspects of his experience on a white Christian college campus, during this time, many Christian Colleges undergone social construction with diversity. “The issue of race seemed to recede in importance to other pressing matters at Wheaton College in the early decades of the twentieth century.” This article refers back to the early decades of the 1900s, when it seemed that the significance of different races on white Christian campuses began to decrease.