JoCoYo

Salem, Massachusetts and Smithfield, North Carolina have waaay more in common than meets the eye. Colonial era? ✅ Dependent on a water source?✅ Strong early religious presence? . ✅ Witches? ? 😳

German POW's...here? Whatchoo talkin bout? Here. In Johnston. Multiple times.

She would be the first to tell you that you didn’t have to protest, you didn’t have to hold up signs, you didn’t have to picket, And you didn’t have to go on strike. If you really wanted to change something, you had to just simply get to work. And, boy, did she work.

Have you ever heard of Pineville in Johnston County? You can be forgiven if you haven't.  It wasn't really a community. It was the name of one of the only plantations that Johnston County had. But, wow. This plantation produced a couple of pretty important people...and moonshine. Maybe it was something in the water.

Johnston County's musical heritage is rich. Richer than most of us know. Heck, it's richer than I knew just 2 weeks ago. Country legend...One of the most legendary country artists ever. No kidding.  A rising country star. A gospel legend. A blues legend. And a...classical composer??? What?? We need a Johnston County Musical Hall of Fame. 

This is Part 1 of a series that shows just how Johnston's strongest connections to its neighbors came to be. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, so many things (and people) outside of Johnston, wove the web, so to speak. This episode sets the stage for soooooo many connections and tells the story of a barefoot traveller...

Johnston county has seen different crops be in control of every aspect of life. Or the lack of them, anyway. Most recently it’s been tobacco. But its history has been shaped more by the boss that it did not have.

There are many places around the country where celebrities have met their end prematurely. Rarely does a place have two. Welcome to Smithfield.

Do you remember Christmas shopping in a catalog? No? I feel sorry for you. Not only did Sears deliver toys to hopeful kids (and clothes, of course), but it could also deliver hope... Especially in rural areas like Johnston

Richard Caswell, Benjamin Williams. What do they both have in common? Both Governors of the State of NC and residents of Johnston County. Smithfield hosts the very first Provincial Council of the state of North Carolina and Johnstonians whoop some British butt at Moore's Creek Bridge.

This episode sort of piggybacks the one about Gabriel Johnston, sets up settlement of some of our neighboring counties, delves into British royal politics, and explains why extreme south western Johnston county maybe just a little bit different than the rest. It also sets up a couple of later episodes that contain both heroes and villains.

There’s so much talk about Johnston county growing so much so fast and how change is coming with it. Talk to any multi generational residents And you’re likely to hear something about it. It may be that you hear them say that Johnston has never changed as much as it has over the last decade. Well, let’s put that to the test.

This episode has Sam Smith... Don't get too excited. Not THAT Sam Smith. But I would argue perhaps more important than the one you might be thinking of because he  (and a bunch of Johnston County landowners) are on record using a (soon to be) very famous phrase, two years before the Revolution with which it is associated.

Not all of Johnston County’s famous residents were heroes. We had our share of villains, too. This is the story of one who was a particularly slippery devil. Johnston county had its own Benedict Arnold and his name was David Fanning.

There’s always somebody that likes to claim that their great-grandmother was a Cherokee princess or something like that. You may even think that. If you’re from Johnston County (or anywhere else for that matter), here is why it’s not true. This episode is about what is much more likely.

Why are some sausages called frankfurters, wieners? Why are the hotdogs in Johnston county red? And don’t even get me started on barbecue.

Have you ever wondered if lawmakers were drunk when they passed some laws? Bars, taverns, public houses, inns, ordinaries… Whatever you want to call them, have been instrumental in our nation’s, state’s, and county’s histories. One might say our world would be different if lawmakers hadn’t gotten together over a pint or two.

Tryon Palace, the Regulator War, Tennessee, Daniel Boone, and Andrew Jackson. What do they all have in common? James Robertson of Clayton, NC.

This episode is not really about Johnston county, but about its namesake, Gabriel Johnston. Johnston was the governor of North Carolina when our county (And five others) was established. Whoop-de-doo, right? Yeah, but do you know the story?

What would you say about a person that practices medicine without a license, becomes a medical pioneer in two different ways, uses that fame to get elected to Congress from 2 different districts, holds off attacks from 2 different countries and starts 2 colleges? You may say that he does everything in twos. You may call this person the subject of a Forrest Gump style movie. I call him Dr. Calvin J...

Coca-Cola, Pepsi, RC Cola, moonshine, and menthol. Before the FDA, your medicine depended on your location. If it didn't kill you, it might make you stronger. It might also kill you. This is the story of one Lunsford Richardson. of Selma, NC.

Extinct counties, proposed counties, petitions, attempted secession from Johnston County, and Facebook polls...All that glitters is not gold.

The south eastern area of Johnston county has a really, really rich history. Music, civil rights... The middle of the 20th century saw bus bombings, sit-ins, and hard fought struggles to achieve justice, equality, and equity across America. In 1960, the town of Dunn, North Carolina saw all three. We will even throw in a rock 'n' roll legend for good measure.

The fight for civil rights in Johnston county and North Carolina Seems to be a long and frustrating one, Especially to five young men from the neighborhood of Sorrow Valley in Benson

Only 80 years ago events concerning Johnston County residents and their neighbors helped start the civil rights movement.