Echoes From the Sandhills

Series 4 - Echoes in Action

Echo 15 - Rev. R. F. Jamerson: Educator, Principal, and Pastor

When Jeanes Supervisor Lucy S. Herring arrived in Harnett County in 1925, she boarded in the Shawtown home of Mr. and Mrs. Ragland. In her memoir, Strangers No More, Herring recalled sharing the home with another couple whose lives reflected the close relationship between education and the church in African American communities. Clara Jamerson taught at nearby Shawtown High School, while her husband, Rev. R. F. Jamerson, served as principal of “a school near Lillington” and as pastor of “the Presbyterian church in Shawtown”—Lillington First Presbyterian Church. From that congregation, his ministry also extended to Spout Springs Memorial Presbyterian Church and Williams Chapel Presbyterian Church, three congregations that have shared a common ministry for generations. Through Rev. Jamerson's life, we catch a glimpse of a time when the same leader often stood behind the teacher's desk during the week and behind the pulpit on Sunday.

Reverend Jamerson was associated with several of the small but mighty Presbyterian churches in the Sandhills area. A June 28, 1928 article in the Africo American Presbyterian newspaper, written by Miss L. E. Brinkley of Allen’s Chapel Presbyterian in Spring Lake, NC, recounts that:

“Mr. A. J. Meriweather and Misses L. E. Brinkley and Mary Brinkley attended services at Spout Springs the second Sunday.  Rev. Jamerson and his members are cooperating nicely.  They are glad to have him back serving them again.  Mrs. Jamerson is attending Summer school in Greensboro.  The pastor and his folks are preparing for an anniversary day in July.”

By 1930, the federal census recorded the Jamerson household, consisting of Rev. R. Francis Jamerson, his wife Clara, their son R. Francis Jamerson, Jr., and daughter Asbury. The census identified Rev. Jamerson as a Presbyterian minister, while Clara was employed as a public school teacher, further reflecting the family's shared commitment to education and faith.

Rev. Jamerson remained active throughout the Cape Fear Presbytery. At the 1934 Cape Fear Presbyterial Convention, he delivered devotional messages as "Rev. Jamerson of Sanford." The following year, he was selected to lead a discussion with Rev. B. H. Brown on "Our Church at Work Among the Young People," reflecting his reputation as both a minister and mentor. His daughter, Asbury, also appears in church records, reading the Scripture lesson during a youth service at Blandonia Presbyterian Church, demonstrating that the family's commitment to church life extended across generations.

His educational achievements were equally impressive. School records show that Jamerson graduated from Mary Potter Normal School before earning a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) from Lincoln University and a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) from Lincoln University Seminary. Such academic and theological preparation equipped him to lead from both the classroom and the pulpit.

By the mid-1920s, Rev. Jamerson was already serving as principal of Ridgeway High School, a role confirmed by Lucy S. Herring in her memoir, Strangers No More. The North Carolina High School Principal's Annual Report for 1935–1936 provides a detailed glimpse into his many responsibilities. In addition to leading the school, he taught Literature, Latin, Physics, Geometry, World History, Biology, and Algebra, while also serving as advisor to the boys. The Educational Directory of North Carolina, 1936–1937 likewise lists him as principal of Ridgeway High School.

His influence extended beyond education. An account of the February 1936 funeral of Elder Anson Bailey in the Africo-American Presbyterian described Mrs. Clara Jamerson providing the music while Rev. Jamerson preached from Luke 13:24, "Strive to enter at the strait gate."  Together, they ministered to the congregation in both word and song.  The newspaper noted that his message "brought tears to almost everybody present."

Rev. R. F. Jamerson's life reminds us that the men and women who built African American education during segregation often wore many hats. He was a scholar, principal, classroom teacher, advisor, pastor, husband, and father. His leadership shaped both the intellectual and spiritual life of Harnett County. Today, the long-standing relationship among Williams Chapel Presbyterian, Lillington First Presbyterian, and Spout Springs Memorial Presbyterian continues. Long before many of us knew these churches as a yoke, Rev. Jamerson faithfully served each congregation while simultaneously leading one of Harnett County's African American high schools. His story reminds us that the history of our schools and the history of our churches are inseparable.