The Helms family migrated to North Carolina from Delaware and Bucks County, Penn.,in 1750. The Ratcliffe family arrived in the Colonies in 1682, as Quakers fleeing religious persecution in England and later settled in Anson County, North Carolina in the 1760's. They came from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and used the more common spelling, Ratliff. My name is Roy Vann Helms, the son of Walston Edd Helms and Virginia Dare Ratcliffe-Helms. My father's maternal ancestors were Lockes from England, Maryland, Halifax and Rowan Counties in North Carolina, Shurleys from Virginia, Hines' from England, Walstons from Northern Virginia and England, Campbells and Lemmons' from South Carolina, Northern Ireland and Scotland. His paternal ancestors were Baucoms from Wake County, and England, the Brantleys and the Ellingtons from Hillsborough, Wake County and Virginia, and the Lees from Virginia. The Brantleys arrived in Anson County, North Carolina in 1839, shortly after the Baucoms. My mother's maternal ancestors were Wilsons from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania and Scotland, Whitleys, Hathcocks and Craigs, and her Paternal ancestors were Ratliffs from Maryland and England, Hornes, Hamers, Hicks', Diggs', Jernigans, Haleys, Meadors, and Cookes. Contrary to family legends, I have found no ancestors who were native American. My Great-Great-Great Grandmother, Elizabeth "Betty" Williamson, was stolen by Indians from the family farm in Virginia when she was very young, and was raised by the tribe for nine years. It was only when she was recognized by a passing relative because of an unusual birthmark on her face, that she was finally reunited with her family. Many visits were required to convince her to return.

I've researched extensively in census records, as well as through family records, deeds, and wills. The Locke (Lock) family holds a reunion in Lesslie, South Carolina at Catawba Baptist Church in late September. The Ratliff reunion is held in Anson County at Bethel Methodist Church on the third Sunday of October.

Zaccheus Wilson, Sr., either a Great Grandfather or a Great Uncle, signed the original Mecklenburg Declaration of Inderpendence in 1774, leading to Jefferson's more famous Declaration of 1776.

Our newest family member is Ashley Taylor Freedland, born to my niece Charlene Michelle Helms Freedland, in December, 2004. The Helms name is carried fourth through my two nephews, David Andrew Helms and Matthew Ryan Helms, sons of my youngest brother, Lonnie Wade Helms. The Ratcliffe name will carry forward through my cousin, Alphonse Ratcliffe, son of my mother's brother, Horace, and numerous half-cousins.

• Roy Vann Helms Family Tree (23 KB)
  All ancestors listed in this tree are traced back to England and Scotland. Many of them came to America via Ulster, now called Northern Ireland. Many who arrived in Pennsylvania and South Carolina were Presbyterians, but many on the Ratcliffe side were Quakers who escaped from religious persecution in England in the 17th Century.

• Joseph Thomas Baucom (249 KB)
  Grandpa Baucom was born June 6, 1826, in Wake County, North Carolina. He died in Union (Anson) County on March 8, 1903. He married Sarah Brantley around 1845. This drawing is from a multi-generation photo copy. It was done by Vann Helms, his Great-Great Grandson!
• Easter 1962 at Locke and Verla Boyce's (50 KB)
  The Buddy and Virginia Helms family during an Easter visit to Buddy's first cousin, Locke, and his family in South Miami, Florida. Along with their parents are Vann and Eddie to the left, and Nancy and Wade in the foreground.
• Saphronia (Fronnie) Baucom-Helms (248 KB)
  She was born in Anson-Union County on December 28, 1848, and died there on July 28, 1915. She was the daughter of Joseph T. Baucom and Sarah W. Brantley. She married Josiah Helms around 1868, and had ten children, including my Grandfather, Lonnie Wilson Helms.
• Cape Florida Painting at The New World Symphony (95 KB)
  Having become an artist in 1995, my painted screens have appeared in many places. This photo shows my "Cape Florida Sunrise" piece inside a window facing Lincoln Road Mall from the Lincoln Theatre in Miami Beach. It is the home of The New World Symphony, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. My screens were displayed during the entire summer of 1998.
• Lonnie Wilson Helms (110 KB)
  My Grandfather was born July 9, 1876, and died on February 25, 1961. He married Martha (Mattie) Hope Locke in 1902, and had six living children, including my father, Walston Edd Helms. This photograph was made when he was 21 years old.
• Helms-Slater-Freedland-Stein Family (76 KB)
  On Christmas Day, 2002, our family gathered at the home of Walston Edd Helms, Jr. (Eddie), to have dinner. Seated are Sherrie, Vann, and Matthew Helms; Standing from the left are Charlene Helms Freedland, her husband Michael, and their son, Blake Harrison Freedland, Mary Slater, Daryl and Jennifer Freedland, Vie Traxel, Walston Edd Helms, Sr. (Buddy), Al and Rene Stein, Gene Slater, David, Wade and Vicki Stein Helms, Carol Slater Helms and Walston Edd (Eddie) Helms, Jr. Missing is Nancy Barbara Helms and her partner, Roberta (Bobbye) Schuler.
• Roy Vann Helms 1976 (172 KB)
  This photo was made in my office at The Miami Herald, before I began to grow a full beard. The shirt was called a "nik nik", a synthetic material resembling silk, printed with bold colors and graphics. Very avant garde for that time. It was during this period that I sang our National Anthem acapella, prior to a football game betwen the Miami Dolphins and the Minnesota Vikings at the Miami Orange Bowl. A sound movie of that event exists in my collection.
• Sarah Elizabeth (Lizzie) Thompson-Locke (154 KB)
  My Great-Grandmother was born on June 9, 1859, in Chester County, South Carolina, and died in Union County, North Carolina in 1942. She married Absalom Lewis Locke on Dec. 13, 1881 near Catawba Township in York County, S.C., They had five living children. She was 15 years old in this tintype. Census records show that her birth name was Sarah Elizabeth Lemons, and her mother was most likely Martha Ann Campbell, of Chester County.
• Mattie Lovina Wilson Ratcliffe, 1974 (174 KB)
  My grandmother was 72 years old when this photo was made in Charlotte. She always appeared older than her real age. She died in 1992 at the age of 89 years, 11 months
• Virginia Ratcliffe Helms Graduation 1941 (21 KB)
  Just before Pearl Harbour, my mother garduated from Huntersville High School in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. She was on the varsity basketball team, where she competed for a state championship. Some of her games were played at Oakhurst School, outside of Charlotte, which was later attended by three of he children.
• Ratcliffe Family Homeplace Oak (121 KB)
  This ancient oak grew atop a hill near Huntersville, N.C., in the yard next to the Ratcliffe farm house. Leaning against the trunk is Lonnie Wade Helms, son of Virginia Ratcliffe Helms. Her ashes had been scattered around the base of this tree on October 28th, 1994. Wade had fallen from the roof of the farmhouse after that ceremony, and had broken his right ankle. The fall was far less damaging than the averted fall through the rotten roof, where he was planning to go in an effort to retrieve an antique lightning rod. The family speculated that his mother Virginia's spirit prevented the more dangerous trip to the top of the roof. This photo was made on October 29th, immediately after Virginia's memorial service at nearby Prosperity Church. The great tree was unceremoniously removed from the property, and a house was built on the site. Such a shame!
• Railroad Walkbridge in Waxhaw (322 KB)
  The railroad through Waxhaw, North Carolina, follows the old North-South Wagon trail into South Carolina. Built in the late 19th century, the original wooden bridge was rebuilt in the mid-twentieth century. My father, Buddy, recalls Model A Fords being driven across the bridge in the 1920's. The railway was originally built in 1852.
• Helms-Locke-Walkup Gathering- 1901 (552 KB)
  At the Walkup Home near Waxhaw, N.C., the young people gathered for a celebration. Far left is Lonnie Wilson Helms, my grandfather. Next to him is Mattie Hope Locke, my grandmother. They would wed within a year! She is hiding her arms because they were uncovered by her sleeves. The boy holding the kitten was killed shortly afterward in a buggy accident. He was blind!
• David Andrew Helms and Uncle Vann (45 KB)
  Born on February 12, 1987, David would be the first of two boys born to Lonnie Wade and Vicki Stein Helms, to have the opportunity to carry forward the Helms name directly from Grandpa "Buddy". In the early years, David would spend weekends with "Uncle Vann", learning about life and nature from someone who valued both so intensely! From "infinity" concepts, to the mystery of thunder, they always found something new to explore. Being splashed by Lolita the killer whale at the Miami Seaquarium; watching race cars at Homestead Speedway; skating and playing Frisbee on South Beach; going to "the movies" together; seeing the laser show at the Miami Space Transit Planetarium; riding Metrorail to Bayside to visit the Magic Shop; sailing on a tall ship; exploring the jungles of Viscaya; so many things to see and do together. Now David is going to college to learn computer engineering. He's grown into a remarkable young man! This photo was made at Meemaw and Pop Pop's home in Cooper City in 1990 when David was three years old. How time flys!
• Great-grandmother Lizzie Locke with Glenn Howell (111 KB)
  This photo was made in 1930 in Union County, North Carolina, and shows Lizzie Locke, aged 71, with Glenn Howell, her great-grandson, aged 1, on her lap. Glenn was the first son of Mae Helms Howell and her husband John. Mae was the daughter of Martha "Mattie" Hope Locke Helms, Lizzie's oldest child. The photo was probably taken at the home of Sadie Locke Winchester, another of Lizzie's daughters, where she lived for her last years.
• Pleasant Grove "Camp Meeting" Gavel (1644 KB)
  Following a damaging fire inside the historic "Arbor" meeting hall, original timbers were salvaged, and gavels were made as a way to raise money for the reconstruction. This one was turned by Oscar Winchester, my great uncle.
• Buddy Helms in Charlotte Fourth Ward 1994 (123 KB)
  Buddy's parents ran many rooming houses in this historic district during the 1920's, 30's, 40's, and 50's. He lived here from age 9 to age 22, when he married Eva Haney, a boarder in the house on 11th Street. Here, at age 78, he ponders his life on the day following my mother's memorial service, October 30, 1994. This time is always the peak of the Autumn colors in the Piedmont district of North Carolina.
• Mattie Hope Locke Helms at Fort Fisher (75 KB)
  The Civil War era Rock Dam, known as "The Rocks", was a favorite fishing spot for visitors to Mattie's cottages in nearby Kure Beach, N. Carolina. The dam was on the Cape Fear River, very near Fort Fisher, a Civil War emplacement guarding the mouth of the river entrance south of Wilmington. The photo was taken around 1958. Grandma Helms loved to fish, but never on Sunday!
• Lonnie W. Helms at Waxhaw Cemetery- 1940 (108 KB)
  My grandfather, sitting on the recently installed marker for my uncle Roy Helms, who had died earlier that year of asbestosis at age 32.
• Shirley Ratcliffe Blackburn and the Family Oak (230 KB)
  After the demolition of the Ratcliffe farm house, my Aunt Shirley reflects on memories of the place where she, my mother, their sisters Ruth, Helen, Mattie Lea, and their brother Horace were born. Shortly afterward, the giant Oak was cut apart, and hauled away. Houses were built on this hilltop in a developement called Highland Creek, and a golf course was built in the fields where the family had grown cotton and hay. My mother's ashes are scattered throughout the area, as she had requested.
• Blake Freedland- 2003 (78 KB)
  My grand nephew, born to my niece, Charlene Michelle Helms Freedland and her husband Michael, on July 3, 2002 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
• Original Ratcliffe Homeplace near Huntersville, NC (129 KB)
  My grandparents moved into this house around 1919. All of their children were born here. They moved out in 1942, to a smaller farm on Statescille Road. The house was demolished in 1995 to make way for many homes in a development called Highland Creek. The small addition to the right was a bathroom, added years after the family left the house. This photo was made on October 29, 1994
• Great Grandma Wilson Joins Grandma and Grandpa Rat (109 KB)
  In 1951 at their home on Statesville Road in Mecklenburg County, my Great-Grandmother Laura Whitley Wilson joined Thomas Alphonso Ratcliffe and Mattie L. Wilson Ratcliffe during a regular Sunday gathering. Grandma Wilson was 72 years old, Grandpa was 73, and Grandma was 49.
• Descendants of Absalom and Lizzie Locke in 1946 (198 KB)
  A rare photograph of the children and their families who came from the marriage of Absalom Lewis Locke and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Thompson Locke, made in September, 1946. Mattie, Mamie, Sadie, Furman and Walston were all present and shown in these pictures. Mattie's husband Lon is not shown. Mamie's husband Hugh Boyce is sitting in the front foreground, beside him is Sadie's husband Oscar Winchester. In the back row is Walston's wife Ruth, and Furman's wife, Sue Winchester. Mattie's children Buddy, with son Eddie on his lap, is seated next to his wife, Virginia Ratcliffe, daughter Mae to the far right, with her husband John Howell, and their sons Glenn and Ray, and youngest child, Margaret, along with her children Betty and Butch are shown. Mamie's daughters Hope and Helen are present, as are Osborne, Locke, Wilson, Neil, and Bill Boyce with their wives and children. Sadie's children Oren and Charles are shown with their wives Myrtle, and ???? with Oren's children. Jean Helms, daughter of Mattie's oldest son, Roy, is the oldest girl in the center of both pictures.
• Thomas Alphonso Ratcliffe in 1940's (57 KB)
  This identification photo was taken in the early 1940's, most likely in relation to the War. He was in his late 60's.
• Miami Family Home of Buddy and Virginia Helms (623 KB)
  On February 9, 1958, Buddy moved his family to Miami. This was the house that they moved into on Valentine's Day, 1958. This photo was made in Spring, 2005, and except for new windows, a solid door, wrot iron railing, and a shingled roof, the house remains unchanged after 47 years. The house was sold in 1982, when Buddy and Viginia moved to Okeechobee.
• Absalom Lewis Locke (304 KB)
  My Great-Grandfather was born June 14, 1859, in York County, S.C.. He married Sarah Elizabeth "Lizzie" Lemons-Campbell on Dec. 13, 1881, near Catawba Township. This photo would have been made around 1890, when he was about 35 years old.
• Lon and Mattie Helms' Family 1942 (144 KB)
  In 1942, my dad, Buddy (far right) was released from Huntersville Sanitorium after a two year fight against TB. This photo, taken by his first wife, Eva Haney, shows (from left) his sister Mae, sister Margaret, mother Mattie, father Lon, brother Harold, beside Buddy's new home on McAlway Road just outside Charlotte. Buddy weighed just 110 pounds. The house still stands in 2004.
• Buddy Helms at Pleasant Grove Campground (31 KB)
  In August, 2002, my father made his last visit to this historic Union County Methodist campground. This photo was made beside the historic wooden Arbor, where his ashes were scattered after his death in December, 2003. He had dinner that day with his first cousin, Charles Winchester, and his family, who were founding descendants of the campground.
• Buddy's 1946 Hudson during first NASCAR Season (351 KB)
  My father was the oldest living NASCAR driver when he died in 2003. This was his original stock race car from the inaugural season of NASCAR. This car finished seventh in the very first NASCAR race in Charlotte, N. Carolina in June, 1949.
• Walston "Buddie" Helms in 1923 in Union Co, N.C. (120 KB)
  This is the only known photograph of Buddy Helms when he was a child. He is sitting atop a large pile of lumber with his older brother Harold, also known as "Dock"(sic.) The year was 1923 on the farm near Waxhaw, N.C., in Union County.
• Ratcliffe-Wilson Family with Grandchildren- 1950 (59 KB)
  Every Sunday found a family gathering at the Ratcliffe home on Statesville Ave. near Charlotte. Grandpa T.A., Great-grandmother Laura Wilson, and Grandma Mattie Wilson Ratcliffe are at top. Claudia Simril, Terri Moore, Aunt Shirley Ratcliffe, Aunt Mattie Lea Ratcliffe Moore, Tim Moore, and Bubby Simril are in the middle. Delores (Lorsy) Simril is seated with umbrella.
• Virginia Dare Ratcliffe in 1931 (22 KB)
  Posing for a school photograph in 1931 when she was 7 years old. She attended Croft School near Huntersville, N.C.
• Absalom Lewis Locke and Sarah Elizabeth "Lizzie" (239 KB)
  Taken around 1922, this photo is the only known image of my Great-Grandparents together. They were married on Dec. 13, 1881, in the home of Kohath Smith, where Lizzie was working as a cook.
• Buddy and Virginia Helms Family - April, 1981 (1535 KB)
  Taken at an Easter gathering, brother Eddie is on my father's right, sister Nancy is at my mother's left, I (Vann) am holding the poodle, Beebe, and my brother Wade is next to me. The picture was made in Okeechobee, Florida, at my parent's home.
• Tom Ratcliffe and Four Daughters in 1928 (39 KB)
  In the earliest known family photograph, Tom Ratcliffe, aged 51, holds his 8 month old daughter, Mattie Lea, with daughters Virgina, Helen and Ruth joining them in front of one of the family farm structures near Huntersville, N.C.
• Christmas at Sears Roebuck 1948 (125 KB)
  An annual ritual was to have a picture taken on Santa Claus' lap in the Sears and Roebuck store on North Tryon Street in CHarlotte, N.C. Pictured is Roy Vann Helms, aged 6 months, and Walston Edd (Eddie) Helms, Jr., aged 2 1/2 years. This department store always smelled of buttered pop corn. Santa Claus was always on the second floor at the top of the escalator. The store building was constructed on a site that previously featured a large mansion that had belonged to a family who perished aboard the S.S. Titanic in 1912.
• Grandma Mattie Lovina Wilson in 1917 (76 KB)
  Just 15 years old when this photograph was taken, my 15 year old Grandmother was less than one year away from marrying Tom Ratcliffe, and giving birth to their first daughter, Ruth.
• Margaret McAuley and Buddy Helms (215 KB)
  This photo was taken at a Locke family reunion in 1990 at Weddington Baptist Church in Union County, N.C. Buddy and Margaret, also known as "Sister", were always close. She passed in March, 1998. He passed in December, 2003.
• Paul and Mattie Wilson in Charlotte, 1915 (40 KB)
  This photo was taken in front of the Wilson house in North Charlotte in 1915. Paul was 17 years old, and Mattie was 13. Notice that the bicycle is held up with a full kick stand. The hidden girl may be one of Mattie's sisters, Ella or Carrie.
• Buddy and Virginia Helms family at Kure Beach (87 KB)
  Taken in the summer of 1954 at Grandma and Grandpa's house at Kure Beach, NC, these are my parents with me and my brother Eddie (Holding kitten) and my sister Nancy. In the background is our 1946 Hudson Super Six Sedan. The two story building was the Blue Anchor vacation house, and the smaller two story house belonged to Mrs. Peters. The destructive Hurricane Hazel would strike this area within a month, going on record as one of the most deadly storms to ever hit the Carolinas. The color photo was taken in Nov., 2002, showing a similar view.
• Roy Vann Helms in 1965 (51 KB)
  Posing for the official senior photograph was a ritual for all Miami high school students. This image was taken in August, 1965, by David Glenn Studios in Miami. The lapel pin was for the Carol City Players Drama Group. Vann was a finalist in the prestigious "Silver Knight Awards" drama category, sponsored by The Miami Herald.
• Helms Cottages and Apartments 1954 in Kure Beach (134 KB)
  My grandparents bought this rental house in 1944, and it became their principle residence in 1954. This photo was made shortly after Hurricane Hazel damaged the house. Supports can be seen above the porch. Also in the compound were two cottages, providing an income for Grandma and Grandpa Helms in their retirement. The property was sold after my grandmother's death, and the house and cottages were demolished to make way for a modern motel.
• Eddie and Vann Helms in 1994 (32 KB)
  Shortly after the passing of Virginia Ratcliffe Helms, these two brothers stopped to recollect her life on the back porch at her Cooper City home.
• Grandma Helms and Aunt Mammie Boyce (207 KB)
  This photo was made at Grandma's house in Kure Beach around 1957. Mattie Locke Helms in on the left and her little sister Mammie Locke Boyce is with her.
• Descendents of Mattie Wilson Ratcliffe 1994 (36 KB)
  Gathering for a family lunch after the funeral of Mattie Ratcliffe at the home of her daughter, Helen Simril, these aunts, cousins, and grandchildren recall many Sunday afternoons long ago when they used to gather at Mattie's home. From the left, Wren and her mother Terry Moore, Amy Jo Norman, Virginia Helms, Marilyn Blackburn, Vann Helms, Shirley Blackburn, Delores Simril, Becky Clure, and Ted Moore.
• Vann, Nancy and Eddie at Christmas, 1951 (59 KB)
  Sitting an a studio couch that would serve as Eddie and Vann's bed until 1958, Virginia and Buddy's children enjoyed Christmas in their small, one room house behind the dry cleaning business that sustained the family. The walls were raw concrete blocks, with a wood floor, and a coal stove against the back wall. Mama always made sure that her kids had a good Christmas, with toys and fruit and nuts. Note the cowboy hat next to Vann.
• Easter Sunday in Charlotte in 1952 (80 KB)
  Here are Eddie, Nancy, and Vann on the studio couch before going to Craig Avenue A.R.P. Church for Sunday school. Mama made all of our clothes, except for the cordoroy pants. Eddie and Vann were often dressed alike for holidays.

Roy Vann Helms
239 Fibber Magee Drive
Union Mills, NC 28167
A-United States
828-288-4142
mountainvann@gmail.com

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