Charles Jesse Bynum Reid

Charles Jesse Bynum Reid was one of nine children born to emancipated slaves on January 28, 1879 in Lowell, North Carolina. He graduated from Lincoln Academy in Kings Mountain, then Knoxville College in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was a faithful and active member of Wright’s Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church in Lowell.

“Professor Reid,” as he was affectionately known, was committed to education throughout his life. Following college, he returned to Lowell and began his teaching in Mt. Holly, riding to work each day on his bicycle. On August 8,1918 Professor Reid married fellow teacher Maude Herndon of Lincolnton.

Maude, later known as “Mother Reid,” was born on December 21, 1890, one of Reverend Sully and Josephine Ward Herndon’s thirteen children. Like her husband, Maude was well educated. She also graduated from Lincoln Academy, then Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte.

The couple built a house on Sacco Street in Belmont, North Carolina, next to what is now Reid Park, and began their family, which grew to include four children, Bernard, Helen, Doris Jean, and Horace.

In addition to his educational accomplishments, Professor Reid is remembered for his service on the Board of Trustees at the Gaston County Negro Hospital; as a Mason member of the Knights of Pythias, a member of the Odd Fellows, a member of O’Connor’s Grove A.M.E. Zion Church; and a founding charter member of Hood Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Belmont.

Maude’s contributions include: founding charter member of Hood Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, Deaconess, Sunday School teacher, and missionary.