John Cloyd Emmerson was born on 6 July 1891, in Portsmouth, Virginia, to parents John Cloyd and Claudia Mildred Emmerson. His family can be traced back to prominent families of Virginia such as the Cockes of Bremo and the Barron family, who distinguished themselves in the formation period of the U.S. Navy. Emmerson was educated in public schools in Portsmouth and assumed his first job working at his father's insurance agency and union ticket office. Like so many young men at the outbreak of World War I, he joined the U.S. Army and was sent to France with the 1st Depot Division. Emmerson came home to Camp Dix in 1919, and was honorably discharged as a Corporal. He returned to Portsmouth and rejoined his father's business as a partner. Emmerson later joined The Independent and The Daily Advocate in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, from 1928 to 1933. He then went to work for A. G. Pinkston and Company of Portsmouth as an office manager from 1940 until 1958 when he retired.
Emmerson never married, however stayed busy researching his own family genealogy and writing about local history. He compiled and published “The Steamboat Come to Norfolk Harbor” in 1949, “Stream Navigation in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina” in 1950, and “The Chesapeake Affair of 1807” in 1954. His passion for local history and his generosity greatly enhanced the local history collections at both the Norfolk and Portsmouth Public Libraries. He died on 3 Feb 1980, in Portsmouth, Virginia, and is buried with his family in Oak Grove Cemetery, Portsmouth, Virginia.
Photograph: Courtesy of Esther Wilson Memorial Local History Room, Portsmouth Public Library.
Sources:
Emmerson, John C., Jr. The Emmersons and Portsmouth. (Portsmouth, Virginia: Self Published, 1966.)
U.S. Government. World War I Draft Registration Card, John Cloyd Emmerson, Junior. Portsmouth, Virginia.
"Obituary of John C. Emmerson." Virginian-Pilot. 4 Feb 1989. C2.