This family story is part of a larger movement of African Americans who left North Carolina and other Southern states for Washington, D.C. over the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For many families, the move offered a chance to find steadier work, build community, and create new opportunities while maintaining ties to home.
Washington, D.C. has long been shaped by Black migration. In the nineteenth century, it became a center for free and emancipated Black Americans, and by 1957 it was the first major U.S. city with a Black majority. Even before emancipation, Washington had a substantial free Black population of skilled workers, including carpenters, blacksmiths, and other tradesmen. After the 1862 D.C. Emancipation Act, the city drew many newly freed people and developed a large, stable Black community that included artisans, educators, and professionals.
Migrants from western North Carolina often followed East Coast rail lines finding work and settling in Washington, Philadelphia, and New York. Jobs were not the only allure to the DC area. By the time World War II started, there was already a burgeoning black cultural scene and strong Black middle class in the city, and Howard University served as an educational magnet. And while segregation still existed in Washington, it was more forgiving than it was in the South.
Against this broader history, Annie Louise Payne’s move to Washington becomes part of the family’s own migration story: a journey shaped by work, kinship, and the search for stability. Her experience shows how larger historical forces were lived through individual decisions, family connections, and the building of a home in a new city.
Annie Louise Payne, daughter of David Payne and Julia (Logan) Payne who was known in the family as Lukey or Louise, made that journey in January 1944 when she left Asheville for Washington with her cousin Betty (daughter of Madeline Logan Willis) after both secured federal employment. Although Betty later moved away and eventually settled in California, Louise remained in the city and put down lasting roots there.
In April 1946, Louise married Roland B. Smith Sr., whom she had first met in Asheville (October 1943) while he was recovering from a military injury, linking her North Carolina past with the life she built in Washington. Louise and Roland had three children – Roland Jr., Anita, and Linda. Louise opened her home in DC to several other family members for temporary extended stays. One visiting cousin Lenett (daughter of Lenora Owens) stayed in the DC area where she raised her five children: Devin, Letizia, Weldon Jr., Monzella, and Ealia. Four of Lenett’s children, her granddaughter Alexus and cousin Betty’s daughter Denise LaLande are members of the 2026 reunion committee.
Sharing our stories is an important part of keeping our family history alive and ensuring it is inclusive. Our stories are not only about the history of our ancestors in NC also about how our family migrated and settled in other parts of the country, and the stories of those who have remained in the western region of North Carolina.
