Mrs. Rolesville

I remember my grandma as the definition of a classy southern woman. She always had perfectly styled hair, lipstick consistently applied, and a classic outfit complete with pearls. Everyone in the town of Rolesville knew her as “Mrs. Privette” and she cooked some mouthwatering fried okra. She passed away in 2006, but left a legacy in our family. Her name was Mary Frances.

I had always known my grandma was born and raised in North Carolina, but after my mom told me the full story of her life the other day, I have a better understanding of who exactly she was.

She was born in Granville County in 1927. She was the youngest of four brothers- Ed, Bernard, Atlas, and Milton- and two sisters- Allie Mae (who I got my name from) and Para Lee. She grew up in a poor household. The Catlettes farmed cotton, tobacco, and potatoes- everything they ate was grown or made on their land. Mary Frances’s mother was an immaculate housekeeper, even sweeping dirt in the yard to maintain appearance. They used an outhouse outside and their kitchen was separate from the house (they were scared of a fire catching on to the rest of the house).

Everyday, she was helping in the farm, cooking, or cleaning. The highlight of her week was when her brother would let her drive the old pickup truck through the fields.

She always told my mom about how much she loved going to the “travelling store man” in town. He would park and open his trunk filled with different trinkets and materials. Mary Frances would buy sugar, materials for her mother to sew, and licorice candy.

Mary Frances lived her childhood in Franklinton but moved to Rolesville during high school. She graduated from Rolesville High School and was voted the “Queen of Hearts,” the 1940s rendition of prom queen. She graduated from Louisburg College and then attended the Hardbarger Business School in Raleigh.

Her first job was working for the Department of State in downtown Raleigh. She did secretarial work, as most women did at the time, handling payroll. Her and a group of ladies all had jobs in downtown, so they would carpool from Rolesville every day, taking turns driving and sharing a parking spot, gossiping about the town on the way.

She met her husband, June Privette (“Papa June” to everyone in my family) in high school. She said she didn’t pay him a lot of attention at first, but the two ended up getting married when she was 19. They eloped at the Justice of Peace downtown because they couldn’t afford a wedding. Mary Frances always joked that she should have pursued another guy in high school who went on to make a lot of money, but he wasn’t as” handsome and charming” as June.

After getting married, the newlyweds lived in his parents’ house, which she hated. She told June she wouldn’t have a baby until he built her a house of their own.

And so, he did. But not until she was 26, which was old for a woman to have her first child at the time. She went on to have two sons and two daughters.

June was the first Farm Bureau agent in Wake County, and he started making significantly more money once he landed that role. In the 1960s, he decided to become independent, starting his own agency, naming it “Privette Insurance Agency,” providing insurance for farmers. The building was right in downtown Rolesville, attached to the local gas station. Mary Frances kept up with all of the book work for the agency.

She got hooked on making money, and started her own business out of her home. Her “office” was on the back porch. From January to April, she did people’s income taxes for them. She saved her money and always put it toward a particularly project she wanted to work on, usually for the house. People from all over Wake County came to Mary France’s back porch for help with taxes.

She stopped her side business when June died in 1992. Mary Frances died 14 years later.

Privette Insurance Agency became a staple in the heart of Rolesville. Everyone knew Mr. and Mrs. Privette as generous, warm-hearted people. PIA is still around today, now offering home, life, and auto insurance. My mom and her brother currently run the business now, and we always wonder which cousin is going to take it over next.

Portraits of June and Mary Frances are hung in the office. Even today, customers will come inside, look at the pictures, smile, and comment on how wonderful “Mr. and Mrs. Rolesville” were.

My family has roots in Rolesville since the beginning of the 20th century - we all have a soft spot in our hearts for the small town. It’s hard to watch the bypass being built through town, the expansive neighborhoods taking over, and the pop-ups of business everywhere, but at least we can pass down the stories of a time when Rolesville was a small farming community for generations to come, starting with the story of Mary Frances Catlette Privette.

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