George Washington Wall’s great-great-great-granddaughter Julia Wall Dunn takes the hands of her twin grandchildren Scout and Gunnar as she picks them up from children’s church. They erupt in chatter, telling her about the Bible character they studied, and compete to garner Julia’s attention to show off their brightly colored artwork.
She and husband David place a priority on the five-year-olds attending church. “It is a responsibility we welcome, one we were taught as children—God and family. We believe it is our responsibility to help teach them about Jesus and grow them in their faith.”
Julia’s father Carroll Charles Wall, Jr. and mother Betsy made sure their four children—Charles III, Sterling, Julia, and Thomas—were in church “every time the doors were opened.” The Lexington natives loved their church and everything Baptist. “My dad’s first love was family, then First Baptist, and finally Baptist Children’s Homes,” Julia recalls.
Betsy Carrington met Carroll Jr. at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 1944 and the couple married October 28, 1945. She was the “matriarch of the family—warm and loving.” A faithful church member, she took an active role in the Woman’s Missionary Union, taught Sunday school classes, and headed up all things hospitality.
Julia and her siblings have memories of Mills Home Homecoming, swinging on the playground, attending services at Mill Home Baptist Church, and “wonderful” picnics. Carroll Jr. and Betsy were personal friends of BCH president Dr. W. R. Wagoner and his wife Elizabeth. Her dad served as a trustee, rotating terms from 1960 to 1986. He was board chairman six times. Betsy fulfilled his final term after his untimely death in 1986.
“I was deeply moved when Dad told stories of the tragedies many of the children in BCH’s care had suffered and how they were helped at Mills Home,” Julia says.
Julia’s passion for helping at-risk children took root as a child, springing from these experiences. She dedicated her life to children, becoming a public school counselor and helping some of the most vulnerable children in Lexington and Davidson County.
Carroll Jr.’s son Sterling took up the mantle as BCH trustee, serving rotating terms for nearly 30 years. His impact through his professional land and timber management expertise has been vital.
Farmer George Washington Wall’s son, Samuel Wilson, operated a smithery and built wagons. He served in the North Carolina legislature for 20 years and established his home in Wallburg. The first school in the community was operated out of his wife Christina’s kitchen and the first post office out of their living room. The family was active in church.
Today, the Wall siblings share their legacy of love with their children and grandchildren. Julia introduces Scout and Gunnar to ways First Baptist supports BCH—the spring food roundup and the yearly offering. She tells them that she and David give personally, and they can, too.
The entire Wall family has passed on a great legacy. Through prayer, hands-on service, and financial support, generations have demonstrated great love “for the least of these.”
The Carroll Wall, Jr. family in 1971: Chuck, Julia, Carroll, Jr., Betsy, Sterling and wife Tina, and Tom. Charles Moses Wall. Maurine and Carroll Charles Wall, Sr. Children Sterling, Julia, and Tom with mother Betsy.
Written by Jim Edminson, Editor of Charity and Children