Monday Information in Late October of 2019.

After World War II, the change in automobile design was apparent. There was the popularization of the ponton style. This was when running boards were gone and fenders were incorporated into the body.  Some of the early examples of this style were the Soviet GAZ-M20 Pobeda (1946), British Standard Vanguard (1947), United States Studebaker Champion and Kaiser (1946), as well as the low-production Czech luxury Tatra T600 Tatraplan (1946) and the Italian Cisitalia 220 sports car (1947). New innovations about automobile design and production came about in 1949. America saw the introduction of high compression V8 engines and modern bodies from General Motors Oldsmobile and Cadillac brands. Hudson introduced the step down design with the 1948 Commodore. That placed the passenger compartment down inside the perimeter of the frame that was one of the first new design postwar cars made and feature the trend setting slab side styling. The unibody/strut suspended 1951 Ford Consel joined the 1948 Morris Monitor and 1949 Rover P4 in the automobile market in the United Kingdom. In Italy, Enzo Ferrari was starting his 250 series, just as Lancia introduced the revolutionary V6 Aurelia. During the 1950’s, engine power and vehicle speeds increased. Designs became more integrated and artful. Automobiles were marketed internationally.  Alec Issigonis' Mini and Fiat's 500 diminutive cars were introduced in Europe, while the similar kei car class became popular in Japan. The Volkswagen Beetle continued production after Hitler's evil reign and began exports to other nations, including the United States. At the same time, Nash introduced the Nash Rambler, the first successful modern compact car made in the United States,  while the standard models produced by the "Big Three" domestic automakers grew ever larger in size, featuring increasing amounts of chrome trim, and luxury was exemplified by the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. The markets in Europe expanded with new small-sized automobiles, as well as expensive grand tourers (GT), like the Ferrari America.

The car market changed a greatly in the 1960’s. The United States “Big three” automakers started to face more competition form imported cars. The European makers adopted advanced technologies and Japan emerged as a car producing nation. Japanese companies started to export some of their more popular selling cars in Japan internationally. They include the Toyota Corolla, Toyota Corona, Nissan Sunny, and Nissan Bluebird in the mid-1960’s. The success of American Motors’ compact sized Rambler models spurred GM and Ford to introduce their own downsized cars in 1960. The United States saw the focus of marketing in dealing with performance engines. That is why muscle cars became popular. In 1964, the Ford Mustang developed a new market segment of the pony car. New models to compete with the Mustang were the Chevrolet Camaro, AMC Javelin, and Plymouth Barracuda. Captive imports and badge engineering increased in American d the UK as amalgamated groups like British Motor Corporations consolidated the market. BMC’s space saving and trend setting transverse engine front wheel drive, independent suspension, and monocoque bodied Mini, which first appeared in 1959. This was marketed under the Austin and Morris names. Mini was a marque on its own right in 1969. It was marketed under the Austin and Morris names. Competition increased. The Studebaker came about which was a pioneering automaker that was shutting down. There was more consolidation with the Maserati, Ferrari, and Lancia in Italy. They were acquired by larger companies. By the end of the 1960’s, the number of automobile marquees had been reduced.  Technology developments included the widespread use of independent suspensions, wider application of fuel injection, and an increasing focus on safety in automotive design. Innovations during the 1960s included NSU's Wankel engine, the gas turbine, and the turbocharger. Of these, the only the last endured, pioneered by General Motors, and adopted by BMW and Saab, later seeing mass-market use during the 1980s by Chrysler. Mazda continued developing its Wankel engine, in spite of problems in longevity, emissions, and fuel economy. Other Wankel licensees, including Mercedes-Benz and GM, never put their designs into production because of engineering and manufacturing problems, as well as the lessons from the 1973 oil crisis. The 1970’s was a unique decade for cars, because of the 1973 oil crisis, the stricter automobile emissions control, and new safety requirements. So, more exports came by Japanese and European automakers. There was the growth of inflation and the stagnant economic conditions in many nations. Smaller-sized cars grew in popularity. The United States saw the establishment of the subcompact segment with the introduction of the AMC Gremlin, followed by the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto. The station wagons (estate, break, kombi, universal) body design was popular, as well as increasing sales of non-commercial all-wheel drive off-road vehicles.  To the end of the 20th century, the United States Big Three (GM, Ford, and Chrysler) partially lost their leading position, Japan became for a while the world's leader of car production and cars began to be mass manufactured in new Asian, East European, and other countries. This era saw the Porsche, the Subaru 1000, and other designs.

The modern era of automobile is all about new technologies and new developments. This era has been around for 40 years. Today, cars have standardization platform sharing, computer aided design, etc. to reduce costs and development time. There are more usage of electronics for both engine management and entertainment systems. Some particular contemporary developments are the proliferation of front- and all-wheel drive, the adoption of the diesel engine, and the ubiquity of fuel injection. Most modern passenger cars are front-wheel-drive monocoque or unibody designs, with transversely mounted engines. Body styles have changed as well in the modern era. Three types, the hatchback, sedan, and sport utility vehicle dominate today's market. All originally emphasized practicality, but have mutated into today's high-powered luxury crossover SUV, sports wagon and two-volume Large MPV. The rise of pickup trucks in the United States and SUVs worldwide has changed the face of motoring with these "trucks" coming to command more than half of the world automobile market. There was also the introduction of the MPV class (smaller non-commercial passenger minivans), among the first of which were the French Renault Espace and the Chrysler minivan versions in the United States. More cars now have improved fuel efficiency and engine output. People talk about automobile emission concerns. There are computerized engine management systems. The financial crisis of 2007–2008 cut almost a third of light vehicle sales from Chrysler, Toyota, Ford, and Nissan. It also subtracted about a fourth of Honda's sales and about a seventh of sales from General Motors. Since 2009, China has become the world's largest car manufacturer with production greater than Japan, the United States, and all of Europe. Besides large growth of car production in Asian and other countries, there has been growth in transnational corporate groups, with the production of transnational automobiles sharing the same platforms as well as badge engineering or re-badging to suit different markets and consumer segments. Since the end of the 20th century, several award competitions for cars and trucks have become widely known, such as European Car of the Year, Car of the Year Japan, North American Car of the Year, World Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, and International Car of the Year. Also, a Car of the Century award was held in which in the US the Ford Model T was named as most influential car of the 20th century. The Telsa Roadster is an example of a modern car being all-electric. The Telsa Model S was a famous plug in electric vehicle. Hybrids are commonplace too.

The Perkins family has a very long history. The African American Perkins family originated in Northampton County, Virginia. Later, they traveled all across America from Maryland, North Carolina (in Rockingham, NC, Weldon, NC, etc.), and to as far as New York state. My 4th great-grandfather George Perkins I was born in Virginia at 1815. He married a woman named Esther Perkins (1816-?). Their children are Julia Perkins (1835-?), Easter Perkins (1840-1910), James Perkins (1841-?), Emily Perkins (1844-?), George Perkins II (1847-1932), and Caroline Perkins (1862-1927).  My 4th great uncle George Perkins II (1847-1932) married Fannie Lou Blackstock on the date of 1868 at Virginia. George and Fannie Perkins had the following children: Gundora (Geneva) Perkins (1868-1931), Sophronia Perkins (1870-1926), John Thomas Perkins (1874-?), Victoria Oliver Perkins (1876-1956), Louvinia Perkins (1879-1923), George D. Perkins (1880-1928), Charles A. Perkins (1884-1951), Ellen Perkins (1888-?), Fannie Perkins (1890-?), Doctor Rutherford Perkins (1891-1991), Woric Perkins (1896-1938), and Hattie Perkins (1899-?).

My 1st cousin Gundora (Geneva) Perkins (1868-1927) married Dennis Harris (1860-1928) on May 17, 1881 at Rockingham, North Carolina. The children of Geneva Perkins and Dennis Harris are Cynthia (Lucinada) Broadnax (1885-1931), Suetha P. Harris (1888-?), Dennis H. Harris (1890-1937), George T. Harris (1891-?), Linda Harris (1891-1931), Tom Harris (1893-?), and George J. Harris (1896-1954). Cynthia Broadnax married Dennis Broadnax (18881-1975) and had the following children: Ollie May Broadnax (1919-1960), Dennis Daniel  Broadnax Jr. (191401978), Jeneva Broadnax (1915-1974), Irene Broadnax (1920-2015), Wi;llie Broadnax (1923-?), Mammie Broadnax (1923-2004), David Daniel Broadnax (1925-?), Troy Lee Broadnax (1928-?), and Jesse Broadnax (1829-1997). My 3rd cousin Irene Broadnax married King David Sam William Fountain on March 31, 1936 at Henry, Virginia. This family later lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut as a product of the Great Migration. Irene Broadnax and King David Sam William Fountain (1914-1964) had the following children: Clyde William Fountain (1937-1992), Bishop Franklin David Fountain (1939-2005), Norman R. Fountain (1941-2010), Alvestico Fountain Sr. (1943-present), Erma Fountain Johnson (1946-present), Bishop Venoal Fountain (1947-2015), Jo Anne Fountain (1953-2002), Yvette Fountain Drummond (1956-present), Madeira Fountain Walker (1963-present), Donald Fountain, Robert L. Fountain, Jacqueline Fountain Campbell, Sharon Fountain Whitmore, and Zorene F. Fountain Meekins.

My 1st cousin Charles A. Perkins married Pearly Tinsley (1886-1960). Their children are James Allen Perkins (1904-1975), Ernest Perkins (1909-1937), Lettie Lee Perkins Cohen (1910-1997), Willie Mae Perkins (1913-1973), Pearl Perkins (1918-1956), Mammie Perkins (1920-?), Rachel Perkins (1922-?). My 2nd cousin James Allen Perkins (1904-1975) married Bertha Lee Wade (1905-1979) on October 11, 1922 at Henry County, Virginia.  James Allen Perkins and Bertha Lee Wade had the following children: James E. Perkins (1923-2012), Pauline Agusta Perkins (1926-present), Alvin Rufus Lee Perkins (1928-1982), Bertha M. Perkins (1931-present), Remona Leigh Perkins (1934-present), Ralph Allen Perkins (1937-2004), Betty Ann Perkins (1940-2012), Delores Perkins Wells (1943-present), and R. Otis Broadnax (1926-2006. His mother was Gertrude Braodnax). My 3rd cousin James E. Perkins married Doris Mae Cooper (1930-2009). Their children are Arnece Perkins Sims (1949-present), Everett Clinton Perkins (1965-present), Ellsworth Perkins, Kevin Perkins, and Ernest L. Perkins. These human beings are my 4th cousins. My 3rd cousin Ralph Allen Perkins married Jerline Broadnax Perkins (1940-2019) on the date of June 29, 1963 at Rockingham, North Carolina. Their children are Racquel Perkins (1975-present), and Cassandra Wrenn. They are my 4th cousins.




By Timothy