1899 news articles, Butler, AL submitted by Laura Leigh Elmore ***************************************************************************** USGenWeb NOTICE: Libraries and individual researchers may download this file for personal, non-commercial use only. Any other use requires written permission from the transcriber. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. ****************************************************************************** Various 1899 newspaper articles found in the Greenville, AL Public Library, Genealogy and History Room --------------- Pigeon Creek May 3, 1899 Editor Advocate: Mrs. Pink Sharp and daughter, Mrs. Annie Cason, will return to their home in Montgomery today, after a pleasant visit to relatives and friends in this community. Our Sunday school did not meet on the fourth and fifth Sabbaths in April, being called in to allow the members to attend the district meeting at Spring Hill, and attend the Ebenezer Methodist church. At the latter place Rev. Mr. Chambers preached. He announced that a protracted meeting would be held with the church, embracing the third Sunday in July, and Dr. Taylor of Georgiana would assist. It was my pleasure to attend Spring Hill Baptist church, seven miles from Greenville on the fifth Sunday. The community deserves thanks for their splendid entertainment of the guests during the district meeting. There was no evidence of hard times. Reporter --------------- Pigeon Creek, May 20th May 31, 1899 Editor Advocate: Our Sunday school had a delightful picnic at the, to be, celebrated, Blue Springs, today. A number of the citizens of Dock were present. These springs at a glance appear to be a deep blue, but on a closer inspection the water is found to be perfectly clear. The water would afford ample power for large machinery and it is probably that in the not very distant future the water will be utilized. I will not attempt a description of the springs, for I feel inadequate to the task, suffice to say it is beautiful beyond description, and while these springs are scarcely known to the outside world, if they were in many places would be as famous as are the great springs in other states. A few thousand dollars spent there would make them an ideal summer resort. We did not see any mosquitors, ticks or red bugs. The Sunday school had a splendid dinner, and a more delightful day was never spent by a Sunday school. We had a nice rain on the 23rd, and it was very badly needed for it had been two months and twenty three days since we had a rain. The crops look revived and corn and cotton look well, considering the long drought, which was the longest for this season ever experienced by the oldest inhabitant. The oat crop is a failure. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shell, of Georgiana, spent some days last week visiting relatives in this neighborhood. On Monday we had a fish fry on the creek. Died, on the 8th inst., Mrs. Nancy Stallings, a relict of the late James Stallings. She was a member of the Methodist church and was about 81 years of age. Reporter ----------------- Pigeon Creek Notes July 26, 1899 I have been sick some days, but am better now and here goes for another report from this garden spot of old Butler. Prof. Charles Garrett opened a singing school with 38 scholars. He uses the Choir Congregation Class book. Master Jack Largins, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jarrett Largins was buried recently at Sardis grave yard. The annual protracted meeting will begin Saturday before the 1st Sunday in August, at Sardis Church. The trustees have again employed Miss Ida Mehone as teacher of the Sardis academy. Miss Ida taught here two years ago and gave very general satisfaction. Her school commenced July 17th. The wheat crop has not been thrashed out yet, but it is very light on account of the dry weather. The general crop is reported to be very good, there will be plenty of corn raised in this community. Hog cholera has made its appearance here and is doing great damage. Reporter -------------- August 16, 1899 Mrs. Susie Perry Pierce wife of Mr. George Pierce, died at her home five miles east of here Saturday and was buried at St. Paul church Sunday afternoon, Rev. A.J. Briggs conducting the service. One who knew her well said, "She was a good, pure woman and will be sadly missed at church as well as at home." She leaves a husband and eight daughters, an aged mother and other near relatives to grieve for her. The only son, John Kendrick Pierce, a babe of only a few weeks, preceded the mother to the quiet church yard a week ago. -------------- September 6, 1899 Pigeon Creek Notes Pigeon Creek Ala, Aug. 24, 99 Editor of the Advocate: The crops in general are good, although we are needing rain very much. Please write upon your calendars and memorandums that there will be a big frost on Saturday morning Oct. 21. And if I have made no mistake, it will be the first frost for this season. Last year the 13, 14, and 15 of August were foggy mornings, and two months to the date in Oct, there was frost. The first fog in 1897, came Oct. 6 and on the sixth of December was the first frost. At the meeting recently held with Sardis church they got nine members, it was a good meeting from the beginning to the end, the Lord met with the people and poured out his blessings upon them. Prof. Charlie Garrette of Norwood, Crenshaw county, conducted the singing on Sunday of the meeting, in the Sunday school, prayer meeting and preaching and it was delightful. Mr. Hilliary Wood and his mother, Mrs. Bettie Wood of Liberty Hill Covington county attended the meeting also, Mr. Jacob Shell of Georgiana and Mr. Birtie Garrette of Chapman and Miss Callie Morgan and her father Rev. T.E. Morgan of Honoraville, Rev. Ed Kolb of Johnson post office. Mr. William and Misses Joda and Vinnie Shell of Georgiana visited relatives in this vicinity last week. Prof. Charlie Garrette's singing school at Sardis will come to a close on the first Sunday in Sept. All lovers of music are invited to be there. Rev. Mr. Sandford of near Letohatchie assisted Pastor Dobbs in the meeting at Sardis. Reporter ---------------- Pigeon Creek, Ala, September 6, 1899 Editor of the Advocate: Last Sunday was a happy day with Sardis Church. Pastor Dobbs baptised two young ladies and preached at eleven o'clock to a crowded house. After preaching Mr. Willie Cook, a son of Yancy Cook, was licensed to preach the Gospel. Pastor Dobbs asked all who would be willing to pray for the young preacher to give him their right hand, when a large crowd came forward and clasped the hand of the young man. I never saw so many people weeping with joy at one time. Pastor Dobbs said it was a delightful service. The Zion Missionary Baptist Association will hold it session with the first Baptist church at Florala, Oct 11th, 12th, and 13th. The following are the delegates from this church: R.D. Shell and Rev. Willie Cook, L.R. Russell, Simon Russell, Yancy Cook, J.T. Jernigan and Arch Ligers. -- Please allow me to say here that the young preacher above mentioned is one of our Sunday school students and he is not quite 19 years old and was licensed to preach the day our Sunday school was four years and ten months old. Last Sunday was the closing day of Prof. Charlie Garrette's singing school at Sardis as it was generally known that everybody was invited. At an early hour they commenced coming from almost every direction, until there was a large congregation. They came with the expectation of hearing something grand and they were not disappointed. And if I was left as a judge to decide this day, my decision would be that this first Sunday in September was the grandest day ever witnessed at Sardis church. Reporter --------------- September 27, 1899 Dr. H.G. Perry and family will leave here the early part of next week for Greensboro where they will reside. This move is sincerely regretted by a large circle of friends. The loss of the family will be felt in social life, in church affairs and by the medical fraternity. Dr. Perry is an upright, Christian gentlemen, a progressive and most excellent physician, and will be an acquisition to his new home. We are sorry to see them go, and commend them to the good people of Greensboro. ---------------------- Pigeon Creek Notes October 11, 1899 Special to the Advocate: We attended the Singing Convention at Friendship church, last Sunday. When we arrived about 10:30, the place looked as if a camp meeting was being held there, there were so many vehicles. People continued to come until there was a congregation almost equal to that at an association on Sunday. The singing was delightful; the three Garrett brothers, all of them fine vocalists, added much to the success and pleasure of the people. Near the church, Miss Emma Watson lives. She was very ill but perfectly rational, and requested the singers to sing hymn No. 154, "Clinging to Thee." Miss Watson is a leading spirit in that church and she is the committee for the Orphans Home at Evergreen, and at the conclusion of the song a collection was taken for that institution. Hymn No. 172 "Heaven's My Home," was then sung. The entire congregation was then invited to dinner by the Hon. J.T. Watson. A long table had been prepared and loaded with every thing good to eat imaginable. The good ladies of that neighborhood deserve much praise for serving such an excellent dinner. At 1:30, singing was resumed and continued for some time. The next convention will be held at Sardis church, the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday in April. Cane crop is short on account of the drought, corn crops were unusually fine all along the route I traveled. Mr. J.W. Halso has been quite sick, but is now on the road to recovery. Mr. Henry Jernigan is seriously sick, and has been so for two weeks. I hear that Rev. Ed. Kolb is also very ill. May they all soon be well again is the wish of Reporter ------------ October 11, 1899 Some gentlemen last week captured a sturgeon near Cook's Bride, on Pigeon Creek, which was a monster fish. The mail rider brought its head to town to show how large some fish would grow in Butler County waters. The head weighed 29 pounds and measured 23 inches long, the fish weighed when captured 109 lbs. The drought caused the water in the creek to get so low that this big fish could not make his escape out of the hole in which he was found, so his captors had but little trouble in effecting his capture. Since writing the above our correspondent tells all about it. Oaky Streak, Ala October 7, 1899 Editor Greenville Advocate: It has been some time since I have seen any thing in your paper from our neck of the woods. We farmers are just about done gathering, and having nothing to do just now, decided to go fishing on Pigeon Creek. Some go down in Florida on big fishing frolics, but we boys haven't got much money to spend that way, so we decided to go down to the Cook Bride, and put in and fish up the creek. We did not fish long before we hung one which was too large for our hooks, so we went off to a neighbor's house and secured a gig, the very first throw one of the boys plunged the spear into him and pulled him to the top of the water. When another one of the party shot a load of buckshot into his head and then we succeeded in getting him to land. He measured 31 (maybe 81 - print was hard to read) inches round, six feet seven inches in length and weighed on hundred and nine pounds. We all went home satisfied. Had plenty fish for supper and breakfast and plenty for our neighbors. No use in going fifty and one hundred miles to catch big fish. Come down to Oaky Streak, as I know there are more. As the old saying is, "there is just as good fish in the sea as has ever been caught out." Yours, etc., G. --------------- Pigeon Creek December 20, 1899 Special to the Advocate. Hart Payne and wife, who live on Mr. John Halso's place went to work a few days ago, leaving their two little children in the house alone. The younger one's clothing caught fire and before it could be extinguished, was so badly burned that it died a short time afterward. There will be a Christmas tree at Sardis church Monday night, (Christmas). The Neighborhood are cordially invited to attend. Mr. J.L. Pitts, a neighbor of mine, is an example of what a farmer can do if he only tries. Several years ago, Mr. Pitts married, since then he bought a piece of land, and by working it faithfully, has made enough to pay for it and build him a comfortable dwelling. He makes corn for himself and has some to spare every year, has never bought a bushel in his life, makes meat to sell. Has oats enough now to last him to feed his stock on until the next crop is harvested, he finished sowing his oats on Thanksgiving day. Jack has a wife and six children, he pays his preacher and the Lord blesses him. Uncle Wash Taylor has moved over into Covington County. Reporter -------------- December 20, 1899 Miss Mollie Rogers of Oaky Streak spent Saturday in town making purchases for the Christmas tree which she will give the pupils of her school the night of the 25th. Useful and pretty things for the larger pupils, toys of various kinds for the small children, tapers to brighten the beautiful holly tree were purchased. There will be interesting exercises of songs and recitations before the distribution of the presents, and the room will be decorated in true Christmas style. Every pupil will be remembered with candies, apples, etc., in addition to the nice presents, all of which is the gift of the generous hearted teacher. -------------