Cleburne County AlArchives News.....Newspaper abstracts for DEC. 1936 December 1936 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: C Gravelle tealtree@comcast.net February 6, 2007, 3:10 pm The Cleburne News December 1936 NEWSPAPER ABSTRACTS FROM "THE CLEBURNE NEWS", Heflin, Cleburne County, Alabama for DECEMBER 1936 NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, DECEMBER 3, 1936 FAMILY REUNION AT W.M. BLAKE'S IS ENJOYED Last Thursday, Mrs. N.J. McMahan of Hattiesburg, Miss., met at the home of her daughter Mrs. Mitchell Blake with a number of friends and relatives. There were present, besides Mrs. McMahan and Mrs. Blake were: J.D. Hudson and wife (Mr. Hudson is Mrs. McMahan's brother) Mrs. Will Bennett and family of Columbus, Ga. ( Mrs. Bennett is Mrs. McMahan's daughter) Gordon McMahan and wife of Chattanooga, Tenn. (Mr. McMahan is Mrs. McMahan's son); as well as the writer, together with a lot of friends and neighbors. While there were only a few relatives in the meeting, we had a wonderful day. Mitchell, of course, was full of life and and happy as could be, and all present caught the idea of making it a day to be long remembered. So the place was in a pleasant uproar all day, while many things during the day that wafted us back to memories, and on its walls we say with our mind's eye, so many familiar pictures; parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters and friends of our childhood days, and amid it all, we had an excellent Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Mrs. Blake and her neighbors. W.C. McMahan ----- LETTER FROM O.R. (Oscar) BELL of TEXAS Mercedes, Texas Nov. 22, 1936 The Cleburne News, In reply to The News article of the 19th ("who remembers the old horse and buggy days when it wasn't considered queer to save up a few provisions for winter), I will say that I remember those days, having been born in Cherokee county, Ga. on July 2, 1851. My parents came to Chulafinnee in my fourth year; then moved to Bell Mills, where I called it home for some years, but have not been there in about 27 years, coming from Alabama to this place on the 14th day of April 1907, and have lived here since. There were only three houses then and the country unsettled. Now Mercedes has about 7,000 inhabitants. I've been a citizen of this city 29 years last April. I remember the "old horse and buggy days" very vividly; have had much experience in the last 85 years. I get the Cleburne News each Saturday and call it "receiving a letter from home" although I've not lived there for some years, but some of the old families are still there and I read of their comings and goings occasionally. Respectfully, O.R. Bell (known there as Oscar) ------- NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, DECEMBER 10, 1936 NOLEN FUNERAL HELD AT CHURCH Heflin, Ala., Dec. 5 Funeral services for John Nolen, 89, pioneer Cleburne countain, who died at his home at Hightower at 11 o'clock Thursday morning, were held from the Lost Creek Baptist church at Ranburne at 1 o'clock Friday with the Rev. A.T. Warmack of Heflin andthe Rev. C.T. Morten of Hightower, officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery. Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Fannie Maddox of Newell and Mrs. Mary J. Barrett of Ranburne; and three sons, J.R. Nolen of Griffin, Ga., G.C. Nolen of Tifton, Ga. and W.C. Nolen of Ranburne. ------ BROTHER OF DR. WOOD PASSES Roanoke, Ala. Dec. 4 Funeral services for T.B. Wood, age 84, former prominent Roanoke banker, who died Wednesday afternoon at Camilla, Ga., where he had been living for more than a year, were conducted here Thursday afternoon. Mr. Wood retired from the banking business here several years ago and moved to Clearwater, Fla. He moved from Florida to Camilla, Ga., more than a year ago. Surviving are his widow, two brothers, B.R. Wood of Frolona, Ga. and Dr. F.R. Wood of Heflin and two sisters, Mrs. J.L.B. Sappington of Ozark. (note from transcriber: second sister not named). ------ FUNERAL FOR MRS. COLEMAN ARE HELD AT WHITE PLAINS Anniston, Ala., Dec. 5 Funeral services for Mrs. Rebecca Jane Coleman, age 87, were conducted from the White Plains Baptist church by the Rev. H.R. Carter this morning. Interment was in the White Plains cemetery, directed by Usrey. Mrs. Coleman died at her residence at White Plains on Friday morning after an illness of a week. ----- CLEBURNE COUNTY PIONEER RECALLS WHEN TERRITORY WAS A FRONTIER Mrs. Phebe Hunnicutt, Member of Family Which Conquered Virgin Lands Heflin, Ala. (photo of Mrs. Phebe Hunnicutt included with article) Recollections of the days when east Alabama was a frontier of the then young American Republic and Indians roamed the hills of what is now Cleburne county are vivid in the mind of Mrs. Phebe Hunnicutt, "grand old lady of Heflin." Mrs. Hunnicutt, who celebrated her ninety-fifth birthday Oct. 26 is a native of this county and has lived within its confines all her life. Born at old Muscadine, in what was then Benton county, Mrs. Hunnicutt who was Phebe Brown, experienced hardships of pioneer days as one of the early settlers who brought civilization to the Creek country. East Alabama in the 1840's was a wildlife paradise, Mrs. Hunnicutt recalls. And this abundance of game furnished much of the livelihood of the pioneers. Deer, wild turkeys and squirrels supplemented the meager food supplies the early settlers were able to wrest from the virgin land they cleared of its forests. But other wildlife such as wolves and even catamounts, constituted a hazard. Although Indians still lived in the more remote sections, their threat to the white man had waned during the girlhood of Phebe Brown. " My father, William R. Brown was an enthusiastic hunter and kept a number of dogs", Mrs. Hunnicutt recalls. "I recall on one occasion while a very small girl, that one of our dogs, which was following us to the little log church, started chasing some kind of animal. When it failed to return, my father investigated and found that it had been killed. The fact that the forests harbored some animal ferocious enough to kill one of our dogs impressed itself on my young mind." Mrs. Hunnicutt believes the people of today do not realize what real hardship is and she thinks perhaps the hary life of the pioneers maybe is one of the contributing factors in enabling her to approach the century mark in age. "We had to provide everything for ourselves" she recalled. "Very little cotton was grown in those early days. Father kept sheep and from their wool we laboriously carded, spun and wove the material for our clothing. This, in itself, was a huge task for our family of five girls and two boys. Then there was the scarcity of salt. Modern day people cannot realize that such premium was placed on salt, that we dissolved the earth in our smokehouse and slowly evaporated the water to recover the salt lost in preserving our meat." Mrs. Hunnicutt's recollections of the stern days of the War Between the States are vivid. As a bride of two weeks, Mrs. Hunnicutt saw her husband, Lieut. William R. Hunnicutt march away to serve in the armies of the South. And she recalled the raid of a detachment of Federal soldiers into Cleburne county during the latter days of the war. "My mother-in-law and I were alone at home when the Union soldiers arrived one night", Mrs. Hunnicutt said. "At first I was afraid but the commander of the troops came to the door and told us not to be afraid, that they were not going to harm us. He even paid us for the oats and other supplies he found in our barns. They spent the night on our place." After the War, Mr. and Mrs. Hunnicutt moved to Edwardsville in the same county and Mr. Hunnicutt was later elected Probate Judge of Cleburne county. Later the family moved to farm south of Helfin and still later, Mr. Hunnicutt moved his family into Heflin where he served as Mayor. Mr. Hunnicutt died several years ago and Mrs. Hunnicutt now makes her home with her daughters here. In spite of her advanced age, Mrs. Hunnicutt is able to attend church, do light garden work in the yard of her home and otherwise keep active. She takes an active interest in events of the day, and, although her eyes will not allow her to do much reading, keeps up with current affairs by insisting that her daughters read to her from newspapers and magazines. ------ LEGAL NOTICE - - SALE OF CERTAIN LANDS of H.H. GODWIN, deceased State of Alabama, Cleburne County Probate Court Notice to the heirs of H.H. Godwin, deceased: Martha Laminack Pharaby Robinson Nancy Kilgore Joe Godwin Mose Godwin Thomas Godwin Bert Godwin Elbert Godwin Nell Godwin Hugh Godwin Beulah Godwin Pauline Godwin Lois Godwin Ruth Godwin Cordia Godwin Bernice Godwin Helen Godwin Olin THomas Godwin Helen Godwin James W. Godwin Eaver Nell Godwin Orval C. Godwin Julian K. Godwin Thomas M. Godwin Howard Godwin Katherine Godwin You are notified that on the 23rd day of November 1936, that Mary Hart filed in this Court her petition in writing duly verified by Affidavit, praying this Court to order a sale of certain lands belonging to the heirs of H.H. Godwin, deceased, for a division and that the Court has appointed the 28th day of December 1936 for the hearing of said application, at which time you may appear and contest said application if you think proper to do so. A.H. Glasgow, Judge of Probate -------- NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, DECEMBER 17, 1936 WRIGHT FUNERAL HELD AT CHURCH Last rites for Mrs. M.L. Wright, 71, pioneer Chulafinnee resident, were held from Chulafinnee church, Monday afternoon, the Rev. W.M. Barr officiating. Interment was in the church cemetery, directed by Usrey of Anniston. Mrs. Wright, who was well known in south Cleburne, died at the home at 12:30 p.m. Sunday following a brief illness. Surviving are two sons, A.A. Wright of Anniston and M.W. Wright of Anson, Texas; three daughters, Mrs. F.R. Thrower of Chulafinnee; Mrs. U.J. Edwards of Kress, Texas and Mrs. Lula Thrasher of Atlanta; also several grandchildren and great grandchildren. ------ IN MEMORY OF EMMA HIGGINS FARLOW The Death Angel visited the home of William Farlow on Nov. 15 and wafted away his loving wife, Emma Higgins Farlow, and said "Servant of God, well done, come up higher; thy words and deeds have been great and bold." She was born December 19, 1886. She was one of the most beautiful roses that has ever bloomed, so sacred and pure. Her life was like the dew- kissed roses, sparking like diamonds in the early morning, serving as a guidance to those that were trudging along in darkness. Along the pathway of her life she met with many burdens. Sometimes they were so great that it was hard to keep struggling along, and sometimes so greatly uprooted her that it was hard for that dear little rose to smile through it all. But somehow she never became discouraged. She had a kind word for everyone and a cheerful " good morning" and a friendly handclasp that far surpassed any word in the human vocabulary. Aunt Emma is no longer with us on earth, physically, but we still seem to see a faint image of her outlined in her favorite corner and chair and around her home. It seems that we still hear that soft, affectionate voice. The circle in the family home and church has been broken. It's lonely and sad on earth without her and it's hard to give yer up, but it is a consolation to know that she has gone to be with the Angels; where there will be no more heartaches and no more tears. Seemingly we think of her as resting under that flower covered mound in Indian Creek Cemetery. Her tired body rests there, but her soul went drifting up to be with Jesus and the angelic band. She faced the battles of life bravely. She has fought a good fight and has finished the course. She had kept the faith; as a reward she has gained a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give. The funeral services were conducted by the Revs. Caldwell, Baits and Higgins. Yeats of Bowdon was in charge. The pallbearers were four of her boys and brothers. The flower girls were Mabelle Whitman, Ruth, Inie May and Lena Dukes, Lelia Skinner, Estelle Dukes, Dorthy, Melba and Earline Skinner, Melba Williams, Nell Garrett, Burna Langley and Ula Mae Styles. Surviving are her mother Mrs. Higgins, her husband, five boys and three girls all of near Bowdon, Ga.; two brothers Lee and Duston Higgins. Written by her niece, Velma Farlow -------- NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, DECEMBER 24, 1936 DAVIS FUNERAL HELD AT CHURCH Funeral services for C.P. Davis, 60, well known farmer of Chulafinnee, who died at the home Wednesday afternoon, were held from Happy Hill Church (Evans Chapel) at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, the Rev. T.D. Stovall of Anniston, officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery, Owens of Heflin directing. Surviving are the widow Mrs. T.J. Davis; three sons, Otis and Elbert Davis of Chulafinnee and Arrel Davis of Piedmont; three daughters Mrs. Alice Reed and Lillie Reed of near Piedmont and Mrs. Zannie Jordan of near Piedmont, and a sister Mrs. James Munroe of near Goodwater. Pallbearers were Jewel Reed, Cleve Jordan, Otis Davis, Arrel Davis, Elbert Davis and S.V. Hughes. ------ THRASH SHOT TO DEATH SUNDAY Heflin, Ala., Dec. 20 Blake Thrash, 25, of near Abel in Clay county, was shot to death early Sunday morning and officers of two counties were searching Sunday night for Ernest Cox, 25, to question him in connection with the shooting which followed a quarrel officers said they were told occurred. Thrash was shot in the front yard of his parents' residence. Deputies Rowell and Prestridge of Heflin joined Sheriff Dave Mayer of Ashland in the hunt for Cox. Thrash was killed with a .33 calibre revolver, the officers said. ----- NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, DECEMBER 31, 1936 MAN IS JAILED IN WEDOWEE IN FATAL SHOOTING; Chrismas Party on Tallapoosa Ended in Death of A.V. Smith Wedowee, Ala., Dec. 26 Mose Hollis was reported held in Randolph county jail here tonight in connection with the fatal shooting of Albert Vernon Smith, age 19 of Heflin, during a Christmas outing on the Tallapoosa River in the Flat Rock section. The youth was wounded many times with a pistol, thought to have been wielded by Hollis during an argument Friday afternoon. The tragedy occurred near the junction of the county lines of Cleburne, Clay and Randolph. The body was carried to the home of a sister, Mrs. Melton Fields at 615 King Avenue in Anniston. Anniston, Ala., Dec. 28 Funeral services for Albert Vernon Smith, age 19, were conducted from the residence of a sister Mrs. M.L. Fields at 615 King Avenue this afternoon by the Rev. J.E. Stauffer. Interment was in Holly Springs cemetery. Surviving are the parents, Mr. and Mrs. C.J. Smith of Heflin; two brothers, William L. of Arlington, Va., and Charles G. of Spindale, N.C.; seven sisters, Mrs. Bert Forsyth and Mrs. M.L. Fields of Anniston; Mrs. Omar Crawford and Mrs. Monroe Crawford of Spindale, N.C., Mrs. A.G. Peak of Montgomery and Misses Jessie Lee and Elizabeth Smith of Heflin. The Anniston Star ------ J.W. JOHNS, AGE 72, PASSES AWAY AT CORDOVA DEC. 11 Jasper, Ala., Dec. 17 J.W. Johns, age 72, passed away at his home in Cordova on Friday, December 11. Funeral services were held at the Northern Methodist church in Cordova on Sunday, Dec. 13., Rev. Denison and Rev. Ranger officiating and burial was in the Union Chapel cemetery, Brown service directing. Surviving are the widow, Mrs. Nancy Johns; two sons, Roy and Henry Johns; two daughters, Mrs. Chas. Cox of Birmingham; Mrs. C.A. Cooper of Phenix City, Ala., four sisters, Mrs. Mollie White, Mrs. Emma Hill, Mrs. Ollie Holliday, Mrs. Lannie Greene. Mr. Johns was an uncle of Sheriff Tom Prestridge of Heflin and lived in the eastern part of Cleburne county before moving several years ago. The Sheriff and Mrs. Prestridge attended the funeral. ------- File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/cleburne/newspapers/newspape1343gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 16.4 Kb