Cleburne County AlArchives News.....Newspaper abstracts for NOV. & DEC. 1943 1943 ************************************************ 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 Teal Gravelle tealtree@comcast.net July 5, 2007, 9:16 pm The Cleburne News 1943 NEWSPAPER ABSTRACTS FROM "THE CLEBURNE NEWS", Heflin, Cleburne County, Alabama for NOVEMBER 1943 & DECEMBER 1943 NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, NOVEMBER 4, 1943 LOCAL News Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Williamson of Birmingham visited the latter's sister, Mrs. Grady Boyd, last weekend. ----- Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Dodgen and son, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Dodgen and daughter of Birmingham, Mr. and Mrs. G.R. Striplin and family, Mrs. Frank Boyd and children, were the Sunday guests of Mrs. J.T. Boyd and daughters. ----- Mr. and Mrs. Van Jackson and daughters of Carrollton, Ga. and Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Jackson and daughters of Bowdon, Ga., visited Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Whitman and June, on Sunday. ----- Mrs. Harry W. Davis of Marlin, Texas is visiting her sister, Mrs. J. Tom Boyd. ----- Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Cole visited Mr. Cole's sister, Mrs. Annie Kate Johnson of Opelika on Sunday. ----- NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, NOVEMBER 11, 1943 BORDEN SPRINGS News Nov. 6 Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Payne's many friends in this community will be glad to know that they have moved back to their old home place. Mr. and Mrs. Payne have been living in Waxhaw, N.C. for about the past 10 years. Mr. Payne has been employed by the Seaboard Railroad for about 40 years, and has now retired. ----- Frank Payne of Raleigh, N.C. visited friends here last week. ----- Mrs. Sam H. Pollard had an operation in a Gadsden hospital on Friday. ----- LOCAL News Earl E. Davis, a Radioman of the U.S. Navy, is visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Davis at Hopewell. ----- Pvt. Crandell Owen visited his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Marlin Owen on Sunday. Crandell is stationed at Fort McPherson. ----- Mrs. Sadie Whitten who has been working in Anniston, is visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. L. Bowlin of Route 2, Heflin. ----- Mrs. Sadie Whitten is very happy to receive a letter from her husband, Pfc. Wallace B. Whitten, who was shipped across the first of August. She is waiting and praying for the day of his return. ----- Mr. and Mrs. E.E. Pollard and children of BIrmingham are now making their home in Chattanooga, Tenn. Mrs. Pollard is the daughter of Mrs. L. Bowlin of Route 2, Heflin. ----- NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, NOVEMBER 18, 1943 MISS MARY ROBERTSON JOINS THE WAVES It was an interesting annoucement carried in The Birmingham News of Nov. 10 to the friends in Heflin and over the county of Miss Mary Robertson. A picture of Mary was also in the paper that told us she had joined the Waves and is an officer candidate awaiting orders. Mary is the only daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Jessie Robertson of this place, and is a native of Cleburne county, receiving her early education in the schools here, graduating from the high school. She took her AB and MA degrees from the University of Alabama. She taught a year in the high school here and in 1928 became Registrar of the University, which place she has filled with satisfaction to the University and great credit to herself. Mary is one of those persons who overflows any position she accepts and has always been a conscientious and hard worker in her chosen field, and we feel a justifiable pride in her unusual record. ------- LOCAL News Miss Sarah Helen Reid, who is an instructor in the production department of a bottling company, in Anniston, spent the weekend with her mother Mrs. Frank Reid. ----- Mrs. W.B. Merrill received word that her nephew, Fred Jones of Frisco City, who was lost in a bombing mission over Germany in August, is a German prisoner of war. ------ Mrs. Maurice Beason, who is better known as Cora, will leave the last of the week to make her home for the present, in Williamsburg, Va. where Maurice is stationed. He is second class officer in the Navy. He came down Tuesday of this week and they will leave on Friday. Cora has many friends here both from the standpoint of business, and socially who regret to see her leave. ------ NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, NOVEMBER 25, 1943 CLEBURNE COUNTY BOYS IN THE SERVICE Freeman H. Sprayberry, Gunner's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W.S. Sprayberry of Route 1, Hopewell, Ala. He has been home on furlough visiting his parents after completing a course in Electrical Hydraulic Gunnery School at Norfolk, Va. Freeman received his present rate of Petty Officer First Class upon graduating from Gunnery School and was handed a 15 day furlough leave which he sure enjoyed very much. He enlisted in the Navy in August 1941 and received his basic training at Norfolk, Va. Since that time he has served with the Pacific and Atlantic Fleet, except for a few months he spent in South America. He served one year aboard the aircract carrier, U.S.S. Hornet and was aboard it when she carried the Army planes to raid Tokyo in April 1942. He said the worst part of it all, he happened to be aboard the ship Hornet when it was sunk in October 1942 and after they abandoned ship and landed in New Caldonia and later came to the States, he was assigned to a new ship. Since then he has served with the Atlantic Fleet. After spending his leave, he returned to the East Coast to join the fleet again. He says for us to just keep 'em rolling on the home front and you can bet your bottom dollar Uncle Sam's Navy will be right out there giving the Axis hell on every corner. ----- Robert Freeman Harris, Seaman First Class, U.S. Naval Reserve, son of Tarpley Parker Harris of Route 1, Hopewell, Ala. has received a letter of commendation for the brave devotion to duty and aggressive fighting spirit which was displayed while a member of the Army Guard Unit aboard an American merchantman during the recent assault on Sicily. The 22 year old Alabamian, was presented the commendation last month by the commanding officer of the U.S. Armed Guard Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. in behalf of Admiral Randall Jacobs, Chief of Navy Personnel. Annoucement of the presentation was made by Eighth Naval District Headquarters, New Orleans, La. " A report of the experience reveals that although the vessel was subjected to a vicious attack by 30 enemy planes, the men of the Navy Gun crew countered with tremendous barrages of accurate, deadly fire and that the gun that you personally manned completely shattered the entire tail assembly of one German Junker 88 and sent it into flaming destruction.", the citation read. Admiral Jacobs added in his commendation to Harris that "your courageous, skillful conduct under fire on the above occasion was in keeping with the best traditions of the Naval Service." Seaman First Class Harris enlisted in the Navy on Oct. 21, 1942 at Birmingham. He was born July 12, 1921 at Hopewell, Ala. ------ LOCAL News Mrs. Oran Ellis and children of Atlanta were guests on Sunday of Mr. and Mrs. Ross Moore. Mrs. Ellis was the former Ruth Stephens of this place. Mrs. B.F. Dorman and Mrs. B.F. Caffey of Choccolocco were also guests of Mr. and Mrs. Moore. ------ Miss Lucille Clay is here for a two weeks visit with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. M.P. Clay. Lucille has a good position in Washington, D.C. where she has been for more than a year. ----- Mrs. Otis Agee (Eunice Norton) left last week for a stay of several days with Otis, who is stationed at Camp Gordon, Fla. ----- Everett Norton from San Antonio, Texas is here on a 15 day furlough to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Norton. ----- Miss Lena Haywood is spending this week with her brother, Mr. and Mrs. Gaither Haywood of Clifton, Ga. ----- NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, DECEMBER 2, 1943 FUNERAL AT CORINTH CHURCH ON TUESDAY FOR MRS. PHILIP HATFIELD Funeral services were held at Corinth church on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 23 at 2 o'clock for Mrs. Philip Hatfield of near Macedonia, who died at her home early Monday morning. She was 84 years of age. She had been an invalid for the past two years but was not taken seriously ill until a week prior to her death. Ministers officiating at the services were the Rev. Leonard Burson, the Rev. Andrew Eason and the Rev. Parrish. Burial was in the church cemetery. Survivors include her husband and four granddaughters, Mrs. C.C. Knowles of Bowdon; Mrs. Elsie Richardson of Bowdon; Mrs. Bernice Middlebrooks of Austell; Mrs. Amon Walker of Bowdon; two grandsons, Earl Robinson of Hightower and Arnold Robinson of Bowdon; and a half-sister, Mrs. McIntosh of Hopewell. Her only daughter was the late Mrs. Mattie Robinson. The Bowdon, Ga. Bulletin, Nov. 25 --------- LOUIS WESSINGER IS GRANTED PROMOTION The following item was clipped from The Anniston Star of November 25: Louie Wessinger of this city has received a promotion in the Department of Internal Revenue. He is now in charge of the Montgomery Office and has nine counties in his district. Mr. Wessinger has worked in the Anniston and Birmingham offices of the Department of Internal Revenue since he joined the forces, close to two years ago. Louie Wessinger is the son of former Heflin residents, the Rev. and Mrs. W.S. Wessinger. Rev. Wessinger was the Methodist minister here some years ago. Mrs. Louie Wessinger is the former Miss Helen Adams, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Adams of Heflin. The Cleburne News extends congratulations to Louie for this deserved promotion and recognition. ------- LOCAL News SEARCH ON FOR QUARTET WHO SAWED WAY OUT OF CLEBURNE COUNTY JAIL Search was being made here last weekend for a quartet of prisoners, three of them negroes, one white, at liberty after sawing the bars of their cell at the Cleburne county Jail last Thursday. Sheriff Ewell Norton said that the white prisoner was Luther Champion; the three negroes were Robert Blake, Sam Blunt and Robert Robinson. ------- NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, DECEMBER 16, 1943 LOCAL News Mrs. James Haywood spent last week in Anniston with her son and family, Mr. and Mrs. Ocie Haywood, who returned home with her and spent Sunday here. ----- Mrs. Pauline Haley has returned from an extended visit to her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. John Striplen, who live in Texas. ----- Mr. and Mrs. Benton Adams left Wednesday for New Smyrna, Fla., where they will spend two weeks with Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Winfree and little daughter Penny. ----- NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, DECEMBER 30, 1943 LOCAL News Pvt. Roy Norton of Camp Geneva, Neb. is on furlough and is spending time with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. H.G. Norton of Rt. 2. ----- Sgt. Len Gray is home on his furlough with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Gray. Len is stationed at Walnut Ridge Army Air Field in Walnut Ridge, Ark. ----- File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/cleburne/newspapers/newspape1456gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 11.3 Kb