Randolph County AlArchives News.....Newspaper Abstracts for FEB 1898 February 1898 ************************************************ 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: Candace Gravelle tealtree@comcast.net June 3, 2005, 8:17 pm The Randolph Leader February 1898 NEWSPAPER ABSTRACTS FROM "THE RANDOLPH LEADER", Roanoke, Randolph County, Alabama for FEBRUARY 1898 NEWSPAPER issue of Wednesday, February 2, 1898 LOCAL News Mr. W.A. Dean left Monday for Texas on a visit to his father. He may secure employemt and remain the entire year. His family will continue to reside here. __ Mr. S.C. Whitaker left yesterday for Ardmore, Indian Territory, where he expects to make his home. We wish Carl much success and trust he may not find in the west the pitfalls that cross the way of so many. Franklin News and Banner __ Dink Buckalew, a well known citizen living near Double Head, died last Thursday. __ Richardson Brothers minstrel showed in Roanoke last Friday and Saturday nights. They hail from Gainesville, Ga., and seem to a nice set of fellows. They have a good band and some of their acting is first class. They had good houses both nights. __ NOTICE OF PARTITION OF LANDS In pursuance of and in accordance with the terms and directions of a commission issued out of the Chancery Court of Randolph County, Alabama, we will on the 17th day of Feb'y 1898 attend at the premises decreed by the court to be partitioned for the purpose of making division according to law of certain property of lands between: Cordelia Campbell Elizabeth Campbell W.H. McKeen Hugh McKeen James McKeen Lucius Harvell Adlai Woodard Elva Clark Dock Harvell Dolly Harvell Josie Harvell Martha Dobbins Della Horn William Horn Alice Horn The abovesaid being joint owners of the land thereof. Wash Traylor, Jr. J.J. Wilson B.H. Smith Maley Moore Milton Kline, Commissioners ____ NEWSPAPER issue of Wednesday, February 9, 1898 ROCK MILLS News Mr. J.H. Wood and family moved to LaGrange last week. __ A child of Mr. Jas. Harmon died here last week. __ WEHADKEE News Aunt Dina Ussery, an old colored woman, died near this place Saturday night. __ On Monday night last, Mr. A.J. Norred and Miss Lula Harper were happily married near Potash. E.J. Barton, Esq., officiated. We wish them a long and prosperous life. __ WELSH News There are four old people here whose combined ages are more than three hundred years. Three of them are still able to move around with a great deal of ease considering their advanced ages. The oldest, Mr. Henry Stoker is 87 years old; Mrs. Hannah Estes the youngest is over 70, while the other two Mrs. Mitcham and Mr. Frank Patterson are beween 75 and 85 years old. And there are some eight or ten more whose ages range from 60 to 70 years old. ___ JOHNSON'S CROSS ROADS News W.C. Kitchens has a log rolling today. __ Martha Phillips is on the sick list this week but is recovering. __ Messrs. Clack and Crabtree of Columbus are running a bartering wagon. They were formerly citizens of this county. They have passed through our community twice recently and expect to return soon. __ LOCAL News Ben F. Griffin left Sunday for New Orleans where he hopes to obtain employment. We hope he may succeed. __ Mrs. Fielder, the venerable mother of Mrs. Mollie Carlisle, sustained a stroke of paralysis last week from which it is probable she will never recover. __ Gin Willingham, a white man living on Mr. H. Gibson's place, fell over in the fire Saturday and was dead when rescued. He was considerably burned but is it thought heart disease caused his death. __ Mrs. Trammell of Loachapoka visited her sister Mrs. Fielder last week. __ Mr. H.W. Davis has set up a planing mill at the old McPherson yard near his home. __ Cards are out announcing the marriage of Mr. J.C. Wright of this city to Miss Worrill at Thompson, Ga on the 23rd inst. __ Vinley Pittman left this morning for Gause, Texas to try his fortune. Vinley has the ability to succeed and we trust he will. __ The trial of Douglas Cooper for killing Claud Dunson in LaGrange resulted in a sentence of 12 months on the chain gang. __ Mr. J.M. Ward left Monday for Wewahitchka, Florida where he goes for several months recreating. We wish him a pleasant stay and safe return. __ The government has established a new post office at the residence of J.K. Tenant about three miles south of Wedowee, called "Tenant" and his wife has been appointed post mistress. The office will prove quite a convenience to many. __ NEWSPAPER issue of Wednesday, February 16, 1898 OBITUARY OF ARTELISA ELDER, WIFE OF REV. J.D. ELDER After long and patient suffering, Sister Artelisa Elder, wife of Rev. J.D. Elder, gave up the spirit to be with the father. She was born in Randolph County, Alabama in 1838; departed this life Jan. 5, 1898, age 60 years and 3 months. She was married to J.D. Elder Nov. 1854. Mother of twelve children, ten boys and two girls. Two sons and one daughter preceeded her to the godly land in infancy; eight sons and one daughter are still living; one deacon, one secretary and two preachers. No two young men in the Georgia and Alabama Christian Conference have brighter prospects before them than H.W. and J.W. Elder. One of the strongest anxieties of Mother Elder was to see those two boys rise in the usefulness and power in the gospel ministry. She lived to see her last child advance to maturity and witnessed their baptism and union with the Christian Church. One year after her marriage she joined the Christian Church at New Hope where she remained faithful to her church and marriage vows until death. Few men are blest with such companions as was the Rev. J.D. Elder. No man in all this country can boast of grander achievements in the gospel ministry than he, yet none have had so many jars and conflicts to meet. Satan has labored hard to dwarf his influence and to cut him down with bitter slang. But having such an intiring, faithful, zealous, bold and determined Joshua like solder as "Aunt Lissie" (as she was called) to bear him up, he fought the battles to the finish and succeded as few others could. As a companion she was true. As a mother she was devoted. As a neighbor she was loved by all. As a christian she was faithful to the end. To know her was to love her. After over 40 years of hard toil in the same church and community not a word of reproach can be found. Surely a good woman has fallen. But the fall is not eternal for she has only "fallen asleep in jesus, blessed sleep, from which none ever wakes to weep." Her funeral services were conducted by the writer. Her body was laid to rest in the New Hope cemetery. She leaves a husband, eight sons, one daughter, twenty-three grandchildren and a host of neighbors and friends to mourn her loss. May the holy spirit comfort the bereaved and help us all to be resigned to the will of him who "doeth all things well." C.M. Dollar, Rock Mills, Ala., Jan. 20, 1898 ____ PINE GROVE News Mr. W.J. Roberts and family of Double Head visited "Uncle" Sam Harrell Saturday night. __ MT. OLIVE News Mr. A.J. Phillips who has been confined to his room with sickness for some time is recovering. __ LETTER FROM TEXAS from W.A. Dean I bade my wife and children farewell on the morning of the last day of January for a visit to my father who lives in Ector, Fannin County, Texas. Without any incident worthy of note I shall pass on to related what I have seen of Texas thus far. I have found but little difference in the people either in personal appearance or habits. What I see of the state is a gentle, rolling land with a soil ranging in depth from 6 to 36 inches; it is very rich in appearance. The water drinks almost as well as the water in Randolph. I have been over but little of the state comparatively speaking and no where that I have traveled have I seen a drop of running water. The crop was fairly good last year, especially cotton which made an average of more than half bale to the acre. Corn was an average of forty bushels, while the peopel claim sixty as a crop. I saw at Detroit two thousand head of beef cattle, at Paris six thousand, and at Bonham two thousand, which were in pens to await shipping to northern markets. The country is full of men seeking employment and many tramps are to be seen everywhere one goes. While to look over the country it looks almost like a town, one might think that it would not be any trouble to find work readily but not so. I can stand on some of the highest elevations and count from one hundred to a hundred and fifty houses. I was anxious to see it rain and now I have had some experience with mud. I was caught in a rain yesterday and today went to Alliance in a wagon. Our wheels several times became solid and weighed several hundred pounds. I shall visit Oklahoma in a few days and then I shall have more to write about. The people here are constantly restless and more constantly moving than the people of Alabama, some going west and some going to The Territory as they express it. If anyone may wish to know anything of Texas more than I have told by writing me at Merit I will kindly give any information that I am capable of giving. W.A. Dean __ LOCAL News Mrs. F.A. McMurray, a venerable lady living at Swann Hill, died last Monday. We was the grandmother of our excellent townsmen W.H. and G.P. McMurray and she leaves many other descendants and relatives as well as an aged husband to mourn her departure. __ The circuit court clerk Mr. Siddall of Opelika who was shot some days ago by D.F. Carden, died last Thursday. The difficulty arose over the contest between D.B. Smith and W.J. Carden for the postmastership of that city. In the affray, Mr. D.F. Carden was cut very painfully on the neck. The tragedy is greatly regretted. __ The colored Baptists in this city are engaged in the laudable work of finishing the interior of their lage new church. It will be a most creditable building when completed. __ NEWSPAPER issue of Wednesday, February 23, 1898 LOCAL News Miss Bettie Stephenson of Chambers County is now boarding with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Manning and attending college. __ A letter from W.A. Dean orders the Leader sent to him at Josephine, Texas where he has bought a half interest in a shop and expects to remain this year. __ Mr. John Barron of Carrollton, Ga., was the guest of his uncle this week, Mr. J.F. Barron. He is a photographer and was prospecting with a view to locate here. __ Mr. L.C. Hutchins of Palmetto Home, Mississippi sent us two dollars, one paying for his own subscription to the Leader and one for his brother who is in the same place. __ AN HONORED CITIZEN This office enjoyed a call last Saturday from Mr. F.A. McMurray who came in to pay his subscription a year in advance. "Uncle Frank" had the misfortune to lose his wife on the 14th inst. In answer to our inquiries he informed us that she was 77 years and 8 days old, while he will be 88 years of age on the 27th day of next month. This good old couple lived happily together for 66 years, lacking 82 days. They spent the last 56 years of that time in Randolph county where they have made a name for integrity and uprightness that has been handed down to all their descendants. Mr. McMurray represented this county in the legislature two terms before the war. Though now quite feeble, he takes a lively interest in current events, taking and reading a number of papers. It is interesting to hear him talk on events of the past or the present. __ File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/randolph/newspapers/newspape545gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 12.1 Kb