Mahomee Was Home Life at Best in 1933, with family history of Judge William D. "Dave" and Emma Julia Thompson Whelchel, Hall, Georgia http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/hall/newspapers/welchel2.txt ----------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB PROJECT NOTICE: In keeping with the USGenWeb Project policy of providing free information on the Internet, this data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other gain. Copying of the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. GAGenWeb Archives File Manager, Hall County Carolyn Golowka, ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Bill Stephenson, January 2001 Transcription by William L. Stephenson, Jr. Reprinted by permission granted to William L. Stephenson, Jr. by Sybil McRay to be placed in the ALGenWeb Archives, part of the USGenWeb Project. "Mahomee" was Home Life at Best in 1933 The Gainesville Times, April 22, 1979 - Sybil McRay, Hall County Genealogist "Mahomee" is the answer to the man seeking home life at best, according to an advertisement found in the Georgia Bicentennial Edition of the Gainesville Eagle in 1933. "Mahomee," Gainesville was an appealing country residence at that time. It was located two miles from the center of Gainesville on Riverside Drive and was one quarter or a mile from Riverside Military Academy. Mrs. William D. Whelchel was hostess of large two-story home located on 16 acres. Visitors to Riverside Military Academy, parents and friends, and also permanent and summer guests "will find this a haven of restful delight. Located where the cooling breeze sweeps down from beautiful mountains, where nights are cool and comfortable and days are conducive to healthy appetites," read special invitations to visit "Mahomee." The Whelchel home also was advertised as being located a short distance from the main highway connecting Canada with Florida and 50 miles from the Georgia Marble Quarries. Also, interesting places for the guests to visit would be the Tate Estates and mountain passes. "Mahomee has a home-like atmosphere mingled with the comforts of bed and board, all the while being out from the city and its confusion, as stated in the write-up. It stands ready to be the home of any person who loves the home life of the South. It is the haunt of the mothers and fathers of Riverside cadets and Brenau College Conservatory students. It is, even more, the home of him who is happy beside an open fire in a spacious room with the lights dimly shaded." The article stated that Mrs. Whelchel had made the expression of true Southern Hospitality carry its significance. "She becomes a mother to those who stay with her, ministering to their needs with maternal interest and pride, always forgetting herself in the interests of those under her care. It can be said without exaggeration that to live at "Mahomee" is to fall in love with the place and its hostess, for they build a place in one's heart that stays through time." Emma Julia Thompson Whelchel was the widow of William Davis Whelchel. She was born August 12, 1863, in Hall County, Ga. She died Jan. 24, 1974, and was buried in Alta Vista Cemetery. The Obituary published in the Gainesville News stated that Mrs. Emma Thompson Whelchel was 80 years of age and was a daughter of the late Mr. And Mrs. Ovid B. Thompson. "She was born and reared on the old family homestead near Thompson's Bridge three miles north of Gainesville. "After completing her early education, she attended what was then known as the Georgia Female Seminary, now Brenau College, and was a member of its first graduating class." Judge William D. "Dave" Whelchel, husband of Emma Whelchel, was born May 11, 1849. He was the som of William Pinckney Whelchel and Tempty Hulsey and grandson of Davis Whelchel and Mary Tate. He was born on a farm in Whelchel's district on Little River. After he finished school he taught for w while at Cool Springs in Bark Camp district. When W. D. Whelchel first came to Gainesville he clerked in the store of John Carter and soon thereafter went into partnership with B. H. Whelchel. The two had a store on the south side of the Gainesville square. In 1895, under the first Cleveland administration, Whelchel was appointed postmaster at Gainesville, serving a very creditable term. He then became freight agent of the Gainesville Midland Railway, which office he held until elected ordinary in 1912. He was serving his fourth term in this office at the time of his death on April 26, 1925. William Davis Whelchel and Emma Julia Thompson were married Nov. 9, 1886 in all County, Ga. Children of this marriage were: 1. Andrew T. Whelchel who moved to Fresno, CA. He was married on his 21st birthday in Fresno to Miss Hazel Sorrenson. 2. Ovid T. Whelchel, born July 25, 1899, died August 6, 1957. At the time of the death of his father he was living in Akron, OH. In 1933, Ovid was living in New York City. 3. Cleveland D. Whelchel, born April 22, 1890, was first married to Mary Rutherford. After the death of his first wife he was married to Annie Maudell Liles. Cleveland D. Whelchel was a medical doctor and was associated with the one Downey Hospital. 4. William Pinckney Whelchel, born about 1895, was married to Mary Elizabeth Brown. 5. Emma Julia Whelchel, born Dec. 24, 1888, died Sept. 13, 1949. She was married to Benjamin P. Gaillard, Jr. 6. Davis Bailey Whelchel, born July 25, 1907, died Oct. 1, 1909.