Nansemond County-Norfolk City Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Powell, Mills, 1900 

************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm
************************************************

MILLS POWELL 

PLUNGE TO DEATH 

Fatal Fall of Mr. Mills Powell in Tazewell Building. 

He Stepped Into an Opening, Fell a Distance of Fifty-two Feet and 
Died From the Effects of His Injuires Thirty Minutes Later. 

  Mr. Mills Powell, a bricklayer employed on the new Tazewell Building, corner 
Granby street and Brook avenue, fell through the hatchway from the fourth 
floor of that building about noon yesterday, sustaining injuries from which he 
died thirty minutes later.  He walked into the hatchway unconsciously and 
plunged to the ground, fifty-two feet below.  The physicians say the wonder is 
that he was not instantly killed. 

  Mr. Powell was native of Suffolk, where he has a brother and sister.  His 
remains will be sent to Suffolk this morning for burial. 

       HOW HE MET HIS DEATH. 

  Mr. Powell was at work on the fourth floor, and was seen by a fellow-workman 
a moment before the tragic fall walking along, holding a barrel in front of 
him.  He was going to put up a staging.  The presumption is that the barrel 
cut off his view of the hole yawning before him, and he stepped into it 
unconsciously.  He fell on his back, and his spinal column was broken, it is 
thought, where the neck joins the shoulders. 

  Drs. Lankford, Graves and Saunders were hastily summoned to attend him, and 
restored him to consciousness.  He inquired of the physicians what had 
happened to him, and asked them to give him something to put him to sleep. 
The St. Vincent's ambulance having been summoned, the injured young man was 
carried to that institution.  He died shortly after arriving there. 

       BELONGED TO THE MILITARY. 

  Mr. Powell was first sergeant of the Norfolk City Guard, having served with 
his compny, of which B.W. Salamonsky is captain, in the Fourth Virginia 
Regiment during the Spanish-American War.  He was a duty sergeant during the 
war, but upon the reorganization of the company recently he was made first 
sergeant, after having received a tie vote with Sergeant Gale for second 
lieutenancy.  He was well liked by the Norfolk millitary men, and was popular 
with all who knew him.  His age was about 30.  He had lived in this city for 
some time, boarding on Chapel street, opposite Virginia street. 

  His remains will probably be accompanied to Suffolk this morning by some 
of the members of the Norfolk City Guards. 

****************************************************************************** 

SUFFOLK 

The Remains of Mills Powell Laid at Rest. 

Many Military Officers Attend the Funeral - 

(Special to Virginian Pilot) 

  Suffolk, Va., Jan. 18 - The funeral of the late Mills Powell, who yesterday 
plunged to his death in Norfolk, took place at his old home in Suffolk this 
afternoon.  Rev. William T. Green, pastor, conducted the exercises at 4 
o'clock from the Main Street Methodist Church.  Dr. W.W. Staley and Rev. J.H. 
Kabler assisted. 

  The obsequies were attended by several prominent representatives from the 
military and labor unions of Norfolk.  Among the Norfolk officers who came 
were: Captain B.W. Salamonsky, Lieutenants C.L. Wright, W.H. Church, E.R. 
Gayle, G. Thomas Laylor and Sergeant W.H. Wilkins, of Company B, and Captain 
T.J. Nottingham, of Company E, Fourth Virginia Regiment. 

        LABOR OFFICERS 

  Among leading labor men were: President W. Thomas Snow, Vice-President 
Thomas Reese, Secretary Theodore Nelliger and Financial Secretary G.T. Laylor, 
of the Bricklayers' Union, and President J.I. Blick, of the Carpenters' Union. 

  The burial was in Cedar Hill, these having been named as pall-bearers: 
Messrs. Salamonsky, Wright, Laylor, Wilkins, Nelliger, Snow and Blick. 

  The deceased was a brother of Mrs. John Bowers and George W. Powell, of 
Suffolk. 


Mills POWELL, bricklayer, First Sergeant, Norfolk City Guard, 
Spanish-American War veteran, 
Nansemond Co. native, fell to death, 17 Jan 1900, Norfolk, age circa 30, 
interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery (Block F, Lot 90*), Suffolk, 18 Jan 1900 
"The Virginian-Pilot" (Norfolk, VA), Jan. 18, 1900, p. 2; 
"The Virginian-Pilot" (Norfolk, VA), Jan. 19, 1900, p. 8 

*His War Dept. marker does not show any dates: 
   SERGT. MILLS PARKER, CO. B.. 4 VA. INF., SP.AM. WAR 
   (Find a Grave Mem. #191180875) 

Cedar Hill list, an extension of the Southampton County Historical Society 
   {SCHS} Cemetery Project: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/cemeteries/cedar_p.txt 

Mills' niece Ruth BOWERS (1896-1900) is buried in the same plot, and it seems 
   likely that her parents are also.  Mills' sis. Mary Virginia m. 1879 John 
   BOWERS, and was the informant for his D.Cert. (1914 #28402) - which gives 
   buried Cedar Hill by R.W. Baker - but I have not found record of her death. 
   (mh) 

Their bro. George is buried in Block I, Lot 47.  George's D.Cert. 
   (1940 #25315) erroneously gives their parents as George & Mary. 
   They actually were miller Charles W. POWELL and his 1st wife Judith 
   (d. 1879).  Charles 2m. Elizabeth A. SIMMONS, and 3m. Irene GRIGGS. 


Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by 
Mrs. Bruce Saunders (bs4403@verizon.net), 
and re-formatted by File Manager. 

file at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/obits/p400m11o.txt