Nansemond-Southampton County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Rawls, James T., 1950 

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JAMES THOMAS RAWLS

JAMES T. RAWLS TAKEN BY DEATH

WAS PROMINENT RESIDENT OF DUNNELLON

    James Thomas Rawls, 83, resident of Dunnellon since 1913, died at his home 
early Tuesday afternoon after a prolonged illness.

   Born in Nansemond County, Va., in 1867, he was reared on a farm, and 
attended one-room schools.  At the age of 20 he attended Kings Military 
academy in Suffolk.

   He operated a brick business with his father, the late Robert Rawls at 
Elwood, Va., and in the winter 1839 moved to Middle Ga., where he worked as a 
partner with a timber owner.  The firm of Rawls and Hughes [produced] 
turpentine [on] large sections of land near Dublin, Ga.  In the early 1892 he 
left that firm to become associated with the Camp Phosphate company with 
operations in Levy County at Albion.

   Mr. Rawls was married to Miss Mary Jackson Lawrence also of Nansemond 
County, in 1896.  He was a charter member of the White Springs Baptist Church. 
In 1902 he was engaged in the lumber business at Crystal River where he was 
interested also in drugs and shipping of fish.  He was a charter member of the 
First Baptist Church to be organized at Crystal River.

   In 1913 Mr. Rawls was associated with the C. and J. Camp Phosphate company 
of Ocala as general superintendent of operations in several counties, 
necessitating his moving to Dunnellon.  He was a member of the Baptist church 
of Dunnellon, serving as deacon and Sunday school superintendent and was quite 
active until 1937, when a heart condition forces his retirement.

   During his residence in Dunnellon, Mr. Rawls was associated with the late 
J.F. Cocowitch in turpentine, saw milling and orange groves.  As a member of 
four comprising a corporation in developing the sub-division known as 
Minnetrista on the Rainbow and Withlacoochee rivers in Dunnellon, he 
endeavored to further the progress in that city.  After the death of his first 
wife, Mr. Rawls married Miss Leo Bearden of Waleska Junior college near 
Canton, Ga., in 1920.

   Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Leo B. Rawls, Dunnellon; four brothers, J.A. 
Rawls, Holland, Va., Dr. J.C. Rawls, R.P. Rawls, and S.W. Rawls of Franklin, 
Va.; three sisters, Mrs. J.R.L. Johnson, Williamsburg, Va.; Mrs. W.T. Pace, 
Sr., Franklin, Va.; Miss Mabel Rawls, Norfolk, Va. and a number of nieces and 
nephews.

   Funeral services are to be held at 3:30 Friday* afternoon in the chapel of 
Roberts Funeral home, with Rev. Jack Dalton of the First Baptist Church, 
Dunnellon, officiating.  Following this service, the body will be accompanied 
to Franklin, Va., to the W.J.M. Holland and Son Funeral Home, where family 
services will be held Saturday.  Those serving as honorary pallbearers are: H. 
Maddos, Archer; Norton Davis, Monk Camp, Dr. C.S. Lytle, W.L. Akin, Ocala; 
H.E. Chalker, Dr. E. Molnar, Dr. B.S. Stutts, H.W. Rives, G.W. Shuman, C.H. 
Merriken, Dunnellon; W.B. Anderson, Tampa; W. Robert Smith, Ocala, and Ben 
Meredith, John Waters, I.J. Robinson, Chalmers Young, and Lee King, Dunnellon.

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

JAMES T. RAWLS

   James T. Rawls, 83, a native of Nansemond County, died at his home in 
Dunnellon, Fla., on Tuesday afternoon at 4 o’clock after a lingering illness.

   Mr. Rawls, son of the late Robert Rawls and Dianna Cutchins Rawls of 
Nansemond County, had been in Florida more than 60 years, and at the time of 
his retirement from business in 1937 was general manager of the C.& J. Camp 
Company of Dunnellon.

   Throughout his life he was a prominent layman in church work.  He was a 
member of the Dunnellon Baptist Church, where he served both as a deacon and 
as superintendent of the Sunday school for over 30 years.

   Mr. Rawls is survived by his second wife, Mrs. Leo Beardon Rawls.  His 
first was the late Mrs. Mollie Lawrence Rawls of South Quay community.  Also 
surviving him are four brothers, John A. Rawls of Holland and Dr. Joel C. 
Rawls, R.P. Rawls and Sol W. Rawls, all of Franklin; three sisters, Mrs. 
J.R.L. Johnson of Williamsburg, Mrs. W.T. Pace, Sr., of Franklin, and Miss 
Mabel Rawls of Norfolk.

   Funeral services were conducted at Ocala, Fla., yesterday (Thursday) 
afternoon at 2:30 o’clock.  The body will be brought to Franklin for burial in 
Poplar Spring Cemetery, with services at the grave on this (Friday) afternoon 
at 3 o’clock.*

*The two obituaries differ on the dates of the services. 

James Thomas RAWLS, retired Florida businessman, 
Nansemond Co. native, d. 12 Sep 1950, Dunnellon, FL, age 83, 
interred in Poplar Spring Cemetery (Section 2, Plot 41A*), Franklin, 
donated obit, newspaper unknown; 
"The Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), Sep. 15, 1950, p. 1 

*Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project, 
   Poplar Spring list: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/cemeteries/poplar2.txt 

His first wife's obit ("Tidewater News," Sep. 19, 1919) is posted at: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/obits/r420m2ob.txt 


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/r420j5ob.txt