Southampton County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Beaton, Claude T., 1941 

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CLAUDE THOMAS BEATON

C.T. BEATON, BOYKINS MAYOR AND PROMINENT CITIZEN DEAD

   Claude Thomas Beaton, mayor of Boykins, chairman of the Southampton 
Selective Service Board, and one of our county’s best citizens, died at 
Raiford Hospital here last Saturday after a brief illness, having been 
admitted as a patient only the day before.

   Mr. Beaton was born in Boykins December 23, 1886, the son of the late Edgar 
B. and Mrs. Elizabeth Thomas Beaton, his father being a prominent citizen of 
the town and its postmaster for many years. Mr. Beaton attended Randolph-Macon 
College and had spent practically all of his life in his native town. He was 
undoubtedly its most progressive and public-spirited citizen, and had given 
freely of his best efforts for its growth and development. He was beginning 
his fourth term as Mayor, and had initiated many movements looking to its 
welfare. He was a pioneer in the work of malaria control, and through his 
efforts the immense task of draining Tarrara Swamp, which surrounds Boykins on 
three sides and was formerly a definite health menace, had been drained, 
contributing greatly to the health of the town and entire section contiguous 
to the swamp.

   As Mayor of Boykins he had secured a large amount of Federal funds by which 
considerable permanent street and sidewalk improvement had been accomplished. 
His tireless activities also included work for the Boy Scouts, the Red Cross 
and practically every other effort for the definite development of all worth-
while things in his town and community. He had as well given much time to a 
number of movements in Southampton County and was Chairman of the Selective 
Service Board of this county. It is no exaggeration to say of him that 
throughout the wide scope of local and county public service to which he had 
devoted so much of his time that he gave it most unselfishly, without hope, 
desire or expectation of financial reward. There should be included in this 
sketch as well his successful work in securing permanent highways throughout 
his section of the county. 

   A faithful member of the Boykins Methodist Church, he had served that 
denomination well as steward, a teacher of Intermediate boys, secretary and 
treasurer of the Sunday school for ten years and was a past president of the 
Wesley Mens Bible Class. Active in Ruritan circles, he was a past president 
of the Boykins Ruritan Club, a past Worshipful Master of Boykins Masonic Lodge 
and secretary of that order.

   Funeral rites were conducted Monday afternoon at 2:30 from the Boykins 
Methodist Church by his pastor, Rev. E.B. Loving, assisted by Rev. J.L. Kibler 
of Alberta, a former pastor of that church and by Rev. Frank B. Handley, 
former pastor of the Boykins Baptist Church, who had recently accepted a call 
to Crewe, Va., and by Dr. J.L. Carrick, president of Chowan College, also a 
former pastor of the Baptist Church in Boykins. During the service Mrs. H. M. 
Purviance sang "Some Time We’ll Understand."  The casket was covered with a 
pall of Madonna lilies and red roses and there were many beautiful floral 
tributes, the church being crowded with friends from the town, county and many 
near-by places. The active pallbearers were: R.C. Knight, T.H. Porter, W. Hugh 
Powell and W.R. Emmons of the Boykins Town Council, A.L. Knight, S.J. Wilson, 
O.W. Gray and W.P. Gray. Honorary bearers were selected from a large list of 
friends, and burial was made in Beechwood Cemetery, Mr. Beaton having been 
influential in securing this beautiful site and its subsequent beautification.

   Mr. Beaton is survived by his wife, Mrs. Susie Hill Beaton; two daughters, 
Miss Elizabeth Beaton, librarian at Chowan College, Mrs. Howard L. Hill, and a 
son-in-law Mr. Hill; a grandchild, Harriet Sue Hill; a brother, Norman S. 
Beaton, all of Boykins, a sister, Mrs. E.R. Turnbull of Waynesboro, Va.,; a 
nieces and three nephews.


[Claude Thomas BEATON, Mayor of Boykins, & Chairman of county draft board, 
 b. 23 Dec 1886, Boykins, d. 25 Jan 1941, Franklin, 
 interred in Beechwood Cemetery (Annex 2, Section E, Plot 72), Boykins, 
    27 Jan 1941, 
 "The Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), Jan. 31, 1941] 

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

file at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/obits/b350c2ob.txt