Tuesday, September 26, 2023

History of Pritchett Girl Cousins Reunion

Several Pritchett cousins, daughters of Fred, Sue, and Carl Pritchett (granddaughters of Esther (Headrick) Pritchett, got together in 2008 and began a tradition of getting together for an annual reunion. They would rent a house or cabin for a long weekend or sometimes a week. At most places, day trips to nearby attractions were also included. One living aunt, Leola (Bryant) Pritchett, was invited. Not everyone could come all years, but all who could come enjoyed their time together. The ten cousins are: Donna, Deborah, Susan, Missy, Freida, Linda, Sherry, Sharon, Wanda, and Karen. 

History of the Places

2007: Americus, Sumter County, Georgia 

2008: Pot Point Cabin, Marion County, Tennessee 

2009: Peachtree City, Fayette County, Georgia 

2010: Chalet 3, Cohutta Springs Conference Center, Crandall, Murray County, Georgia

2011: Chalet 3, Cohutta Springs Conference Center, Crandall, Murray County, Georgia, 

2012: Highland Marina Resort, West Point Lake, LaGrange, Troup County, Georgia 

2013: Chalets 1 & 2, Cohutta Springs Conference Center, Crandall, Murray County, Georgia

2014: Hidden Hollow, Chickamauga, Walker County, Georgia 

2015: Tanner State Park, Carrollton, Carroll County, Georgia 

2016: Savannah and Tybee Island, Chatham County, Georgia 

2017: Historic Heaven Inn, Cave Spring, Floyd County, Georgia 

2018: Fall Creek Falls State Park, Bledsoe County or Van Buren County, Tennessee 

2019: McLemore House, Lookout Mountain, Franklin County, Tennessee 

2020 and 2021: Covid cancelled 

2022: Tom's Cabin, Ringgold, Catoosa County, Georgia

2023: Ocean Front Cottage, Tybee Island, Chatham County, Georgia 

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Arwood mentioned as a wedding guest

Mr. T. W. Arwood is mentioned as a guest in the Saye-Langford Wedding Announcement (1920)

Article about Saye-Langford Wedding in Canton, Cherokee, Georgia, 1920

Wednesday, 26 May 1920: Ida Lee Saye, of Canton, weds Albert Roy Langford, of Denver, Colorado, at the bride's home on East Marietta Street (Canton). Officiator: Rev. F. S. Hudson, pastor of the Canton Methodist church. Given in marriage by Prof. George Paul Saye (brother; University of Georgia). Best man: Fred Langford (Macon; brother of groom). Music: Wedding March; Lorengrens Bridal Chorus, played by Miss Maude Wheeler (Ball Ground). Bride in navy and tan; beautiful decorations, etc.

Out-of-town guests:  Mrs. A. S. Langford and Mr. Fred Langford (Macon); Mr. T. W. Arwood and Miss Ida Cole (Marietta); Mr. and Mrs. R. F. Smith (Tate); Mr. Willard McCollum (Nelson); Misses Viola Brady, Bonnie and Maude Wheeler (Ball Ground).

Wedding trip: Mobile, New Orleans, Colorado Springs, etc. 

Future home: 1324 Emerson Street, Denver.

[Source]: "Saye-Langford," The Cherokee Advance (Canton, Cherokee, Georgia) 1880-19??, Friday, 28 May 1920, page 1 (digital image 1), Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, The Library of Congress.
https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn87090231/1920-05-28/ed-1/seq-1/print/image_574x817_from_825,4025_to_2472,6369/
  (10 February 2022).  

Arwood of Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia

Girls Escape from Whitfield County Jail

Atwood Surname

Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia (1920)

Story from Dalton, Whitfield, Georgia, published in The Cherokee Advance (Canton, Cherokee, Georgia).

"Two Girls Escape From Countl Jail"
   "Dalton, Ga. April 22.—On the night following the recommendation of the grand jury that no prisoners be confined in jail until a new jail could be erected here, two girls, Ottie May Arwood and Bertie Owens convicted in court and being held until they could be sent to the state farm, sawed the bars of their cell on the ground floor, climbed the stairs, crawled out of a hole in the brick wall and swung from the second floor, gaining their freedom.
    "Just where the prisoners got the saws is not known.
    "Tusday night, the Owens girl was recaptured and again placed in jail."

[Source]: Arwood in "Two Girls Escape From Countl Jail" (dtd. Dalton, [Whitfield], Ga., April 22), The Cherokee Advance (Canton, Cherokee, Georgia) 1880-19??, Friday, 23 April 1920, page 4 (digital image 4), Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, The Library of Congress.  
https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn87090231/1920-04-23/ed-1/seq-4/print/image_562x817_from_1889,5205_to_2681,6356/
  (10 February 2022).  

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Myrtle Rogers of Marion County, Tennessee

[Quote from Sequachee Valley News, 29 October 1896, Supplement, p.5]:

"Miss Myrtle Rogers is proving to be quite a valuable assistant postmaster."

[Source]: Rogers (untitled item) in Sequachee Valley News (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Marion, Tennessee) 1896-1952, 29 October 1896, Supplement, page 5 (digital image 5), Image and text provided by University of Tennessee, Library of Congress, via Chronicling America Historic Newspapers website.  https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn89058250/1896-10-29/ed-1/seq-5/ (04 February 2023).


Monday, August 29, 2022

William 'Squirrel' Murray Biographical Sketch

William S. 'Squirrel' Murray was born in Tennessee. As a child, he moved with his parents to northern Murray County, Georgia, where his father worked in a shoe shop. William learned the trade of shoemaker and worked in that trade. In 1884, he married Elizabeth Cordwell in nearby Whitfield County. By 1893, he had opened his own shoe shop there, at Dalton. William and Lizzie had at least seven children. The family probably lived in or near a community called Fashion.

Somewhere along the line, Will or Bill (he went by both) picked up the nickname of "Squirrel." Besides being a shoemaker, Squirrel Murray was a writer-poet-philosopher, publishing a column in the Dalton Citizen. His writing was a mixture of humor,  poetry, and philosophy. He also took photographs for the paper. At the same time, ads for his shoe shop appeared in the paper. Squirrel was quite a character. In 1904, he took a shot at Bob Holland (a neighbor), but missed, owing to a policeman's intervention. The feud went back one year, though the cause is unknown. After that, mentions of Murray are scarce and discreet, though friends hoped he would start writing to the paper again. 

The family moved to Chattanooga. Squirrel and his wife were separated by 1910 (Lizzie reported herself as a widow). William died in Birchwood in 1942, and was buried at Silverdale cemetery, according to his death certificate. His daughter, Myrtle Barnes, was the informant.