Pound Supper, Social Custom, 1910, U.S., Georgia, Whitfield County

While researching the Stacy family of Five Springs (and/or of Antioch), Whitfield County, Georgia, I found a description of a "pound supper" given by the Baileys (with a Stacy in attendance).

I couldn't find anything on a pound supper, but found a description of a "pound party," in which everyone brings a pound of food (or a pound of groceries). Such parties are sometimes given for newlyweds or for new arrivals to the neighborhood, and maybe just for socializing. Locally, the party must have been called a "supper," or maybe that was meant as a hint of the late hour that the meal would be taken.

The description of the supper, given around December 10, 1910, says that it was given on Saturday night by Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Bailey in honor of Mrs. Carter of Cartersville (Georgia). The guests were not invited into the dining room to feast until 11:00, which seems pretty late for a "supper." The decorations are described ("ferns, holly, and chrysanthemums"), but no games, dancing, or other forms of entertainment are mentioned, except that there was a contest to see who had baked the best cake: "Misses Lizzie Kreischer and Mollie Callahan won the prize on having the nicest cakes; ..." (There were judges for the contest.) There probably was entertainment, but it is not mentioned in the column.

The guests included men and women of the county (most of the surnames can be recognized as local names). These were probably young adults of the upper-middle class or merchant/business class, property owners, and fairly well-to-do farmers from the Five Springs, Antioch, and River Bend communities (mid-to-southern Whitfield County).

The item appeared in a social/gossip column in The Dalton Citizen (North Georgia Citizen) called 'Everywhere' (containing 'news'--mostly personal mentions or gossip--from 'everywhere.' It seems to be mostly personal mentions about local persons, but not specifically related to one community or another, as the other columns are.

Guests/Surnames by community:

• (Dalton): Tankersley and Wade

• (River Bend): Callahan, Cash, Evans, Holland, Kreischer, Moore, Parlee, and Whitmire 

• (unspecified): Callahan, Evans, Holland, Kreischer, Moore, Noland, Stacy, Whitener, and Whitmire

Some of the names from the unspecified area(s) are known to be from the Five Springs, Antioch, and Busy Bee Valley communities. One of the Evanses mentioned is Addie Evans, who helped entertain (that is, was one of the hostesses of the event, I think). I believe she was a relative of Catherine Evans Whitener's and owned a spreadhouse (not sure--just a recollection from my knowledge of the local tufting-industry history). Mrs. J. M. Bailey, Mrs. Clark, and Mrs. Noland are also mentioned as having helped entertain, which is interesting, since the party was given in honor of Mrs. Clark.

Mr. Roy Vance was complimented on his  behavior (the writer hoping that other boys will emulate him "this Christmas." The last perhaps implies that Vance did not drink too much, scuffle, or play pranks--no way to know, but the disclaimer by the writer was "I am no saint myself, but I do like to see nice behavior."

Clipping, Everywhere Column, North Georgia Citizen

https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85034046/1910-12-15/ed-1/seq-7/print/image_609x817_from_3454,4242_to_6230,7967/

Source: 
Untitled piece about a 'pound supper' in 'Everywhere' (column), The Dalton Citizen (indexed as North Georgia Citizen ; Dalton, Whitfield, Georgia) 1868-1924, 15  December 1910, page 7 (digital image 7), Georgia Historic Newspapers, Gallileo, USG.edu (accessed 24 November 2019).