Toomsboro, Georgia

Charles Dent, Formerly of Toomsboro, Passes

2011-05-10T09:52:00.002-04:00

Charles Dent -MILLEDGEVILLE - Charles Dent, age 73, passed away Friday, April 15, 2011. Services will be held at 3P.M. Sunday, April 17 at the chapel of Moores Funeral Home. Burial will be private at Nunn-Wheeler Cemetery. -Mr. Dent was a native of Wilkinson County but made his home in Milledgeville. He was a brick mason, farmer and worked in the construction industry for many years. He also worked with Hodges Building Supply and managed the Plumbing and Electrical Department before working with Springhill Construction. -Survivors include his wife Agnes B. Dent of Milledgeville; three sons, Dennis Dent and David Dent (Vicki), all of Milledgeville and Derrick Dent (Melissa) of Rockmart; one brother Mack E. Dent of Irwinton; six sisters, Bobbie Nell Womack of McIntyre, Shirley A. Snider and Sybil Rozier, both of Milledgeville, Clara Dell Powell of Montrose, Marie Pickett of McIntyre and Lavern Symonds of Irwinton; three grandchildren, Chase Dent, Jesse Dent and Coltan Dent. -The family will receive friends Sunday from 2:00 until 3:00 P.M. at Moores Funeral Home. -Visit www.mooresfuneralhome.com to express tributes. -Moores Funeral Home & Crematory has charge of arrangements.

Virginia Jones Wilder, Formerly of Toomsboro, Passes

2011-05-10T09:23:00.004-04:00

Virginia Jones Wilder, Formerly of Toomsboro, Passes.

Virginia Jones Wilder, 77, of Macon died Thursday. Funeral service will be Monday at 3:30 P.M. in the Chapel at Macon Memorial Park Funeral Home. The Family will greet friends Saturday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. at the funeral Home. The family requests that those who wish to make memorial contributions, make them to Pine Pointe Hospice, 6261 Peake Road, Macon, Georgia 31210. -Mrs. Wilder was the widow of Emory Clay Wilder. She was born and grew up in Toomsboro, but lived most of her life in Macon. She was the daughter of Gladys Reid Jones and Delmas P. Jones. She was a homemaker and a member of Georgia National Guard Women's Auxiliary. She was a former member of Forest Hills United Methodist Church and a current member of Cross Keys United Methodist Church. -Mrs. Wilder is survived by her sons, Shannon (Jan) Wilder and Michael Wilder both of Macon; Daughter, Jenna Fabry of Macon; Grandchildren, Ashley Wilder, Sean Wilder, Melissa (Aldo) Pecorilli , Christian Wilder, Hendly Wilder, Madison Fabry, and Mollie Fabry; Great-grandchildren, Elizabeth, Andrew, and Isabelle Pecorilli and Susan Wilder. -Visit www.maconmp.com to express tribues. -Macon Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery has charge of arrangements.

A Personal Note - Virginia was born and grew up with her family between Toomsoboro and Milledgeville. She attended Toomsboro High School where she played basketball and was in the 1950 graduation class. Her father, Mr. Delmas Jones, was one of the Toomsboro School bus drivers.

Another Photo - Courtesy of C. B. and Gussie Dominy

2010-08-09T15:35:00.005-04:00

This boat is carrying a lot of Toomsboro folks, mostly from the Toomsboro School Class of 1951, so how many can you identify?

Click photo for enlargement

Photo - Courtesy of C. B. and Gussie Eubanks

2010-08-09T11:08:00.010-04:00

Students and Teacher In Eighth Grade of Toomsboro School in 1947.

Click photo for enlargement

Clockwise from top left - Mrs. Wright (teacher), Abbot Allen, Marlene Lord, Billy Boone, C. B. Eubanks, Virginia Jones, Bobbie Rozar, Rebecca Weaver, Mary Ivey Dominy, Garvis Fordham, L. F. Horne, Julian Helton

Remembering Toomsboro

2010-07-23T12:52:00.008-04:00

The following (in quotes) is taken from a recent E-mail message I received from Jim Boone, formerly of Toomsboro. Jim is the son of the late James and Lois Lord Boone. His father owned the hardware store at the location that later became the Swampland Opry, and his mother taught second grade at The Toomsboro School. Jim has a son who is a reporter for The Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

"I have many pleasant memories of growing up in Toomsboro. Working along side my father in his hardware store gave me the opportunity to get to know all the local characters and their stories. Of course, my father was a great story teller. All of his stories had some degree of truth and he embellished them to the full extent. I remember them all.

When I think back on Toomsboro, I remember the drug store ( Dr. & Mrs. Ware); tent shows that would come to town; Murray Hall’s store; Estelle’s Hotel; Stephensville swimming hole; Jerden Collin’s laugh; Ray Orr at the depot; Barber Brown’s famous “bowl cuts”; the “Gunsmoke” policeman; Mr. Hub Stephens, basketball games on red clay courts; Miss Willie Mae Hall and limited bathroom breaks; the list goes on and on."

Mr. Arthur Montgomery's Rattlesnake Encounter

2010-07-08T14:18:00.020-04:00

This story about Mr. Arthur Montgomery comes from his daughter Lillie and was relayed to me by Philip Lord.

Mr Arthur was living in Atlanta with Lillie - but was always longing to go back to the old home place in Wilkinson County to stay for a few days. Lillie finally gave in and drove him back to Wilkinson County to stay for awhile, and she would call every day to ask how things were going. One day he told her things were okay - except that he'd been bitten by a rattlesnake. Lillie almost had a heart attack and bombarded her father with questions: Who did he call - why hadn't he called her - and had he seen a doctor? When she finally paused, Mr. Arthur told her that he hadn't called anyone and that he was doing just fine. This really upset her and she was was just about ready to drive down to Wilkinson County when he informed her not to worry - that the snake had gotten the worse end of the deal. He went on to tell her that the snake had bitten his wooden leg and that the snake must have been pretty surprised - and just crawled away.

At that point, Lillie was beginning to believe that she had been taken in by one of her father's shenanigans, but he told her to calm down, assured her that he was OK, and that she could just come back to get him on the day they'd agreed to earlier. When she came down from Atlanta, sure enough, she found a hole in the leg of the pants her father had been wearing the day the snake had attacked him, and a little scar on the wooden leg was the balance of the evidence to support Mr. Arthur's story.

Mr. Arthur was a known jokester-prankster - and I leave it to the reader to decide for himself whether his snake encounter is truth or fiction.

Willie Olene (Bunny) Bailey

2010-04-04T17:16:00.033-04:00

Click on either photo to see enlargement

A memorial service was held for Willie Olene (Bunny) Bailey on April 3 at The Ebenezer Baptist Church near Toomsboro, Ga. Bunny was born September 25, 1924, in Toomsboro and died April 1, 2010, in Washington County, Ga. Bunny was a very special person to all her family and to those who knew her.

The bottom photo shows three of Bunny's nieces, Marie, Jonnie and Mary with two family members. They are R - L: W. A. and Marie Bailey Massengale, Bubba and Trudy, (Marie's children) Jonnie Bailey Stamps, and Tony and Mary Bailey Budrys. The Ebenezer Church Cemetery is in the background.

The top photo shows a smiling Bunny with her brother, George Bailey Jr. in 1967. George could walk with a cane then, but in later years he was in a wheel chair - and Bunny took care of him until he died a few years ago.

Miss Willie Mae Hall - A Toomsboro Legend

2010-04-03T07:14:00.051-04:00

The memory of Miss Willie Mae Hall evokes strong emotions from those who knew her, and especially those who were in her first-grade classroom. When I think of Miss Willie Mae, I'm reminded of what General George Patton retorted when somebody pointed out that his soldiers didn't like him; "I don't won't them to love me, I want them to fight for me". I think maybe Miss Willie Mae cared less that her students loved her than that they learned from her. I've heard many stories from her students, and one thing is apparent: many of her students were afraid, if not terrified, of her. Miss Willie May was iron-fisted in almost a literal sense. Some of us recall her grip upon our hands as she helped us form the letters of the alphabet on the blackboard. A grip so tight that she sometimes crushed the chalk in our hands. I can still envision the classic shapes she insisted we learn to reproduce for some letters of the alphabet - but learn to reproduce them, we did.

Most students can recall some specific instance in which their fear of Miss Willie Mae led to a bad experience for them. But like other legendary characters, time has softened our harsher memories of her and we remember her in a kinder way. And, of course, she gave her students a few good reasons to remember her kindly. She was the first to arrive at the school every morning, and during the winter months, she had the coal-fired stove in her classroom glowing with warmth by the time her first students arrived. During my first year in school, Miss Willie Mae took our class to her home where she treated us to home-made ice cream and cake. Then there was the first-grade graduation ceremony that Miss Willie Mae staged for every first-grade class. What six or seven-year old child could ever forget marching onto a stage dressed in a white gown to receive an authentic certificate of graduation from his/her first year in school?

Those who only knew Miss Willie Mae in her first grade classroom might wonder if she was different when she left that environment. I got to know Miss Willie May in a different setting, and I can report that she was a completely different person outside her first-grade classroom. The Intermediate Sunday School Class of the Toomsboro Methodist Church was led by Miss Nina Beck, a very nice lady. All of us in that class dreaded the day when we would be promoted to the Young Adults' Class, which was headed up by Miss Willie Mae. But when I finally moved up to the Young Adults' Class, I was pleasantly surprised that Miss Willie Mae ran the class in a democratic manner and treated all of us with dignity and respect.

Perhaps everyone who knew Miss Willie Mae has his own notion about why she worked so hard and seemed to throw herself into the task of teaching first graders their letters and numbers. Whatever her reasons, the Toomsboro community was (still is) fortunate to be the beneficiary of her dedication to her chosen career.

Woodrow Thompson - Long-Time Service Station Operator

2010-03-13T20:37:00.008-05:00

Sue Spivey Lord sent me this early photo of the service station which was owned and operated for years by Woodrow Thompson and his wife. The station was located in Toomsboro on Ga. Hwy 57 near the blinking-light intersection. Woodrow, known affectionately to locals as Rodie (sp)and his wife, Margarite, lived in a house on 57 near the station, and one of them was nearly always at the station to serve customers. I remember the couple was good friends with my Uncle Reginald Freeman and his first wife, Sarah Weaver Freeman, back in the early 1950's.

Click on the photo to see an enlargement.

Toomsboro School Reunion Planned - April 24, 2010

2010-03-10T09:31:00.018-05:00

Dear Friends of the Toomsboro School - The biennial reunion will be held this year on April 24 at 11:00 am at the Lord-Hatfield American Legion Hall on Highway 441 south of Irwinton. A catered meal will be served at 12 Noon. Reserve your place by sending $20.00 per person or $35.00 per couple to Maggie Loyd at 2206 Ben Hill Collins Road, Toomsboro, GA 31090 - by April 3. Arrive a little early to allow time to mix and mingle and lollygag with friends and schoolmates. Hope to see you there, and don't forget to bring your memories and photographs. The attached photos were made at earlier reunions.

I have a special page on my personal web site which is dedicated to Toomsboro (link below).

http://www.billweaver.net/Toomsboro-X/Toomsboro%20-%20GA.htm

Also, many Toomboro School folks are now on Facebook. Join up and and correspond with them. My facebook address is:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1149589770

Click a photo for enlargement.

Jack Thompson of Toomsboro Passes

2010-02-25T07:51:00.003-05:00

I received a note from Diane Thompson Dixon, daughter of the late Wilbur Thompson, that Jack Thompson of Toomsboro passed away on February 22. Jack's obituary (from the Macon Telegraph) is shown below. My best wishes go out to all of Jack's fammily and close friends.

Robert "Jack" Thompson -TOOMSBORO - Robert "Jack" Thompson, 80, of Toomsboro, passed away Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. -Son of the late Clarence and Reba Griffin Thompson, he was born in Dublin but had resided in Toomsboro for most of his adult life. Mr. Thompson was the Owner and Operator of Thompson's Service Station for over 33 years, and Thompson's Cove for over 23 years. Preceded in death by brothers, Wilbur and Ray Thompson, he was a veteran of the United States Army, having served in WWII, and was a member of the Toomsboro Methodist Church. -Survivors: wife, Mary Ivey Dominy Thompson, Toomsboro; sons, Ronnie (Deena) Thompson, Toomsboro; sister, Joyce Miller, Cordele; brothers, Griffin Thompson, Wrens and Guy Thompson, Toomsboro; grandchildren, Richard Thompson, Ivey; Tyler and Kade Thompson, both of Toomsboro. -Visit the memorial page and sign the on-line guest book at www.whitecolumnsfh.net. -Williams-White Columns Funeral Home of Gordon is in charge of arrangements (478) 628-2200

Cold Cold Heart

2010-02-13T15:24:00.001-05:00

A little bit of the delightful country-music past - by Hank Williams, Roy Acuff, Anita Carter, and June Carter. They don't make em like this anymore.

Ray Tomkins (October 2, 1930 - March 13, 2009)

2009-03-31T10:29:00.025-04:00

Ray Tomkins, shown here at the Toomsboro School Reunion in 2002, graduated from Toomsboro High School where he played basketball - and attended Brewton Parker College and Tennessee Temple. Ray and his wife, Marlene Lord Tomkins cared deeply for the Toomsboro community, and they were the driving force in organizing the Toomsboro School Reunions - which have served to keep the spirit of Toomsboro and its beloved school alive. Ray, a well-known minister in middle and south Georgia, was one of the preachers at the funeral of my Uncle Reginald Freeman in 1997. It was fitting that Ray's funeral should be held at the Ebenezer Baptist Church near Toomsboro, the church where he was ordained to the ministry. My good wishes go out to all of Ray's family. Ray will be missed and remembered, not just as a good husband, father, and minister, but as a good person.

Construction of New Ball's Ferry Bridge Near Toomsboro

2009-02-17T11:27:00.048-05:00

The photographs at the end of this message were sent to me, along with the E-mail note below, by Sue Spivey Lord (photo at left). Sue is the youngest daughter of the late D. J. and Louise Veal Spivey of Toomsboro. Sue graduated from Wilkinson County High School and lives with her husband, Shang Lord in Dublin.

"I thought you might enjoy these pictures of the building of the new Ball's Ferry Bridge. They were taken in late January and early February. I hope you are doing well. Love, Sue"

The new bridge will replace the original bridge that was built in the 1930's; that bridge replaced a ferry that transported people and cars across the Oconee River - which is the boundary between Wilkinson and Washington counties. The bridge is on State Highway 57, which runs northwest to Toomsboro where it crosses Georgia 112 and continues on to Irwinton and Macon. I was with my family at the dedication of the original Ball's Ferry Bridge, probably around 1939. I, with a cousin, was on the old bridge within the last year, and I can see from these photos that much has been accomplished since then.

Ball's ferry was the site of a Civil War Battle fought in late 1864 between units of Sherman's army and Georgia's Confederate soldiers.

This interesting article, Logging Nightmare in Wilkinson County, describes how logging practices in an area only five minutes from Ball's Ferry is damaging the natural habitat of some of the area's wild life.

Click on any photo to see an enlargement

Gail Boone Lee Plans One-Person Art Show About Toomsboro

2009-01-22T11:23:00.035-05:00

Gail is the daughter of the late James and Lois Lord Boone. She graduated from Toomsboro High School in 1954 and earned a BA Degree from the University of Georgia. Gail is an artist and now lives in Pound Ridge, New York. You can read more about Gail and view some of her art at Gail Lee Visual Artist.

The following was extracted from a recent E-mail message from Gail:

"I live in Pound Ridge, NY and have been here for about forty six years. I am an artist and have just been awarded a large one person show titled, Back to a Place I Never Left. Like you, Toomsboro made a profound impression and has been the subject of many of my pieces. I have a year to work on this show and am hoping to get down in the spring to take more photographs and get actual debris from some of the old buildings, particularly my old house which just burned down. I have a series of pieces on the old depot combining photographs and paintings which got me the show. I'm excited about the project but have to do much research . Sharon Boone [first cousiin - daughter of Joe and Edna Boone] has been a big help and I'm hoping that I can call on you from time to time for information I don't have. I know Marlene Lord may be able to help and I'm hoping that Nan Hall [widow of Murray Hall, Jr.] would let me inside the old store. I've tried over the years but am hoping this time, maybe. Attached is the proposal for the show. Perhaps it will give you a better idea of what I'm up to."

The following two paragraphs are extracted directly from Gail's proposal:

"The source and inspiration of the work is the small town I grew up in, Toomsboro, Georgia. The area is known for the lumber mills and chalk mines and it is one of the largest sources for kaolin in the country."

"My vision for the show includes a variety of images originating from the history of the town and personal experiences. Harmonizing earth-toned colors will unify the work and there will be mixed media pieces, combining photography and painting, assemblages, and perhaps sculptural pieces composed of actual debris from the location. The pieces will be in a series and the sizes of each series will vary to give a more exciting visual look to the place. I plan to include narratives with the images which, I think, will add interest and involve the viewer in the story."

Gail's father, James Boone, was known affectionately to locals as Booney and owned the hardware store in the location that later became famous as the concert hall for Swampland Opra concerts. His father was Alex Boone who served as a representative in the Georgia State legislature in Atlanta and was a long-time editor of The Wilkinson County News in Irwinton. Gail's mother, Lois, was a second grade teacher at the Toomsboro School, and Gail has one brother, Jim.

Photo Slide Show and Video - Toomsboro Reunions

2009-01-14T21:05:00.004-05:00

My most recent post (prior to this one)consists of a slide show of photos made at the Toomsboro School Reunions in 2002 (Thompson Cove Restaurant in Toomsboro) and in 2006, and 2008 in the Wilkinson County High School near Irwinton. The post just before that is a video I made at the reunion in 2008. I'm sorry to say that neither the photos or the video is of good quality photography, but I hope you can make out and recognize some of the people.

Toomsboro School Reunions - Slide Show

2009-01-14T18:05:00.001-05:00

Toomsboro School Reunion - April 2008 at Wilkinson County High School

2009-01-13T18:10:00.001-05:00

Click arrow to view video.

First person at podium is Jimmy Lord, second is Charles Miller.

Hall Family Connection in Dalton, Georgia

2009-01-06T14:23:00.006-05:00

I received the E-mail below on January 4 from Barbara Glaze whose mother in law was the sister of Geraldine Hall.

Hello,
I just read your posting about Clara Hall. I am a related by marriage to that family. My mother in law Margaret Elizabeth Collins Glaze was the sister of Geraldine Hall, Clara's mother. Therefore, my son is a great nephew of Geraldine. My mother in law told me this said story of Clara before she passed and of the sad life of Geraldine who was such a sweet lady. We have visited Nan, and went to the funeral of Stutz. We live in Dalton, and it is far away from middle Georgia. So interesting to read your accounts since most of my son's family has passed away.
Sincerely,
Barbara Glaze

Ruth Helmke Lord - Wife of Charlie Ray Lord - Dies

2008-10-19T13:42:00.016-04:00

The information which follows was received from Georgia Kay Lord, daughter of Ruth Helmke Lord.

Ruth Helmke Lord passed away early in the morning of Oct. 13, 2008. She was at home in Stone Mountain, Georgia, surrounded by her family when she quietly slipped away. She was 83 years old.

Ruth was born on a wheat farm in Pratt, Kansas, to George and Rosa Helmke, but moved to Georgia in 1946 when she married Wilkinson County resident Charlie Ray Lord (son of Charlie F. Lord and Rosa Bloodworth Lord). They lived in Dublin, Georgia, for several years before moving to Atlanta so that Charlie Ray could attend Georgia Tech. They frequently returned to the area for family gatherings and local events, however. Charlie Ray Lord died in a automobile accident on December 27, 1971.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, October 22nd, at 7:30 PM at the Atlanta Friends Meeting House, 701 West Howard Avenue in Decatur, Georgia. A second graveside memorial service will be held at Snow Hill Cemetery on Thursday, October 23rd, at noon.

Ruth, mother of Charlotte Klesman and Georgia Lord, was a tireless giver. She volunteered for school and community functions while lovingly maintaining her household. Later she pursued a career as a food service manager and dietitian. Her career in food service began as an effort to “help out”, but she was promptly given increased responsibility and ultimately managed cafeterias in the DeKalb County Elementary Schools of Sagamore Hills and Snapfinger. Many remember Ruth for the sympathetic ear and practical nurture she provided.

Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, Charlie Ray. Survivors include her daughters, her sons-in-law Lynn Leuszler and Norris Klesman, and grandchildren; Dylan Cawthorne, Dana Cawthorne and David Leuszler.

In lieu of flowers donations can be sent to the Lighthouse Lymphedema Network, 10240 Crescent Ridge Drive, Roswell, GA 30076; to the Atlanta Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers); to Canine Assistants, through Mr. Tib Holland, 3160 Francis Road, Alpharetta, GA 30004; to Snow Hill Cemetery's perpetual maintenance fund through Connie Etheridge at 126 Jackson Rd, Ivey, GA 31031, or to a charity of your choice. Ruth’s family would like to thank all of the wonderful people we met through her. She will be missed.

Robert C. McGinty Passed September 6

2008-09-06T21:17:00.018-04:00

Robert C. McGinty, 87, of Toomsboro passed away Saturday, Sept. 6 in Macon.
Williams-White Columns Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Visitation will be Monday, September 8 from 6 to 8 PM and Funeral Services will be Tuesday, Septeember 9, at 3 PM in the Toomsboro Methodist Church. Interment will follow at the Ebenezer Church Cemetery.

Mr. McGinty was born in McCrae on November 1, 1920 to Truman and Essie Saunders McGinty. Mr. McGinty served in the US Army and was a veteran of WWII. He served as Toomsboro City Clerk and on the Wilkinson County Board of Education. He joined the Wilkinson County Bank in 1941 as Bookkeeper, was elected to the Board of Directors in 1951, promoted to Executive Vice President in 1966, and elected President in 1970,where he served until his retirement in 1988. He remained on the Board of Directors until 2004, having never missed a meeting during his 53 years of service. He enjoyed working in the yard as well as fellowship and meals at Herb’s Fish House.

Mr. McGinty is preceded in death by his brother, Jack E. McGinty. Survivors include:

Wife of 62 years: Ila Davis McGinty of Toomsboro
Daughter: Sandy (Mike) Perkins of Tallahassee, FL
Son: Robert D. (Paula) McGinty of Macon
Sisters: Betty Brown of Lumber City and Dolores (Curtis) Barnes of Macon
Sister-in-law: Jan Rutland of Clayton
Grandchildren: Erica & Rachel McGinty of Macon and Davis Perkins of Tallahassee, FL and a number of Nieces and Nephews.

A Personal Note:

The Wilkinson County Bank where Mr. and Mrs. McGinty worked for years was next door (same building) to my Uncle O. C. Weaver's Grocery store, and I saw the couple often. That was during the period when Mr. H. E. Stevens was the banks's president. I remember Mr. McGinty as a kind, friendly man. He was an asset to the community and will be missed by those who knew him - Bo Weaver.

Mystery Fish Discovered In Oconee River Near Toomsboro

2008-08-16T14:14:00.010-04:00

The information that follows is an excerpt from the article at the link below. A source informs me that a Redhorse fish, which I understand is not very attractive, is on display at the Atlanta Aquarium. If you have more information about these fish, leave a comment or drop me a line at bobillw@cox.net.

http://www.robustredhorse.com/

Master naturalist Edward Drinker Cope first described the robust redhorse in 1870 based on a single 6-pound specimen that had been collected from the Yadkin River in North Carolina. The specimen was apparently destroyed and by the late 1800's all mention of the robust redhorse had dropped from the scientific literature. In 1980 and 1985, unidentified specimens were collected from the Savannah River (the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina) and the Pee Dee River in North Carolina and South Carolina, respectively. However, they were not properly identified as robust redhorse because the name had been misapplied to a related species.

In August 1991, fishery biologists with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resource Division, collected five unrecognized fish from the Oconee River downstream of Sinclair Dam [Near Toomsboro] while conducting an environmental assessment during the early stages of a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing of the dam. The unknown fish were sent to renowned ichthyologists who unraveled the taxonomic mystery determining that the Oconee specimens and the previously collected unknown fish were the lost robust redhorse. Once the taxonomic mistake was discovered and the 1980, 1985, and 1991 specimens were correctly identified, the collection of robust redhorse from the Oconee River signified the rediscovery of a species that had been lost to science for 122 years.

Following the 1991 rediscovery, efforts were made to locate other remnant populations of robust redhorse within its historic range, the Atlantic Slope Rivers from the Pee Dee River system in North Carolina to the Altamaha River system in Georgia. Despite extensive field surveys in the Pee Dee, Yadkin, Rocky, and Little rivers, North Carolina; the Catawba River, South Carolina; the Ogeechee and Broad rivers, Georgia; and the Savannah River, Georgia/South Carolina, no conclusive evidence for the existence of other populations was found at that time.

Some Early Toomsboro School Photos

2008-07-27T20:33:00.012-04:00

The first photo below was sent to me recently by Ellie Dean, widow of Herbert Dean, who is one of the students in the photo. This is the the Second-Grade class of the 1931 - 1932 school year. Mr. H. E. Stephens, who must have made the photo, also has a daughter (Mary Stephens) in the photo. Identification of all the students and their teacher, Benita Branan, is included as part of the photo. Thank you Ellie.

Click on the photo for enlargement

The photo below is the first grade class in January, 1932, which means it is the class directly behind the class in the photo above. The list below the photo identifies the students. The teacher, Miss Willie Mae Hall, is not in the photo.

Click on the photo for enlargement

Click on the list for enlargement

Carolyn (Sis) Petty - Icon of Wilkinson County Education - Passes

2008-07-17T12:25:00.029-04:00

Excerpts from Miss Petty's obituary:

"Virginia Carolyn "Sis" Petty, 80, of Irwinton, Georgia passed away Wednesday, July 16, 2008. -Funeral Services will be held Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 2P.M. in the Irwinton United Methodist Church. Reverend Eddie Braswell will officiate. Interment will be in the Masonic Cemetery in Irwinton.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Friday in the funeral home. -In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Methodist Children's Home, P.O. Box 2525, Macon, GA 31203 and the American Cancer Society. -Couey - Reece - Stanley Funeral Home in Gordon has charge of arrangements.

Sis was born December 7, 1928 in Irwinton, Georgia. She was a servant of God, a devoted daughter, a loving Sister, a special Aunt, a caring cousin, a fabulous friend, a tireless teacher, an energetic volunteer, and a second mother to many. Sis was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Irwinton where she served her God and her church."

Miss Petty's Association With Toomsboro

Miss Petty came to the Toomsboro School right after college and she could easily have passed for one of the students. She lived in Irwinton, where she was raised but was quickly accepted as an honored member of the Toomsboro community. Miss Petty is short of physical stature, but she always set a high standard of conduct as a person, and as a dedicated teacher she taught her students to be respectful and reverent. It was she who first introduced me and many other students to the wonderful world of biology. Miss Petty was a regular at the Toomsboro School reunions, and she missed the one this last April because she was too ill to attend. She will be remembered fondly by her students as a strict disciplinarian with a broad smile and a willingness to help them become better prepared for life after school.

Toomsboro Baptist Church Celebrates One Hundredth Birthday

2008-06-26T21:27:00.029-04:00

Note - The following information and photographs were provided by Mrs. Elaine Rheuman.

Members and guests celebrated the One Hundredth anniversay of the founding of the Toomsboro Baptish Church in a special ceremony at the Sunday morning services on June 22. It was a beautiful ceremony with some members dressed in the fashion of the 1908 - 1928 era. Among those present at the ceremony were:

The two oldest members, Ms Annie Murphy and Mr. Winfred (Red) Carr
The youngest member, seven-year old John Napier
Church Pastor, Mr. Mark Grinsted
Executive Director of The Georgia Baptist Convention, Dr. J. Robert White

Doctor White was the guest speaker, and the highlight of the ceremony was when Mr. Carr and Ms. Murphy passed the church torch to John Napier. The passing of the torch from the oldest members to the youngest member symbolized the Fraternal Brotherhood, an imperative to the effective success of a church. The act effectively guarantees that the church will survive at least several more generations. Everyone enjoyed a pot luck dinner after the ceremony.

Click a photo to see an enlargement

Wide-angle view of present-day church

Close up of church

Mrs. Annie Murphy, John Napier, and Red Carr

Red Carr passes symbolic torch to John Napier

Janie Tomkins and Pastor Mark Grinsted
Note Janie's lovely early twentieth century outfit

Ray Walton, Formerly From McIntyre, Remembers Toomsboro

2008-06-18T12:05:00.007-04:00

I recently received the following E-mail message from Ray Walton, who remembers the good people of Toomsboro and some of the good times he had there.

BEGIN RAY'S MESSAGE

"Good evening,

For some reason on pure whim I did a google search on Toomsboro, never expecting to find anything, and found your wonderful site. I grew up in McIntyre and, like you, although I haven't lived there in many years have incredible memories of those times. I lived in McIntyre from 1944 until 1962 when I went away to school in Tallahassee but I kept coming back to Toomsboro until my father died in 2001. My father was Jack Walton and he and Joe Boone founded Swampland. Daddy was known as Superstar and had a regular show every weekend. I, myself, played piano there whenever I was in town. I loved seeing the picture of the old hotel. My grandmother ran that hotel for a number of years when my father was a child. My aunt Era Kelley was postmistress in Toomsboro for many years and I spent many evenings at her house a short distance away playing scrabble and cards. Harold Holliman was a good friend and his father who had the Ford dealership in McIntyre sold my father a car every two years until he closed down the Ford Place as we used to call it.

I enjoyed seeing the post about Flannery O'Connor--she went to the same dentist as my family and we shared the waiting room together many times. Fortunately I had enough "education" that I knew who she was and was able to talk to her many times about her stories. My favorite one is the one mentioned in the blog.

I wonder if the picture of little Joanne Weaver is the Joanne that I went to high school with. We graduated in 1962. I also knew the Durshimers, Mrs. Wright and Miss Petty is someone that I still see whenever I go to visit McIntyre. "Miss Willie" was one of my favorite teachers and we used to get all our eggs from Sidney Miller's hens. I can't tell you how many thousands of times I was in Toomsboro and how delighted I am to see your blog. Thank you for posting it. I've had a wonderful nostalgic evening reading about old times.

By the way, I played piano and played for many weddings and funerals during that time so I really saw them come and go.

Best regards,
Raymond Walton
650 465-1020
Atherton, Ca."

The Fulbrights - Former Fine Citizens of Toomsboro

2008-06-06T11:18:00.014-04:00

H.M. and Norma Fulbright are remembered fondly by the people of Toomsboro where they lived and taught school for a few years, beginning in 1949. They enriched the lives of Toomsboro folks, especially the students at the Toomsboro High School. Mr. Fulbright taught English and was the coach of the boys' basketball team, and Mrs. Fulbright taught physical Education and coached the girls' basketball team. They were active members of the Toomsboro Baptist Church and particiapted in the town's social life, and Mr. Fulbright was called on from time to time to sing at church services and other special events.

The Fulbrights had no children while lving in Toomsboro, but later on had two children, a son and a daughter. I was recently in E-mail touch with the daughter, who is a Clinical Psychologist in Carrollton, and I have included here some of her remarks about her parents:

"They were great parents, very positive with us, although realistic… and I never heard them argue, much less yell (at each other nor at us). It spoiled me a little for the real world, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Mother is still running around dressed to the hilt and in high heels. Although we didn’t think she would survive losing Daddy (especially when my own husband died 5 months later and she grieved doubly), she did finally make her way back in the world. But as she says, she’s still very married. Can’t imagine the man who could compete with him anyway, so just as well!

He [Mr. Fulbright] and mother talked often of their times in Toomsboro, as well as people like “Sis” Petty (who I understand from mother has not been well). Although I was not among the living at the time they were there, it feels somewhat like my history because of the many times I have heard about their love for the town and its people. I’m very glad it was a positive time of your life as well – I know he would be glad to know that."

The above photo shows Mr. Fulbright with the first string of the 1950-1951 basketball team of Toomsboro High School.

Baptist Church Centennial - Update

2008-06-04T15:44:00.007-04:00

The Toomsboro Baptist Church (TBC) Centennial celebration will begin June 22, 2008 with Dr. Robert White, Executive Director of Georgia Baptist Convention speaking.

TBC was organized by Reverends J.M. Kelly and A.B. Smith, September 24, 1908. The orginal members were:

W.J. Hughes
Mrs. H.D. Hughes
Miss Georgia Hughes
Miss Mayme Hughes
Mrs. G.C. Kaniel
Mrs. Lizzie Cross

Services were held in the Christian and Methodist Churches until TBC was built in 1922.

You can contact the following people for more information about the centennial:

Mrs. Ruth Baxley 478-933-5585
Mrs. Lucile Couey 478-933-5554

Celebrations in Toomsboro - June and July

2008-06-01T21:16:00.018-04:00

Click photo for enlargement

My sources inform me that June 22 will mark the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Toomsboro Baptist Church. Members are putting together a book which will include historic pictures provided by some of the older members. I hope to get more information about this historic milestone, including pictures, to post on this site. I was a member of the Toomsboro Methodist Church but occasionally attended regular services, as well as revival services at the Baptist Church. And I belonged to the Royal Ambassador chapter that was sponsored by the Baptist Church. I can still hear (in my mind) the music of the chimes from the church. If I recall correctly, the chime system was donated by Mr. H. E. Stephens who was one of the church's most active members. The music played every afternoon, and on Sunday mornings it reminded people to keep the Sabbath Day holy.

My sources also inform me that the City of Toomsboro and its churches are collaborating in a community get-together to celebrate the Fourth of July. There will be games for entertainment, and food will be provided by the city and the churches. I hope to be able to post more information later. The celebration sounds like fun and I might just drop by to visit with some of the old timers - as well as to get to know some of the new folks.

Storm Hits Toomsboro

2008-05-16T22:22:00.010-04:00

The information in quotes below was extracted from an E-mail message sent to me by a resident of Toomsboro. It's clear that Toomsboro towns people are pitching in to help those who were affected by the storm. I welcome additional information and photos about the storm. Send to bobillw@cox.net.

"We arrived at [the Baptist] Church Sunday morning [May 11]; we knew we did not have electricity, but we did not realize tornados had come through. The Pastor met everyone; we had prayer and the men went home to get tractors and chain saws to help open the roads, and the women gathered water and ice and went to give it to the workers.

This [cleanup work] has continued this week as we spent one day at our Head of Missions, Charles Asbell's home that received a lot of damage to both trees and home. The men spent the day helping clear the yard and a crew from Samaratan's Purse [an outreach of the Billy Graham Ministry] was on the way to fix his roof at no charge. The ladies fixed a nice lunch and we delivered it to the Asbell's home, for all to enjoy.

What a wonderful community spirit and out pouring of love! We are also in the process of joining with the City, and all churches in Toomsboro to plan a once again July 4 get together for the community. We will have games and food, provided by the churches and city."

Mr. Don Smith and Miss Carolyn (Sis) Petty

2008-03-30T10:29:00.012-04:00

Two Teachers Who Made Good Marks at the Toomsboro School

Mr. Don Smith (shown in photo below with his wife Doris) and Miss Carolyn (Sis) Petty were more than good teachers. They left endearing legacies at the Toomsboro School, and their positive influence is still felt in the lives of the students they helped guide through high school. I hope to see Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Miss Petty at the Toomsboro School Reunion on April 12

Mr. Smith and his wife Doris were as much a part of the Toomsboro community as many who were born and raised there and they were active in school and church affairs. Mr. Smith taught agricultural classes at the school and was the sponsor of the school’s chapter of the Future Farmers of America (FFA). He also set up and began operation of a canning plant which served the community for several years. Mr. and Mrs. Smith had no children of their own, and so they became the second parents to many of the town’s teenagers. The Smiths regularly attend Toomsboro School reunions and Mr. Smith always speaks fondly of the time he spent in Toomsboro.

Miss Petty came to the Toomsboro School right after college and she could easily have passed for one of the students. She lived in Irwinton, where she was raised but was quickly accepted as an honored member of the Toomsboro community. Miss Petty is short of physical stature, but she always set a high standard of conduct as a person, and as a dedicated teacher she taught her students to be respectful and reverent. It was she who first introduced me and many other students to the wonderful world of biology. I believe I’ve seen Miss Petty’s smiling face at every class and school reunion that I’ve attended in the last several years, and she still has a youthful face and a twinkle in her eye; maybe she's discovered the fountain of youth.

Red Carr and His Buddies on Guam in 1944

2007-10-01T16:22:00.003-04:00

I recently received the following message and decided to repost the article to which Mr. Brunetto referred, together with an article and photo which appeared in the Macon newspaper in 1944.

"Hi,

I was forwarded this article by my nephew. One of the Marines in the story was my father, Ernest Brunetto.He had a newspaper article of this story, but I never really was able to get as much detail as this article gives. It also gives a much more personal touch with much more detail about all 3 Marines.My dad never went into any great detail about any combat or war stories, similar to what I suspect most soldiers from that generation did. It was quite a revelation to read this story, thank you so much for printing it.

Sincerely,

Ernest N Brunetto"

November 6, 2006 - Repost

Red Carr - Recognized for Wartime Service

You may know Winfred (Red) Carr as a long time resident of Toomsboro, but did you know he was singled out for recognition during WWII? The recognition came as a result of action on the island of Guam in 1944. I remember how proud I was when the news of Red's heroic action was announced at the Toomsboro Methodist Church one Sunday morning between Sunday school and the regular church service. I was proud, not just because he was from Toomsboro, but since his mother, Fannie Weaver Carr was my grand father's sister, he was also kin to me.

Red also saw action during the battles of Iwo Jima and Boganville. I visited Red and his wife Geraldine recently, and when I mentioned his wartime service, he gave me his own account of the combat on the island of Guam that led to his recognition. Red, as usual, was modest and gave generous credit to his two buddies, Bru and Jellyroll. Now, you can read about it in Red's own words:

"In the fall of 1944 I was stationed with the Third Marine Division, Company C, on Guam in the Central Pacific doing "mop up" work. We had secured the island; therefore, organized resistance was supposed to have ceased, but unorganized pockets of resistance still flourished. It was our job at that time to clear them out.Three of us were close buddies: Ernest Brunetto from Montclair, New Jersey, Abraham Schneider from Brooklyn, New York and I from Toomsboro, Georgia. But back then nobody was ever called by the name on his birth certificate - everybody had a nickname. Ernest was "Bru", Abraham was "Jellyroll", and I, being from Georgia, was "Peaches".At the time, our company was encamped on the northern end of Guam.

Bru, Jellyroll and I were part of the machine gun squad and were assigned to outpost duty about half a mile in front of the company. The Japanese hid during the daytime and moved about at night, so outpost duty meant night work for us with days spent doing pretty much what we wanted.

Jellyroll had always been a wanderer, so on this particular afternoon he wandered off in search of adventure while Bru and I chose to spend a good part of it visiting with an old native lady who lived nearby with her son. When we visited she would entertain us by playing her old piano and singing. I remember two of the songs were "You are my Sunshine" and "Onward Christian Soldiers". Guam had been under American rule for years until it was taken by the Japanese soon after Pearl Harbor, so the natives spoke English well.

Later that afternoon Jellyroll came riding in on a cart pulled by a water buffalo. He had hitched a ride with the old lady's son, whom he had run into along the way. Jellyroll began unloading boxes of hand grenades and trip flares he had picked up at the ammunition dump somewhere. Trip flares were not common outpost ammunition, but Jellyroll said he had a feeling we were going to have trouble that night and he brought them, along with extra hand grenades. We set the trip flares out that afternoon in front of the guard post in all directions.

By nightfall we were in our foxhole beside the trail with the machine gun in place and all our ammunition, including the extra boxes of hand grenades. We took turns with one watching and two resting. About midnight Jellyroll was watching when we heard him whisper, "Here come the S. O. B's." Just a few yards in front of us we could see the ouline of three Japanese scouts. Jellyroll opened fire with the machine gun, Bru with the carbine, and I grabbed the phone to alert the company, but the phone was dead. The three of us alternated operating the machine gun, the carbine, and throwing grenades as fast as we could. The other Japanese, who had been waiting some distance behind the scouts, were thrown into confusion and began running everywhere, setting off the trap flares as they ran over them. It sounded and looked like quite a war going on. In the light of the flares I could see one running with a heavy rice pot on his back.

After there was no return fire and they had all apparently fled, we waited out the remainder of the night on guard duty as before. The next morning the scouts were lying dead not far from our foxhole. The survivors had retreated, leaving all their equipment behind, which included six heavy machine guns, mortars, tripods, rifles and grenades. Our men behind us said they thought we had probably been killed.

The saddest part of the whole incident to me was when the son of the old lady who had sung for Bru and me came to our camp that morning and said she had been killed by a stray Japanese bullet as she slept in her bed the night before.We were told later that our general was questioning a captured Japanese officer, who told him they were crossing the northern end of the island that night when they were attacked by a powerful regiment of marines, making it necessary for them to leave all their equipment and disband. The general replied, "What would you say if I told you that you ran into three marines"? Jellyroll's wandering ways had helped pay off.

After World War II was over the three of us were sent back to the United States by separate routes, and it was approximately 43 years before we heard from each other again. My bag with addresses in it was lost at sea and their's were lost somewhere, too.Then Jellyroll, who had moved to California, saw the name of Ernest Brunetto from Phoenix, Arizona, on a list of new members of a marine organization. He called to see if it could be Bru, and it was. His job had transferred him to Phoenix. They met at a marine convention in California and wondered how they might get in touch with me. The only name they knew was Peaches Carr and they remembered I was from Toomsboro, Georgia. So in a few days a letter arrived in my mailbox addressed as follows: "Peaches Carr; Street Address Unknown; Toomsboro, Georiga.

They said they had no idea I would receive it, but it came without a problem, although no one in Georgia had ever heard me called Peaches. It could have happened only in a town the size of Toomsboro, where all of us, including the postmaster, knew just about all there was to know about the rest of us."

Click article or photo for enlargement

Photos - O. C. Weaver and Daughter JoAnn

2007-10-01T09:29:00.000-04:00

Click a photo for enlargement

O. C. Weaver in doorway of his grocery store in Toomsboro

JoAnn in front of O. C. Weaver house in Toomsboro

Wild Ride to Irwinton

2007-06-20T10:37:00.000-04:00

When the Judy Ruth Theater opened in Irwinton (sometime during the 1940's) it opened up new entertainment possibilities for Toomsboro folks. I was fortunate to have an adopted (second) set of parents in Barney and Cora Mae Dean, who would take me to the movies, sometimes twice in one week. But like other Toomsboro boys, I sometimes hitched a ride with anyone headed toward Irwinton. One evening I was waiting by the blinking traffic light at the intersection of Highway 57 and 112 for a ride to Irwinton when Buddy Lawson stopped and picked me up. He was driving a stripped-down pick-up truck and already had one passenger - little Robert Fordham. Buddy always seemed in a hurry, and that time was no exception. He'd pour on the gas on the upside of hills and let it spit sparks and sound off on the down sides, and he didn't put his foot on the brake pedal once between Toomsboro and Irwinton. When we got to the top of the hill that ran by the Irwinton School and on down into Irwinton, I said," Buddy, you better use your brakes on this hill if you don't want to get a ticket for speeding or driving with a busted muffler."
"Bo", he said, "I would, but the brakes don't work."
"You got to joking with me", I said.
"Nope", he said; he pushed the brake pedal to the floor board and it was just like the brakes were disconnected - no effect on the speed of the truck. I guess my alarm was obvious and Buddy and Robert had a good laugh at my expense. Buddy geared the truck down as we went down the hill and managed to get it stopped at the intersection of the McIntyre Highway. When we got to the theater, I thanked Buddy for the ride and told him I already had a ride back to Toomsboro. It was a little white lie, but I knew I'd rather walk back home than take a chance on riding back with him.

Toomsboro Soda Fountain - Photos

2007-05-26T06:27:00.001-04:00

These are photos of the Toomsboro Soda Fountain which is now an exhibit at the New World of Coca Cola in Atlanta. The photos were sent to me by Larry Ware, the son of Clyde Ware and grandson of Doctor A. D. Ware.

Update on Toomsboro Soda Fountain

2007-05-23T10:56:00.001-04:00

Below is an E-mail message I received from Larry Ware, a grandson of Doctor A. D. Ware.

"I saw your blog on my Grandfather's soda fountain and It will be in the New World of Coke opening this Thursday. Here is a link and you can see it on the internet. Clyde Ware was my father and I was down there for AD Ware day last year.

http://www.woccatlanta.com/#virtualtour

There was a few photos in last Sundays Atlanta Journal Constitution and I plan on attending the opening ceremonies and will try to get a picture to send to you if you like .

On the first floor [level one of the web page] go the the light blue section toward the bottom of the screen and there are two images there the second one is of the soda fountain.

Larry Ware"

Toomsboro Drug Store Soda Fountain Bar

2007-05-21T11:16:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago I talked with Red Carr who told me that he, Marlene Lord Thompkins, and Jimmy Lord were interviewed recently by reporters from TV Station WXIA in Atlanta about the Toomsboro Drug Store Soda Fountain Bar. I think he said that the interview would be aired by WXIA this coming Thursday; I don't recall the time, and I might be wrong about the date. If you have more accurate or any additional information about this matter, leave me a comment at the end of this article or send me an E-mail message at bobillw@cox.net.

Many Toomsboro folk, including myself, remember sipping milk shakes and eating ice cream at the soda foutain bar in the Toomsboro Drug Store which was operated by Doctor and Mrs. A. D. Ware. I remember sitting and watching with sweet anticipation as Mrs. Ware mixed up the wonderful concoction that would become a milk shake or scooped ice cream onto either a single or double-barreled cone. Whether you got a single or a double, as I recall, depended on whether you had a nickel or a dime to spend. The Toomsboro Soda Fountain has been recognized as an important historical object and is on display in a museum in Atlanta.

Clara Mae Hall - Some Clarification

2007-05-19T20:35:00.000-04:00

Since my last post about Clara Mae Hall, I have checked the records of the church cemetery where she is buried and talked to Nan Martin Hall, the widow of Clara Mae's brother. Some of the facts of her life and the circumstances of her death are clearer now, and this post is meant to correct discrepancies in earlier posts.

Clara Mae graduated from Toomsboro High School in 1944. She went on to graduate from the Georgia State College for Women (GSCW - now Georgia College) in Milledgeville (most likely in 1948). After graduation, she did an internship as a dietician in Memphis, Tennessee, and then took a job at the Veteran's Hospital in Richmond, Virginia.

Clara Mae spent the weekend of September 29 and 30, 1951 with her family in Toomsboro. On Sunday afternoon Robert Zorn, a friend (probably her fiancee) was driving her to the Atlanta Airport where she planned to take a flight to Richmond. Their car was struck by another car in Conyers, Georgia and Clara Mae was killed.

If you click on the link below and then scroll down and click on the Poplar Springs Church Cemetery link you will see the following information listed for Clara Mae:

Clara Mae Hall November 20, 1927 - September 30, 1951

http://friendsofcems.org/Wilkinson/

The members of Clara Mae's immediate family, her grandmother Lilly Hall and Aunt Willie Mae Hall are all listed. Nan Martin Hall, her brother Stutz's widow, is also listed, without a date of death, because she is still living.

The stately two-story house where Clara Mae was brought up is still standing; it's next door to the Swampland Opry building in Toomsboro. The merchandise store that her parents operated for several decades is still one of the most recognizable buildings in Toomsboro. The Toomsboro High School where she graduated has been replaced by a nursing home, and the Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville is now Georgia College, a coeducational institution.

Photo of Clara Mae Hall

2007-05-02T18:36:00.001-04:00

This is the senior class photo of Clara Mae Hall - Georgia State College for Women (now Georgia College) in Milledgeville. The college provided the photo to Marsha Stutts, whose father, L. L. McMichael, was a friend of Clara Mae's. Clara Mae was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Murray Hall of Toomsboro who ran a general merchandise store in Toomsboro for many years. She was killed in an auto accident in Conyers, Georgia, on September 30, 1951.

Clara Mae Hall Remembered Fondly

2007-05-02T10:18:00.000-04:00

Below is the running texts of some E-mail messages exchanged recently between myself and a Marsha Stutts of Aiken South Carolina - that I thought might be of interest.

"May 2, 2007
Marsha,

Thank you for your response. Looks like you might have sufficient information to know with right much certainty that Clara Mae Hall was your father's fiancée.

Here are some additional thoughts that might interest you and your father:

The Hall family was well-to-do and one of the most affluent and influential families in Wilkinson County (Irwinton is the county seat). Mr. Hall was the brother of Miss Willie Mae Hall, the legendary first grade teacher who taught first grade children in Toomsboro for several decades. See the Toomsboro School page of my web site for comments about this extraordinary lady. She would have taught Clara Mae and her brother who, by the way, was nicknamed Stutts.

Clara Mae's death was the second major blow to the Hall Family. I'll never forget hearingStutts console his mother right after they got the news that Clara Mae had been killed: "mama,"
he kept repeating, "you still have me." He had been in an automobile accident a few years earlier while attending Abraham Baldwin College in Tifton; his back was broken and he was unable to walk forthe remainder of his life - although he was active around the county in politics and business. He married a young lady from McIntyre, and they lived in a large two-story house on Route 112 about half way between Stevensville and Toomsboro - only a few miles from the Poplar Springs Church.

I recall Clara Mae as a pretty young lady, and she was well thought of around Toomsboro. That tragic accident near Atlanta that cut short a life with so much promise, also changed the course of many other lives - not the least of which was your father's.

I am posting the complete text of our E-mail exchange, because I believe the content will be of interest to many people who remember the Hall family.

Yours,

Bill (Bo) Weaver
-------------------------------------------------------

May 1, 2007
Bill,

Thank you for the information. After I emailed you I talked with the kind folks in special collections at Georgia State College. They also referenced Clara Mae Hall as the only young lady from Toomsboro that graduated from there in the time period I specified. After much research, I found a listing for her on Ancestry.com. The thing that really confused my father was that the date of death for her in Ancestry.com was listed as September 30, 1951. My mother and father were married by then and expecting their first child (my older sister) in December 1951. I noticed that you give the date as 1949 or 1950. The year 1949 fits with everything daddy remembers. He tells me that her death upset him so that he went to the midwest for a year and worked out there to try and forget. He did not even attend the funeral and I think that might be the reason all of this has come up. My mother passed away in 1997 and he is beginning to remember things that were buried long ago with Clara Mae's death. I did find the cemetary on the map, just south of Toomsboro off of GA 112. None of the Hall family is listed as being interred in the cemetary, so it took me a while to dig it all up (no pun intended).

Again, thank you for taking the time to write.

Sincerely,
Marsha Stutts
---------------------------------------------
April 30, 2007

Dear Marsha,

Since your father apparently does not remember the girl's maiden name, I assume it's also possible that he doesn't have all the other information about her absolutely correct.
Anyway the girl and the information that I describe below sounds close to the mark.

The girl I have in mind is Clara Mae Hall. Her father and mother were Mr. and Mrs.Murray Hall who ran a merchandise store in Toomsboro. Clara Mae is mentioned several times in the Toomsboro School history at:

http://www.billweaver.net/Toomsboro-X/Schools/main-school-toomsboro.htm

Clara Mae was in the same class as one of my relatives who is 80 years old - and would, therefore, have graduated from Toomsboro High School in 1944 or 1945.I don't know where Clara Mae went to college or what she studied, but I believethat she was working as a dietician in Atlanta when she died. I was visiting ClaraMae's brother, Murray, Jr. at the home of the Halls the night (in 1949 or 1950, I believe) when they got the news that Clara Mae had been killed in an automobile accident near Conyers (outside of Atlanta). It was my understanding that she was engaged at the time.

Clara May is buried at the Poplar Springs Church near Toomsboro, together with her father, mother, and brother. I have an uncle who is buried there and I visited the cemetery within the last year. If you believe this is the girl to whom your father was engaged and decide to visit the Poplar Springs cemetery, I'll be glad to give you directions on how to get there.

A photo of the Hall Merchandise Store in Toomsboro is on the home
Page of my Toomsboro web site.

http://www.billweaver.net/Toomsboro-X/Toomsboro%20-%20GA.htm

Bill (Bo) Weaver
Hampton, Virginia(757) 826-4577
----------------------------------

April 29, 2007

Hi, [Bobill]

I stumbled upon your web page while looking for anything about the Toomsboro High School. Specifically I am trying to locate anyone still living who might remember a young lady by the name of Eva Mae (sorry no last name) who graduated from there around 1946-48. Her father had a store there in Toomsboro. I know that Eva Mae went to college in Milledgeville Ga. at the Georgia College for Women.

She was engaged to my father (L. L. McMichael), but was killed in a pedestrian accident in Atlanta right outside his apartment building. She had come for a visit from Nashville, TN where she worked in a hospital. Dad is now 80 years old and would like to visit her gravesite, but without a last name it has been hard to locate.

If you know of anyone still living that might remember Eva Mae's last name and/or where she is interred, I would greatly appreciate the help. Thanks so much for your time.

Sincerely,

Marsha M. Stutts
Aiken, SC"

Good Work In Wilkinson County

2007-04-18T07:12:00.000-04:00

This is an excerpt from an E-mail message I received recently from a relative in Dublin; it's about good people doing good work.

"I wanted to let you know - we have heard some great reports on the good work the Red Cross has been doing in Wilkinson County. We hear these reports after they have been told by several different people, but I know they have got to be true. There are lots and lots of good things happening in the world. What has gone on in Wilkinson County is a good example."

Updates on Wilkinson County Storm

2007-03-09T06:47:00.000-05:00

According to one source, the man referred to as Julian Hector in the WMAZ article that I referenced in my March 6 posting is Julian Helton who was a star basketball player at Toomsboro High School. The source knows a man who has 100 acres of land off HWY 441 that is littered with debris and trees that were blown down, but expects the man to have it cleaned up soon. The source says everyone has been working very hard to clean up around the homes that were hit. The community has really pulled together, and the churches in the area have a cleanup day planned for Saturday. Again, I mention that the American Red Cross welcomes your donations of money and blood.

Recent Storm in Wilkinson County

2007-03-06T18:19:00.000-05:00

A severe storm hit an area near Ga Hwy 112 in Nickelsville on March 1, causing substantial property damage, but no loss of life. The American Red Cross has been working in the area of the storm, and I know they would appreciate your donations of both money and blood.

The WMAZ link below has an informative article about the storm, and when you go to the link, take the time to click on the video, which is also good.

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local_story.aspx?storyid=36151

If you have additional information on this storm, include it as a comment to this post or send me an E-mail at bobillw@cox.net

Edwin Boone Passes

2007-02-11T19:49:00.000-05:00

I just learned from Sharon Boone Hamner that her Uncle Edwin Boone recently passed away. Edwin was the youngest brother of James, Joe, and Buck Boone. They were the sons of Alex Boone, Sr. who served in the Georgia State Legislature and founded The Wilkinson County News. BW

Toomsboro Cited In New York Times Article

2007-02-11T15:32:00.000-05:00

The paragraphs below begin a very interesting article by Lawrence Downes that appeared in the February 4th issue of the New York Times.

Lawrence Downes is an editorial writer at the Times.

THE sun was white above the trees, and sinking fast. I was a few miles past Milledgeville, Ga., somewhere outside of Toomsboro, on a two-lane highway that rose and plunged and twisted through red clay hills and pine woods. I had no fixed destination, just a plan to follow a back road to some weedy field in time to watch the sun go down on Flannery O'Connor's Georgia.

Somewhere outside Toomsboro is where, in O'Connor's best-known short story, ''A Good Man Is Hard to Find,'' a family has a car accident and a tiresome old grandmother has an epiphany. The fog of petty selfishness that has shrouded her life clears when she feels a sudden spasm of kindness for a stranger, a brooding prison escapee who calls himself the Misfit.

Of course, that's also the moment that he shoots her in the chest, but in O'Connor's world, where good and evil are as real as a spreading puddle of blood, it amounts to a happy ending. The grandmother is touched by grace at the last possible moment, and she dies smiling.

''She would of been a good woman,'' the Misfit said, ''if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.''

O'Conner's short stories and novels are set in a rural south where people know their places, mind their manners and do horrible things to one another. It's a place that somehow hovers outside of time, where both the New Deal and the New Testament feel like recent history. It's soaked in violence and humor, in sin and in God. He may have fled the modern world, but in O'Conner's he sticks around, in the sun hanging over the tree line in the trees and farm beasts, and in the characters who roost in the memory like gargoyles. It's a land haunted by Christ--not your friendly hug-me Jesus, but a ragged figure who moves from tree to tree in the back of the mind, pursuing the unwilling.

The article is a bit long , but I'm copied most of it here - because I find it very interesting and instructive.

O'Connor was a misfit herself, as a Roman Catholic in the Bible Belt, a religiously devout ironist writing for nonbelievers. She liked to gently mock the redneckedness of her surroundings. ''When in Rome,'' she once wrote, ''do as you done in Milledgeville.''

But Milledgeville is not the backwoods. It's a city of 19,000, on the Oconee River in Baldwin County, 30 miles from Macon. It is the former capital of Georgia, trashed by General Sherman on his March to the Sea. It has a huge state psychiatric hospital and a prominent liberal-arts college, Georgia College and State University. The old Capitol building is now home to a military school. There is a district of big antebellum homes with columns and fussy flowerbeds. Oliver Hardy lived here when he was young and fat but not yet famous.

Milledgeville now looms huge beyond these modest attributes because of O'Connor, or Mary Flannery, as she was known in town. Her output was slender: two novels, a couple dozen short stories, a pile of letters, essays and criticism. But her reputation has grown steadily since she died. Her ''Complete Stories'' won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1971. Her collected letters, ''The Habit of Being,'' banished the misperception that she was some sort of crippled hillbilly Emily Dickinson. They revealed instead a gregarious, engaged thinker who corresponded widely and eagerly, and who might have ranged far had illness not forced her to stay home and write........

O'Connor learned her craft at the University of Iowa and at Yaddo, the writer's colony in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. She lived for a while in Connecticut with the poet Robert Fitzgerald and his wife, Sally, and thought she was leaving the South behind.

But she got sick, and went home to Andalusia, four miles north of Milledgeville.
Andalusia was a working dairy farm run by Flannery's mother, Regina, who as a prominent widow businesswoman was something of a novelty in town. No one has lived there since O'Connor died in 1964 and Regina moved back into downtown Milledgeville.

Strip malls have long since filled the gap between town and farm, and you now find Andalusia by driving past a Wal-Mart, a Chik-fil-A and a Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, where a man shot his wife and killed himself a few days before I arrived. You pass a billboard for Sister Nina, a fortune teller who reads palms in a home office cluttered with votive candles and pictures of Catholic saints. (To judge from one consultation, she is capable of divining that a visitor is a bearer of dark sorrows, but not exactly skilled at pinpointing what those sorrows might be.)

Across the highway from an America's Best Value Inn, a tiny sign marks the dirt road to Andalusia. I turned left, went through an open gate and there it was, a two-story white frame house with a columns and brick steps leading up to a wide screened porch. Through the screens I could see a long, tidy row of white rocking chairs.
I drove around back, between the magnolia and pecan trees, parked on the grass and walked back to the house past a wooden water tower and an ancient garage, splintered and falling in on itself.......

Back in Milledgeville's tidy downtown, I went to Georgia College and State University, which was Georgia State College for Women when O'Connor went there. The library displays her desk, paintings and other artifacts, and a librarian took me in the back to see her papers and books -- a daunting array of fiction, classics and Catholic theology. The book of Updike's poetry looked well read, but not as much as the Kierkegaard (''Fear and Trembling'' and ''The Sickness Unto Death''), whose binding was falling off.

I found Sacred Heart Church, where Flannery and Regina worshiped, and was amazed when the pastor, the Rev. Michael McWhorter, suggested that I come back the next morning for the funeral service of O'Connor's first cousin Catherine Florencourt Firth, whose ashes were coming home from Arizona. I sat quietly in a back row, then shrank into my jacket when Father McWhorter announced my presence from the pulpit. But the mourners, clearly accustomed to Flannery admirers, nodded graciously at me. The pastor had a shiny round head and tidy beard, and applied incense with medieval vigor, sending curls of sweet smoke around Mrs. Firth's urn until the tiny sanctuary was entirely fogged in.

I am not accustomed to crashing funerals, so I did not linger afterward. I was grateful for the kind offers from Mrs. Firth's relations to come back and visit longer next time.
My last stop was also O'Connor's: Memory Hill Cemetery, in the middle of town, where mother, father and daughter lie side by side by side under identical flat marble slabs. A state prison detail was prowling the grounds, trimming hedges. They had sloppily strewn oleander branches on Flannery's grave, which I brushed clean. I found a plastic bouquet to place at its head. I looked at the dates:

March 25, 1925
August 3, 1964

She died young, but not without saying what she wanted to say. I thought back to my journey the night before, when I captured the O'Connor sunset I had been looking for. I found a road that led down to the edge of a kaolin mine. Standing beside huge mounds of white chalky dirt, surrounded by deep treads left in the red clay by earth-moving machinery, I watched as a sentence from one of my favorite stories, ''A Temple of the Holy Ghost,'' slowly unfolded, as if for me alone:

''The sun was a huge red ball like an elevated Host drenched in blood and when it sank out of sight, it left a line in the sky like a red clay road hanging over the trees.''
By the road's edge I spied an unusual-looking vine. It was passion flower, with purple blossoms that look like a crown of thorns, and the nails for Christ's hands and feet. I picked a bunch of strands, with their immature fruit, like little green boiled eggs, and got back onto the road to Milledgeville, under a blackening sky, to put them in some water......

PIETY AND PEACOCKS WHERE TO STAY

Milledgeville has a lot of chain motels, but only one Antebellum Inn (200 North Columbia Street; 478-454-5400; www.antebelluminn.com), a stately bed-and-breakfast with big white columns, dark woodwork and four-poster beds with flowery linens. A co-owner, Jane Lorenz, is from Hawaii, a Southern state legendary for its hospitality, and when I stayed there the house echoed with sweet Hawaiian slack-key guitar music. Doubles from $99.......

WHERE TO EAT

Sylvia's Grille (2600 North Columbia Street; 478-452-4444; www.sylviasgrille.com) is steps from Andalusia's driveway, in a Wal-Mart shopping plaza, but it's no chain restaurant. It has wine tastings, live music and dishes like duck confit and cioppino. Lunch every day and dinner every day but Sunday. Dinner for two with wine is about $50.

Little Tokyo Steak House and Sushi Bar (2601 North Columbia Street; 478-452-8886) serves grilled steak and seafood and impressive sushi, which says as much about the worldliness of little Milledgeville as you need to know. Open for lunch every day but Saturday; dinner every day, for about $60, with sake or wine.

Firefly Cafe (321 Habersham Street; 912-234-1971), in Savannah, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and weekend brunch. An unassuming place with delicious food, especially the corn chowder with crab and the cranberry-pecan-spinach salad. Dinner for two with wine is about $60.

WHAT TO DO

Andalusia (2628 North Columbia Street; 478-454-4029; www.andalusiafarm.org) is open for tours on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and by appointment seven days a week. The 21-acre farm complex includes buildings in varying states of authentic decay, a pond, wild turkeys and snakes. The gift shop sells O'Connor's works, bumper stickers (''I'd Rather Be Reading Flannery O'Connor'') and cards bearing O'Connor epigrams, intricately lettered by her first cousin Frances Florencourt. My favorite: ''Total nonretention has kept my education from being a burden to me.''

Sacred Heart Catholic Church (110 North Jefferson Street NE; 478-452-2421), where O'Connor and her mother worshiped. Sunday Masses are at 9 and 11:15 a.m. and 5 p.m.
O'Connor's grave at Memory Hill Cemetery (300 West Franklin Street; www.friendsofcems.org/memoryhill) is on the east side in Section A, Lot 39. The cemetery is also the final resting place of Congressman Carl Vinson and of Edwin F. Jemison, the scrawny Confederate soldier whose doleful portrait is one of the best-known Civil War photographs.
Sister Nina (3054 North Columbia Street; 478-453-8288) offers crystals, palm and tarot readings by appointment.

The Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home (207 East Charlton Street, Savannah; 912-233-6014; www.flanneryoconnorhome.org), now closed for renovation, is to reopen in April.

WHAT TO READ

O'Connor's short stories and two novels, ''Wise Blood'' and ''The Violent Bear It Away,'' appear in numerous paperback editions and the Library of America has published her collected works. ''Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose'' includes essays and lectures in which O'Connor gives a reader invaluable insight into what she's doing. An essential companion is ''The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O'Connor,'' which is literate, self-deprecating and deadly funny.

In Milledgeville, you might want to prowl garage sales for signed first editions of ''Wise Blood,'' her first novel, which scandalized the society ladies of Milledgeville in 1952. They never expected young Mary Flannery to write such a strange book full of grotesque violence and occasional s-e-x. Craig R. Amason, a local expert on O'Connor, suspects that after the book signings and teas, quite a few copies ended up in attics, unread.

Arizona Man Remembers Toomsboro

2007-02-05T08:36:00.000-05:00

I recently received the following E-mail message from Joe in Phoenix, Arizona -

"Bobill -

Came across your Toomsboro page, sent to me by my brother. I live in Phoenix, AZ now, but I did live in Milledgeville from 1979-1983 (ages 7-11). There were many cold nights where my family and I took a drive out to Swampland for various and sundry deep-fried seafood items. I remember the HUGE logs in the fireplace - probably about 8' long, at least, unless my childhood memory is making it larger - and the great food.

I have great memories of Swampland, both the place itself, and of the drive out there on the two-lane highway, going out past all the people who left their Christmas lights on their front porch all year 'round (cf. Gretchen Wilson, Redneck Woman).

Great Page. Thanks for the memories!

Joe" [Brackman]

Red Carr - Recognized for Wartime Service

2006-11-06T11:14:00.000-05:00

You may know Winfred (Red) Carr as a long time resident of Toomsboro, but did you know he was singled out for recognition during WWII? The recognition came as a result of action on the island of Guam in 1944. I remember how proud I was when the news of Red's heroic action was announced at the Toomsboro Methodist Church one Sunday morning between Sunday school and the regular church service. I was proud, not just because he was from Toomsboro, but since his mother, Fannie Weaver Carr was my grand father's sister, he was also kin to me. To see a 1944 article from the Macon Telegraph and a photo of Red and his marine buddies, go to my website at http://www.billweaver.net - then click on Toomsboro, GA in the main menu.

Red also saw action during the battles of Iwo Jima and Boganville. I visited Red and his wife Geraldine recently, and when I mentioned his wartime service, he gave me his own account of the combat on the island of Guam that led to his recognition. Red, as usual, was modest and gave generous credit to his two buddies, Bru and Jellyroll. Now, you can read about it in Red's own words:

"In the fall of 1944 I was stationed with the Third Marine Division, Company C, on Guam in the Central Pacific doing "mop up" work. We had secured the island; therefore, organized resistance was supposed to have ceased, but unorganized pockets of resistance still flourished. It was our job at that time to clear them out.

Three of us were close buddies: Ernest Brunetto from Montclair, New Jersey, Abraham Schneider from Brooklyn, New York and I from Toomsboro, Georgia. But back then nobody was ever called by the name on his birth certificate - everybody had a nickname. Ernest was "Bru", Abraham was "Jellyroll", and I, being from Georgia, was "Peaches".

At the time, our company was encamped on the northern end of Guam. Bru, Jellyroll and I were part of the machine gun squad and were assigned to outpost duty about half a mile in front of the company. The Japanese hid during the daytime and moved about at night, so outpost duty meant night work for us with days spent doing pretty much what we wanted.

Jellyroll had always been a wanderer, so on this particular afternoon he wandered off in search of adventure while Bru and I chose to spend a good part of it visiting with an old native lady who lived nearby with her son. When we visited she would entertain us by playing her old piano and singing. I remember two of the songs were "You are my Sunshine" and "Onward Christian Soldiers". Guam had been under American rule for years until it was taken by the Japanese soon after Pearl Harbor, so the natives spoke English well.

Later that afternoon Jellyroll came riding in on a cart pulled by a water buffalo. He had hitched a ride with the old lady's son, whom he had run into along the way. Jellyroll began unloading boxes of hand grenades and trip flares he had picked up at the ammunition dump somewhere. Trip flares were not common outpost ammunition, but Jellyroll said he had a feeling we were going to have trouble that night and he brought them, along with extra hand grenades. We set the trip flares out that afternoon in front of the guard post in all directions.

By nightfall we were in our foxhole beside the trail with the machine gun in place and all our ammunition, including the extra boxes of hand grenades. We took turns with one watching and two resting. About midnight Jellyroll was watching when we heard him whisper, "Here come the S. O. B's." Just a few yards in front of us we could see the ouline of three Japanese scouts. Jellyroll opened fire with the machine gun, Bru with the carbine, and I grabbed the phone to alert the company, but the phone was dead. The three of us alternated operating the machine gun, the carbine, and throwing grenades as fast as we could. The other Japanese, who had been waiting some distance behind the scouts, were thrown into confusion and began running everywhere, setting off the trap flares as they ran over them. It sounded and looked like quite a war going on. In the light of the flares I could see one running with a heavy rice pot on his back.

After there was no return fire and they had all apparently fled, we waited out the remainder of the night on guard duty as before. The next morning the scouts were lying dead not far from our foxhole. The survivors had retreated, leaving all their equipment behind, which included six heavy machine guns, mortars, tripods, rifles and grenades. Our men behind us said they thought we had probably been killed.

The saddest part of the whole incicdent to me was when the son of the old lady who had sung for Bru and me came to our camp that morning and said she had been killed by a stray Japanese bullet as she slept in her bed the night before.

We were told later that our general was questioning a captured Japanese officer, who told him they were crossing the northern end of the island that night when they were attacked by a powerful regiment of marines, making it necessary for them to leave all their equipment and disband. The general replied, "What would you say if I told you that you ran into three marines"? Jellyroll's wandering ways had helped pay off.

After World War II was over the three of us were sent back to the United States by separate routes, and it was approximately 43 years before we heard from each other again. My bag with addresses in it was lost at sea and their's were lost somewhere, too.

Then Jellyroll, who had moved to California, saw the name of Ernest Brunetto from Phoenix, Arizona, on a list of new members of a marine organization. He called to see if it could be Bru, and it was. His job had transferred him to Phoenix. They met at a marine convention in California and wondered how they might get in touch with me. The only name they knew was Peaches Carr and they remembered I was from Toomsboro, Georgia. So in a few days a letter arrived in my mailbox addressed as follows: "Peaches Carr; Street Address Unknown; Toomsboro, Georiga.

They said they had no idea I would receive it, but it came without a problem, although no one in Georgia had ever heard me called Peaches. It could have happened only in a town the size of Toomsboro, where all of us, including the postmaster, knew just about all there was to know about the rest of us."

Doctor A. D. Ware Celebrated in Toomsboro

2006-11-02T21:33:00.000-05:00

On October 28, descendents and scores of former patients of Doctor A. D. Ware celebrated his life and service to the town of Toomsoboro. The photo shows the descendents who attended the get-together. It was held in the building that served as the doctor's office and drug store and was organized by Marlene Lord Tompkins who currently runs a shop in the building. Attendees shared memories of being treated by Doctor Ware and experiences they had during visits to the drug store to buy medicine or to enjoy a refreshment. Several people remembered the soda fountain where Mrs. Ware made delicious milk shakes and the comic books she would let them read while drinking their shakes. Some remembered being treated in the little office in one corner of the building and others remembered the doctor serving them cokes laced with castor oil. Not everyone was in agreement on the exact period that doctor Ware practiced medicine in Toomsboro, but they agreed it included most of the years from 1917 to 1953. There was total agreement that Doctor Ware and his family made a significant and important contribution to the town of Toomsboro and that they improved the lives of its people.

Marlene Tompkins Announces Dr. A. D. Ware Day

2006-09-29T12:54:00.000-04:00

Below is a modified version of a letter from Marlene Tompkins which announces the celebration of Doctor A. D. Ware, the physician who served Toomsboro for several decades.

Dear Friends,

We are planning Dr. A. D. Ware Day at the Toomsboro Drug Store at 3:00 PM on October 28. Please let me know if you were delivered by the doctor. If you have special memories of experiences with Dr. Ware or of your visits to the drug store, please send them to me - as soon as possible.

Marlene L. Tompkins
4118 Old Balls Ferry Road
Toomsboro, GA 31090

Historic Toomsboro Buildings

2006-09-28T20:50:00.000-04:00

Toomsboro Post Office With Drug Store in Background

Restored Hotel - adjacent to Clyde Dixon's store and Gene Lord's Grist Mill.