Today in History for Jan. 19, 2019

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Jan. 19, 1818 - The first legislature of the Alabama Territory convened at the Douglass Hotel in the territorial capital of St. Stephens. Attendance was sparse with 12 members of the House, representing seven counties, and only one member of the Senate conducting the business of the new territory.

  

Jan. 19, 1830 - LaGrange College in Franklin County, Ala. was chartered by the state legislature, and it eventually became the University of North Alabama. The college officially opened its doors to students on Jan. 11, 1830.

Jan. 19, 1861 – During the Civil War, the ordinance of secession was adopted at Milledgeville, Ga. at a special state convention by the Georgia State Legislature, making Georgia the fifth state to secede, joining South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama in seceding from the United States. The vote was 208-89 to leave the Union.

Jan. 19, 1884 – Excel, Ala. received its name when M.D. Harrison named its post office “Excel” because of the “excellent surrounding farmland and the possibility of future development.”

Jan. 19, 1885 – The Monroe Journal reported that during a public sale C.T. Simmons purchased the “Clausell place” on the south side of Monroeville, Ala. for $600.

Jan. 19, 1895 – The Monroe Journal office in Monroeville, Ala. received a visit from San Francisco native Frank C. Carpenter, who was walking from Cincinnati to Mobile “on a wager.” Carpenter left Cincinnati on Dec. 1 and under the conditions of the bet, he had to make the entire journey on foot and “without other pecuniary assistance than that he should earn while en route” by Jan. 30.

Jan. 19, 1906 - The Col. J.M. Falkner Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy was scheduled to hold a public meeting at the Conecuh County (Ala.) Courthouse on this Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. to commemorate the birthday of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Crosses of Honor were to also be presented to all veterans entitled to them. (Crosses of Honor were to be bestowed on all veterans holding certificates of eligibility.) A small fee of admission, 25 cents for adults and 15 cents for children, was to be charged for the benefit of the Soldiers Home at Mountain Creek. All veterans receiving Crosses of Honor were to be admitted free.

Jan. 19, 1909 - The second term of the Evergreen City School was scheduled to begin on this day. All patrons were asked to have their children bring the semi-annual matriculation fee of $5 on that day to the school. C.M. Dannelly was the Superintendent.

Jan. 19, 1909 - Company K was scheduled to meet at the Evergreen armory on this Friday night. Business of importance was to be conducted. P.M. Bruner Jr. was captain of Co. K.

Jan. 19, 1915 – The Conecuh County, Ala. United Daughters of the Confederacy Chapter met at the Evergreen, Ala. school to celebrate Robert E. Lee’s birthday and to confer Crosses of Honor on local Confederate veterans.

Jan. 19, 1918 – William Washington McConnico, 79, of Oak Hill died at his home, following an illness of several weeks. McConnico was the father of Dr. F.H. McConnico of Montgomery, who was in the reserve medical service of the army stationed at Camp Dix, New Jersey but was able to reach the bedside of his father before he died. Mrs. McConnico, the widow, was at the same time seriously ill. McConnico had been a lifelong resident of Wilcox County and was a well known planter. He was survived by his widow, two sons and two daughters - Dr. McConnico of Montgomery, Stonewall McConnico of Oak Hill, Miss Etta McConnico of Oak Hill and Mrs. Kate Jones of Oak Hill. McConnico was known throughout Wilcox County and had numbers of friends, who regretted to learn of his death. Quite a number of citizens attended the funeral services at Oak Hill on Sun., Jan. 20. Born on Aug. 12, 1838, he was buried in the Bethel Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Cemetery at Oak Hill.

Jan. 19, 1919 – During World War I, Army Sgt. James A. Powell of Georgiana, Ala. “died from disease.” He is buried in the He is buried in the Saint Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial, Thiaucourt-Regnieville, Departement de Meurthe-et-Moselle, in Lorraine, France.

Jan. 19, 1919 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Wiley Payne of Greenville, Ala. “died from disease.”

Jan. 19, 1919 – During World War I, Army Pvt. James Gibby of Barlow Bend in Clarke County, Ala. “died from disease.” He is buried in the Saint Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial, Thiaucourt-Regnieville, Departement de Meurthe-et-Moselle, in Lorraine, France.

Jan. 19, 1919 – Dr. Charles Brooks Thomas passed away at the age of 60 and was buried in the Thomaston Cemetery in Marengo County, Ala. Earlier in life, he bought a plantation where Thomaston, Ala. is now located and was appointed postmaster. Thomaston was named in his honor, and he had the land surveyed, laid out the town and served as the town’s first mayor.

Jan. 19, 1919 – The Rev. J.T. Brock of Thomasville was scheduled to visit the “Monroeville-Beatrice field” on this Sunday, preaching at Monroeville at 11 a.m. and at Beatrice at 7 p.m.

  

Jan. 19, 1922 – The Monroe Journal reported that A.C. Lee visited Tallahassee and Monticello, Fla. on business during the first of that week.

Jan. 19, 1922 – The Monroe Journal reported that a “partial shipment of the art glass and Florentine windows for the new Baptist church” had been received and were to be put in place shortly.

Jan. 19, 1929 – The Evergreen, Ala. Night Hawks basketball team beat the Mobile Rangers, 37-25.

Jan. 19, 1929 – Confederate veteran Solomon Monroe Long of Range, Ala. passed away and was buried in the Johnson Cemetery at Range. Born in Rutledge in Crenshaw County on April 26, 1842, he enlisted in Greenville at the age of 19 on April 16, 1862 and was in Co. B, 1st Battalion of Hilliard’s Legion. He fought at Chickamauga and was wounded on Sept. 20, 1863. He was transferred to Co. H of the 60th Alabama and was listed as sick at Knoxville on Nov. 28, 1863. He was listed as sick at Bean’s Station on Dec. 14, 1863 and was on the muster roll at Drewry’s Bluff, Va. on May 16, 1864 and at Petersburg, Va. on Jan. 1, 1865. He was later captured and sent to Point Lookout, Md. only to be paroled on May 27, 1865.

Jan. 19, 1930 - Alabama author Ann Deagon was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Jan. 19, 1932 – The Annual Conecuh County Farm Bureau meeting was held at the Conecuh County (Ala.) Courthouse at 10 a.m., immediately after that morning’s Cotton Mass Meeting. E.L. Albreast was president of the Conecuh County Farm Bureau.

Jan. 19, 1938 – Alabama State Representative Forrest Castleberry announced he would seek reelection in the May and June primaries. He was serving his first term in office, having been elected in 1934.

Jan. 19, 1949 – UMS’s varsity boys basketball team beat Evergreen High School, 33-27, in Mobile, Ala. Dickey Bozeman led Evergreen with 12 points.

Jan. 19, 1950 – The Evergreen Courant reported that a Burnt Corn man had gained worldwide recognition for an act of generosity. Joe McCarter of Burnt Corn sent a turkey to the late President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in November 1943. Joe thought everything was fine when he received a letter of thanks from Roosevelt through his private secretary, Gene Tully. What happened later came as a complete surprise to Joe. Roosevelt flew to Cairo, Egypt, late in November of 1943 for a meeting with Winston Churchill, then Prime Minister of Great Britain. And, it has been revealed by Elliott Roosevelt in his biography of his father, Joe’s turkey flew with the late president. In Elliott’s book, “As He Saw It,” it was reported that President Roosevelt had Churchill and other prominent leaders as his guests for Thanksgiving dinner. The president brought his own turkeys, among them a bird sent by “one Joe McCarter.” Elliott quoted his illustrious father as saying, “Can you imagine how surprised Joe’ll be, when he finds out how far his bird was flown, before it was eaten?” A number of world famous persons enjoyed some of Joe’s turkey. In addition to Roosevelt, Elliott and Churchill, Sara Churchill, Anthony Eden, Admiral William Leahy, Harry Hopkins, and others ate the Conecuh County turkey.

Jan. 19, 1950 – Evergreen High School’s varsity boys basketball team was scheduled to play Cuthbert (Ga.) on this Friday night at Memorial Gym in Evergreen, Ala. The game was scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m.

Jan. 19, 1953 - Jesse Owens of Alabama was named Illinois Athletic Commission secretary.

Jan. 19, 1956 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Specialist Third Class James A. Ansley, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Zell Ansley, 306 Perryman St., Evergreen, Ala., had been assigned to the 8225^th Army Unit’s Military Police Security Detachment in Pusan, Korea. Ansley, a veteran of 29 months of Army duty, arrived in the Far East in February 1955, from an assignment at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. He was a 1953 graduate of Evergreen High School.

Jan. 19, 1957 - J.U. Blacksher High School captured the “A” and “B” team championships during the annual Monroe County basketball tournament in Uriah on this Saturday. In the “A” team finals on this Saturday night, Blacksher, under the piloting of Coach James Allen, edged the Frisco City High School Whippets, 43-40. In the “B” team final game, which preceded the “A” squad match, the Bulldogs emerged champions by again stopping the Frisco City team, 40-33, in a tilt which went into overtime.

Jan. 19, 1959 – John Malcolm Patterson took the oath of office as Alabama’s 44th Governor. Patterson was administered the oath by Judge Walter B. Jones of Montgomery, Alabama’s senior circuit judge. Conecuh County had a float in the inaugural parade, and Evergreen High School’s band also marched in the parade.

Jan. 19, 1963 – Lee Roy Jordan of Excel was named Associated Press College Football Lineman of the Year in Columbus, Ohio.

Jan. 19, 1965 - Frank T. Salter began his new duties as Conecuh County’s Judge of Probate on this Tuesday morning. He succeeded Judge Lloyd G. Hart, who ended 18 years in the office the day before. Judge Salter was administered the oath of office by his brother, State Representative Wiley Salter, at 9:30 a.m. on Monday morning in a brief ceremony in the courtroom. Judge Salter made his first political bid a successful one in the spring of 1964 when he won the probate judge’s election. He ran a close second in the first primary in May and defeated Judge Hart in the runoff in June. He had no opposition in the general election in November 1964. Judge Salter was born and reared on a Conecuh County farm and was graduated from Lyeffion High School. He served overseas in the U.S. Army during World War II and was recalled to active duty and served overseas again during the Korean War.

  

Jan. 19, 1967 – The Monroe Journal reported that copies of its 200-page Centennial Edition were selling at a “rapid pace.” Single copies of the permanently bound Centennial were selling for $2 each when picked up at The Journal office and for $2.50 when mailed.

Jan. 19, 1971 - The Pinckney D. Bowles Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy met on this Tuesday in the home of Miss Elizabeth Riley with Mrs. Hunter Morgan co-hostess. The meeting was called to order by Mrs. Ray Owens, the president. Miss Demoval Hagood gave the program on “The Virginia Lees.”

Jan. 19, 1976 – Miss Voncile Ingram was named “Miss Rubicon” at the annual pageant on this Monday night at Evergreen High School and was to be featured in the school’s annual that year. The “top ten” in the pageant were Sharon Riley, Karen Palmer, Brenda Mitchell, Mollie Bradley, Ingram, Kathy Killough, Selinda Williams, Amy Gates, Cathy Hancock and Lisa Armstrong.

Jan. 19, 1978 – The Macon General Store Museum Collection in Andalusia, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Jan. 19, 1979 - Former U.S. Attorney General John N. Mitchell was released on parole after serving 19 months at a federal prison in Alabama.

Jan. 19, 1980 - Conecuh County’s Junior Miss, Cordella Johnson, was to represent the county in the state Junior Miss finals on this Saturday at 7 p.m. at Lee High School in Montgomery, Ala. Cordella was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alex Johnson and was crowned Conecuh County’s Junior Miss on Nov. 29, 1979. Cordella was to present a vocal selection, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” in the program.

  

Jan. 19, 1991 – On this Saturday night, the Sparta Academy Warriors, led by Tim Salter with 29 points and Mark Watts with 16 points, defeated Mobile Christian, 65-60.

Jan. 19, 1991 - New officers for the Conecuh County Cattlemen Association were installed at their annual banquet held at Sparta Academy. New officers included Joe Morrison, President; Thad House, Vice President; and David Jackson, Secretary-Treasurer.

Jan. 19, 1995 - The annual banquet for the Conecuh-Evergreen Chamber of Commerce was scheduled to be held on this Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Evergreen Inn. Griffin Lassiter, Director of the Alabama Resource Centers, was to be one of the featured speakers at the banquet along with Mr. Ed Pitchford of Alabama Power Company’s Community Development Division.

Jan. 19, 1999 – Former Evergreen coach Charles Kermit Branum, 58, was found dead in his home in Tillman’s Corner, Ala., murdered by escaped convicts Kathy R. Jenkins of Mobile and Leslie M. Fillingim of Eight Mile, Ala. Born on Dec. 1, 1940, he was buried in the Baptist Cemetery in Monroeville, Ala. Branum had served as head basketball coach of University of South Alabama’s womens team for 10 seasons, 1881-82 to 1990-91, with a 182-109 record.

Jan. 19, 2001 – Sparta Academy’s varsity boys beat Clarke Prep, 71-59, in Evergreen, and Sparta’s varsity girls beat Clarke Prep, 59-42. John McKenzie led Sparta’s boys with 15 points, and Katie Etheridge led Sparta’s girls with 29 points. Other top Sparta boys in that game included Jimmy Hyde, Chris Garner, Rusty Salter, Derrick Williams, Kyle Johnston and Justin Tranum. Top Sparta girls in their game included Jill Pate, Ashley Hammonds, Jessica Bennett, Laura Wiggins, Ashton Garner and Callie Ezell.

Jan. 19, 2001 - J.M. “Jack” Davis, 58, of Castleberry died. Davis was a member of the Air Force Reserves and a Vietnam Veteran.

Jan. 19, 2006 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Victor Calhoun, who had moved to Evergreen from Detroit, had announced his plans to field a minor league football team that would compete in one of two established semi-professional leagues. He said the team, which would consist of players from Conecuh, Monroe, Escambia, Butler, Covington and other surrounding counties, would either participate in the North American Football League (NAFL) or the Southern States Football League (SSFL). Calhoun, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., once played outside linebacker for the St. Louis Cardinals professional football team. He said he had helped organize and coach a minor league team in Detroit. Calhoun said negotiations were under way at that time with Conecuh County School Board officials to use the facilities at Hillcrest High School to hold the games at Brooks Memorial Stadium in Evergreen. Calhoun said that the team would be called the Evergreen Jaguars and would play a 10-game schedule. He said games would be played each Saturday at 7 p.m. Calhoun added that the organization was non-profit and the players would not be paid, which would allow them to remain eligible to compete at the college level if given the chance. Calhoun noted that both college and pro scouts attended minor league football games on a regular basis, looking for players who they thought had a chance to play college or professional ball. He said the team would hold a mini-camp in the weeks to come.

Jan. 19, 2006 – The Evergreen Courant reported that friends and fellow members of the Mobile Bar Association had found a way to honor Evergreen native and longtime Mobile County Judge Robert Gordon (Bobby) Kendall who lost his battle with cancer in October 2005. Kendall, who grew up in Evergreen, served as circuit judge in the 13^th Judicial Circuit for more than 20 years. He was the presiding judge of the circuit at the time of his death. A group of his friends in Mobile were working to create a perpetual scholarship at the University of Alabama Law School in his name.

Jan. 19, 2006 – The Monroe Journal reported that Monroeville found itself in the international spotlight once again that month thanks to a nine-page feature article in National Geographic about Monroeville and the stage version of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” National Geographic, a magazine with a total monthly circulation of 9.5 million copies that reached readers in 60 countries, sent senior writer Cathy Newman and photographer Michael Nichols to Monroeville in May 2005. The end result was a story in the magazine’s January 2006 issue titled “36460: To Catch a Mockingbird.” Jane Ellen Clarke was director of the Monroe County Heritage Museums at that time.

Jan. 19, 2010 – The Orange Beach Community Cemetery in Baldwin County was added to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register.

Jan. 19, 2010 - The Evergreen City Council, during a meeting on this Tuesday at Evergreen (Ala.) City Hall, voted unanimously in favor of a resolution “to celebrate the athletic achievement” of Drew Davis and named him as as the city’s special athletic ambassador. Davis, the University of Alabama’s starting right offensive tackle for the past two seasons, closed out his college football career on Jan. 7 when Alabama claimed its 13^th national championship with a 37-21 win over Texas in the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, Calif.

Jan. 19, 2013 – Former Major League Baseball infielder Milt Bolling passed away at Providence Hospital in Mobile, Ala. at the age of 82. Born on Aug. 9, 1930 in Mississippi City, Miss., he went on to play for the Boston Red Sox, the Washington Senators and the Detroit Tigers. He attended Spring Hill College in Mobile and after his playing days, he spent more than 30 years with the Red Sox, including time as an area scout based in Alabama.

Jan. 19, 2015 – Around 5:30 a.m. in Greenville in Butler County, Ala., a UFO witness said he went outside with his dog and saw a “real, bright light” overhead at an estimated 10,000 feet. The light increased in brightness and then flew off into the sky, the witness said.