Today in History for Jan. 8, 2019

Jan. 8, 1861 – Around midnight, Federal forces under the command of Lt. Adam J. Slemmer at Fort Barrancas in Pensacola, Fla. fired on a group of Florida State Troops who attempted to move on the fort. This action was unlike the peaceful forfeiture of Fort Marion in St. Augustine the previous day. Some historians suggest that these were the first shots fired by United States forces in the Civil War.

Jan. 8, 1905 – During a wedding in northeastern Monroe County, Ala., a man named Smith shot and killed John McClammy. Smith was also seriously wounded during the “row.”

Jan. 8, 1906 - United States Marshal G.B. Dennis of the Southern District of Alabama was in Monroeville on this Monday on official business, according to The Monroe Journal.

Jan. 8, 1908 – The Evergreen Courant reported, under the headline “Can’t Kill Robins,” that all hunters’ licenses for the year 1907 expired on Dec. 31 and those who hunted after Jan. 1, 1908 had to provide for themselves with a license for the new calendar year. Whether issued now or the next December the price of hunters’ license was the same. “Sportsmen appreciating this fact have begun already to duly equip themselves for the pursuit of the willy members of the fur and feathered tribes during the present year. Robins are protected by the game law and cannot be killed at any time. These birds migrate to southern climes and temporarily sojourn here during the winter and spring; they then return to the north, where they build their nests in orchards and near the habitation of man, and raise their young. Up north they are valuable to the farmers and destroy tons of noxious weeds and injurious insects. They are esteemed most highly as songsters, and are loved on account of their friendliness to man.”

Jan. 8, 1908 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Lt. W.H. Pritchett of the U.S. Marine Corps, stationed in Atlanta, and his sister, Miss Ree Pritchett, were in Evergreen visiting the family of their uncle, F.A. Pritchett, on Magnolia Street.

Jan. 8, 1909 - Alabama journalist Buford Boone was born near Newnan, Ga.

  

Jan. 8, 1918 - The remains of James Roberson were brought to Evergreen from Mobile on this day and were conveyed to the family burying ground in Mill beat for interment. He was a well-known citizen of that part of Conecuh County for many years but moved with his family to Mobile about two years before. Pneumonia was said to have been the cause of his death. He was about 60 years of age.

Jan. 8, 1918 - Laban Turk, a well-known citizen of Monroe County, died on this Saturday at the age of 87 years. The news was received in Evergreen by his brother-in-law, W.L. Stallworth.  Born on Sept. 30, 1830, he was buried in the Pineville Baptist Cemetery in Monroe County. Turk was said to have been a resident of Turkestan, where he served as Justice of the Peace and Postmaster. (Some sources indicate that he died on Jan. 26, 1918.)

Jan. 8, 1918 – The sad news reached Camden on this Tuesday night that Miss Myrtle Fail, who was a young lady attending school in Montgomery, was badly burned.

Jan. 8, 1929 – Confederate veteran Madison “Matt” Lambert, a Monroe County, Ala. native, died at the age of 86 at his home in Tallassee in Elmore County, Ala. Born in Claiborne on March 4, 1842, he went on to serve as a private with Co. A of the 42^nd Alabama Infantry Regiment. He enlisted on March 5, 1861 and was discharged on May 15, 1864 after being wounded at Resaca, Ga. His wound was so severe that he had to have his leg amputated below the knee. Lambert moved to Elmore County from South Alabama around 1876. He was buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Tallassee in Elmore County, Ala.

  

Jan. 8, 1931 – The Monroe Journal reported that Mr. C.H. McCall had purchased the house formerly occupied by Mr. C.D. Putnam. This house was partially destroyed by fire in November 1930 and was being rebuilt.

Jan. 8, 1932 – Bay Minette’s boys basketball team beat Evergreen High School, 22-18, in Bay Minette, Ala.

Jan. 8, 1932 – Evergreen High School’s girls basketball team improved to 4-0 with a 33-9 win over Georgiana High School. Team captain Althea Kelly led Evergreen with 22 points.

Jan. 8, 1933 – Fate on this Sunday in Shanghai intervened and probably saved the lives of Ellis Shannon of Evergreen, who had become an airman, and his bride of three weeks. A plane crash which brought death to the bride of young Shannon’s “buddy,” who was wed in a double ceremony with Shannon on Dec. 22, and in which crash the husband of the victim was critically injured, was averted by Shannon and his wife by an unusual twist of the fate brought tragedy to their friends. The foursome had planned an airplane trip from Shanghai to Hangchow, but just before the departure, according to an Associated Press dispatch to The Mobile Register on this Sunday night, Shannon and his bride decided to go by train and meet their friends in Hangchow. On the outskirts of Shanghai, before the plane had risen 50 feet off the ground, for reasons unknown, the craft nose-dived and crashed into the bank of the Whangpoo River, overturning. The victim was Mrs. Christopher Mathewson Jr., whose husband is the son of the late renowned New York Giants baseball player. The bride, whose home was in Philadelphia before her wedding in Shanghai, was crushed and died half an hour later. On Dec. 22, Mathewson and Shannon celebrated their double wedding in Shanghai. The two youths had become fast friends in their aviation endeavors, and they were instructors in the national government aviation school at Hangchow. Ellis Shannon was the son of Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Shannon, the father being a prominent sawmill man of Evergreen. Interested in flying since his early youth, young Shannon had made rapid progress in aviation since he entered school of flying, after attending the public schools at Evergreen.

Jan. 8, 1953 – Coach Ray Owens’ Conecuh County High School boys basketball team improved to 6-2 on the season with a 39-37 win over Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Ala. Shirley Frazier led Evergreen with 17 points, and James Jernigan led CCHS with 11 points. CCHS forward Lamon Reeves scored the winning shot with five seconds left in the game. Evergreen, under Coach Wendell Hart, fell to 5-4 on the season.

Jan. 8, 1960 – Widely known educator and former Evergreen, Ala. resident Dr. Clarence M. Dannelly, 70, died on this Friday, a “victim of a lingering heart disease.” According to The Evergreen Courant, Dannelly “was nationally known in educational circles.” He served as superintendent of Montgomery city and county schools from 1936 until his retirement in 1958 and served as principal at Evergreen High School, Etowah County High School, as educational representative of Rand, McNally Co., as a staff member of the State Department of Education, as president of Kentucky Wesleyan College and he taught history and philosophy of education for two years at the University of Alabama. He also served one term as vice president of the National Education Association.

Jan. 8, 1960 – Union High School of Monroeville beat Conecuh County Training School’s boys basketball team, 73-64, in Evergreen, Ala. Douglas Evans led CCTS with 21 points, and Robert Martin followed with 14 points. Standout Union players included Richardson, a guard.

  

Jan. 8, 1973 – Army SFC William Sherril Stinson of Georgiana, Ala. was declared missing in action in Vietnam.

Jan. 8, 1977 – Weather reporter Earl Windham reported a low of 25 degrees in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 8, 1977 – Sparta Academy’s boys basketball team beat Evangel, 60-59, in Eight Mile near Mobile, Ala. Bobby Johnson led Sparta with 23 points.

Jan. 8, 1980 – Sparta Academy’s varsity boys and girls basketball teams recorded wins over Greenville Academy in Evergreen. Sparta’s boys won, 75-60, as Terry Shipp led with 31 points. Sparta’s girls won, 35-17, with Missi Thacker leading with 13 points.

  

Jan. 8, 1983 - Greenville Academy brought three basketball teams to the Sparta Academy Gymnatorium on this Saturday night, and the Tornados carried home three losses. The Sparta girls romped 35-18 over the Greenville ladies. The Sparta JVs had little trouble in handing a 45-26 loss to the Tornado junior varsity, and in the feature game of the night, the Sparta Warriors waltzed to a 75-40 win. Cheri Johnson was the only Warrior woman to score in double figures as he hit 10 points, but the other Sparta girls contributed rather evenly: Leah Carrier and Raye Gall, six each; Jan Coker, five; Dudley Melton, three; Tammy Booker and Tracy Holmes, two each; and Lynn Williams, one. Chris Blatz scored 22 points to lead the Warrior varsity blitz of the Tornados. Russ Brown with 13 and Joe McInvale with 11 were also double-figure scorers for Sparta. Al Etheridge had eight points; Vince Watts, Joey Johnson and Britt McNeill, four each; Ed Carrier, three; Dewan Salter and Connery Salter, two each; and Wes Brown and Russ Raines, one each.

  

Jan. 8, 1985 - Alabama author Wyatt Blassingame died in Bradenton, Fla.

Jan. 8, 1998 – Little Eva crash survivor Grady Gaston of Frisco City, Ala. passed away at the age of 77. During World War II, Gaston, a ball turret gunner, was one of the few survivors of bomber crash that occurred in Australia. Gaston survived in terrible conditions for nearly five months before being rescued, and he was later featured by “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”

   

Jan. 8, 2007 – The Franklin Cemetery in Butler County, Ala. was added to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register.

Jan. 8, 2008 - Several personnel changes in the Heritage Museums’ staff were approved by the Monroe County Commission during a meeting on this Tuesday in Monroeville. Jane Ellen Clark, museums director, announced that Assistant Director Dawn Crook had resigned effective Mon., Jan. 7, and asked the commissioners to approve the appointment of Stephanie Rogers as assistant director, which they did.

  

Jan. 8, 2011 - Evergreen’s Chris Hines grabbed 10 rebounds as the University of Alabama’s men’s basketball team opened SEC play on this Saturday with a 75-57 win over Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. Hines hauled in 10 rebounds for the Tide, which was his third double figure rebounding performance in the past four games. Hines also had seven points and an assist in the nationally televised game.