Today in History for Feb. 9, 2019

Feb. 9, 1739 – William Bartram, one of America’s first professional botanists, was born near Philadelphia, Pa. Between 1773 and 1777, he went on a botanical and anthropological expedition through the Southeast, including Alabama, passing through Butler, Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties. He published the famous book, Bartram’s “Travels” in 1791.

Feb. 9, 1798 – Jephtha Vining Perryman was born in Twiggs County, Ga. He would go on to serve as a legislator, judge and education superintendent in Conecuh County, Ala. He died in 1861 and is buried in the Old Evergreen Cemetery.

Feb. 9, 1818 – Dallas County, Ala. was created by the Territorial Legislature.

Feb. 9, 1852 – The Conecuh Plank Road Co. was officially incorporated.

Feb. 9, 1861 – This day’s edition of Harper’s Weekly magazine included a sketch of U.S. Representative James Adam Stallworth of Evergreen, Ala.

  

Feb. 9, 1861 - Fort Pickens, Fla. refused to receive the Federal troops that arrived on the steamer, Brooklyn, in order to maintain the status quo of that situation.

Feb. 9, 1861 – David Wardlaw Ramsey, 20, enlisted as a first lieutenant in the Wilcox True Blues. Born on Jan. 14, 1840 in Oak Hill, he went on to serve with Co. B of the First Alabama Artillery. He married Emma Virginia Hawthorne on Jan. 24, 1866 and died at the age of 76 on March 9, 1916 in Pine Apple. He is buried in the Ebenezer Methodist Cemetery in Wilcox County.

   

Feb. 9, 1892 - Commissioners appointed under order of the probate court granting the right of way to the Bear Creek Mill Co. for constructing a ditch through the lands of Messrs. Slaughter & Slaughter met in Monroeville on this Tuesday and assessed the damages against the Bear Creek Mill Co. at $300.

  

Feb. 9, 1903 - Alabama's last county, Houston County, was created by act of the legislature. Formed from parts of Dale, Geneva, and Henry counties in the extreme southeastern corner of the state, it was named for former Gov. George S. Houston. The city of Dothan was made the county seat.

Feb. 9, 1905 – The Monroe Journal reported that the “Misses Patrick” had removed their millinery establishment to the building formerly occupied by Dr. Lovett. Mr. J.E. Smith also moved his store to the building formerly occupied by the Patricks.

Feb. 9, 1905 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from the Beatrice community, that the smallpox “seems to have died out; it has been alarmingly near us this winter, one case of it was domiciled within a hundred yards of us.” Also, “our town is very quiet now, there have been no disturbances here lately. Beatrice has quite a reputation for brawls, but it is made by people who do not live here. So many from the surrounding country come here for different purposes. The residents are peaceful, law abiding citizens.”

Feb. 9, 1905 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from the Natchez community, that “Mr. McMillan’s bird dog is sick. If it does not recover, what will the hunters do for sport?”

Feb. 9 1905 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from the Glendale community, that “farmers of this section are preparing to start their crops, such as clearing and rolling logs. But most of them have a sad countenance about the low price of cotton and say they are going to reduce their crops.”

Feb. 9, 1915 - The third attraction in the Lyceum series was presented at the Monroe County High School auditorium in Monroeville, Ala. Wells Watson Ginn appeared in the “varied and entertaining role of impersonator and reader.”

Feb. 9, 1916 – A student performance of the three-act comedy, “Miss Fearless and Co.,” was performed at the Monroe County High School auditorium on this Wednesday evening with Miss Eppes as preceptress.

Feb. 9, 1917 - Dr. Rayford A. Smith of Wainwright was among Monroeville, Ala. friends on this Friday.

Feb. 9, 1930 - A movie version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book “The Other Tomorrow” was released.

Feb. 9, 1930 – According to The Monroe Journal, a burglar entered the grocery store of Dr. G.C. Watson on this Sunday night and carried away a considerable amount of goods. Entry was made through the floor, enough of the flooring planks being raised to allow a person to squeeze through. From the inside, the rear door was opened and an exit effected in that way.

Feb. 9, 1933 – The Monroe Journal reported that repair work on the damage to the vault of the Beatrice bank, due to the work of robbers the previous week, was almost complete. The robbers had not been apprehended nor the loot of about $500 recovered as of Feb. 9.

Feb. 9, 1939 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Robert Fields, 60, of McKenzie, Ala., was being held in Conecuh County Jail on a charge of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing two weeks before of his 20-year-old wife, Eva Bell. Bell was found on the shoulder of Highway 31, one mile south of the Conecuh-Butler county line, on the night of Jan. 27, stabbed to death near the heart with an ice pick, or similar instrument. Fields, who sometimes went by the name of Mayweather, disappeared from his home on the night the body was found and authorities immediately instituted a search. Using bloodhounds obtained from the sheriff of Butler County and with the aid of two highway patrolmen, Sheriff J.G. Moore and his deputies found Fields on Feb. 7 near Nymph, after receiving reports he had been seen in that vicinity.

Feb. 9, 1942 - Dr. S.J. Hocking delivered an interesting lecture on the war situation at the Monroe County High School auditorium on this Monday night. A large audience coming from all parts of the county enjoyed the lecture, according to The Monroe Journal.

  

Feb. 9, 1954 – Evergreen High School’s varsity boys basketball team, led by head coach Wendell Hart, improved to 11-5 on the season by beating Repton, 51-48, in Repton, Ala. on this Tuesday night. Repton, led by head coach Albert Arnold, dropped to 14-2 on the season with the loss. Randy White led Evergreen with 26 points. Other top Evergreen players in that game included Ward Alexander Jr., Wayne Douglas, Jimmy Frazier and Hosea King. Ray Blackwell led Repton with 17 points. Other top Repton players in that game included Paul Brantley, Billy Farrish and Roger Kearly. Repton center Harry Giles led the game at halftime after becoming ill and it was later determined that he had appendicitis.

Feb. 9, 1955 – Evergreen High School’s varsity boys basketball team, fielding a much taller team and hitting a deadly percentage of their shots, easily whipped the Lyeffion Yellow Jackets, 86-24, in Memorial Gym on this Wednesday night. The Aggies, led by lanky Randy White, jumped to an early 33-6 lead in the first quarter. White poured through 13 points in the first frame, closely followed by Tommy Melton with eight points. The Evergreen five slowed down the pace in the second quarter, scoring only 12 points, but the Yellow Jackets had trouble finding the bucket and scored only one point. The Aggies left the court at halftime with a 45 to 7 lead. Evergreen center Randy White had his best night of the season as he made 19 of 24 free throws and eight field goals for his high of the year of 35 points. Tommy Melton followed White with 16 points. Jimmy Frazier, before leaving the game via the foul route, contributed 14 points followed by Wayne Frazier with six points; Ward Alexander, Buck Lewis and Wayne Douglas with four points each. Ronnie Edson with two points and Robert King with one finished up the Aggie scoring. Tomlinson and Jones tied for Lyeffion’s top men with seven points each. Anthony, Brantley and Coker with three points each and Covin with one point rounded out the Lyeffion scoring.

Feb. 9, 1957 - Miss Delores Jay of Uriah, Monroe County’s 1956 “Good Citizenship Girl,” was to represent the county in Montgomery when the state “Good Citizenship Girl” was chosen by lot. Miss Gaylyn Lambert was “Good Citizenship Girl” for the Excel School. The annual selection of high school senior girls for the title from all school systems in the state was sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

  

Feb. 9, 1961 – Former pro and college football player Lum Snider spoke to the Evergreen, Ala. Rotary Club. Snider, a native of Cleveland, Tenn., was an All-SEC and All-American guard at Georgia Tech. He went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles and later coached for the British Columbia Lions in Vancouver. At the time of his visit to Evergreen, he was an International Paper Co. salesman and a resident of Birmingham.

Feb. 9, 1963 - The eighth annual Moore Academy Homecoming Celebration was scheduled to be held at Pine Apple, Ala. on this Saturday. The Moore Academy Hawks were also scheduled to play the Camden Tigers in the annual basketball game to get under way at 7 p.m.

   

Feb. 9, 1967 – The Monroe Journal reported that Steam Propulsionist Bruce A. Petty, CSN, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard O. Petty of Monroeville, had returned to San Diego, Calif., as a crew member aboard the attack aircraft carrier Constellation, after a seven-month cruise with the U.S. Seventh Fleet of the coast of Vietnam.

Feb. 9, 1967 – The Evergreen Courant reported that only nine more days remained for new subscribers to get a free copy of The Monroe Journal’s Centennial issue. Feb. 18 was definitely the last day the free copies would be given. After that time, all copies of the Centennial issue would be $2 (if mailed, $2.50). The issue contained 200 pages of pictures and historical information about Monroe County and its pioneer citizens. Hundreds of letters had been received from readers praising this publication.

Feb. 9, 1971 – Pitcher Leroy "Satchel" Paige of Mobile, Ala. became the first Negro League veteran to be nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame. In August of that year, Paige, a pitching legend known for his fastball, showmanship and the longevity of his playing career, which spanned five decades, was inducted.

   

Feb. 9, 1978 – The Monroe Journal reported that the number of people living in Monroeville would increase by 72 percent between 1978 and 1990, and Monroe County’s population was to go up by 62 percent during the same period, a planning consultant predicted that week. Bill Snowden, an Alabama-Tombigbee Regional Commission senior planner, estimated that Monroeville’s population would reach 6,860 in 1978 and 11,830 in 1990. He made the projections as part of a comprehensive plan for Monroeville that the regional commission staff was drafting and expected to present to the city planning commission in two weeks.

Feb. 9, 1980 - Sparta Academy won both the varsity boys and girls varsity games against McIntosh Academy in the Sparta Gymnatorium on this Saturday night, according to Sports Information Director Byron Warren Jr. The Warrior girls raced to an easy 50-29 victory with Missi Thacker scoring 17 points and Cathy Cope 10. Joining in on the scoring for Sparta were Karen Brown, seven; Cheri Johnson, six; Lynn Hyde, four; and Lindy Scott, Terry Blackmon and Missy Price, two each. Sparta’s boys beat McIntosh, 58-47, behind the shooting of Terry Shipp, 18 points, and Ronny McKenzie, 16. Terry Peacock and Richard Tate had eight each; Bobby Mason, four, and Trent Carrier and Jeff Johnson, two each.

Feb. 9, 1980 - Mrs. Daisy Hart Lee, 90, beloved, longtime resident of Evergreen, died in a Camden hospital on this Saturday. Lee and her husband, James J. Lee, who served as Tax Assessor of Conecuh County for over 30 years, had been living in Camden for the past several years due to their advanced years and declining health, making their home with a daughter. Mrs. Lee lived for many years on North Main Street in Evergreen, Ala.

Feb. 9, 1985 – Sparta Academy’s boys basketball team beat Wilcox Academy, 71-69, in the consolation game of the District Tournament at Monroe Academy in Monroeville, Ala. Sparta Academy’s Al Etheridge and Jim Wagstaff were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Feb. 9, 2014 – Former Auburn University center and linebacker Hal Herring died at the age of 89 in Cumming, Ga. Herring played at West Point High School in Cullman, Auburn University and for the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns.