Dec. 19, 1606 – The Susan
Constant, the Godspeed,
and the Discovery departed
England carrying settlers who founded, at Jamestown, Virginia, the first of the
13 colonies that became the United States.
Dec. 19, 1675 - The Narragansett under Chief Canonchet were
“officially neutral” in King Philip’s War, not taking a side or fighting. Under
the command of Plymouth Governor Josiah Winslow, 970 Militia started attacking
the Naragansett villages in November. The main Narragansett fort was found on
this day and attacked by the militia. The fort was burned. Its inhabitants,
including women and children, were killed and most of the tribe’s winter stores
destroyed. “The Narragansett lose 600 dead, only
half of them warriors.” A few warriors and their families were able to escape
into the frozen swamp where hundreds more die from wounds combined with the
harsh conditions. The Colonists lost many of their officers in this assault and
about 70 of their men were killed and nearly 150 more wounded.
Dec. 19, 1732 - Benjamin Franklin began publishing
"Poor Richard's Almanac."
Dec. 19, 1741 – Along with 28 of his men, Danish-Russian
hydrographer and explorer Vitus Bering died, reportedly from scurvy, at the age
of 60, near the Kamchatka Peninsula on Bering Island, Russia.
Dec. 19, 1776 – Thomas Paine published one of a series of
pamphlets in The Pennsylvania Journal
entitled "The American Crisis,” and George Washington had the pamphlet
read aloud to his men at McKonkey’s Ferry on the Delaware River, opposite
Trenton, N.J.
Dec. 19, 1777 – During the American Revolutionary War,
George Washington's Continental Army went into winter quarters at Valley Forge,
Pa., 22 miles from British-occupied Philadelphia.
Dec. 19, 1817 - Confederate General James Archer was born in
Harford County, Maryland. When the Civil War broke out, he joined General John
Bell Hood’s Texas Brigade in the Confederate army and fought with the Army of
Northern Virginia throughout the war. He was captured at Gettysburg, and was
held in prisons in Ohio and Delaware, before being exchanged in August 1864.
Dec. 19, 1829 - The Georgia legislature enacted a series of
laws on this day that confiscated a large section of Cherokee land. The laws
also nullified Cherokee law within the confiscated area, banned further
meetings of the Cherokee government in Georgia, declared contracts between Indians
and whites null and void unless witnessed by two whites, disallowed Indians
from testifying against a white person in court and forbid the Cherokee to dig
for gold on their own lands. The laws were made effective June 1, 1830 and were
calculated to force the Cherokee to move to Indian Territory.
Dec. 19, 1836 – Educator Maria Sanford was born in Saybrook,
Conn.
Dec. 19, 1837 – Around 250 Seminole and free blacks, along
with Jumper (Ote Emathla), surrendered to Colonel Zachary Taylor on this day.
They were then taken to Indian Territory.
Dec. 19, 1843 - Charles Dickens' "A Christmas
Carol" was first published in England.
Dec. 19, 1852 – Nobel Prize-winning American physicist
Albert A. Michelson was born in Strelno, Prussia.
Dec. 19, 1855 – Joseph Tarpley Peacock, who was Lewis Lavon
Peacock’s father, bought 160.28 acres of federal land in Dale County, Ala. for
$20.04. This land forms a square west of Alabama Highway 123, a few miles below
Newton and near the Little Choctawhatchee River.
Dec. 19, 1859 – Larkin H. Dailey completed the construction
of the Monroe County Jail in Monroeville, Ala., and the building was accepted
on this day by county commissioners. Dailey had been awarded the contract for
the building’s construction in February 1859 for $6,740 with the building to be
completed by Jan. 1, 1860. The original building was a single-story structure
constructed of hand-formed bricks made from local clay deposits.
Dec. 19, 1861 – During the Civil
War, a skirmish was fought at Point of Rocks, Md. on the Potomac River.
Dec. 19, 1861 – Famous Russian
translator Constance Garnett was born in Brighton, England.
Dec. 19, 1861 – Writer Italo Svevo was born in Trieste,
Italy. He is best known for his 1923 book, “Confessions of Zeno,” which is
considered one of the greatest Italian novels of the 20th century.
Dec. 19, 1861 - John Ross, the aged Cherokee Chief, told his
people on this day that the treaty signed on Oct. 7 was the best one they had
been offered and concluded his speech by saying: “According to the stipulation
of the treaty we must meet enemies of our allies whenever the South requires
it, as they are our enemies as well as the enemies of the South; and I feel
sure that no such occurrence as the one we deplore, the battle of
Chusto-Talasah, would have taken place if all things were understood as I have
endeavored to explain them. Indeed the true meaning of our treaty is that we
must know no line in the presence of our invaders, be he who he may.”
Dec. 19, 1862 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought at Jackson, Carroll Station and Spring Creek in
Tennessee; and on the Occoquan in Virginia.
Dec. 19, 1862 – During the Civil
War, due to constant bickering between Secretary of State and Treasury, Seward
and Chase, Seward offered to resign but Lincoln refused to accept his
resignation.
Dec. 19, 1863 – Confederate soldier William T. Bolton, who
was born around 1808, died. He was a private in Co. E of the 38th Alabama
Regiment (The Miller Guards). He enlisted in February 1862 in Mobile at the age
of 53. He was elected 3rd Sgt. He was taken prisoner at Missionary Ridge, Tenn.
on Nov. 25, 1863 and forwarded to Louisville Military Prison in Kentucky on
Dec. 8, 1863. He was forwarded to Rock Island Prison in Illiono on Dec. 11 1863
and died from pneumonia on Dec. 19, 1863. He was buried “in grave No. 28 south
of prison barracks” in the Camp Chase Prison Cemetery in Ohio.
Dec. 19, 1863 – During the Civil
War, skirmishes were fought with Indians at Barren Fork in the Indian
Territory; at Indiantown (Sandy Swamp), N.C.; at Stone’s Mill, Tenn.; and along
Jackson’s River, in the vicinity of Covington and at Scott’s on Barber’s Creek,
in Virginia.
Dec. 19, 1864 – During the Civil
War, a nine-day Federal cavalry expedition from Winchester to the vicinity of
Gordonsville, Va., began, with skirmishes at Madison Courthouse, Liberty Mills
and Gordonsville in Virginia. Skirmishes were also fought at Curtis’ Creek and
Rutherford’s Creek in Tennessee; and at Rector’s Farm, Ark. A four-day Federal
expedition from Kernstown to Lacey’s Springs in Virginia began.
Dec. 19, 1864 - It was a strange
time for the men of the army William T. Sherman had led from Atlanta to the
Sea. It had been a long march. Although pitched battles had been relatively
uncommon, the sniping and stray shots from behind rocks and trees had never
completely stopped. Now they had reached the Atlantic Ocean, which many of them
had never seen. A few days rest allowed exploration of this new wonder and its
creatures. Every camp was experimenting with the uses of oysters--oyster soup,
oyster stew, oysters fried, roasted, and raw on the half-shell. Although hardly
unknown, to inlanders oysters represented the legendary repast of the affluent.
Once they got their fill of oyster, they were used as stuffing for roast goose
and turkey, and big fat hens.
Dec. 19, 1868 – Novelist and short-story writer Eleanor
Hodgman Porter was born in Littleton, New Hampshire. She is best known for her
1913 novel, “Pollyanna.”
Dec. 19, 1870 – George A. Green was named postmaster at Burnt
Corn, Ala.
Dec. 19, 1871 - The City of Birmingham was
incorporated by the Alabama state legislature. The act called for the governor
to appoint the first mayor and eight aldermen and allowed the mayor to require
all male inhabitants ages 18-45 to work five days each year on the streets and
roadways of the city. Birmingham owes its founding to the geological uniqueness
of the Jones Valley, the only place on Earth where large deposits of the three
raw materials needed to make iron-—coal (for conversion into coke), iron ore,
and limestone--existed close together. The new city boomed so quickly that it
came to be known as the "Magic City."
Dec. 19, 1910 – James T. Smith, the 29-year-old son of Ben
Smith, was shot and killed at Georgiana, Ala. His remains were brought to Evergreen
the following day, and he was buried near the China community in Conecuh
County. Born on Dec. 7, 1881, he was buried in the Witherington Cemetery in
Conecuh County, Ala. (Some sources say he died on Dec. 18, 1910.)
Dec. 19, 1915 – French singer Edith Piaf was born Édith
Giovanna Gassion in Paris, France.
Dec. 19, 1915 - In the wake of the British defeat at the
Battle of Loos in September 1915, Sir Douglas Haig replaced Sir John French as
commander-in-chief of all British forces on the Western Front.
Dec. 19, 1918 – During World War I, Army Pvt. James G. Ezell
of Georgiana, Ala. “died from disease.” He was buried at the Saint Mihiel
American Cemetery and Memorial in Lorraine, France.
Dec. 19, 1918 - Robert Ripley began his "Believe It or
Not" column in "The New York Globe".
Dec. 19, 1922 - The all time
biggest bigamist, Mrs. Theresa Vaughn, 24, confessed in court to having 61
marriages in five years.
Dec. 19, 1926 – Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and
placekicker Bobby Layne was born in Santa Anna, Texas. He went on to play for
Texas, the Chicago Bears, the New York Bulldogs, the Detroit Lions and the
Pittsburgh Steelers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1967.
Dec. 19, 1928 – Confederate soldier Pvt. John Solomon
Crawford of Evergreen passed away at the age of 88 and was buried at Old
Bethany Baptist Church at Burnt Corn in Monroe County, Ala. During the Civil
War, he served with Co. B, 3rd Alabama Cavalry Regiment, CSA. Born on Feb. 10,
1840 at Burnt Corn, he enlisted in Monroe County on Sept. 28, 1861. He was
taken prisoner in Shelbyville, Tenn. on June 27, 1863; was forwarded to Louisville Military Prison in Kentucky on June 30, 1863
and arrived on July 15, 1863; forwarded to Camp Chase Prison, Ohio on June 20,
1863; and forwarded to Camp Douglas Prison in Illinois on Aug. 24, 1863; and
was released on June 13, 1865. He stood 5-foot-9, had light hair, light
complexion and blue eyes.
Dec. 19, 1932 – The British Empire Service, now known as the
BBC World Service, went on the air as a shortwave service to send news and
messages to the outposts of the British Empire.
Dec. 19, 1934 – National Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder
Al Kaline was born in Baltimore, Md. He played his entire career, 1953-1974,
for the Detroit Tigers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.
Dec. 19, 1934 - Dr. Thomas Ellis Tucker, 43-year-old Monroeville
physician, passed away on this Wednesday morning in a Selma hospital, where
he’d been taken for treatment several days earlier. Funeral services were held
at 11 a.m. the following day at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.L.
Tucker, at Catherine. Born on Dec. 16, 1891, he was buried in the Catherine
Cemetery in Wilcox County, Ala.
Dec. 19, 1941 – During World War II, Adolf Hitler became the
Supreme Commander-in-chief of the German Army.
Dec. 19, 1950 – Frisco City High School’s boys basketball
team beat Evergreen High School, 44-42, in Memorial Gym in Evergren, Ala.
Center B.B. Barnes led Coach Wallace Joiner’s Frisco City team. Gwyn Daniels
led Evergreen with 20 points.
Dec. 19, 1950 – In the early morning hours, a fire of
“undetermined origin,” destroyed the home of Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Potts, who had
four children, on Owassa Road, about four miles from Evergreen, Ala. The home
was owned by D.T. Stuart.
Dec. 19, 1955 - A fire on this night completely destroyed a
house on the Loree Road, about two miles from Evergreen, Ala. The house was
occupied by Willie Houston Lee and family.
Dec. 19, 1955 - The Williams Store, about a mile from
Repton, Ala. on the Range Road, was broken into and robbed on this night. About
$25 in currency, eight cartons of cigarettes and an automobile battery were
taken during the burglary.
Dec. 19, 1957 – The Evergreen Courant reported that pupils
entering Conecuh County, Ala. schools would be required to take a series of
immunization shots in the future, according to Superintendent of Education Guy
S. Kelly. The program was approved by unanimous vote by the Conecuh County
Board of Education at its previous meeting. Immunizations to be required prior
to entry in public schools were for diptheria, pertussis and tetanus, smallpox
and typhoid.
Dec. 19, 1959 – Penn State’s Nittany Lions beat Alabama,
7-0, in the first Liberty Bowl football game.
Dec. 19, 1959 - Walter Williams died in Houston, Texas at
the age of 117. He was said to be the last surviving veteran of the U.S. Civil
War.
Dec. 19, 1961 - A television version of Alabama author
Lillian Hellman's play “The Children's
Hour” was broadcast.
Dec. 19, 1961 – Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end
Reggie White was born in Chattanooga, Tenn. He went on to play for Tennessee,
the Philadelphia Eagles, the Green Bay Packers and the Carolina Panthers. He
was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
Dec. 19, 1964 - ABC used an overhead camera for the first
time. The event was the Liberty Bowl.
Dec. 19, 1964 - Another bloodless
coup occurred when Maj. Gen. Nguyen Khanh and a group of generals led by Air
Commodore Nguyen Cao Ky and Army Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu arrested three dozen
high officers and civilian officials.
Dec. 19, 1972 – Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle
Warren Sapp was born in Orlando, Fla. He went on to play for Miami, the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame
in 2013.
Dec. 19, 1972 - The last manned lunar flight, Apollo 17,
crewed by Eugene Cernan, Ron Evans and Harrison Schmitt, returned to Earth.
Dec. 19, 1972 - Hanoi’s foreign
ministry, calling the new B-52 raids against Hanoi and Haiphong “extremely
barbaric,” accused the United States of premeditated intensification of the war
and labeled the actions “insane.”
Dec. 19, 1975 – George and Kathy Lutz and their three
children moved into the house at 112 Ocean Ave. in Amityville, N.Y.
Dec. 19, 1980 - Both of Sparta Academy’s varsity basketball
teams, boys and girls, were eliminated in the first round of the Greenville
Academy Christmas Tournament, played in Greenville. Monroe Academy defeated the
Warriors, 77-47, in the boys division of the tourney, and the Sparta girls lot
to Wilcox Academy, 44-24.
Dec. 19, 1980: Over the decades, research and discoveries
revealed that the prehistoric Chaco cultural system extended far beyond the
national monument boundary, and the need to protect this larger area was
recognized. Congress passed Public Law 96-550 on this day, changing the status
from a national monument to a national historical park, enlarging the original
monument boundary and mandating protection for selected Chaco sites on land
administered by other public, tribal, and private entities. Under the law,
Chaco Culture National Historic Park and the Chaco Culture Archaeological
Protection Sites Program were established. Chaco Canyon is the site of many
Anazasi ruins.
Dec. 19, 1985 – Weather reporter Earl Windham reported a low
temperature of 24 degrees in Evergreen, Ala.
Dec. 19, 1985 - Jan Stenerud announced his retirement from
the NFL. The football kicker held the record for the most career field goals
with 373.
Dec. 19, 1985 - ABC Sports announced that it was severing
ties with Howard Cosell and released ‘The Mouth’ from all TV commitments.
Cosell continued on ABC Radio for another five years.
Dec. 19, 1986 - Michael Sergio was sentenced to 100 hours of
community service and fined $500. Sergio, a Mets fan, had parachuted into Shea
Stadium during Game 6 of the World Series.
Dec. 19, 1988 - The NCAA placed the Oklahoma Sooners
football program on probation for violations.
Dec. 19, 1990 – Alabama native Bo Jackson of the Los Angeles
Raiders became the first athlete to be chosen for All Star Games in two sports.
Dec. 19, 1991 - Pitcher Steve Howe of the New York Yankees
was arrested for cocaine possession.
Dec. 19, 1994 - A television version of Alabama author
Truman Capote's book “One Christmas”
was first broadcast. Directed by Tony Bill, the movie starred Katherine Hepburn
and Henry Winkler.
Dec. 19, 1994 – Olive Evelyn Stacey died on this Monday at
her residence at the age of 94. Funeral services were held on Wed., Dec. 21, at
10:30 a.m. at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church. The Rev. Clayton Barnes officiated,
and she was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery. She was survived by one son,
James L. Stacey of Frisco City; two grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Dec. 19, 1998 - A four-day bombing of Iraq by British and
American forces ended.
Dec. 19, 1999 - Orlando Brown of the Cleveland Browns was
ejected from a game for pushing referee Jeff Triplette to the ground. Triplette
had accidentally hit Brown in the eye with a weighted penalty flag.
Dec. 19, 2000 – Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported a low
of 15 degrees in Evergreen, Ala.
Dec. 19, 2000 – Conecuh County, Ala. native Wade Dees Nobles
Jr., 80, died at Thomas Hospital in Baldwin County, Ala. He was born Dec. 3,
1920 in Conecuh County, served in the Army for 35 years and was a veteran of
World War II and the Korean War. He was buried in Magnolia Cemetery in
Evergreen, Ala.
Dec. 19, 2000 - The U.N. Security
Council voted to impose sanctions on Afghanistan's Taliban rulers unless they
closed all terrorist training camps and surrender U.S. embassy bombing suspect
Osama bin Laden.
Dec. 19, 2003 - The baseball that was deflected by a fan in
the stands during a Chicago Cubs game was sold for $106,600 at auction. The
foul ball appeared to be headed for the glove of left fielder Moises Alou in
Game 6 of the National League Championship series. The Florida Marlins ended up
winning the game, 8-3. The Cubs then lost Game 7.
Dec. 19, 2007 – The body of Calvin Mitchell of Belleville,
Ala. was found and investigators ruled his death a homicide. Henry Peters, 33,
of Belleville was charged with Mitchell’s murder in January 2008.
Dec. 19, 2014 – Excel High School’s varsity boys basketball
team claimed third place in the Hub City Classic Tournament by beating J.F.
Shields High School, 76-68, in Monroeville, Ala. Quamie Penn led Excel with 21
points.
Dec. 19, 2014 – Hillcrest High School’s varsity boys
basketball team improved to 10-1 on the season by beating Fruitdale, 65-42, in
Evergreen.
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