Today in History for Jan. 4, 2019

Jan. 4, 1773 – Joel Lee, Conecuh County’s first Justice of the Peace, was born near Smithfield, North Carolina to David and Martha Blackman Lee. He was a pioneer settler and planter and his homestead was about one and a half miles southeasterly from the Burnt Corn-Belleville Road. Joel Lee was a Baptist and Democrat and was the first justice of the peace in Conecuh County, being appointed by Governor William Bibb. He died on Oct. 21, 1862 in Conecuh County.

Jan. 4, 1780 – Alexander Autrey, the second white man to settle in Conecuh County, was born in North Carolina.

Jan. 4, 1861 – A full week before Alabama seceded from the Union, Governor Andrew B. Moore ordered the seizure of federal military installations within the state. By the end of the next day, Alabama troops controlled Fort Gaines, Fort Morgan and the U.S. Arsenal at Mount Vernon.

Jan. 4, 1863 – Confederate soldier Pierre Costello, who was Coffee County’s second probate judge, was killed in Murfreesboro, Tenn. As a memorial to Coffee County’s Confederate dead, his wife, Cordelia Lee Costello, led the effort to have stained glass windows placed in the Elba United Methodist Church in their memory.

Jan. 4, 1865 – During the Civil War, a skirmish occurred near Thorn Hill in Marion County, Alabama.

Jan. 4, 1883 – The Pensacola Opera House officially opened its doors for the first time.

Jan. 4, 1896 - Prof. Ivey of the Perdue Hill High School visited Monroeville, Ala. on this Saturday, and reported to The Monroe Journal that “his school continues to prosper.”

Jan. 4, 1906 – The Monroe Journal reported that “Christmas in Monroeville was celebrated in an unusually quiet and orderly manner. Not a single incident came under our notice to mar the enjoyment of the occasion.” The Journal also noted that the “Christmas Tree in the courthouse on the evening of Dec. 25 was a very pleasant affair. The tree was loaded with a large number of presents and nearly everyone received some souvenir of the occasion.” Elsewhere in that week’s paper, it was reported that “the local merchants report very gratifying sales during the holidays, and in fact, a prosperous business throughout the fall season.”

Jan. 4, 1906 – The Monroe Journal reported that David Davis of Manistee, Ala. visited the newspaper office and reported that he was “doing a prosperous mercantile business, as is evidenced by the recent completion of a new and commodious store building.”

Jan. 4, 1906 – The Monroe Journal reported “a few business changes… with the opening of the new year.” A.T. Sowell had retired from The J.W. Fore Co., and was to “shortly engage in the mercantile business on his own account. Mr. C.C. Yarbrough will be associated with Mr. H.E. Hudson in the gin and mill business and plant will be enlarged. The Monroe Livery Co., J.F. Hassell, manager, has begun at the Hybart stand while Mr. Hybart’s livery business will be conducted from the Watson stables.”

Jan. 4, 1909 - Dr. Tatum was up from Brooklyn on this Monday to attend a meeting of the County Board of Education in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 4, 1909 - The semi-annual examination of applicants for license to teach in the public schools began on this Monday under the supervision of Monroe County Education Superintendent Forte.

Jan. 4, 1912 – The Conecuh Record reported that Jas. F. Jones had been appointed county solicitor because J.S. Stevens resigned. G.W. Miller of Herbert was also appointed deputy sheriff by Sheriff E.C. Hines.

  

Jan. 4, 1915 – The annual meeting of Monroe County Bank’s stockholders was held and the following officers and directors were elected for the ensuing year: President, J.B. Barnett; Vice President, D.J. Hatter, Cashier, D.D. Mims; Directors, C.J. Jackson, Q. Salter, J.M. Coxwell, B.H. Stallworth and M.M. Fountain.

Jan. 4, 1934 – The Monroe Journal reported that actual work on the airport for Monroeville, Ala. began the first of that week with about 60 men employed to date. However, as the project got further underway a total of between 250 and 300 men were expected to find work on the project. As of Jan. 4, the work on the airport consisted of clearing the leased ground and vicinity of all obstructions that would interfere with making the property a desirable emergency landing field. Work was to also begin soon on grading the ground for aeroplane runways.

Jan. 4, 1934 – The Monroe Journal reported that W.M. Bradley, who lived near Ollie, had two trees bearing a full crop of apples. The apples were about the size of an egg, and this was the second crop on the trees that year.

Jan. 4, 1934 – The Monroe Journal reported that Judge F.W. Hare had bagged a fine buck while hunting on the Tombigbee game preserve at McIntosh during the previous week. He was with a party of Mobile County hunters and seven of the company of hunters brought home prize bucks.

  

Jan. 4, 1940 – The Monroe Journal reported that “last weekend marked the completion of all unpaved gaps in the sidewalks around the public square and WPA workers are now employed on sidewalks along the streets which have not heretofore been paved. A sidewalk is being constructed on the east side of Mt. Pleasant Street and will probably extend to the end of the present black top. When completed this street will have concrete sidewalks on both sides for nearly a mile.”

   

Jan. 4, 1945 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Mrs. Ruth Hall, Repton, Rt. E, received a telegram on Jan. 3 from the War Department announcing that her husband, Private William H. (Billy) Hall had been missing in action in Germany since Dec. 12. Pvt. Hall was believed to have been attached to the Third Army. Mrs. Hall had a letter from him written Dec. 9, three days before he was reported missing, in which he stated that shells were bursting all around him while he was writing.

Jan. 4, 1945 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Staff Sgt. James L. Daniels Jr. had been awarded the Air Medal and Bronze Star for meritorious service with the 15th Air Force in the Mediterranean Theatre of operations. The medal was sent to his mother in Evergreen the previous week. Sgt. Daniels’ outfit had been cited by the President a few months before for outstanding service. When last heard from, Daniels, who went overseas in August 1944, had more than 40 missions to his credit.

Jan. 4, 1946 - Dunk Little, an elderly black man, was burned to death on this Friday night when his house, located near the Monroe Oil Company storage tanks, was razed by fire. The origin of the fire was unknown as of Jan. 10, 1946.

Jan. 4-5, 1947 – Martha Atwater, 51, was struck and killed by a southbound train sometime late on this Saturday night or early on Sunday morning under the bridge in downtown Evergreen, Ala. Her mangled body was found early on Jan. 5 and investigators ruled her death a suicide. She was last seen alive between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Jan. 4 and her winter coat was found draped over a concrete buffer brace beneath the bridge.

Jan. 4, 1951 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the men of Battery “C,” 117^th Field Artillery Battalion, 31^st (Dixie) Division, Conecuh County unit of the Alabama National Guard, were getting ready to go on active federal duty on Jan. 16. The 31^st Division had been called back into national service and was to be sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. The local battery expected to move out sometime between Jan. 16 and Jan. 26. Battery “C” guardsmen were drilling on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights at the armory in Evergreen, readying themselves for fulltime service. Battery strength as of Mon., Jan. 1, was 79 officers and enlisted men. The battery was commanded by Capt. John C. Holman, who was executive officer when “C” was mobilized just prior to World War II. The battery was well supplied with experienced and capable officers and non-coms. All of the officers were World War II vets as well as most of the top-ranking NCO’s. In all, there were 21 World War II veterans on the battery roster.

Jan. 4, 1955 - Dr. John Jonathan Dailey, 72-year-old Tunnel Springs physician and chairman of the Monroe County Board of Education for 14 years, died at the Monroeville Hospital at 5:15 a.m. on this Tuesday following an illness of several weeks. Dailey was a native Monroe Countian, having practiced medicine for 49 years in the Tunnel Springs and Beatrice communities. He was first elected to the county board of education in 1938 and has served as its chairman since 1940. The son of Dr. Fielden S. Dailey and Georgia English Dailey, he graduated from the Medical College of the University of Alabama at Mobile in 1906. He is buried in the Philadelphia Baptist Church Cemetery in Tunnel Springs, Ala.

Jan. 4, 1955 - Monroe County High School’s boys basketball rolled to its fifth victory of the season on this Tuesday night by defeating J.U. Blacksher, 65-26, at the MCHS gym. Leading MCHS in scoring was Joe Stevens with 16 points, followed closely by guard Melvin Dulaney with 14 points. Al Gene Hines led Blacksher with 16 points, while Frank Hadley and Jack Madison followed with four each.

Jan. 4, 1955 – Murphy High School’s boys basketball team was scheduled to play Evergreen High School at Memorial Gym in Evergreen, the first game for Evergreen after nearly a three-week layoff for the Christmas holidays. Murphy was led by high-scoring Bobby Jackson, an all-state selection in football at quarterback, and Evergreen was led by Coach Wendell Hart and high-scoring center Randy White, who was averaging more than 21 points per game. A large crowd was expected for the game.

  

Jan. 4, 1962 – The undefeated Frisco City High School boys basketball team beat Evergreen High School, 75-62, in Evergreen. Bill Sawyer led Frisco with 20 points, and Joe Kelly scored 19. Mike Ward led Evergreen with 34 points, “the highest individual total for any Aggie cager in several seasons.”

Jan. 4-13, 1968 – Seaman Milton L. Hardee of Evergreen, Ala. participated in Operation Bead Stringer as a crew member of the USS Long Beach, a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser. “Bead Stringer” was a U.S. First Fleet training exercise conducted off the Southern California coast.

Jan. 4, 1969 – Frisco City High School’s varsity boys basketball team was scheduled to play Dixie Academy, a private school in Louisville, Ala., at 7 p.m. on this Saturday. Frisco was 7-3 overall and Dixie, coached by former Excel coach Lee Holliday, was 6-1 overall.

Jan. 4, 1971 – Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace wed the former Cornelia Ellis Snively (1939–2009), a niece of former Alabama Governor Jim Folsom, known as "Big Jim". The couple divorced in 1978.

Jan. 4, 1975 – A dove shoot to benefit the McKenzie High School Quarterback Club was scheduled to be held at J.M. Hawsey’s place on this Saturday. Admission was $1.

Jan. 4, 1978 – Scott’s Arcade, located on Highway 31 South in Evergreen, Ala., opened for the first time, offering pinball, billiards, air hockey, foosball and more.

Jan. 4, 1979 – Sparta Academy’s girls basketball team was scheduled to play Greenville Academy in Evergreen, Ala.

Jan. 4, 1980 – The Oakey Streak Methodist Episcopal Church near Greenville, Ala. was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

  

Jan. 4-6, 1983 - Evergreen weather observer Earl Windham reported lows of 30 degrees on all three of these days.

Jan. 4, 1994 - Alabama Governor James Elisha Folsom Jr. recognized the Sovereignty of the MOWA Band of Choctaw. The MOWA Choctaw Indian Reservation is located along the banks of the Mobile and Tombigbee rivers.

Jan. 4, 2001 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Evergreen-Conecuh Chamber of Commerce President Alesia Stuart had announced that the Board of Directors had elected new officers for the year 2001 at its meeting in December. John Raines was elected president; Brent Salter, vice-president; and Terry Jackson, treasurer. The newly elected officers and directors were to be installed at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting and Banquet to be held Thurs., Jan. 25, at the Hillcrest High School Cafetorium.

Jan. 4, 2008 – In the fictional Bigfoot movie “Hunting the Legend,” the father of 15-year-old Chris Copeland was killed and disappeared while deer hunting in Wilcox County, Ala. Only the father’s rifle, lots of blood on the ground and a giant footprint are found, and investigators eventually rule that the man was killed by a wild boar.

Jan. 4, 2008 - Sparta Academy’s varsity girls basketball team on this Friday night improved to 2-0 in area play by beating 2A Area 1 rival, Wilcox, 64-47, in Camden. Standout players for Sparta in those games included Hayden Armuelles, Maddie Black, Christin Booker, Emily Booker, Savannah Brown, Susan Ann Cook, Camarena Godwin, Morgan Harden, Mallory Kendrick, Erica Palmer, BreAnna Pate, Ashton Raines and Ashton Talbot.

Jan. 4, 2009 - The 2009 Monroe County Junior Miss Garrett Hardee was to be honored with a “Good Luck and Best Wishes” reception on this day at the Turnbull home in Beatrice. The event, hosted by the Belle Lettres Service Organization, was to be held from 2 until 4 p.m. Hardee was to compete in the 2009 Alabama Junior Miss Scholarship Program in Montgomery Jan. 16-17.

Jan. 4, 2011 – Hillcrest High School’s varsity boys basketball team, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, beat 4A Area 2 rival Thomasville High School, 57-46, in Evergreen, Ala. Standout Hillcrest players in that game included Barron Smith and DeAundre Lyons. Hillcrest’s girls suffered a 42-26 loss to Thomasville.

Jan. 4, 2011 - Despite having three players post double doubles, Sparta Academy came up two points shy of a win in a double overtime game against East Memorial Christian Academy on this Tuesday in Prattville. EMCA won, 54-52. Devlin Crosby, Garrett McClain and Dalton Baggett finished the game with a double double each. Crosby led with 15 points, 10 rebounds, five steals, six assists and five blocks. McClain followed with 11 points, 12 rebounds and a steal. Baggett finished the game with 10 points, 18 rebounds, a steal, an assist and a block. Other standout Sparta players that season included Tom Andrews, Allen Stuart, Jacob Hendrix, Hunter Hanks, Michael Cook, Drew Hardin, Michael Brown and Dylan Middleton.

Jan. 4, 2011 – After nearly 2-1/2 weeks off, Sparta Academy’s varsity girls basketball team came up one point shy on this Tuesday against East Memorial Christian Academy in Prattville. Sparta, ranked No. 4 in the statewide basketball poll, lost to EMCA, 31-30, in Sparta’s first game since winning the Fort Dale Tournament title game on Dec. 18. April Palmer led Sparta with 18 points, two rebounds and five steals. Other standout players on Sparta’s team that season included Savannah Brown, Emily Booker, Madelyn Black, Grace Matlock and Stephanie Martin.