The Et Cetera Chronicles - Part 8
M.B. Graham had pet chicken who was his best friend. The rooster was known to have danced on command. One time when Graham was confined to his sick bed, the congenial chicken flew into the Graham house and alighted on the foot of the bed. As if the rooster was inquiring as to Graham’s condition, it would lean toward its master to see how the ailing Graham was doing. St. Joseph Gazzette-Herald, St. Joseph, MO, March 10, 1887.
Two men who appeared to be foreigners were arrested on suspicion of being spies on April 7, 1917. E.F. Brackney, of Louisville, Ky., and G.S. Morton, of Winston-Salem, N.C., were seen about Dublin buying old things. Primarily they were looking for old gold and silver jewelry, which could be used in the upcoming war in Europe. What must have peaked the suspicion of police officials is that they were buying sets of old false teeth. Durham, N.C. Morning Herald, April 7, 1917 .
The first trains to travel in Laurens County were those of the Dublin and Wrightsville Railroad, later the Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad, which were making regular runs to the border town of Lovett, nearly a year before coming into East Dublin. Atlanta Constitution, Oct. 9, 1885.
In the first known marriage of its kind, Victoria Daniel, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Green Daniel, and D.S, Payne were married by the Rev. W.S. Ramsay. What was unusual was that neither the groom or the bride could speak their wedding vows, because both were mute. Atlanta Constitution, January 25, 1885.
In the late winter of 1960, Dublin High School hosted the playoffs of Region 2A. Playing for the Washington County Golden Hawks at forward and wearing No. 12, was an unconspicous senior, John Nathan. The Golden Hawks were not favored to win and fell to Blackshear High in the first round of the playoffs. Few who were there that night remembered that forward from Washington County. He turned out to be a big winner, not on the basketball court, but in the field of government. For you see this young man became Georgia Congressman (1981-1993,) United States Congressman (1993-2010,) and Georgia governor (2011-2019, John Nathan Deal. Dublin Courier Herald, February 11-12, 1960.
Mrs. M.J. Guyton of Dublin had relatives in high places. Her brother in Milledge was Congressman Carl Vinson, who served for 54 years in the United States Congress from 1910 to 1964. Vinson, a powerful member of the Armed Service Committee, was responsible for the location of Interstate Highway 16, the United States Naval Hospital (later the Vinson VA Medical Center,) the Oconee Regional Library and the Laurens County Courthouse, the first Federally funded courthouse in the United States. Vinson nearly aquired the United States Air Force, a B-52 bomber base at the county airport, and a jet fighter base in the Buckeye District of Laurens County, Georgia. Her nephew, Sam Nunn, served Georgia as one of its two senators in the United States Senate from 1973 to 1997 and was a world recognized expert in military affairs.
On June 9, 1930, the Dublin Irishmen took on a team from Vidalia in the local semi-pro baseball circuit. In a game played on the grounds of the 12th District Fairground, a young and unknown Montgomery countian was playing at first base. He got one it in a loss to Dublin. His name was Wally Moses, who went on to a 30 plus year career in major league baseball. Dublin Courier Herald, June 10, 1930.
More than a century ago this once elite neighborhood was coveted by many home buyers in Dublin. Situated at the intersection of South Lawrence Street and Smith Street and spread up the hill, the place to be, if you couldn’t afford to be on Bellevue, was known as Quality Hill. More than a century later, some of these homes still exist.
Cliff Hamner grew up during the hard days of the Depression and World War II in the Central Virginia county of Nelson. One day, Cliff chose for his bride a young woman from Wilkinson County, Georgia. Many folks around Toomsboro knew her and her daddy, Mr. Joe Boone, the unofficial king of Toomsboro. Her brother, Joe Jr., has had a successful career as an attorney for many decades in Irwinton.
A few of you have known Cliff Hamner and his wife Sharon, but many more of you know his alter ago, Jason. For you see Cliff Hamner, aka Jason Walton, was the son of the fictional John and Esther Walton and their progeny who were the subject of the long running and highly popular CBS Television series, the Waltons.
On April 17, 1930 T.D. Simmons and U.V. Millican began the publishing of the “Dublin Ledger,” a weekly newspaper. Simmons, from Thompson, Ga., and Millican a recent Dublin resident set up their print shop at 216 South Jefferson Street. Dublin Courier Herald, April 15. 1930.
Dublin High School’s Thespian Troupe 669 won the 1970 Georgia High School Class A state championship for a one-act play. Starring in The Doctor In Spite of Himself was were David Wright, Janet Price, Allen Tindol, Monica Miller, Dubose Porter, Tom Patterson, Donna Scarboro, and Mac Gregory. Courier Herald, January 17, 1970.
Ester Cummins of Beaufort, South Carolina, Mamie Dalton, of Dublin, Georgia, and Myrtle Robinson of Deveraux, Georgia, were the first graduates of the first nursing school in Dublin. The school was operated under the auspices of the Dublin Sanitarium, led by Dr. E.B. Claxton. Macon Telegraph, May 15, 1921.
The first annual Industry Appreciation Week began in the third week of May, 1970. Saluted that year were Dublin Construction, Dublin Garment, Shamrock of Dublin, Nyanza, J.P. Stevens, Biljo, Oconee EMC, and Southern Peanut Storage. Dublin Courier Herald, May 12, 1970.
Ila Fordham Brooks, a Wilkinson County native and part time Laurens County resident, led a remarkable life. Among the highlights were her patients as a nurse and the close friends she knew. Brooks was a nurse of Mrs. Walter Reed and General Leonard Wood on his death bed. She attended wedding of a son of her friend, General George S. Patton. Dublin Courier Herald, May 16, 1970.
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