Chapter Forty Two

August 24, 1939

In the previous chapter of these articles I mentioned a few things in regard to the life of Dr. Romeo Hicks of Henrietta. Among other things that I stated was that he was three times married, but just at that time I couldn’t recall who his wives were before their marriage. As I recall now his first wife was a Miss Ledbetter, his second wife was Miss Carrie Dickerson of Rutherfordton and his third wife was Miss McDowell. Dr. Hicks and his second wife, Miss Dickerson, had one daughter, Mrs. Mary Lewis Hicks Elmore of Henrietta. Mrs. Elmore is the mother of four children, Romeo Hicks Elmore of Caroleen, Charles H. and Terry Elmore of Henrietta and Carrie Elmore of Raleigh. She also has two grandsons. Mrs. Elmore was just a young girl in her teens when I worked around Henrietta.

Dr. T. B. Lovelace was a resident of Henrietta back in the 90’s. He was a practicing physician and had a large practice and was very successful in his profession. He was one among the leading doctors of the county. Dr. Lovelace was the first doctor I ever paid a fee for services. I had a boil on my hand and got him to lance it for me and the fee was twenty-five cents. I would think that the fee for a similar operation today would he one dollar. I will always remember the first time I saw Dr. Lovelace. I do not remember the date, but it was back in the 80’s when William Barlow (Bill) Fortune and Miss Laura Rollins were married. They went from Forest City to Mr. Fortune’s father’s home on Roberson’s Creek for the infair. There were quite a number of young couples who went with them and of course were to spend the night. The crowd was so large. there was hardly room at the Fortune home for them all to sleep that night, so my father being a near neighbor to the Fortunes and always ready to accommodate anyone he asked that they send a group of the young men to our house for the night. So Dr. Lovelace, Ben Hampton and Kelly Moore came after the reception and spent the balance of the night. This was, the first I had seen of either of these young men.

Dr. Lovelace was a very successful business man and always when he made a dollar he believed in investing it where it would make another, and at the same time give somebody else employment and enable them to make a dollar. He was one of the promoters of Cliffside Mills and he later gave up the practice of medicine and moved to Georgia and went into the lumber business and was very successful in this business for a number of years.

Dr. Lovelace was a man I always thought a great deal of, and I feel that I make no mistake when I say that he has always been a good friend of mine. Dr. Lovelace is still living and resides in Forest City.