Chapter Three

Nov. 10, 1938

Mr. Frank Bland taught a normal singing school at Cedar Grove church. There were students in attendance there from other sections of the county, including Rutherfordton, Forest City, Golden Valley and some from Cleveland county. Mr. Bland was a great singer and music teacher and was known over the entire county. He had two daughters Alma and Lalia. Lalia played the organ and if she missed the music he would bump her in the back with his book. She was only about twelve years of age. I think Mr. Bland is yet living and resides somewhere about Winston-Salem. The students at this school had an enjoyable time, and many games were played at recess.

He never owned a horse or mule so mean but what he would work them.

Mr. Mark Tucker lived near Sunshine and done a great deal of wagoning, such as hauling lumber and logging saw mills. He traded horses very often and was a good horse master. He never owned a horse or mule so mean but what he would work them. If they balked he would make them pull and if they kicked he would soon break them of that habit. Mr. Tucker has been dead several years. He married a Sweezy and they had five children, four sons and one daughter.

When I was a small boy Mr. Sam Biggerstaff had a cotton gin on Roberson’s Creek that was operated by water power. This was the only gin in the settlement. The cotton was fed into the gin by hand, and one day Hamp Lookadoo was feeding the gin and got his hand down to the saws and cut his hand very badly. It would have been cut completely to pieces had he not taken hold of the belt wheel with his other hand and stopped the gin until someone cut off the water. Here the farmers would often leave their cotton seed at the gin. They did not even know then that they were good for fertilizer.

In operating this ginnery they would blow the lint into what was called the lint room and when the room was filled they would stop the gin and take sheets and carry the lint about 100 yards to the press and press the cotton into bales by mule power.

Prof. J. K. Lee taught a school at Sunshine that quite a number of young men and girls took great interest in. Many amusing events occurred during this school term. Some of the boys in this school have held prominent positions. Mr. W. J. Mode, now of Rutherfordton, was one time register of deeds of Rutherford county, was rural mail carrier and postmaster at Rutherfordton for a number of years, and served as county recorder for two years. H. H. Tucker was bookkeeper for a large lumber company for a number of years and was county commissioner of Rutherford county for two years. R. K. Hollifield served as chairman of the school board of Forest City graded school for four years, and was postmaster at Forest City post office for a number of years and served on the board of aldermen for the town of Forest City for two years. Crawford Whisnant became a school teacher, and many others made a success in life.

Mt. Lebanon Baptist church was located on the public road leading from Sunshine to Rutherfordton. I believe this road was known as the Whiteside Settlement road. This church is about three miles southwest of Sunshine and was one of the most prominent churches in the county and demanded among the ablest preachers in the country, such as Rev. Bob Poston and the Rev. A. L. Stough who served this church for a number of years. I remember on one occasion of hearing Mr. Stough preach from the text, “Ephriam is a cake not turned.” Hosea 7:8.

There was an old gentleman, Abram Toney, who was a member of this church, and a very good man he was. He often prayed in public. There was an elderly lady, also a member of this church, who for some reason became angered at Mr. Toney. When the preacher would call on Mr. Toney to pray the lady would leave the church until he had quit praying, and then return. She always wore shoes that would squeak, and it was very amusing when this old lady would start out to hear her shoes squeak, squeak every step she took. The Rev. Mr. Stough was a German and was great fellow to tell jokes.

(Correction: In last week’s article it was stated that Mr. Javan A. Calton married a Miss Moss. This should have been Miss Jones.)