Random Notes
It was as if Mr. Hollifield created his own daily paper, collecting all the news (that mattered to him), and curiosities, coincidences and quirky, little-known facts. One can imagine him throughout his life amazing all this friends with his knowledge, salting his conversations with obscurities that no one else could possibly know or remember. Here a few of them, from the early 1930s.
Circa 1917
Courtesy Christine Boger Haynes
Jan. 6, 1930
G. Kelly Moore of Cliffside, N. C. was killed in an automobile wreck at Sandy Mush three miles below Forest City on highway #207. Walter Branch and brother with Virginia Roach ran into the car that Mr. Moore was riding in. Branch was drinking and had some whiskey in the car.
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Robert E. Haynes of Henrietta dropped dead at his home today. Funeral services were held at Avondale Baptist Church Sat. the 11th and was buried at Cliffside Cemetery.
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Henry Jenkins and little son was run over by CC&O train at Harris Station and killed on Jan. 12, 1930
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Mr. Bud Blanton died on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 1930 at his home in Spindale with pneumonia.
Was buried at Shiloh Baptist Church. One thing that happened at Mr. Blanton’s at the time of his death was very unusual: he had a cow to die at almost the same minute.
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Feb 1, 1930
Six banks in Rutherford County were closed. The Farmers Bank & Trust Company of Forest City and Caroleen; the Rutherford County Bank & Trust Co. of Rutherfordton, Spindale and Union Mills; and the Bank at Chimney Rock. The real cause of the failure is due to the Lake Lure Project having loaned money to people to invest in Lake Lure property which became almost worthless.
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Feb. 7, 1930
Rev. W. A. Ayers, pastor of the Forest City Baptist Church ran over Willie Spike, a Negro woman, and killed her. He was on his way to the Rutherfordton Hospital to see Mrs. Hollifield [RKH’s wife], and this colored woman tried to run across the road in front of the car. The car striking her and carried her about 50 feet. She only live to reach the hospital. A very sad accident.
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Mr. Gaither Kennedy died at his home at Ferry Feb. 19, 1930 of pneumonia and his daughter on Sunday, Feb. 23, following.
Gaither Kennedy was married to Cordova Haynes, sister of R. R. Haynes, and was buried at Floyd’s Creek Church.
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On March 1st, 1930, Mr. John Kennedy died at the age of 88 years, and about the same hour his son Moses Kennedy died at about the age of 60 years. They were both buried at High Shoal Baptist Church at the same hour.
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Mar. 21, 1930
President Hoover today appointed John J. Parker of Charlotte, N.C. to Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Mr. Parker was judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, the youngest man to be appointed to the Supreme Court in 100 years.
Comment added later: Mr Parker was dejected [sic] by the Senate.
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May 1st 1930
The population of the town of Forest City on April 1st 1930 was as follows:
White people: 3479
Colored people: 583
Included in this population was seventeen sets of twins as follows:
7 sets of females
2 sets of males
8 sets of male and female
and also two blind people, one white and one colored; and four deaf and dumb people, all white, two males and two females.
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John & Kenneth Hunter went up June 11th 1930 and stayed in the air till July 4th 1930, flying 553 hours and 40 1/2 minutes in the airplane “City of Chicago“.
[Editor’s note: It was a world’s endurance record at the time.Their plane was refueled in mid-air 223 times.]
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Mrs. Kate Wilkie was thrown down by a cow on June 24, 1930 and broke her hip bone and very likely will never walk again. She is 80 years of age.
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Dec. 1, 1930
J. Ed McFarland, Republican, was sworn in as sheriff of Rutherford County, the first Republican sheriff since 1898 when James V. McFarland, the father of J. Ed, went out as sheriff. James V. McFarland was elected in 1894 and served four years. His father, John E. McFarland was elected sheriff in 1872 and served his years til 1878. Sheriff Ed McFarland has a boy slated to be sheriff about 1960.
Ex-sheriff James V. McFarland died Dec. 24, 1930 and was buried at Brittain Cemetery on Dec. 25, Christmas day.
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Tuesday night Dec. 16th, snow began to fall about 10 o’clock and snowed til 12 o’clock noon on the 17th, measuring 18 inches deep.
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Something for everyone — The thought for today, Jan. 5, 1931: It is better to do something and fail than to do nothing and succeed beautifully.
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Jan. 25, 1931
John Lynch was killed at his home at night on #20 highway between Rutherfordton and Chimney Rock. John Paul Searcy and Lynch’s wife have been arrested on suspicion. He was shot four times with a 32- caliber pistol.
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On June 6th about 11:50 p.m. at night, Fred Smart killed Chief of Police Austin A. Price in Forest City by cutting him a desperate gash across his back then took (the) chief’s pistol and shot him five times. A very brutal murder.
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Feb. 8, 1933
The thermometer stood at 8 degrees at 7 a.m. and stood below 28 all day.
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Greenberry B. Prewett of Ellenboro died on Mar. 24, 1933 at the age of 84 years. He was one among he leading men of the county. It was stated by Dr. Zeno Wall while conducting the funeral that Mr. Prewett was the greatest layman in Rutherford County. He represented the county in the legislature and was postmaster at Ellenboro for almost 20 years.
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4 Padgett brothers married 4 Hollifield sisters:
William Padgett married Minnie Hollifield
John Padgett married Sallie Hollifield
Jake Padgett married Mollie Hollifield
Edmond Padgett married Guraina (?) Hollifield
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