Hyde County Messenger
Fairfield Monthly
Fairfield, North Carolina
Published monthly by Rev. Elliot Rufus STEWART
Abstracted by Kay Midgett Sheppard

1937

[Loaned for filming by Miss Rebecca SWINDELL, Swan Quarter, except June, July, November and December, which were loaned by the Baptist Collection, Wake Forest University.]

(IMO=Reference book used by the abstracter: In Memory Of—An Index to Hyde County Cemeteries by Martha Rebecca SWINDELL & R.S. SPENCER, JR.)

January, 1937
Vol. 14, #1

On Tuesday evening, December 15, 1936, Mr. and Mrs. Willie J. BAUM celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. An informal dinner was given to many of their relatives and friends. Mr. BAUM is 71 years old and Mrs. BAUM is 66 years of age. They have nine children and 20 grandchildren, all of which attended except for one. Those present were: Mrs. George SWINDELL, Rev. & Mrs. E.R. STEWART, Dr. & Mrs. A.G. HARRIS, Mr. & Mrs. Franklin MIDYETTE, Mrs. Fannie BAUM, Mr. & Mrs. S.A. BERRY, Mrs. Annie Roper, Mr. & Mrs. Charlie WILLIAMS, Maud SMITH, Mr. & Mrs. Charlie BAUM and family, Mr. & Mrs. Jessie HARRIS and family, Mr. & Mrs. Archie BAUM and daughter, Mr. & Mrs. Ronald BALLANCE and family, Mrs. R.S. SPENCER, Mr. & Mrs. Charles ARMSTRONG and family, Mr. & Mrs. Archie BERRY and family, Mr. & Mrs. Edison BAUM, Mr. & Mrs. Willie DUDLEY, JR., and Mr. & Mrs. Willie J. BAUM. All enjoyed a pleasant evening.

The senior class of Swan Quarter High School met on November 19, 1936, and selected their class superlatives as follows:

Rev. and Mrs. W.F. WOODALL announce the birth of a son, Wilber F. JR., on Friday, December 25, 1936.

Marriages:

Engelhard continues to grow. Mr. Romulous SANDERSON has recently opened a place which he calls "SANDERSON Farm & Boat Works". Mr. Carroll HODGES has just opened a business in a new building next door to Mr. R.S. COX'S store.

Mr. W.O. SAUNDERS, editor of "The Daily Independent" at Elizabeth City, recently spent a couple of days and nights in Hyde County. The purpose for his visit was to view the conditions of the roads.

Mr. J.L. TUNNELL grew one acre of tomatoes near Swan Quarter demonstrating and experimenting for The Beech Nut Packing Co. They specialize in tomato juice and catsup. Mr. TUNNELL tested 17 varieties of tomatoes. The John Bear tomato proved to be the most prolific, earliest, smoothest and best tomato and the most profitable. Second best was a late variety know as Scarlet Down. Mr. TUNNELL gathered 6 tons and then invited his neighbors to gather all they cared to. The fertilizer giving the best yield was 6-8-4.

It is time to get cabbage plants set out. Mr. R.S. SPENCER of Engelhard has around 500,000 plants ready for market. These plants are from a good quality seed purchased from T.W. WOOD of New York.

Mr. Ira BERRY celebrated his 77th birthday on Sunday, January 3, 1937, when a group of his friends and relatives gathered at the home of Mr. Jim BERRY, where Mr. Ira lives, and surprised him.

Mr. P.D. MIDYETTE of Engelhard says current is now available to the people on the road leading from Engelhard to Swan Quarter by way of Juniper Bay Road. Also the line has been extended to Middletown as far as Mr. Jule MANN'S home. The total line of 29 miles has been made available to current. The next extension hopefully will be to Fairfield.

Deaths:

Card of Thanks:

February, 1937
Vol. 14, #2

Births:

Marriages:

Deaths:

March, 1937
Vol. 14, #3

Deaths:

Cecil SADDLER says he and his hunting parties killed 38 deer, 1 bear, 600 quail, and 50 doves.

Mrs. George CREDLE of Rose Bay has an 8-day clock. Mr. CREDLE bought it 56 years ago for $39. Mrs. CREDLE says they have never spent anything on it for repairs, just kept it greased. The name of the clock is "Fashion". The second-hand was patented April 16, 1878. The clock was patented December 28, 1875. The calendar was patented March 18, 1879.

Frank SPENCER has been declared the 4-H Club member with the best all-around record for 1936 in Hyde County and as a result will be awarded a free scholarship to the State Short Course held at State College the latter part of July. J. Albin ARMSTRONG of Fairfield has been declared the 4-H Club member with the best corn record for 1936 in Hyde County and as a result was given a 7-jewel watch by the Barrett Company, makers of Arcadian Nitrate of Soda.

Marriages:

April, 1937

Vol. 14, #4

Deaths:

May, 1937
Vol. 14, #5

Those attending the Grand Lodge meeting held at Raleigh in April from Fairfield Lodge were: Dr. A.G. HARRIS, Arthur B. HARRIS, A.B. BERRY, R.W. JONES, John G. HARRIS, and Rev. E.R. STEWART. It was a new experience for this group as no one had previously attended such a meeting.

News Items:

Hyde County High School Graduates:

Born to Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey SADDLER of Fairfield, a daughter on April 3. They call her Barbara SADDLER.

June, 1937
Vol. 14, #6

Marriages:

July, 1937
Vol. 14, #7

It was a new experience to visit a farm near Bishop's Cross recently where Mr. Allen SWINDELL operates a farm of approximately 2500 acres. Mr. SWINDELL has 13 families on his farm, all colored save one. He has 1500 acres in corn, 300 in potatoes, between 300-400 in soy beans, 300 in oats, and 18 acres in rye. He has 75-100 hogs, 15 cows, 10 teams, and operates 6 tractors. Mr. SWINDELL is a progressive farmer.

Deaths:

August, 1937
Vol. 14, #8

Marriages:

Miss Nora WILLIAMS is now an inhabitant of Swan Quarter jail. After knocking a man down on the streets of Belhaven, she came into Hyde County and was arrested for drunkenness and cursing on the highway. She was placed in jail August 7 and a trial was set for August 9, at which time she cursed and tried to fight the officers, for which she was placed in jail for six months. She is a woman 26 years old and a native of Vanceboro, later of Swansboro. She goes under two names, Nora WILSON and Nora McFARLAND. From all reports, her life has been wrecked.

He was raised up with the slaves. His mother inherited two, then his father purchased one. She kept house and did the cooking. In those days the churches either built galleries or seats elsewhere in the churches, and these heard the same messages the white people heard. Mr. George W. SWINDELL, who was 79 years old April 6, 1937, was born near Hodges Fork. His grandfather, Mr. A.B. SWINDELL, was a Primitive Baptist preacher. His father was a farmer and merchant. Early in life, Mr. SWINDELL suffered four years from muscular rheumatism. When he grew up he taught school for 6 or 7 years at the head of the Lake, again about 2 miles from Fairfield, and also at Kilkeney and one year at Ocracoke. Early in life he merchandised at Swan Quarter and later at Fairfield and drank some and lost all he had. He decided to quit drinking and pay up his debts, for he owed almost everyone. While at Ocracoke teaching, he secured enough lumber from wrecked boats to build the home he now lives in at Fairfield. His wife, Sallie, is two years younger. There was born to them two sons, Becton Ellis SWINDELL and Preston E. SWINDELL. The former was struck by lightning when about 21 years old on the steamship "Berkley" in Newport News harbor. The latter lives in Fairfield and is one of Hyde's most progressive farmers. Mr. George SWINDELL has only one grandchild, Camille SWINDELL, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P.E. SWINDELL. She graduated from ECTC at Greenville, N.C. last spring. He has one brother, Mr. Will SWINDELL, who resides at Wilkinson's Creek. [IMO states Beckton Ellis SWINDELL was born September 17, 1884 and died July 16, 1904. He was the son of George Washington SWINDELL, JR. and Sarah Matilda BAUM. He was buried in Fairfield cemetery.]

Deaths:

September, 1937
Vol. 14, #9

The Engelhard Banking & Trust Company is serving Hyde and Tyrrell counties. Mr. M.A. MATTHEWS is an efficient banker. Mr. E.K. MANN is now assistant cashier and operates at Swan Quarter. Mr. Colo C. LUPTON is assistant at Columbia and Miss Grace BERRY is assistant at Engelhard.

The PEDRICK Beauty Shoppe of Washington, N.C. is under the management of Mrs. Myra Pedrick HIGHSMITH and her husband, H.J. HIGHSMITH.

Marriages:

October, 1937
Vol. 14, #10

Telephone lines using the dial system recently were run into Swan Quarter, Engelhard, and New Holland from Washington, N.C. through Belhaven. This system was completed and opened September 20. The toll system has been done away with. There were only about 10 phones in the county, now there are over 100. The line has been extended into Middletown and Sladesville. We hope to see the electric lights and phone lines both run to Fairfield soon.

The War Department is to dig three or more canals from Lake Mattamuskeet, with hopes of lowering the water 15" to 2 feet. It is hoped this will benefit the farmers around the lake by allowing them to cultivate hundreds of acres that they have been deprived of for the past five or more years due to the high water level. Fairfield township will be benefited most of all if the experiment works. These canals will be cut from the lake to the Inland Waterway or to the Sound with flood gates to keep the Sound water out, but at all times when the Sound water is lower than the lake water, these flood gates will automatically open and turn water out.

Chapter of Sorrow:

Card of Thanks

Marriages:

November, 1937
Vol. 14, #11

Births:

Marriage:

Mr. J.B. CUTRELL of West Belhaven, has recently renovated his store building. He has added other clerks to help take care of his general merchandise business. Willie Earl CUTRELL of Fairfield, is now clerking in his store.

Deaths:

December, 1937
Vol. 14, #12

Death:

Marriages:

For years, Dr. A.L. BELL and son operated a jewelry store. They have also given optical service. About a year ago Dr. BELL began to do optometry work alone. Recently he has accepted a call to Burlington, N.C. where he will open his place of business. His many friends in Belhaven will miss him.

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