This week in Wills Point History Friday, April 29, 1960

Submitted by Willspoint1 on

Coach Jerry Fausett and Douglass Lindsey attended a meeting in Canton Wednesday night to begin plans for a county-wide baseball league in connection with the summer recreation program.  Six teams were entered in the competition, one Pee Wee League team, two Little League teams, two Pony League teams and one Babe Ruth team. Play will get underway the first week of June and end the latter part of July.

Sabine River Authority announced last week that the closure of the Iron Bridge Dam will soon be made and water will begin to fill Lake Tawakoni this summer. Owners of cattle, livestock, houses, barns or other personal property of any nature within the reservoir area are warned to take notice of this and remove their property promptly. John W. Simmons, executive vice president and general manager said that cattle and livestock will be impounded and all buildings will be removed from the area by burning procedure. This will go into effect on May 15.

The Wednesday Book club entertained with tea and a book review in the Fellowship hall of the Methodist church Wednesday, April 20. Guests were the Margaret Wynne Garden club, the Grand Saline study club, the Athena club of Grand Saline, Edgewood Study club and Women’s Wednesday Study club of Canton. Mrs. B.L. Breckenridge greeted the guests. She then presented the leader for the afternoon, Mrs. S.R. Walton, who introduced Miss Beverly Woodruff of E.T.B.C. Marshall. Miss Woodruff reviewed the book “A Saint and Seven Sinners”, by E. Reeves Hall.

Training will be given in canning and testing pressure cookers in the assembly room of the courthouse in Canton, Friday April 29, at 1:30 p.m. by the county home demonstration agent, Miss Anna Flippo. This program has been planned for the benefit of the Van Zandt County Home Demonstration Clubs.

Mrs. J.K. Eastep of Oklahoma City, Okla., sister of Mrs. W.S. Bedingfield, died Saturday morning, April 23 in a hospital there. Funeral services and burial was held there. Mrs. Estep and her family lived here for ten years from 1905-1916. Her husband, who preceded her in death along with three children, was a Presbyterian minister. Survivors include three daughters, a son,

and her sister Mrs. Bedingfield.(See newspaper for complete obituary.)

Mrs. Grady Johnson left by train on April 10 for New York, where she joined the Stoddard Tours of Houston on a trip to Europe. She sailed on The Queen Elizabeth and arrived in Paris, France, last Monday. The itinerary includes visits to Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Holland and London England. The tourists will set sail for the United States May 30 and Mrs. Johnson will be home on June 7.

In observance of their 50th Anniversary, the immediate family and other relatives and a few intimate friends honored Judge and Mrs. G.D. Stanton with a luncheon and a tea on Saturday April 23, at the Stanton home, 608 Big Rock, Canton. (See newspaper for complete article.)

Mrs. W.W. McNeely was notified Tuesday of the death of her brother, Reed Sanders, who died unexpectedly at his home in Cedar Hill. Funeral services will be held this afternoon, Friday, in the Cedar Hill Baptist Church and interment will be in Bethel Cemetery. Mr. Sanders was born in Kansas in 1883, son of Mr. and Mrs. V.Y. Sanders. He came to Van Zandt County in 1901 after living a year in Waco when he left Kansas in 1900. He was married to Miss Deila Luttrull in 1909 in Ben Wheeler and the couple made their home in Edom during the early years of their marriage. (See newspaper for complete obituary and names of survivors.)

News of Our Men, Women in Service: Fort Riley, Kansas, Army Pvt. Conn G. Berry, son of Mr. and Mrs. William G. Berry of Wills Point, has completed eight weeks of advanced individual training with the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. Berry was assigned to the Army Postal Unit at Fort Lewis, Washington and left Saturday April 16 for his new assignment

Airman First Class Lynn Hudspeth of Castle Air Force Base, Calif., flew to Fort Worth Friday evening on a mission. He said they refueled in the air once before they landed. He spent the week-end with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Homer Evans.

Lee McFarland, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Grady McFarland, recently completed a course in pre-flight training in Pensacola, Fla., at the Naval Air Academy. Upon completion of this course, he spent several days’ leave with his parents. He returned to his base Wednesday where he will be transferred to a flight base to begin actual flight training

Mrs. John W. McDonald, died at her home in Edgewood Wednesday morning. Funeral services were held Thursday afternoon at the Church of Christ in Edgewood, with interment in the Edgewood Cemetery. Mrs. McDonald was born Lucinda L. Howell on March 18, 1877, daughter of Albert and Mary Howell in Wood County, but had lived near Edgewood since her early childhood. She was married to John W. McDonald on November 25, 1897 and to this union of more than 62 years five children were born, one preceded her in death. Survivors include her husband, three sons Robert, Roy and Sterling McDonald, all of Edgewood and one daughter Mrs. Viola Box of Fort Worth. (See newspaper for other survivors and names of pallbearers.)

Note: this issue also contains an obituary for Emory T. Thompson of Elm Grove and Roy W. Bourland, of Mesquite.

These articles have been extracted from original copies of the Wills Point Chronicle and may be viewed on microfilm at the Van Zandt County Library of Genealogy and Local History, located in the courthouse annex in Canton.