Smithville

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who live in Smithville or have family and friends who live there.

My grandmother, Sarchie Morris, was born there. My great-grandmother was a Pearce from Smithville. I have a copy of The History of Smithville written a number of years ago by Miss Jessie Pearce, who was my grandmother's first cousin. According to her book, my great-grandmother was the first person buried in Pearce Chapel's Cemetery which is just outside Smithville. Some time after my great-grandmother's death when my grandmother was very young, my great-grandfather married a woman from Richmond and moved his family from Smithville to Richmond.

I'm certain that some of the people living there are my distant cousins.

Again, our hearts go out to the people of Smithville.

Tornadoes

Those affected by yesterday's storms are in our thoughts and prayers. We have numerous cousins in the Birmingham area; however, all seem to have escaped the tornado.

Easter

Easter came and went, and it was so hectic, I failed to wish everyone a Happy Easter. Hope the Easter bunny found you.

One of our cousins, who lives in Alabama, but his mother and father are from Lee County, was bitten by a rattlesnake Easter afternoon. He spent several days in the hospital, but is now home and doing well.

Front View of Dr. Kolb's House

Dr. Kolb's house from the street. Though you probably can't see them in the picture, there are various cracks that seem to indicate that the house was moved from its foundation.

Dr. Raymond Kolb's house

My good friend, Dr. Raymond Kolb's house in Clinton has been declared a total loss. Dr. Kolb is 92 and a retired missionary who served in Brazil. Dr. Kolb's wife, Ann, died a couple of years ago, and he had been living in this house alone until a few weeks ago when he moved into an assisted living home. His granddaughter, however, was living in his house, but fortunately she was away when the tornado struck.

Dr. Kolb grew up in Union County and served at both Harrisburg and 2nd Baptist Churches in Tupelo in the late 30s. I'm not certain which church in Tupelo was 2nd Baptist.

Plantersville Connection

Due to a game being postpon ed due to rain, Carly's team played a doubleheader last night. All games are played at the Ridgeland park which has numerous fields and it has become a gathering place. Every time we go we see many folks we know, last night was a Plantersville connection as we met Cindy Deaton Nance whose daughter was playing on another field.

Cindy, as many of you know, is the great-granddaughter of Miss Dixie Deaton who taught many of us in the first grade, and the granddaughter of Joe and Ruth Deaton and the daughter of Little Joe Deaton. Cindy and her family travel to Plantersville often as they own the Bud Deaton place east of Plantersville not far from where I lived with Raymon and mother and in front of Joe Stovall's place.

Miss Dixie's husband died young and when she began teaching at Plantersville school, she and her two boys lived with my grandparents until she moved into her house which was directly across the street from Aunt Grace. While not related to the Deatons, we have always considered them family.

Mr. Joe and Mrs. Ruth moved to the Jackson area and became involved with Magnolia Speech School and then moved to Clinton around the same time we did. Cindy and Cam graduated together from Clinton High School.

Carole took a picture of Cindy and her two children, Cole and Anna Scott, but we had a camera malfunction. I'm sure we'll see them again and probably play their team, so hope to publish a picture of Cindy and her family at a later time.

Community Wide Prayer Service

There was a community wide prayer service tonight held in the Big Lots parking lot. Considering the devastation we've seen in the past several days, it is a miracle that no one was killed or apparently seriously injured. Since the tornado struck at eleven in the morning on a Friday, most people were at work or at school

Clinton is, for those who do not know, a college town.

Blue Tarps

Those of you in south Mississippi who survived Katrina are very familiar with the blue tarps. They have become quite common in Clinton since Friday.

Hannah, Mt Salus, Kitchens area

For those of you familiar with Clinton, this picture and the one before were taken in the Hannah Drive, Mt. Salus and Kitchens area. I'm not certain which of those streets this is.

No Day of Rest

Sunday was not a day of rest for most folks in Clinton as many were repairing their houses or helping friends, relatives or church members repair their homes or salvage belongings from houses that were totally destroyed.

This picture was one of the neighborhoods hard hit by Friday's storm; however, police are not allowing entry to the worse hit areas.

I have a ninety-two year old friend, a retired missionary who served in Brazil, who about three weeks ago moved into a retirement home; his house, that his granddaughter was living in, was totally destroyed. She was in class when the tornado struck. Only family members have been allowed into his neighborhood.

The Power of Nature

These cars and the truck were damaged in yesterday's storm. Notice the two in the center that were, so I was told, picked up from a parking lot and thrown onto Interstate 20. An eighteen wheel truck was blown from one side of the Interstate to the other.

What's Up Doc

In this case, a light pole. That is my eye doctor's office which was damaged in the storm. I have a good friend who works there; I know she experienced some scary moments.

The Entergy power plant is directly across the street and suffered some minor damage. For those who don't know Entergy is our power and light company.

Birthday Party

On a lighter note, Carly is attending a birthday party today; nothing special about that as she has one just about every weekend, except this one is at the American Doll store in Dallas. They left after the bad weather yesterday arriving in Dallas around ten last night.

This picture shows the six girls and their dolls outside their hotel in Dallas.

Hampton Inn

The Hampton Inn in Clinton sustained major damage.

Staging Area

Emergency and disaster relief agencies set up a staging area in the parking lot of the Big Lots and Freds on Clinton Blvd. in Clinton.

A number of homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged; no one has a final count as yet.

There were four injuries reported. The tornado went over a school and a day care center causing only panic but no damage to either.

Tornado!

Yesterday a little before eleven in the morning, the local news station reported a tornado headed toward the Woodmoor subdivision in Clinton, which happens to be where we live. There was intense wind and rain for about ninety seconds, but we did not lose power.

About fifteen minutes later heard on the local station that a tornado had struck Clinton; apparently it veered about a mile south.

The destroyed building in this picture is the Bank Plus bank.

Birthday Girl

Yesterday was my bride's birthday. We celebrated by eating out last night. In the picture with Mama Cita is our precious Carly.

Gunter and Coggins Families

I have been exchanging e-mails recently with Lori Coggins from Phoenix, AZ, who would like information about her family; she is the daughter of Jack Coggins, the son of Lillian Latham, the daughter of Adaline Gunter Latham, the daughter of John G. Gunter and Mary Strange Gunter who are buried in the Plantersville cemetery. Relatives on the Coggins side include Flavius, Marvin and Earl Bertis Coggins.

She would appreciate any information anyone has on any of her relatives.

John Lester Gunter and his wife were my Sunday School teachers, and on a Saturday night in the early 50s Aunt Johnnie took me to his mother's house where I saw my first television set and watched some, if not all, of Your Show of Shows.

Sam and Porter Gunter lived near the school, and Sam carried the mail.

Can someone provide more information?

Carly at the Bat

Carly's new season of softball began last night in weather more suitable for football. That's Carly at bat; she was two for two.

45th Anniversary

Carole and I celebrated, and that's the right word, our 45th wedding anniversary Saturday. We spend the night in Vicksburg, eating ourselves into oblivion, and then the kids took us out to eat Sunday where this picture was taken with Carly and her monster high doll.

Mavis Stennis's Arrangements

Mavis's daughter, Janet sent the following: "

St. Paul's United Methodist Church

800 Porter Avenue

Ocean Springs, MS 3956

Thursday, April 7

Visitation 1:00pm-2:30pm

Service 2:30pm

Burial Crestlawn Cemetary

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to The American Cancer Society, M.D.Anderson Cancer Research or the American Heart Association.

Mavis Stennis

Carole and I express sympathy to my first cousin, Tom Stennis, and his family on the death of his wife, Mavis Stennis. Mavis has been a member of my family since she was fifteen and lost her battle with cancer this morning.

Her services will be in Ocean Springs; I'll post them as soon as I receive them. Her daughters, Ginger and Janet, have kept us informed via e-mails.