Bellview Holiness Church

Bellview Holiness Church is located in Pulaski County, Georgia. About five years ago, Virginia Nobles Koons provided some information about the church, as well as photos of longstanding members who descended from the founder.

"Bellview Holiness Church was established by my great-grandfather, George Washington Irving Nobles. He donated the land and built the church. He was a minister and is listed as performing many of the marriages in the county at that time. He lived in the Whitfield District, near Bellview, which was a Hardshell Baptist Church at that time. The denomination has changed several times. My grandfather, John Washington Irving Nobles was the church clerk for many years. My father and his siblings and cousins were all raised attending the church. It was a Holiness Baptist Church during my childhood, when my grandmother, Ida Mae Akins Nobles was still living and a member of the church. There was an article in the Hawkinsville Dispatch many years ago about my father's aging cousins who were still members of the church, all of them are now deceased. They were Stella Arnold, Ida Mae Moore, and Jewell Bridges, all daughters of Nancy Nobles Conner."

John Washington Irving Nobles, son of Sarah Jane Howell

& George Washington Irving Nobles, founder of Bellview

Church.

Ida Mae Akins Nobles, wife of John W. Nobles

Martha Nobles Coody, Gene Neumans (deceased), Jake
Nobles (hiding), Johnnie Nobles Moore abt 1991 at Bellview
Homecoming.  Martha, Jake, & Johnnie are children of John
Washington Irving Nobles & Ida Me Akins.

Jake W. Nobles

Rev. Clarence Howell Neumans also grew up attending the Bellview
Church.  His parents were Zachariah Neumans & Georgia Nobles.  Georgia
was the daughter of the founder of the church and first pastor, Rev. George
W. Nobles & the sister of John W. Nobles, who was the church clerk.  He's
on the left.  The gentleman on the right is James "Red" Black.

A Near-Homicide in Berrien County (1929)

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[An updated version of this post can be found here at the new Georgia Lynchings blog.]

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I'm somewhat of a collector of old crime articles in addition to my obituary obsession...

The Clinch County News (Homerville, Georgia)
4 January 1929
(Viewed online at World Vital Records.)

Newsy Paragraphs
Short Paragraphs of Interest Concerning Our Neighbors, State and Nation

...Over in Berrien county last week occurred a near-homicide originating from a broken romance. Randall Metts, 21, was shot from ambush by his rejected sweetheart, Miss Della M. Rayfield, age 19. She went on home and her mother twice took guns away from her as she was about to kill herself. The sheriff placed her in jail, and doctors say that Metts has even chance to recover. The two bullets lodged in his back. Miss Rayfield declared in jail that "I would be the happiest woman in the world if I could be Randall's wife," while Metts lying dangerously wounded indicated a willingness to forgive.

Colonel Allen S. Cutts, a Biographical Sketch

Source: Georgia and Florida Biographies [database on-line].
Original Data from Biographical Souvenir of the States of Georgia and Florida,
Containing Biographical Sketches of the Representative Public, and many
Early Settled Families in These States. F. A. Battey & Company, 1889.
Transcribed by S. Lincecum 2005.

Col. Allen S. Cutts was born in Pulaski County, Ga, December 4, 1826. His father, Major Cutts, was born in North Carolina, and came to Georgia in the early part of this century, settled in Warren County, but soon afterwards went to Pulaski County. In 1830 he moved to Houston County, where he lived until 1835, when he removed to Randolph County, where he died in 1843. He was by occupation a farmer all his life. His wife was Miss Elizabeth Linsey before marriage. She was born in Indiana. To their union were born twelve children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the youngest child. He was brought up a farmer boy in Houston and Randolph counties, and received only a common school education. In 1851 he engaged in the mercantile business in Oglethopre, Ga, and continued the same until 1854, when he went to Americus and resumed business, in which he continued until the outbreak of the war. He then joined the Confederate army and raised a company of artillery in Americus, of which he was made captain. In 1862 he raised a battalion of artillery, known as Cutts' artillery, and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and shortly afterwards to colonel. This battalion won a wide reputation by its fine work. At the close of the war Colonel Cutts returned to Americus and devoted his time to agricultural pursuits and cotton buying. He was at one time a man of large means, but like a great many others has met with reverses in business and lost a great deal. He is now engaged in cotton buying, and is one of Americus's best men. In 1872-73-74, he was mayor of Americus.

December 17, 1854, he was married to Miss Fannie O. Brown, daughter of James V. Brown, of Monroe County, Ga. To this union were born six children, viz: Claude S., Clarence V., Earnest A., Allen S., Inez M. and Eldridge H. His wife died December 8, 1886. Col. Cutts went to the Mexican war in 1846, and joined Company E, of Septoe's artillery as first sergeant of the company, and served in the battles of Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo, and returned to Georgia in 1848. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., and F. A. M., and also of the Methodist Church. In politics he is a Democrat.

Alfred Iverson Branham, a Biographical Sketch

Source: Georgia and Florida Biographies [database on-line].
Original Data from Biographical Souvenir of the States of Georgia and Florida,
Containing Biographical Sketches of the Representative Public, and many
Early Settled Families in These States. F. A. Battey & Company, 1889.
Transcribed by S. Lincecum 2005.

Alfred Iverson Branham was born January 5, 1855, at Lumpkin, Stewart County, Ga. He is a son of I. R. and Julia (Iverson) Branham. He is of Scotch-Irish stock on his father's side and Danish on his mother's. Both the Branhams and Iversons are old and distinguished families in Georgia. The founder of the Branham family in America came to Virginia and settled some time in 1700. From there the grandfather of Alfred Iverson Branham emigrated to Georgia about the year 1800 and settled at Eatonton, which has since been recognized as the family homestead. I. R. Branham, father of Alfred I., was born at Eatonton in 1826 and still lives there. He was educated for a lawyer and practiced some years, but his hearing becoming bad he quit the profession and began teaching school. He has been teaching now more than forty years and has been one of the most successful educators in the State.

Through his father Mr. Branham is connected with a number of other well known Georgia families, prominent among them being the Coopers, Nisbits, Boykins, Richardsons, Wingfields and Goodes. The mother of Alfred Iverson Branham was a daughter of the Hon. Alfred Iverson, judge, congressman and prominent politician of ante bellum days. He will be remembered as the colleague of Robert Tombs in the United States Senate at the time Georgia seceded, and, excepting Mason and Slidell, was probably the bitterest of the Southern members in congress in his denunciations against the North. Nor was he slow to act when the time came to fight. Although too old to enlist, he nevertheless shouldered his shotgun, and, marching to the front offered his services as a volunteer soldier.

Mr. Branham has three sisters and two brothers now living: Mrs. Charles Lane, of Macon; Mrs. Carrie Means, of Houston County; Mrs. L. G. Walker, of Chattanooga, Tenn, whose husband is editor of the Chattanooga Times; I. R. Branham, Jr., in the dry-goods business at Memphis, Tenn, and R. E. L. Branham, of Brunswick. Mr. Branham received his primary eduaction at Brownsville, Tenn. He then attended Bethel College, at Russellville, Ky, two years, and on leaving there went to the University of Tennessee, at Knoxville, which institution he attended one year. He holds the degree of A. M. from the Mercer University of Macon. After leaving college Mr. Branham went to New York city, where he spent considerable time engaged in newspaper work. He returned to Georgia in 1877 and began to teach school; taught private schools for two or three years; was then elected professor of the sub-freshman class in the University of Georgia. He held this position for some time and continued to do some newspaper work at intervals. Liking the newspaper field better than the class-room he resigned his professorship to accept a position on the Atlanta Constitution. On quitting this position he was called to the city editorship of the Macon Telegram. Afterwards he returned to the Constitution's staff and continued on that paper until he was called to Savannah to accept the position of associate editor of the Savannah News. It is a remarkable fact that although Mr. Branham has probably done as much newspaper work as any man of his age he yet never sought a position at any paper. On account of the failure in his wife's health Mr. Branham resigned his position on the Morning News in July, 1887, and moved to Brunswick, where he took charge of the public schools. He organized the present system in the schools there and the citizens speak in highest praise of his work as an educator. Mr. Branham married Miss Lucy Turner, at Eatonton, December 24, 1877. This estimable lady died at Brunswick, December 20, 1887, leaving two children -- Louise Julia and Lucy Turner. Mr. Branham is a Mason and an active member of the Baptist Church.

Alonzo A. Dozier, a Biographical Sketch

Source: Georgia and Florida Biographies [database on-line].
Original Data from Biographical Souvenir of the States of Georgia and Florida,
Containing Biographical Sketches of the Representative Public, and many
Early Settled Families in These States. F. A. Battey & Company, 1889.
Transcribed by S. Lincecum 2005.

Alonzo A. Dozier was born in Harris County, Ga, July 6, 1843, and is a son of Richard and Jane B. (Watt) Dozier. Richard Dozier was born in Warren County, Ga, February 22, 1815, and was a wealthy planter. He died in Muscogee County, Ga, July 11, 1887, and was for many years before his death a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was a son of Richard Dozier, a native of Virginia, of French extraction, and a noted Methodist minister. Jane B. (Watt) Dozier was born in Jones County, Ga, and was a daughter of James Watt. Alonzo A. Dozier, our subject, is the youngest of a family of three children, the others being Fredonia C. and Lovie E. Fredonia C. was married to Rev. S. D. Clements, of the North Georgia Conference, but formerly secretary of the South Georgia Conference. Lovie E. was married to Mr. Woodbridge, now of Muscogee County, Georgia.

Alonzo A. Dozier was educated at the common schools and attended one year at Geneva, Ga, and one year at Auburn College, Alabama. He also attended at Oxford and at Athens colleges, Georgia. In the spring of 1862 he enlisted in Company K, Forty-sixth Georgia volunteers, and was promoted to sergeant and subsequently to third lieutenant, then second, then first lieutenant, and afterwards detailed as captain to command Company H, Forty-sixth Georgia volunteers. He was shot in the right side of his head at Kennesaw Mountain, while in command of his company, three days after Gen. Pope was killed. In addition to this engagement he participated in the battles of Missionary Ridge, Vicksburg, Smithville, SC, and at Charleston, SC, and was along the Atlantic coast for fifteen months. At the close of the war he returned home and taught school near LaGrange, Ga, for a few months, then commenced to read law with Gen. Henry L. Benning, was admitted to the bar in November, 1866, and in 1867 commenced the practice of his profession in Columbus, Ga. He also practiced in the Alabama courts. He is regarded as one of the ablest attorneys of the Columbus bar. He has never asked for any office of any kind, but has devoted his time to his profession, and is active, energetic and painstaking in whatever he engages in. April 29, 1879, he married Miss Susie E. Moreland, of Houston County, Georgia, daughter of Isaac H. and Mary J. (Took) Moreland. Two children have blessed this union: Moreland and Mary. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is deputy Grand Master of the Golden Rule lodge of the State of Georgia; also Commander of the Golden Rule lodge in Columbus, Ga, and in politics is a Democrat.

Local Soldier Identified 76 Years Later

"76 years after he went missing overseas, a local soldier is coming home. Flying in a C-47A Skytrain, First Lieutenant Robert M. Anderson of Millen, Georgia in Jenkins County, and 6 others, went missing March 23, 1944. The servicemen were resupplying allied forces near Burma, but never returned after leaving India. In 2002 a data plate was discovered from a crash site, and just last week, the 7...including Anderson...were identified." Barclay Bishop reports.

Title Tuesday - "The Atlanta Riot"

The Atlanta Riot: Race, Class, And Violence In A New South City - Gregory Mixon traces the roots of the Atlanta Riot of 1906, exploring the intricate political, social, and urban conditions that led to one of the defining events of race relations in southern and African-American history. On September 22, 1906, several thousand white Atlantans rioted, ostensibly because they believed that black men had committed "repeated assaults on the white women of Fulton County," according to newspapers at the time. Four days after the massacre began, 32 people had died and 70 were wounded.

Another title on the same subject is Negrophobia: A Race Riot in Atlanta, 1906 - The roots of the 1906 Atlanta race riot are traced here through archival documents, news stories and from works by writers Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Margaret Mitchell and future NAACP leader Walter White.

[I have not read all the books posted about on this blog. Some are simply titles I found that somehow connect to Georgia's history. I am passing them along as possible resources for the historians and genealogists that follow Your Peachy Past.]

Marriage License: William H. Beehler & Leila S. Potter

The following was submitted by Ruth about 8 years ago regarding the marriage of William Henry Beehler and Leila Secession Potter:

Leila married my great-grandfather's brother, William Henry Beehler. He became a commodore in the Navy, eventually serving as Naval Attaché to Berlin at the turn of the century, and was quite a colorful character. Attached is a copy of the marriage license of my great-great-uncle William Henry and Leila Secession Potter (She was born in 1861, the year Georgia seceded from the Union.) At the time "Uncle Billy" was a young Naval officer from Baltimore, who had lost his wife after only one year of marriage. The story told to me by one of his descendants is as follows:

"...Will was so broken hearted that he wrote a very popular book to the effect that those widowed on earth ought never remarry, lest they confound paradise. Bishop Potter, of Savannah, was really taken with the book, and invited the Commodore to stop in the Episcopal residence and sign his copy when next he put into port. Will did that and standing next to the table whereupon reposed the book, was the enchanting Leila Secession Potter, the Bishop's daughter." The rest is (family) history...

I had searched several different sources of Episcopal Church records with no sign of a Bishop Potter. The Beehler family Bible says the marriage took place in Atlanta. It was someone at the Episcopal Cathedral in Atlanta who found the Bibb County marriage license info on the internet... it is still a mystery why the marriage took place there when the family lived in Atlanta and Savannah.

Robins Air Force Base: the Beginning, & its Place in Military & Aviation History

Wellston, Houston County, Georgia was little more than a small country community with a railroad stop, surrounded by peach orchards in 1940. Then came 16 June 1941. "The War Department officially announced today the selection of Wellston, Georgia, thirteen miles south of Macon, as the site for the construction of the Air Corps Depot..."

Very little was left untouched after World War II. Even in Houston County, Georgia, where no bombs fell and no battles were fought, there could be no going back to the pre-war status. The most far-reaching changes had come about because of the government installation at Wellston. More than any other development, Robins Air Force Base has provided the economic base for Houston County, and every human endeavor pursued in this county has felt the impact of what became one of Georgia's largest industries.

The task of turning cotton fields into an air depot was immense. The only man-made assets on hand were the railroad and the secondary road to Macon. Possession by the Corps of Engineers began August 1941. The acquisition of the land was made possible only by the partnership, which immediately was formed by Houston County residents and Bibb County promoters. The first official mayor of the City of Warner Robins, Charles B. "Boss" Watson, is given the credit for assembling the land from 26 different land owners. Since there was no city hall, he conducted business from his front porch at his home near Watson Boulevard.

Construction began following the groundbreaking on 1 September 1941. $14 million were authorized to construct buildings and utilities at the new depot. With the United States entering into war later that same year, the early completion of the depot became more urgent. The first buildings were occupied January 1942. The depot was in full operation within 12 months following the groundbreaking. Four depots were being built across the United States simultaneously. Robins was the last to begin and the first completed. In May 1942, 6600 workers were employed in the construction effort. There was not a day's labor trouble on the entire job. An area of 3,000 acres was purchased soon after the original purchase of 2,200 acres. Temporary wooden buildings were completed in mid-1942 at a cost of $3 million to provide a dispersed aerodrome for troop training missions.

While the construction was going on, an employment office was set up in Macon under the leadership of Karl McPherson to hire the workers for the depot. Most of these workers were sent to Middletown, Pennsylvania, and Fairfield, Ohio for training. The essential parts of the construction area were completed by the end of August 1942. What was originally expected to take 30 months was finished in less than a year. Production in the industrial area officially began in October. Troops poured in.

When first established, the depot was called "Wellston Air Depot." In January 1942, it was named "Robins Field" in memory of Brigadier General Augustine Warner Robins. He had been Chief of the Materiel Division, Army Air Corps from 1935 to 1939, and was Commandant of the Training Center at Randolph Field in Texas when he died in 1940. In October 1942, the depot's title was changed to "Warner Robins Army Air Depot." When the town rapidly being constructed adjacent to the field was incorporated as the City of Warner Robins 5 March 1943, everything in the area bore one or two of the late general's names.

The mission of RAFB throughout its history has centered on the maintenance shops and warehouses located there. The mission and workload concept followed for the first decade was based on geography. Robins was responsible for the repair of airplanes and components and the issuance of parts to the sir fields in the southeastern United States. Principally, the sir fields in the southeast were used to train flyers.

Before the base opened, its mission was expanded to include the training of supply and maintenance officers and men to perform these depot tasks overseas. The organizations that performed these tasks were known as air depot groups. More than maintenance and supply techniques were involved. These air depots contained military police, medical, signal, and several other supporting units. The air depot groups went to both the Pacific and European theaters of the war. It is estimated that 50,000 people were trained in Houston County in these varied disciplines.

The manpower to accomplish these wartime missions far exceeded the early forecasts given in the announcement of the depot's establishment. By the end of March 1945, the strength of the Command was 1,651 officers; 9,035 enlisted and 12,984 civilians. A year later, with the return of peacetime, there were 75 officers, 81 enlisted, and 6,039 civilians. Manning continued to decline until 1949 when the headquarters of the 14th Air Force was moved to Robins from Orlando. The Korean War prompted the need for continued military support, so the life of the base became a long one.

Curtiss P-40N "WarHawk"

Robins Air Force Base has its place in military and aviation history. The Curtiss P-40N "WarHawk" was part of the P-40 aircraft series that was the major fighter for the Army Air Corps at the beginning of World War II. More than 13,000 were built before production ended in 1944. P-40s engaged the Japanese during the attack on Pearl Harbor and the invasion of the Philippines in December 1941.

During the second World War, the Warner Robins Air Technical Service Command provided logistic support and depot-level maintenance of all P-40 aircraft in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Lockheed C-60A Lodestar

The Lockheed C-60A Lodestar first entered service in 1941. Powered by two Wright Cyclone engines, it was one of the fastest airplanes in its class. At the start of World War II, many of the Lodestars were pressed into service by the Army Air Corps.

The Lodestar could carry up to 18 fully equipped troops and was used for medium transport, communications, and training.

During World War II, Robins Air Field was responsible for the maintenance and logistical support for all C-60 aircraft assigned to bases in a five state area.

Martin RB-57A "Canberra"

The Martin RB-57A "Canberra" made its first flight on 20 July 1953.

The B-57 was assigned to the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in the decentralization of the AFLC management in 1953. That made it the first aircraft weapons system assigned to Warner Robins for worldwide logistics management.

Lockheed YMC-130H "Hercules"

The Lockheed YMC-130H "Hercules" is used for many type missions: air refueling, weather observation, cargo hauling, passenger carrier, dropping paratroopers, performing electronic surveillance, delivering equipment, drone launching and monitoring, air rescue, and as a bomber. When used as a gunship, it's one of the most heavily armed aircraft in the United States Air Force.

Currently, the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (WR-ALC) performs sustainment and depot maintenance on a number of US Air Force weapon systems. Specifically it supports AC-130, C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III, C-130 Hercules, E-8 Joint STARS, EC-130, F-15 Eagle, HC-130, HH-60 Pave Hawk, MC-130, MH-53 Pave Low, RQ-4 Global Hawk, U-2 Dragon Lady, and UH-1 Iroquois aircraft. To accomplish this mission, the center employs nearly 13,000 people.

Sources include:
- A Land So Dedicated: The History of Houston County, Georgia by Bobbe Hickson
- News articles from The Macon Telegraph (Georgia)
- Articles & Artifacts on display at the Warner Robins Museum of Aviation
- Wikipedia.org

See also:


Photos © 2002 - 2017 S. Lincecum