Shelby County Today

February 19, 2017 - The 7 Sisters Red Hat Society enjoyed a delicious lunch, Valentines Day, and Judy Carrington's  birthday at the Nettie's Nook and Sammich Shop which provided Red Hat cookies and decorations for members Queen Trudie Willis, Queen Mom Winnie Preston, Linda Bordelon, Peggy Kennedy, Mary Fausett, Sylvia Jackson, Nora Robinson, Maudie Warr, Jo Warr, and Judy Carrington.

Submitted by Linda Bordelon    

Related article:
Nettie's Nook And Sammich Shop Hosts Red Hat Ladies

February 17, 2017 - VFW Post 8904 and Auxiliary gathered at the Shelby County Veterans Memorial on February 15, 2017 to remember the sinking of the USS Maine during the Spanish-American war and the veterans who served during that time.

"119 years ago today on February 15, 1898 the USS Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana Cuba. 266 American crewmen and Marines were killed. Spain was blamed for the explosion and the Spanish American war began as a result. Less than four months later on August 12, 1898 the United States won a decisive victory, and this was the first war that the United States had ever fought off our seas and off our shores," said Larry Hume, Post Quartermaster.

Hume proceeded in explaining 3,000 American military were lost during that engagement; however, not due to the conflict instead from exposure to Yellow Fever, and Typhoid Fever from fighting in the jungles. Hume reminded those present of the saying of Teddy Roosevelt to his troops as they were mustering out, "Enjoy the next 15 days, because after that you will be forgotten."

"And they were, and because of the United States Government's refusal for proper military care for these veterans, they banded together in organizations across this country that would eventually become the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States that we are members of today," said Hume.

Hume reminded everyone their presence at the Shelby County Veterans Memorial was to remember the lives of those lost so long ago, the explosion of the USS Maine and the Spanish-American war which followed.

Placing the memorial wreath in remembrance of the USS Maine, those on board and the veterans of the Spanish-American war was Derwin Howell.

Hume stated he has been able to connect three Shelby County veterans to the Spanish-American war and they include Elijah Webb, Bronson Cline and Charles Henry Hudson. An article has been prepared by Hume which tells some of the story of the time these men spent in the military and that article can be viewed here: Every Veteran Has A Story: Spanish-American War Philippine Insurrection

"As an interesting side note, I found that on June 13, 1918 President [Woodrow Wilson] issued an Executive Order. He ordered that all veterans of the Spanish-American war who were in the service of the government of the United States and desired to attend the 20th annual encampment of the United Spanish War Veterans to be held in Baltimore, Maryland September 3-5, 1918 they shall be granted leave of absence with pay and they be granted as many more days additional leave with pay as necessary for the journey to and from Baltimore," said Hume.

"Today we can honor these three veterans and all the other forefathers of our great organization by continuing to fight for veterans' rights and benefits, just as they did," said Hume.

The event was brought to a close with the playing of Taps as presented by John Piersol.

February 17, 2017 - The University of Texas at Tyler has named 580 students to the President’s Honor Roll for the 2016 fall semester, President Michael Tidwell announced.

To qualify for the President’s Honor Roll, a student must have completed, in one semester, 12 or more semester hours of undergraduate college-level credit with a grade of “A” in all courses. To be considered for such recognition in any semester, a student must qualify as a matriculated student pursuing a first bachelor’s degree. The President’s Honor Roll is awarded in fall and spring semesters only.

Students from Shelby County named to the President’s Honor Roll are listed by hometown.

CENTER – Meagan Nehring
TIMPSON – Maggie Bush

One of the 14 campuses of the UT System, The University of Texas at Tyler features excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees are available at The University of Texas at Tyler, which has an enrollment of almost 10,000 high-ability students. The University of Texas at Tyler offers courses at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine as well as a location in Houston.

Click here for a full list of students recognized.

February 17, 2017 - Not only was the display at the February Timpson Area Genealogical and Heritage Society meeting interesting, it was durable...and heavy!  Speaker John Langston, a knowlegable brick collector, dutifully lugged many of his most unusual and interesting bricks to the Timpson Library last Wednesday to illustrate his talk to members and guests.

Langston's great-great grandfather came to East Texas just before the Civil War, settling in Millville, northwest of Henderson. John's ancestors' home is now gone, as is Millville, but he was able to salvage a brick from the ruins of the fireplace which he displayed as one of the first in his collection. “Brick collecting is addictive” said Langston, and he and his wife Patti were soon scouring old building sites and travelling hundreds of miles to brick swap meets to add to their collection.

In addition to its rarity or age, a brick's connection to history also interests Langston. He displayed a Ka-ton-ka brick which was made near the Ka-ton-ka Indian Remedy factory in Pennsylvania, even bringing along an antique Ka-ton-ka Indian Remedy bottle for display. 19th Century Kansas physician Dr. Samuel Crumrine was so concerned with public health that he convinced brick makers to press “Don't Spit on the Sidewalk” into their pavers as a warning. John displayed one of these but said he has never even seen the rarer “Kill the Flies” brick. Langston was quick to advise his audience that the swastika brick he displayed had nothing to do with Nazi Germany and was, in fact, produced in Jacksonville about 1890. “The swastika emblem on these bricks was made up of four “L”s radiating from the center, which stood for Light, Life, Love, and Luck” he explained.

The oldest bricks in Mr. Langston's collection are some Roman floor tiles from the Third Century A.D. Shaped more like a crescent than a rectangle, these pavers were found in
Serbia and brought to the U.S. Of particular interest to Shelby County historians was the  NOT&SON brick made by a supplier of material for the Shelby County Courthouse.   “J.J.E. Gibson, the architect of the courthouse, made many of the bricks used in its construction. Others were made by N.O. Thomas and Son and feature the NOT&SON imprint”. It was emphasized that this brick had not been removed from the historical building itself!

So many different types of brick have been made by so many different manufacturers over the centuries that a comprehensive list is virtually impossible, but that hasn't stopped collector and author Jim Graves from attempting to do so in his “monumental work”, Brick Brands of the United States, Langston explained.  Even though this book contains over 20,000 entries, previously unknown types are still being discovered. “Finding a type of brick no one has documented before is the Holy Grail of all collectors” Langston said. “If you can do that, you've really done something,” he revealed. Like most serious brick collectors, Mr. and Mrs. Langston are members of the International Brick Collectors Association and have a website (www.bricknames.com) featuring their collection of over 700 different brick types.

The TAGHS meeting was well attended, including many of the Langstons' fellow collectors from as far away as Rosebud, Texas. At the close of Mr. Langston's program friends presented him with an NOT&SONS brick, which he had been seeking. Following the meeting, Mr. Langston's work was not over. He still had to lug his display back to his vehicle and take it home!

TAGHS meets the third Wednesday of each month at 2:00 PM in the meeting room of the Timpson Public Library on the corner of Austin and Bremond Streets. The public is invited.