8372. Dr. Bernard Knotts-4843
Birth Record Detail ...
Name: Knotts
Birth Date: 6 Sep 1916
Birth Place: Chloe, Calhoun, West Virginia
Sex: Male
Mother: Etta Knotts
Father: Charlie KnottsHe did not survive his sister Sadie according to the obit in her Notes.
Calhoun Co, WV Birth Records Name: Bernard Knotts Birth Date: 2Sep1918 Birth Place: Chloe, Calhoun, West Virginia Sex: Male Mother: Ettie Druffield Father: Charles Clinton Knotts
8383. Capt. George 'Gray' Springston-22413
The following Notes provided by Jackson Arnold Springston:
1915 Graduated Spencer High School,Spencer, WV
1913-14 Worked in Texas on a ranch and in oil fields
1916 Worked for Firestone Rubber Co, Akron, OH
1917 Cpl, 37th Inf. Div, Mexican Border & World War I
1925-39 Co M, 150th Inf, WVA National Guard
1929 Mayor, Spencer, W.VA
School Teacher 1927-1939
1939 Purchased Dry Cleaning shop
1943 Guard at Prunty Town, WV, State Reform School for Boys
1944-1959 Guard at U. S. Post Office, Washington, D.C.
SS #235-32-4078
23 Dec 1972 Death Cert #19041 Charles Co., MD
27 Dec 1972 buried Trinity Memorial Cem., Waldorf, MDUpon his return from service in WW I, Gray and a Stalnaker cousin opened a grocery store. Neither were good business men and in the depression of 1920, they lost it. Gray then went into the newly formed State Police of West Virginia which was commanded by Col. Jackson Arnold. He was serving in the state police at the time of the birth of his second son, who was named "Jackson Arnold" out of respect for his superior and to provide happiness to his mother whose grandmother and great-grandmother had these surnames.
Gray attended Normal School at Spencer High School in 1925-6 and started teaching one-room schools in Fall of 1926. He taught in many different schools in the county. He was well liked in the communities where he taught, but the county school board would move him to schools with problems. He was a large man and did not need to use corporal punishment to maintain order. In 1940 he formed an Infantry Company in Spencer as part of the State Guard of West Virginia. The National Guard company, which he formerly commanded, was called to active duty. The State Guard was formed to provide for domestic tranquility in accordance with the West Virginia Constitution.
Gray's life was not his work; it was his love of writing poetry, hunting, fishing, and politics. One book of his poetry was published. Another, unpublished is in the possession of his children.
Notes provided by Jackson Arnold Springston:
When Ruth got married in Port Clinton, OH, Gray was in an Army post near by. She stayed in a small room off-post while he was on duty. Gray's unit was transferred to Montgomery, AL, and Ruth followed him down there. When his unit went overseas, Ruth went to West Virginia to live with Gray's mother, whom she had never met. It must have been very hard for this "foreign Yankee" to satisfy a "Southern" mother-in-law", who taught her how to cook, live and raise children "Southern style". Ruth's teaching career was interuptted by the Depression when the school board decided that only one teacher per family could be hired.The County Extension Service employed her to setup canning centers in Roane and adjoining counties. From this she progressed to setting up hot lunch programs in all the rural schools. When Gray retired from the Post Office, they moved to the log cabin they had built at Rison, MD. Ruth was too young to retire, so she gave up her position with the State Department and took a position as Cost Accountant at the Naval Ordnance Plant in Indian Head, MD.
Ruth was a tireless worker, with many trials and disappointments. They lost everything in a house fire in 1928 and again in 1939. She lived only three weeks after Gray died in 1972--her work was done.
8418. Clarence Jackson-3916
Clarance must have been born in New Mexico when his father was in service.
8439. Dr. Frank Burdette 'Jack' Jackson-2708
It is possible that Frank's middle name was Burdette and that he went by that name. Basing this on info in his brother Elbur's obituary. - Later, his daughter wrote me (Janie) that his middle name was Burdette and he went by Frank professionally. However, his wife and friends called him, 'Jack', his nickname and a grandchild was named Jack in his honor.
'Jack' Jackson raised two step-daughters as his own chldren. His daughter has said he was a true father to her. He legally adopted one and she is Jackson on her birth certificate. The older daughter wanted to keep her own last name and so her adoption was not a legal one but he raised both as his very own.
His daughter also informs me that the following obit missed telling that his wife Grace, was a survivor and that the listed brothers were actually half-brothers, having the same mother, but different fathers.
Obit of Frank B. Jackson rec'd from John J. Armstrong. It was featured in the Greenville Herald Banner, Hunt County, TX on Sun 6 Jun 1982:
Commerce-Dr Frank B. Jackson, 69, of 2515 Washington, Commerce, died Friday at 5:10 p.m. in Wilmington, Ohio. Funeral service is pending with W.Y. Goff Funeral Home in Commerce. Burial will be in Rosemound Cemetery. He was born Oct 6, 1912, in Pleasant Plains (sic), Ohio to Elbert and Ethel Irons Jackson. He was married to Grace Gilliland June 28, 1953 in Alabama. Dr. Jackson received his undergraduate degree from Whittenburg Ohio, his master's degree from the University of Cincinnati and Ph.D from Ohio State College in 1956. He joined the faculty of East Texas State Univesity in 1958 and became the head of the history department in 1965. Dr. Jackson stepped down as department head in 1973 but continued teaching until his retirement in 1977. He was a member of the Commerce First United Methodist Church where he had served as a Sunday School Teacher and a member of the adminstrative board. Dr. Jackson was also a member of the Masonic Lodge. Surviving are daughters, Martha C. Zawacki of Laurelville, Ohio and Myrna Brogdon of Los Fresnos, Texas; brothers, Harold Beckett of Westmanchester, Ohio, Clifford Beckett of Lebanon, Ohio and George and Craig Beckett, both or Oregonia, Ohio; and six grandchildren.
She was not listed as a survivor in her husband's 1982 obit but he daughter has written me that this was an oversight. Grace did survive him but is now buried beside him in Texas.
Grace received her doctorate at East Texas State University, Commerce, Texas.