The West Tennessee Strawberry Festival 1937

The 4th Annual West Tennessee Strawberry Festival took place May 5-7, 1937 in Humboldt Tennessee.  I've posted selected images from the Program Magazine with the first being the cover.

Queen Julia III
Miss Julia Peel, Rutherford Tenn., Queen of 1937 Annual West Tennessee Strawberry Festival.

Daughter of Grover C. Peel and Nell Brown Pearce.  Her parents are interred at Rutherford Cemetery.

In 1940 Julia was a Government Secretary at Bakersfield CA.  I think she may have come back to Tennessee.  A Julia Sharp Peel married James O. Barker on April 8 1951.

June Louise Thweatt of Humboldt was selected as "Miss Dixie" in 1936 at the Memphis Cotton Carnival Mid-South Beauty Revue.

She was the daughter of John Wilford Thweatt and Annie Delle Warmath.  Miss Thweatt died at the very young age of 22.  She and her parents are interred at Rose Hill Cemetery in Humboldt.

Edward Caldwell Barham of Milan was riding Charming Princess Mildred owned by J.G. Lusk of Greenville Miss. In addition the Barham Stables entered horses in the show that year.

He was the son of Henry Christian and Sarah Caldwell Barham.  Edward married Sandra Harris.  They moved to Indiana where he continued to be an avid horseman.  From the tombstone he shares with Sandra:

Horses united the pathways of our lives.  Hearts created our everlasing love.  Honesty and integrity guided our existence with God's help.  We did it our way.

Willliam M. O'Donnell was the president of the O'Donnell Shoe company which spanned over thirty years in the Humboldt area.  The company produced shoes for everyone but their specialty was Riding and Military Boots.  According to the article they were the largest manufacturer of riding and military boots in the United States.  

O'Donnell was born in Minnesota in 1870 to William O'Donnell and Honora Hannegan.  His wife was Marjorie M. O'Donnell and they were married prior to 1930.  Though his company was in Humboldt it appears he maintained his residence in Minnesota since that's where he's listed in Census records.  He died in Humboldt two years after this article appeared. William O'Donnell was interred at Calvary Cemetery in St. Paul Minnesota.

In addition to the parade and horse show there was a children's parade.  In 1936 one of the prize winner's were Hobart Bodkin Jr and Betty jean Bennett with Teddy the dog.

I believe that's Lester Hobart Bodkin Jr, the son of Lester Hobart Bodkin Sr and Genrose Conway.  Hobart Sr. was an undertaker and owned Bodkin Funeral Home in Milan according to the 1930 Census.  Lester Jr married Martha Lee Graves in 1947.  His parents are interred at Rose Hill Cemetery in Humboldt.  In addition I came across an engagement article about a Rosalind Conway Bodkin from 1972, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs Lester H. Bodkin, of Atlanta Georgia.

Living next to the Bodkin's in 1930 is the family of George Bennett and his wife Minnie along with their son Marion and his wife Wilma.  I don't know if they are related to the little girl in the picture but thought I'd through their names out on the chance someone else might know.

You just have to feel sorry for Alvin Hassell Jr.  He was born on the first day of the first festival and was known ever since as the "Strawberry Festival Baby."  He was the son of Alvin D. Hassell Sr and Mary Nell Scott.

He was born May 17 1934 so we now that's the very beginning of the Strawberry Festival in Humboldt!  Alvin Jr. married Lea Garner.  They are interred at Point Pleasant Cemetery at Paris Landing.

Helen Raworth Claiborne was the daughter of Thomas Burnell Claiborne and Emma Louise Raworth.  She married James "Brick" Walter Veirs in 1936.  She holds the honor of being the Second Reigning Queen of the Strawberry Festival. Helen and James are interred at Lebanon Cemetery in Haywood County TN.

Marie Hall from Martin TN, maid to Queen Julia.  Marie Hall seems to be a common name for that time period so I wasn't able to determine which Marie she might be.

Mary Frances Henning, 1937 Maid to Queen Julia, passed away on August 18 2013.

Hot Springs-  Mary Frances Vaughn Sledge died peacefully at home August 18 2013 in Hot Springs Arkansas at the age of 96.  Mary Frances was born August 6 1917, the only child of Lillian Burks and Walter Henning in Dyersburg TN.  She attended Dyersburg High school and was Miss Dyersburg.  She participated in the Memphis Cotton Carnival.  She was a member of the First United Methodist Churc in Tiptonville TN and later Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis.  She belonged to the Tiptonville Women's club, the Nineteenth Century Club of Memphis and active with the Salvation Army.  She was the wife of J.E. Vaughn and Norfleet Sledge.  Her full obituary can be found here.

Alice Nell Wray had the honor to be the First Queen of the West Tennessee Strawberry Festival.  She was the daughter of Lyman P. and Clara Wray.  She married Walter Lewis Eubank September 29 1938 in Gibson Tennessee.  Alice and Walter are interred at Hollywood Cemetery in Jackson Tennessee.  Her parents are interred at Rose Hill Cemetery in Humboldt.

There is so much information in the Festival Program that I hope to add to this page over time.  Advertisements, articles and more pictures will be on the way.

The Dodson Family of Humboldt Tennessee

The Dodson family are kin to the Moran's through at least two surnames, Blakemore and Scott.  Albert Russell Dodson was the son of Watkins Hopkins Dodson and Jerusha Ann Blakemore.   W.H. and Jerusha were married in Gibson County TN in 1847. He was a prosperous merchant owning many business interests including a foundry, mill and plow factory.  

Albert R. Dodson was a graduate of Southwestern Baptist University in Jackson TN.  He also attended Eastman's Business College in Poughkeepsie, New York where he completed a course of study in business. He returned to Humboldt and began a successful career in the banking industry.  I was struck immediately by the similarity of his life to that of Jim and Harrell Moran.  First they were the sons of industrious, financially well off families.  Second, all three were well educated and third, they all went into the banking business. 

Albert married Martha Bell Scott who was known as Mattie on January 2, 1889 in Weakley County Tennessee.  Mattie was the daughter of William Carroll Scott and Mary Susan Clement of Dresden. Albert and Mattie lived in a large Victorian home in Humboldt that is so similar to Moran Place it leads me to believe that both families used the same George Barber floor plan with minor variations.  Just one more similarity between the Dodson and Moran families.

Mary Lemire Dodson

Mattie presented her husband with a baby girl on October 24th that same year.  She was named Mary Lemire Dodson.  The Moran boys older sister was named Fannie Lemire Moran.  Fannie was two years younger than her cousin Mattie.  It seems possible that Mary Lemire was partially named after Fannie.   I don't know if Mattie and Albert had any other children but if they did it appears that Mary was the only one to survive past infancy.

Mary Lemire Dodson

Mary Lemira Dodson Callahan
and daughter Catherine.

On October 30, 1917, Mary Lemire Dodson married Malcolm Whitfield Callahan in Gibson County, Tennessee. Malcolm was the son of Perry Commodore Callahan and Catherine Paris Howard. Malcolm served as a Captain in the US Navy during World War I.    On October 24, 1919 their first child was born and they named her Catherine.  When Malcolm was sent overseas in 1926 the three of them boarded the S.S. President Cleveland and set sail for Shanghai China.  

On Mary's passport application she was described as 35 years old, 5 feet 3 inches tall, forehead medium, eyes hazel, with a straight nose.  Her mouth was small and she had a round chin. She had light brown hair, was fair complected with an oval face. She is pictured with their daughter Catherine in the passport application. She is listed as Mary Lee rather than Mary Lemira.

They are back in the US by 1930 and they actually appear twice in the 1930 Census.  On an enumeration dated April 14 1930 Malcolm, Mary and Catharine are living in Norfolk Virginia and Malcolm's occupation is "Lieutenant".  On another enumeration with the same date, April 14 1930, Mary, Catherine and Martha, who was born in 1927, are living in Humboldt Tennessee with Edd Lewis and his wife.  However by 1940 Malcolm, Mary, Catherine and Martha are living in Washington DC and their "inferred" residence for 1935 was listed as Rural, San Diego CA.  

Malcolm Whitfield Callahan died in 1958.  Mary Lemira Dodson Callahan passed on in 1974.  Their daughter Catherine "Cay" Dodson Callahan had a career in the Navy like her father.  Her headstone indicates she was a Lieutenant Commander serving in World War II and Korea.  She died in 1998 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery with her parents.

This information comes from the press release issued at the time of her death:
"Catherine Dodson "Cay" Callahan, 78, a retired Navy lieutenant commander and World War II veteran whose duties included service as a legislative liaison officer to the U.S. Congress, died of pneumonia November 7, 1998 at Suburban Hospital, Washington.

Commander Callahan, who lived in Washington, was born to a Navy family in Nashville, TN.  She grew up on naval installations in Chongqing, China; Manila; and various U.S. cities.

She began her naval career as a member of a graduating class of WAVE Midshipmen from Smith College in 1943.  As a young communications officer, she served on the staff of Fleet Adm. Ernest J. King throughout World War II.

After her military retirement in 1961, she became special assistant to the executive director of the U.S. Catholic Conference and later executive director of the National Society of the Daughters of American Colonists.

She was a member of the Chi Omega fraternity, the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Army and Navy Club.  She also was  a past president of the National Society of the Daughters of the Barons of Runnymede.

She leaves no immediate survivors." 

Malcolm and Mattie's daughter Martha Ann Callahan married Wade H. Atkinson of Fairfax Virginia. Martha died December 8, 1997 in Gaithersburg, VA.  She was a graduate of George Washington University.  She was a research and administrative assistant to Sen Andrew. Shoeppel of Kansas during the 1950's.  In addition Martha belonged to many organizations including the DAR, Colonial Dames of America, the Army and Navy Club to name a few.  

Though the family connection has long since been forgotten the pictures of Mary Lemire Dodson that we found in Moran Place have helped bring us closer to those past connections.