Hill Country HOGS Webpress

Obituary: Dr. William Terrance Thornton

2010-08-14T10:33:00.001-05:00

Dr. William Terrance "Terry" Thornton (1939 - 2010)

Dr. William Terrance “Terry” Thornton, 71, died at his residence on August 9, 2010. Born on July 26, 1939, to the late Garfus Sherman and Letha Hollingsworth Thornton, he was a native of the Parham Community in Monroe County.

Terry attended public school in Monroe County and graduated from Hatley High School, Class of 1957. He earned three degrees, including a doctorate, from the University of Mississippi.

Terry married Betty Ann Rooker of Tupelo on December 17, 1961. Terry taught briefly at Brookhaven High School before returning to North Mississippi to teach science at Milam Jr. High School in Tupelo and elementary science for the newly-created educational programming at WTVA in Tupelo. These lessons were the first educational TV to be broadcast in the state of Mississippi and were watched both by children in the classrooms and by television viewers in North Mississippi, Western Alabama, and Southern Tennessee. After two years in Tupelo, Mr. Thornton was named an NDEA fellow at Ole Miss. When he completed his doctorate, he began his college teaching career at Troy State College, now Troy University. He later taught in the Troy University System at the Fort Rucker Branch and the Dothan Branch.

Dr. Thornton was a man of many talents and interests. He played the piano and organ at numerous churches, social events, and weddings. He loved both reading and writing and was the author of numerous stories, poems, and recollections of growing up in Monroe County. Terry was a popular public speaker and conversationalist. He was a naturalist and bird watcher. Terry taught countless students and teachers to enjoy studying science.

Dr. and Mrs. Thornton have two sons, William Terrance “Teb” Thornton, Jr., (Coleen), Fulton, and James Garfus Thornton (Charlena), New Orleans; his grandchildren, William Terrance III, and Margaret Ann, Fulton, and Charles William, New Orleans; brother, Thomas Sherman Thornton, (Patricia), Amory; and several nieces and nephews.

A Memorial service for Terry Thornton will be held at 10 AM, Thursday at the funeral home with Rev. John Foster officiating. Inurnment will follow in Lann Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 – 7 PM, Wednesday at the funeral home.

Memorials may be given to Itawamba Historical Society, Mantachie, 38855-0007 or Sanctuary Hospice House Home Care, 5159 W. Main St., Tupelo, 38803.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at picklefh@att.net. Arrangements for the Thornton family are in the care of E. E. Pickle Funeral Home, Amory; 256-2644.

Published online on 8/10/2010 courtesy of E.E. Pickle Funeral Home .

Polygamy, Mississippi Saints, Mormon Springs, Monroe County, MS

2010-06-26T07:38:00.003-05:00

Click here to read three of my earlier published articles about polygamy, the Mississippi Saints, and Mormon Spring, Monroe County, Mississippi.

Illness prevents me from researching and writing new material --- so I'm "dipping" into materials published in Hill Country of Monroe County Mississippi Volume 1 (947 articles from the past). The CD is available; click here for information.

Dirt Eaters in the Hill Country?

2010-06-18T08:04:00.001-05:00

Click here to read the previously published Pica (Eating Dirt) in Hill Country Parts 1 and 2.

More about the David Z. Palmer Memorial

2010-06-17T19:47:00.003-05:00

Click here to read a thank you from Todd Palmer, Festus, Missouri, regarding the CSA Memorial for David Z. Palmer, Sunday, June 13, 2010, at Lann Cemetery, Splunge, Monroe County, Mississippi. Additional information about that ceremony and links to previous articles regarding it are included.

Update to Shhhhhhhh! Let's not talk about this. . .

2010-06-14T19:32:00.001-05:00

To read the update (comments and responses) to Shhhhhhhhhhh! Let's not talk about this click here.

A Southern Unionist Family --- Shhhhhhhhh! Let's not talk about this

2010-06-13T21:33:00.005-05:00

Click here to read one of my favorite articles originally posted August 27, 2007. Available now only on CD or at one or two sites who have been granted permission to republish this personal essay, I've had several requests from readers to run it again. And during this time of not being able to research and write, I thought it might be fun to select and repost some of my favorites from the past. Here, then, is " Shhhhhhhhhhhhh! Let's not talk about this . . ." a personal essay involving my Southern unionist family of Alabama and Mississippi.

I can hear some of my Thornton relatives saying, "Shhhhhhhhhhhh! Let's not talk about this!

Johnson's Island, CSA POW Camp, Rededication Ceremony for Southern Memorial

2010-06-13T06:13:00.003-05:00

On June 12, 2010, Johnson's Island (in Lake Erie) near Sandusky Bay, Ohio, was held a rededication ceremony to mark the occasion of the 100th year of the bronze CSA memorial. The service, marked with pomp, color, and ceremony, featured re-enactors from Kentucky serving as a color guard and a military band played "Dixie." For more information about this rededication service, photographs, and a link to a video of the band playing "Dixie" go to http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/confederate-memorial-rededication.html

Amazing Grace --- Bagpipes

2010-06-08T17:36:00.003-05:00

Watch and listen to Bagpiper Jean Orcutt perform Amazing Grace at the Palmer Monument Dedication Ceremony, Sunday, June 6, 2010, at Lann Cemetery, Splunge, Monroe County, Mississippi. Click this link: http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/amazing-grace-by-piper-jean-e-orcutt.html

Palmer Memorial Service, Lann Cemetery

2010-06-07T21:29:00.003-05:00

For a short article about the marker dedication ceremony for Private David Z. Palmer, CSA, see the post at HILL COUNTRY --- http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/david-z-palmer-monument-dedication.html

Within the article are photographs and video. The videos show the Flags, the Color Guard, the firing of the three-volley Musket Salute, and the playing of Taps on the bagpipe.

The colorful and moving service was conducted Sunday, June 6, 2010, at Lann Cemetery, Splunge, Monroe County, Mississippi.

Signs of the season: Ripe Blackberries

2010-06-07T12:18:00.001-05:00

For photographic proof that some blackberries are getting ripe in the Hill Country on June 6, 2010, click this link: http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/blackberries-in-hill-country-june-6.html

Bagpiper piping at my grave marker Sunday at Lann Cemetery

2010-06-06T19:58:00.001-05:00

Yes, there was a bagpiper at my grave marker at Lann Cemetery. Click here to hear and to see the video -- http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/bagpipe-piping-at-grave-marker-of-terry.html

SALVATION ON SAND MOUNTAIN

2010-06-03T15:50:00.002-05:00

Poor Southern Whites: The Only Ethnic Group in America Not Permitted to Have a History

by Terry Thornton

Reasons why Family Historians should read SALVATION ON SAND MOUNTAIN is the subject of a short essay at HILL COUNTRY. Click the following link to read my review of Dennis Covington's little masterpiece, Salvation on Sand Mountain: http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/reasons-why-family-historians-should.html

An Invitation to the Memorial Service for David Palmer, CSA Veteran

2010-05-31T19:08:00.001-05:00

You are invited to a memorial service for C.S.A. Veteran David Z. Palmer to be conducted at Lann Cemetery, Splunge, Monroe County, Mississippi, at 2:30 PM, Sunday June 6, 2010.

Palmer served in Company B of the 3rd Battalion of the Mississippi State Troops and the service is to mark his grave and to honor his memory. David Palmer was born January 3, 1817 and died June 21, 1887.

Several out-of-state family members are expected to attend this ceremony which will feature re-enactors from local historic military units providing color guard and rifle salute. A bagpiper is expected to be a part of the program.

Hill Country residents will find this sort of memorial service to be a moving and colorful tribute to one who served in the cause of his country. Please make plans to attend to both learn more about our local heritage as well as to welcome Mr. Palmer's relatives to Hill Country.

Historic Lann Cemetery is located near Splunge in the eastern part of the hills of Monroe County, Mississippi. It is the burial place of both Southern Confederates and Southern Unionists who survived the war and learned to live peacefully as neighbors in Hill Country.

If you need help with directions to Lann Cemetery, please email hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com It is recommended you bring your own folding chair. Please be advised there are no facilities nor buildings at Lann Cemetery so come prepared.

Markings on stone: mistakes are difficult to correct

2010-05-22T21:02:00.005-05:00

Mistakes made in the carving of grave markers are difficult to correct --- and care should be taken to "get it correct" the first time. Here is a short article about a strike-over on a marker with the epithet "Mark the perfect man . . ." http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/strike-overs-on-grave-markers-mark.html

Two little angels . . .

2010-05-20T06:41:00.000-05:00

is today's post at HILL COUNTRY. Here is the link:
http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/two-little-angels.html

Thornton Road: The Video (in two parts)

2010-05-18T08:24:00.000-05:00

Two new "through the windshield" videos have been posted at Hill Country. I drove Thornton Road (yes, it is named after me) recently and posted the results. If you like to drive on gravel country roads, this might be of interest to you too.

Here are the links:

http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/thornton-road-part-1-through-windshield.html

http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/thornton-road-part-2-through-windshield.html

Hills, Horses, and High-flying Flags

2010-05-17T08:18:00.003-05:00

Hills, Horses, and High-flying Flags is the title of a Hill Country Ramblin's Column at HILL COUNTRY. Click this link to read: http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/hills-horses-and-high-flying-flags-hill.html

Inventory of grave marker names: FULTON CEMETERY, Itawamba County, Mississippi

2010-05-16T11:34:00.001-05:00

by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

An inventory of the names on the grave markers at Fulton Cemetery has been posted at Itawamba County Mississippi Book of the Dead. The alphabetized listing of the names is based upon a photographic record of the cemetery done May 13, 2010. The list contains 463 names, year of birth and death, as well as a link to the photograph of the grave marker.

Fulton Cemetery is presented at the Book of the Dead in four parts:

Post 1 is an introduction with general photographs and a map to the cemetery.

Post 2 contains the Surnames A - G

Post 3 contains the Surnames H - M

Post 4 contains the Surnames N - Z and Unknowns

Other Itawamba County cemeteries previous posted to the Book of the Dead include

Pleasant Hill Cemetery

Use the information in the right-side bar of the Book of the Dead to move from section to section.

Ridings Family Murders at Bigby Fork

2010-05-13T06:34:00.006-05:00

For another account of the 1880 triple murder of the Henry Brown Ridings family of Bigby Fork community which straddles the county lines of Monroe and Itawamba Counties, Mississippi, and for information about the author of Backward Glances, the following article at Hill County may be of interest:
BACKWARD GLANCES by Samuel Wallace Tapscott of Bigby Fork, Mississippi

BLACK CONFEDERATES IN THE CIVIL WAR

2010-05-10T14:28:00.000-05:00

Posted by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

Scott K. Williams' article, BLACK CONFEDERATES IN THE CIVIL WAR, is an interesting read. It can be found at the following link: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/blackcs.htm

Thanks to Alabama cousin Carl Thornton for calling my attention to this article.

An important and must-read opinion piece from the DAILY JOURNAL 05-09-10

2010-05-09T10:55:00.002-05:00

Posted by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

Sonny Scott of Sparta, Chickasaw County, Mississippi, is a community columnist for the Daily Journal published in Tupelo. His column today, Schools may be reaping important unintended negative consequences, is one of those rare, "right-on" articles about many of the major problems facing society and public schooling in what passes for education today.

I've searched for a link to the Journal's online version but don't find Scott's article there --- so go out and find a copy of page 7A, May 9, 2010, of the Sunday Journal and read what Scott has to say. I think you'll agree with him that "you can't make apple pie out of road apples."

UPDATE: Readers "Randy" and "Ann" advised me that the column was now on the Journal's website. Here is the link (thanks to Randy); http://www.nems360.com/view/full_story/7374302/article-SONNY-SCOTT--Schools-may-be-reaping-important-unintended-negative-consequences

Readers of the print version of the Daily Journal are fortunate to have access to Sonny Scott's column --- but I wish the Journal would also include his work in their online version so the world could read his words.

Because Scott started his piece with the old country proverb about apple pie, I'll end this endorsement of his work with another food proverb: You can't make mayonnaise if you don't break eggs. Maybe some school administrators, but, more importantly, some parents will read Scott's words and start "breaking eggs."

BURDINE CIVIL WAR LETTERS

2010-05-07T22:38:00.003-05:00

Some of the names mentioned within the Civil War letters which Addison Fletcher Burdine wrote to his wife Ruth Standefer Burdine are listed in the article http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/burdine-civil-war-letters.html

The Burdine and Standefer families were early pioneering groups in Hill Country settling in Monroe and Itawamba Counties. Mr. and Mrs. Addison Fletcher Burdine (and other relatives) are buried in New Hope Cemetery, Parham, Monroe County, Mississippi.

The article includes a link to the transcription of the letters done by Carol Ann Burdine.

Hill Country column in MONROE JOURNAL

2010-04-22T16:16:00.003-05:00

Digging for water in the Hill Country is the column for this week's Monroe Journal. Click to read.

Latin names for relatives?

2010-04-19T14:32:00.001-05:00

Do you use the proper Latin names for your relatives? If not, help is available at Hill Country HOGS Blog. Click here.

Quilt squares and grave markers

2010-04-19T09:55:00.002-05:00

Examples of how quilt and grave marker photographs can help document a community is the subject of the post at Hill Country HOGS Blog. Click to read.

Another Friendship Quilt located in Hill Country

2010-04-18T20:35:00.002-05:00

The Friendship Quilt Project at Itawamba Historical Society continues with the study of a third quilt from the area. Photo and short article at Hill Country HOGS Blog (click to view).

Some suggestions and hints about doing a photographic inventory of a rural cemetery

2010-04-17T14:22:00.001-05:00

So, you wish to inventory a cemetery? Some hints about the process and some examples of grave markers you might encounter --- A Photographic Essay is a feature article at Hill Country. Click here to read.

Pickle Cemetery, Monroe County

2010-04-15T21:41:00.002-05:00

A four-part series present Pickle Cemetery of eastern Monroe County, Mississippi. This historic cemetery of Hill Country is found in the following articles:

An Introduction: Map, General Photograph, A Video, and Information about the cemetery and the inventory of names
A - K Surnames
L - P Surnames
R - W Surnames

The grave for R. U. READY

2010-04-14T21:07:00.002-05:00

A short essay and a photograph about the grave for R.U. READY has been posted at Hill County HOGS Blog. Click here to read the article and to view the grave.

Grave marker for Lucy Nethery found near Nethery Cemetery

2010-04-13T18:09:00.004-05:00

The grave marker for Lucy A. Nethery has been found in the woods about 175 feet from Nethery Cemetery. Click here to read the article.

McKinney Cemetery at Splunge

2010-04-12T14:06:00.002-05:00

The article McKinney Cemetery and Revolutionary War Veteran John Kitchens is posted. Click here to read.

Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Itawamba County, Mississippi

2010-04-11T21:25:00.002-05:00

An inventory of the names on the grave markers at Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist Church) is presented in the post at Itawamba County Mississippi Book of the Dead (click to read).

Grave shelters

2010-04-09T21:32:00.003-05:00

Four grave shelters from Monroe County Mississippi are shown in one photograph posted at the article Grave Shelters at Hill Country HOGS Blog. Click link to view.

Hill Country Photographs

2010-04-09T15:46:00.002-05:00

Seen in Hill Country, April 7, 2010 (click to view), is the title of a short photo-essay posted at Hill Country HOGS Blog.

Keys Cemetery, Itawamba County, Mississippi

2010-04-08T18:20:00.004-05:00

An inventory of more than 1,770 names with links to the images of the grave markers found in Keys Cemetery has been posted in a fourteen-part series of articles at Itawamba County Mississippi Book of the Dead (click to access the articles).

Irvin Cemetery inventory and photograph posted

2010-04-07T20:01:00.001-05:00

An inventory based upon photographs of all the grave markers at Irvin Cemetery, Monroe County, Mississippi, has been posted. Click here to access.

NETHERY CEMETERY, Monroe County, Mississippi

2010-04-07T16:06:00.001-05:00

Inventory of names from grave markers and links to photographs of grave markers at Nethery Cemetery is now posted online. Click here to access.

From MONROE JOURNAL: Parham Gin

2010-04-01T17:45:00.002-05:00

The Hill Country column in Monroe Journal on March 31, 2010 was Parham Gin of Eastern Monroe County (click to read).

Hilliard Cemetery, Monroe County, Mississippi

2010-04-01T07:43:00.004-05:00

Hilliard Cemetery lies off Ritter Road in Monroe County near Amory, Mississippi. The small cemetery received its last marked burial seventy-two years ago. Not indexed by Evans et al in the 1930s inventory of burials in the county, the cemetery is accessible only by foot and lies in a thick stand of trees. A transcription of the names from the grave markers and links to the photographs of the markers found in the cemetery on March 31, 2010 has been posted at Hilliard Cemetery (click to read).

Stanton killed, buried on Crump property, cemetery known as KNOWLES: For answer click below

2010-03-31T17:29:00.004-05:00

Guess writer and Monroe County historian Mary Anna Riggan explains how the Stanton, Crump, and Knowles families were involved in the formation of Knowles Cemetery. A killing required that a burial ground be established --- read Mrs. Riggan's account of the tragic death of Abel Stanton (click here).

Sun words on grave markers

2010-03-29T09:07:00.001-05:00

http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/sun-rise-set-dawn-dusk-shine.html

MAXEY CEMETERY

2010-03-27T16:45:00.001-05:00

Maxey Cemetery is now posted at Itawamba County Mississippi Book of the Dead. Click here for access to the index of names from the grave markers, for links to the grave marker photographs and for maps to the cemetery.

Chastain Cemetery

2010-03-23T06:20:00.005-05:00

Chastain Cemetery is now posted at Itawamba County Mississippi Book of the Dead. Click here for access to the index of names from the grave markers, for links to the grave marker photographs and for maps to the cemetery.

Files Cemetery

2010-03-22T10:21:00.004-05:00

Itawamba County Mississippi Book of the Dead is a publication of Hill Country H.O.G.S. WebPress. Today at the Book of the Dead, the small cemetery known locally as Files Cemetery is featured. Click this link to Files Cemetery: http://itcomsbookofthedead.blogspot.com/2010/03/files-cemetery-itawamba-county.html

An update and correction: Loyd-style marker made in the 1980s by Peppertown Pottery

2010-03-21T09:17:00.004-05:00

An Update: Loyd-style pottery markers -- A link to Peppertown Pottery

Photo presented 1980s marker as an 1880s marker. A correction

One of the photographs presented in yesterday's post was initially through to be a circa 1880s pottery grave marker when, in fact, it is a 1980s pottery marker made by the late Peppertown Pottery potters, Titus and Euple Riley of Itawamba County Mississippi. Read the update for a correction as well as additional photographs.

Loyd-style pottery grave markers

2010-03-20T16:23:00.002-05:00

A photographic essay on Loyd-style pottery or stoneware grave markers is presented at Hill Country HOGS Blog (click to read).

Asbury Cemetery, Itawama County, Mississippi

2010-03-20T11:04:00.001-05:00

by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

Asbury Cemetery is the featured cemetery today in Itawamba County Mississippi Book of the Dead. The two articles includes general photographs of the cemetery, map to the cemetery, alphabetized list of names from the grave markers, and links to the photographs of grave markers. The two articles are

Asbury Cemetery: An Introduction, Maps, General Photos, and a Video

Asbury Cemetery: Names from grave-markers in the cemetery

The Insect Man --- Francis Flavius Bibby

2010-03-19T08:05:00.004-05:00

Entomologist Francis Flavius Bibby, late of Smithville, is the subject of this week's Hill Country column in Monroe Journal. To read The Insect Man, click here.

Little Cemetery, District 4, Itawamba County

2010-03-18T10:37:00.003-05:00

Three related posts about Little Cemetery, District 4, Itawamba County, Mississippi, are posted at Itawamba County Book of the Dead. The three posts (click links to read) are

An Introduction; general photos and map to cemetery

Little Cemetery: Inventory of burials

Little Cemetery: A Video

Morrison Cemetery, Monroe County

2010-03-17T06:57:00.001-05:00

A list of the burials at Morrison Cemetery with links to photographs of the grave markers is posted at http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/morrison-cemetery-monroe-county.html

Can you spot the cemetery in this video?

2010-03-16T08:44:00.003-05:00

by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

Click on the start button to watch this video made March 15, 2010. Knowles Cemetery is shown in the video. Watch and see if you can determine where the cemetery is in the woods. After watching the video, scroll down for a still photograph of the cemetery.

I've driven past this area many times and had no clue there was a well-established but abandoned cemetery on a slight rise overlooking Halfway Creek within view of the road. Thanks to Ray Blaylock of Sipsey Fork and Sherman Thornton of Amory for directing me to Knowles Cemetery.

Click image for a larger view

For an inventory of the burials at Knowles Cemetery and links to the photograph of individual grave markers, click here.

Knowles Cemetery, Monroe County, Mississippi

2010-03-16T08:14:00.003-05:00

A circa 1860s cemetery was photographed and inventoried yesterday in Monroe County, Mississippi. Knowles Cemetery (south of Becker) consists of a small fenced area containing twenty-one marked burials of the Knowles Family (many formerly of South Kingston, Rhode Island) and allied family members (Watkins, Williamson, Stanton) and a small unfenced area containing evidence of several other graves but only two readable markers. This outside-the-fence area may contain burials of slaves or recently freed slaves of the family; more research is needed.

The last inventory found of Knowles Cemetery is the one by Evans et al completed in May 1938.

Click here to read the current inventory of Knowles Cemetery and to access the links to photographs of each grave marker found in the cemetery.

A Book Review

2010-03-15T09:08:00.004-05:00

Martha Reece Bone Lakes' recent book, Itawamba County WWI Draft Registration Records, is reviewed at this link: http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/book-review-itawamba-county-ms-world.html

Copies are available at the Itawamba Historical Society in Mantachie, Mississippi, or from the author direct.

Another Through the Windshield Video

2010-03-14T20:32:00.002-05:00

Marching Across the Tennessee River is the subject of another in the series, Through the Windshield Video. Click here to join the march and to see the view.

For earlier Through the Windshield Videos, follow the links in the left side-bar under the heading "video."

A new blog: Itawamba County Mississippi BOOK OF THE DEAD

2010-03-14T18:49:00.002-05:00

by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

Announcing a new blog --- Itawamba County Mississippi BOOK OF THE DEAD.

An on-going project is underway to photograph and to transcribe all of the grave markers in Itawamba County, Mississippi. The transcriptions and photographs of the grave markers will be posted at the Book of the Dead as the various cemeteries are completed.

The first cemetery to be posted online at Book of the Dead is Walton Cemetery, a medium-sized rural cemetery which dates to approximately 1860. Walton Cemetery continues to receive burials; the last published index of the burials there was by Betty Burton-Cruber completed in the early 1970s.

Because of the length of the new index to all 900 burials now at Walton Cemetery, the index was broken into twenty alphabetized sections arranged by surnames. At the Book of the Dead, each of those subsections are listed in the right side-bar and are easily accessed.

Within the next few days, the transcriptions of and the links to the photographs of Maxey Cemetery and Chastain Cemetery (both completed in late 2009) will be posted at the Book of the Dead. Files Cemetery which was photographed last week will be posted soon --- and plans are to photograph Little Cemetery this week.

All of the transcriptions from the grave markers of Itawamba County cemeteries will be indexed in a master list at the Book of the Dead.

Itawamba Historical Society Meeting, Tuesday, March 16, 2010

2010-03-14T18:22:00.000-05:00

Patricia Neely-Dorsey is the scheduled speaker for the March regular meeting of the Itawamba Historical Society, Tuesday, March 16, 2010. Patricia, author of the popular book of folk-poems, REFLECTIONS OF A MISSISSIPPI MAGNOLIA, will be reading from her book at the IHS auditorium, Mantachie, MS (corner of Church St and Museum Drive) at 6 PM. All are invited.

A poem and a photograph for Hill County: A broken chain

2010-03-14T10:40:00.002-05:00

The Sunday feature, a poem for Hill County, is A Poem and a Photograph: A Broken Chain. Here is the link: http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/poem-and-photograph-for-hill-country.html

Note: Blogger does not seem to allow me to post workable links --- so cut and paste.

A Hill Country Hootie Hoo

2010-03-06T07:33:00.002-06:00

An Epitaph is the Hill Country Hootie Hoo today (in honor of or in spite of National Grammar Day, March 4). Click here to read.

A Hill Country Family: Update # 3, The GILLILAND FAMILY

2010-03-05T09:42:00.004-06:00

The series, A Hill Country Family, continues with additional information about the family of Gurley Webster Gilliland and Reba Faulkner Gilliland of Splunge, Monroe County, Mississippi. Reader, friend, and cousin Jim Middleton knew the Gilliland family well --- he was a classmate of some of the children of that family at Splunge School --- and Jim sent me the list of the names of the Gilliland children. That updated information can be read by clicking here.

From the MONROE JOURNAL . . .

2010-03-04T17:51:00.003-06:00

Hill Country column for March 3, 2010, was Area Once Had Plenty of Pig Yokes. About a pig-yoke maker from Richmond, Mississippi, in 1860, the article examines briefly the life and times of George Spikes, pig-yoke maker. Click here to read.

My Hill Country Assurances: De-ja vu

2010-03-03T19:56:00.003-06:00

A new post in the series My Hill Country Assurances is De-ja vu all over again --- on a trip to Decatur, Alabama. Today on a drive to Decatur, a new historical road-side marker got in the way of my journey. I took a side-trip, and, in doing so, I learned much more about my Hill Country Heritage, my Thornton family, and the relationship of Russell Valley to the early settlers of Monroe County. Click here to read De-ja vu all over again.

Hill Country Places

2010-03-03T07:25:00.001-06:00

The series, Hill Country Places, continues with a look at the Mt. Zion Community of eastern Monroe County. Click here to see a photograph and a map of the area and to read about Mt. Zion.

Hill Country Story Told in Stone

2010-03-02T00:05:00.002-06:00

The series, Hill Country Story Told in Stone, today looks at the grave marker of Archie Bibby and Luella Bibby, late of Monroe County, Mississippi. They share a marker and this report is an attempt to determine the relationship between the two. Click here to read THE BIBBY GRAVE MARKER AT NEW HOPE CEMETERY.

Hill Country Whiskey Still circa 1940s: A Photograph

2010-03-01T05:17:00.001-06:00

Hill Country Assurances resumes today with a circa 1940s photograph of a working whiskey still. The still was located in north Monroe County and is a typical example of the many stills that once operated in the Whiskey and Pottery Hills of Hill Country. Click to read the article and to examine the photograph.

A Poem for Hill Country: Tetrapharmakos

2010-02-28T21:00:00.001-06:00

The Sunday series, A Poem for Hill Country, presents a poetic summary of the teachings of Epicurus on how to live the happiest possible life --- The Four-part Cure, Tetrapharmakos. Click to read.

A Hootie Hoo --- Keep your eyes peeled

2010-02-27T10:28:00.002-06:00

The semi-regular Saturday feature, A Hill Country Hootie Hoo continues with Keep Your Eyes Peeled. Click to read.

Monroe Journal Hill Country Column for February 17, 2010

2010-02-25T19:10:00.003-06:00

Parham Milch Cow Replaced by Reece's Dairy is the topic for Hill Country from the February 17, 2019 column at Monroe Journal. Click here to read the column.

Flying in the Hill Country

2010-02-25T12:23:00.003-06:00

As my eye heals, I'm slowly getting back to "normal" (whatever that is for me). I finished the first blog article this morning and called it "Those Hill Country Men (and Women) in Their Beautiful Flying Machines . . ." Click title to read.

The article is a little history, both personal and regional, a little of a book review (Vagrant Verse by V.A. Grant), a little about Henry Grady Peerey aka V.A. Grant late of Corinth, Alcorn County, Mississippi, and a little about the connections of several pioneering aviators to Hill Country. All because of one little short poem by V.A. Grant. Click to read the article.

"Looking" ahead . . .

2010-02-18T00:02:00.002-06:00

Eye surgery # 3 was completed yesterday --- when I can see more clearly, I'll return to regular posting.

Meanwhile . . .

Terry Thornton's Hill Country of Monroe County Mississippi Volume 2 and

Terry Thornton's Hill Country H.O.G.S. WebPress are open on a limited basis.

Thanks for your understanding and for being loyal readers of Hill Country.

Grave House: Best surviving example in North Mississippi?

2010-02-16T08:08:00.005-06:00

An almost 150-year old grave house in Itawamba County, Mississippi, is the subject of my photographic essay at http://hillcountryhogsblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/grave-house-from-hill-country-part-1.html

This small house, one of the few surviving grave shelters from the 1860s, is an excellent example of grave houses once common throughout the hill country of the South. Although this house was built, according to family history, to protect the grave of the young bride from the elements, such houses may have their origin in the older "spirit" houses built in many middle-European countries to house the spirit and to keep it near the body until judgment day.

The older custom that each human being consisted of body, soul, and spirit has been more-or-less replaced by a belief that the individual is body and soul. But the earlier concept of taking care of the spirit was as important as taking care of the dead body. As a result, many burial customs influencing our ancestors addressed issues dealing with the spirit of the deceased.

Although the grave house in this essay shows no evidence of being anything but a grave shelter, some grave houses in the South were reported to be furnished and even to contain books, pictures on the wall, and a table set with the dishes which the deceased used for his/her last meal.

If you have never seen a grave house, the one featured in this essay is perhaps the best surviving example to be found in the Hill Country of Mississippi. Click here to view the photographic essay.

Blocks 40, 41, and 42. A Stitch in Time

2010-02-15T08:15:00.000-06:00

Three additional posts in the series, A Stitch in Time, are linked below. View the individual quilt block and names on the block from a circa 1930s Friendship Quilt in Itawamba County, Mississippi, by clicking these links. Previous articles in the series are linked in the left-side bar.

Block 40

Block 41

Block 42

A Poem for Sweetie for Valentine

2010-02-13T12:13:00.004-06:00

The weekly series, A Poem for Hill Country, normally published on Sunday is a day early --- and the poem is for Sweetie, my wife of forty-eight years. To read my 2010 attempt to write a valentine poem for her, click A Valentine Poem: Little Creature Formed of Joy and Mirth.

Blocks 37, 38, and 39. A Stitch in Time

2010-02-13T11:55:00.000-06:00

Block 37

Block 38

Block 39

Blocks 34, 35, and 36. A Stitch in Time

2010-02-12T05:49:00.002-06:00

Block 34

Block 35

Block 36

Blocks 31, 32, and 33. A Stitch in Time

2010-02-11T14:22:00.001-06:00

Block 31

Block 32

Block 33

Blocks 28, 29, and 30. A Stitch in Time

2010-02-10T07:47:00.000-06:00

Block 28

Block 29

Block 30

Blocks 25, 26, and 27. A Stitch in Time

2010-02-09T07:23:00.001-06:00

Block 25

Block 26

Block 27

King Cakes

2010-02-08T18:21:00.003-06:00

Read about the four King Cakes I helped to make today. Photographs included. Click here to read and view (but the cakes are going to a lucky few). Happy Carnival Season.

Blocks 22, 23, and 24. A Stitch in Time

2010-02-08T07:50:00.001-06:00

Block 22

Block 23

Block 24

A Poem for Hill Country BOGO POST AT HOGS WEBPRESS

2010-02-07T07:51:00.000-06:00

BOGO DAY AT HILL COUNTRY

Today you "buy one and get one free" at A Poem for Hill Country. Sara Coleridge and George Ellis each attempt to describe the twelve months. Both succeed; both poems are considered worthy of consideration. But, oh, how different. To read Coleridge's The Months and to read Ellis' The Twelve Months, click here.

BOGO DAY AT HILL COUNTRY

Blocks 19, 20, and 21. A Stitch in Time

2010-02-06T10:14:00.000-06:00

Block 19

Block 20

Block 21

Blocks 16, 17, and 18. A Stitch in Time

2010-02-05T07:39:00.001-06:00

Block 16

Bock 17

Block 18

Monroe Jounral Hill Country column for February 3, 2010

2010-02-04T06:47:00.000-06:00

Hill Country --- Second Anniversary is the topic for the Hill Country column in Monroe Journal for February 3, 2010. Click here to read the column.

Blocks 13, 14, and 15. A Stitch in Time

2010-02-03T08:47:00.001-06:00

Three additional posts in the series, A Stitch in Time, are linked below. View the individual quilt block and names on the block from a circa 1930s Friendship Quilt in Itawamba County, Mississippi, by clicking these links, Previous articles in the series are linked in the left-side bar.

Block 13

Block 14

Block 15

Blocks 10, 11, and 12. A Stitch in Time

2010-02-02T09:39:00.000-06:00

Three additional posts in the series, A Stitch in Time, are linked below. View the individual quilt block and names on the block from a circa 1930s Friendship Quilt in Itawamba County, Mississippi, by clicking these links, Previous articles in the series are linked in the left-side bar.

Block 10

Block 11

Block 12

Briar Collage Art --- A "one-a-day" approach

2010-02-01T10:46:00.001-06:00

by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

Some of you may enjoy the one-a-day posts of Teb Thornton at Briar Cottage Art. Teb, my elder son, is attempting to post a daily image of either a piece of art work he has completed or a photograph he has made. He started on January 1, 2010 --- and is off and running with a variety of images which constantly amazes and amuses me. It is a delight to see what he will post next!

Click here to access Briar Cottage Art.

Blocks 7, 8, and 9. A Stitch in Time

2010-02-01T08:08:00.001-06:00

Three additional posts in the series, A Stitch in Time, are linked below. View the individual quilt block and names on the block from a circa 1930s Friendship Quilt in Itawamba County, Mississippi, by clicking these links, Previous articles in the series are linked in the left-side bar.

Block 7

Block 8

Block 9

Sunday series, A Poem for Hill Country

2010-01-31T09:36:00.002-06:00

The regular daily feature, A Poem for Hill Country, today presents four poems from Patricia Neely-Dorsey's book, Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia: A Life in Poems. The book, which is also reviewed in today's article, is a delight to read. Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia is an account of growing up in Hill Country (Lee County around Saltillo and Tupelo). The four poems from Neely-Dorsey's work presented in the review are (click to read):
Country Doctor
Right to Vote
The Rules
If Mississippi's In You

Blocks 4, 5, and 6. A Stitch in Time

2010-01-30T20:54:00.001-06:00

Three additional posts in the series, A Stitch in Time, are linked below. View the individual quilt block and names on the block from a circa 1930s Friendship Quilt in Itawamba County, Mississippi, by clicking these links, Previous articles in the series are linked in the left-side bar.

Block 4
Block 5
Block 6

Blocks 1, 2, and 3. A Stitch in Time

2010-01-29T20:58:00.000-06:00

The first three posts in the series, A Stitch in Time, are linked below. View the individual quilt block and names on the block from a circa 1930s Friendship Quilt in Itawamba County, Mississippi, by clicking these links

Block 1

Block 2

Block 3

Announcing a new series, A Stitch in Time

2010-01-29T20:09:00.004-06:00

A Friendship Quilt prepared as a fund-raiser in Mantachie, Itawamba County, Mississippi, about 1931, is the source of information for a series of forty-two articles called A Stitch in Time. The inspiration quilt has 42 squares and 208 names of individuals and businesses from early Itawamba Country and surrounding region. Each of those squares will be shown and the names on each transcribed and discussed in this series.

For a general introduction to the quilt, click here. All of the articles in this series will be linked in the left-side bar of this page under the general heading Friendship Quilt: A Stitch in Time.

Monroe Journal Hill Country column for January 20, 2010

2010-01-28T17:18:00.004-06:00

Jobs reported on the 1860 census of the Hill Country of Monroe County Mississippi are examined in the Monroe Journal column for January 20, 2010. Click here to read the column.

"Looking" ahead . . .

2010-01-28T16:40:00.000-06:00

Terry Thornton's Hill Country of Monroe County Mississippi Volume 2

and

Terry Thornton's Hill Country H.O.G.S. WebPress (and his other blogs)

are

now open on a limited basis.

Eye surgery # 1 was completed yesterday and eye surgery # 2 is tentatively scheduled in mid-February --- when I can see more clearly, I'll return to regular posting. Meanwhile I'll post articles only on a sporadic basis.

Thanks for your understanding and for being loyal readers of Hill Country.

Terry Thornton

Fulton, Mississippi

A look ahead . . .

2010-01-12T16:13:00.002-06:00

~~~
~

Hill Country of Monroe County Mississippi Volume 2

and

Hill Country H.O.G.S. WebPress

are

closed temporarily.

Vision problems are being addressed --- when I can see more clearly, I'll return.

Thanks for your understanding and for being loyal readers of Hill Country.

Terry Thornton

Fulton, Mississippi

~
~~~

A Hill Country Story Told in Stone

2010-01-12T11:38:00.003-06:00

The series, Hill Country Stories Told in Stone, continues today with a brief look at stoneware makers --- the connections between the Stewart Pottery of Louisville, Winston County, Mississippi, and modern-day potters Jerry Brown of Hamilton, Alabama, and Keith Stewart of Taylor, Mississippi. Click here to read the brief article and for photographs of some of these potters' stoneware pieces.

My Hill Country Assurances: First Words & Advertising Signs

2010-01-11T00:12:00.002-06:00

The series, My Hill Country Assurances, continues with "First Words and Advertising Signs." ESSO may have been the first word I learned to read. Click here to read "First Words and Advertising Signs."

Monroe County Mississippi POTTERY FOR SALE

2010-01-10T19:25:00.008-06:00

UPDATE 01-11-10: Both these churns were sold today to a Hill Country collector.

James Cormany of Alabama, author, collector, and expert on local Hill Country pottery has two remaining pieces of Monroe County Mississippi stoneware for sale. Both are churns --- one is a piece turned and fired by the McNeil Pottery of Amory and the other is an early Davis Pottery piece from Smithville.

Here are photographs of each piece.

L.R. McNeil Pottery, Amory, Mississippi

McNeil stamp

Davis Pottery, Smithville, Mississippi

Davis stamp

Prices:
McNeil churn: $300 plus shipping (or else make arrangements for pickup)
Davis churn: $125 plus shipping (or else arrange for pickup)

For more information contact James Cormany at jamescormany@bellsouth.net or telephone 205 879 5950

A Poem for Hill Country: THE SNOW MAN by Wallace Stevens

2010-01-10T07:57:00.003-06:00

With bitter cold air settled over the Hill Country and with old snow lingering on the ground for days (old bones waiting for some new skin?), I couldn't resist selecting Wallace Stevens' wonderful short poem, The Snow Man, for today's poem. This poem has been called the best short poem in the English language by some --- and I leave it to you to determine what the words of the poem mean if anything. Click here to read The Snow Man.

Ashcraft School: Part 3 -- The View from Ashcraft School

2010-01-09T11:00:00.002-06:00

The series, A Hill Country Hootie Hoo, continues with Horace Baker's short essay about the view of Hill Country from Ashcraft School. Mr. Baker obviously knew a lovely spot on earth when he saw it --- and he, too, felt the close presence of God on that high ridge between Weavers Creek and Splunge Creek. To read Ashcraft School: Part 3 -- The View from Ashcraft School, click here.

Hill Country HOGS Webpress

Obituary: Dr. William Terrance Thornton

Polygamy, Mississippi Saints, Mormon Springs, Monroe County, MS

Dirt Eaters in the Hill Country?

More about the David Z. Palmer Memorial

Update to Shhhhhhhh! Let's not talk about this. . .

A Southern Unionist Family --- Shhhhhhhhh! Let's not talk about this

Johnson's Island, CSA POW Camp, Rededication Ceremony for Southern Memorial

Amazing Grace --- Bagpipes

Palmer Memorial Service, Lann Cemetery

Signs of the season: Ripe Blackberries

Bagpiper piping at my grave marker Sunday at Lann Cemetery

SALVATION ON SAND MOUNTAIN

An Invitation to the Memorial Service for David Palmer, CSA Veteran

Markings on stone: mistakes are difficult to correct

Two little angels . . .

More Hill Country Video

Thornton Road: The Video (in two parts)

Hills, Horses, and High-flying Flags

Inventory of grave marker names: FULTON CEMETERY, Itawamba County, Mississippi

Ridings Family Murders at Bigby Fork

BLACK CONFEDERATES IN THE CIVIL WAR

An important and must-read opinion piece from the DAILY JOURNAL 05-09-10

BURDINE CIVIL WAR LETTERS

Hill Country column in MONROE JOURNAL

Latin names for relatives?

Quilt squares and grave markers

Another Friendship Quilt located in Hill Country

Some suggestions and hints about doing a photographic inventory of a rural cemetery

Pickle Cemetery, Monroe County

The grave for R. U. READY

Grave marker for Lucy Nethery found near Nethery Cemetery

McKinney Cemetery at Splunge

Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Itawamba County, Mississippi

Grave shelters

Hill Country Photographs

Keys Cemetery, Itawamba County, Mississippi

Irvin Cemetery inventory and photograph posted

NETHERY CEMETERY, Monroe County, Mississippi

From MONROE JOURNAL: Parham Gin

Hilliard Cemetery, Monroe County, Mississippi

Stanton killed, buried on Crump property, cemetery known as KNOWLES: For answer click below

Sun words on grave markers

MAXEY CEMETERY

Chastain Cemetery

Files Cemetery

An update and correction: Loyd-style marker made in the 1980s by Peppertown Pottery

Loyd-style pottery grave markers

Asbury Cemetery, Itawama County, Mississippi

The Insect Man --- Francis Flavius Bibby

Little Cemetery, District 4, Itawamba County

Morrison Cemetery, Monroe County

Can you spot the cemetery in this video?

Knowles Cemetery, Monroe County, Mississippi

A Book Review

Another Through the Windshield Video

A new blog: Itawamba County Mississippi BOOK OF THE DEAD

Itawamba Historical Society Meeting, Tuesday, March 16, 2010

A poem and a photograph for Hill County: A broken chain

A Hill Country Hootie Hoo

A Hill Country Family: Update # 3, The GILLILAND FAMILY

From the MONROE JOURNAL . . .

My Hill Country Assurances: De-ja vu

Hill Country Places

Hill Country Story Told in Stone

Hill Country Whiskey Still circa 1940s: A Photograph

A Poem for Hill Country: Tetrapharmakos

A Hootie Hoo --- Keep your eyes peeled

Monroe Journal Hill Country Column for February 17, 2010

Flying in the Hill Country

"Looking" ahead . . .

Grave House: Best surviving example in North Mississippi?

Blocks 40, 41, and 42. A Stitch in Time

A Poem for Sweetie for Valentine

Blocks 37, 38, and 39. A Stitch in Time

Blocks 34, 35, and 36. A Stitch in Time

Blocks 31, 32, and 33. A Stitch in Time

Blocks 28, 29, and 30. A Stitch in Time

Blocks 25, 26, and 27. A Stitch in Time

King Cakes