George Ira Stancil 1902
George Ira Stancil was born May 18, 1880,
and died Oct. 23, 1935.
|
George's children |
Effie Irene Stancil Jan. 20, 1902-Aug. 9, 1988 |
Thomas Emmette Stancil |
Delanie Ethel
Stancil July 4, 1905-March 7, 1996 |
George Ralph Stancil Jan. 21, 1908-May 9, 2004 |
Celia Rachel Stancil July 3, 1910-Feb. 21, 1996 |
Mamie Alma Stancil March 27, 1913-April 2, 2006 |
Eva Vazelle Stancil Sept. 5, 1915-Dec. 10, 1997 |
Lola Myrtle Stancil June 4, 1917-May 8, 2004 |
Hilda Maie Stancil May 24, 1919-Sept. 3, 2005 |
George Ira Stancil Jr. Nov. 6, 1920-Feb. 8, 1995 |
Harold Lloyd Stancil May 7, 1924-Oct. 13, 1944 |
Dorothy Jane Stancil Oct. 7, 1926-Feb. 21, 1997 |
George Ira Stancil was born May 18, 1880.
George was the 9th child and 7th son
of John Thomas and Delaney Sasser Stancil. He had black hair and hazel eyes. He
was named in honor of the first President, George Washington. George was the
baby without a name, in the 1880 Census. His older brother Josiah wrote his name
in the Family Bible. It was written "Georgeirry." In later years it became
George Ira.
George learned to read and write at the Woodard School. School was November,
December, January and February.
Teachers had a different profession
during the rest of the year. George's parents went to school there too.
George and his brothers learned to swim in the swimming hole near the spring
hole. His brothers and cousins also learned there.
Tom raised goats. He gave goats to Alvin,
Harvey and George. Alvin named his
"Bill," Harvey named his "Jim" and George named his goat "Tom." All the goats
were broke to pull carts and to ride.
One day Alvin and Harvey hitched their goats to carts and George rode "Tom."
They all were having fun. "Tom" jumped the creek. George fell off. He got up
crying. Harvey gave George his cart. Harvey rode "Tom" home.
George joined Holly Springs Free Will Baptist Church, while his mother's brother,
Rev. John Sasser, conducted a Revival there. George was 16. After George joined
the church, he began blessing food before meals.
Tom often said, "George was called to preach, but never did."
In later years, George has the reputation of praying the prettiest prayers. It
was said by several church members "George saved more souls with his prayers,
than the preacher did with his sermons."
George recalled the preacher at Holly Springs saying, "All of you who wanted
to go to Heaven, stand."
The preacher looked around, pleased to see his congregation rising to their
feet. Then he saw that one man stay seated.
The preacher inquired, "Why didn't you stand, don't you want to go to Heaven?"
The man replied, "I'd like to be carried, I don't know the way!"
George's first love was Allis Borkin. Allis went to school with George. She was
two years younger. Allis moved away, the romance was over.
In the spring of 1899, Alvin and Harvey went to Duplin County to supervise the
growing, harvesting and curing of tobacco in the communities of Cabin and Smith.
Both Harvey and Alvin were invited back to Cabin for the Christmas Holidays.
They took their younger brother George Ira with them. Alvin and Harvey told him,
that they had met a sweetheart, just for him. They rode their bikes from home to
Goldsboro, about 25 miles, missing the train. They rode on to Warsaw about
another 30 miles. A friend of Alvin and Harvey, Calhoun 'Coon' Mercer from Cabin
picked them up. The bikes were left in Warsaw.
George met Eva Mercer, step-daughter of William James Kennedy. Eva was pretty,
with blue eyes, light hair and the tiniest waist he'd ever seen. She was easy to
talk to and quite smart. George had a wonderful visit and met several attractive
girls, including Jenny Smith, but Eva was remained his favorite. They began
corresponding. George also wrote to Jenny, who fell hard for him. George
confessed to his son Ralph in later years, that Jenny wrote the best letters but
he liked Eva better.
Eva and George were both members of Free Will Baptist Churches. They were
educated in a day when many folks did not read or write. They came from families
that owned property.
During 1900, George arranged to meet Eva at the home of mutual friends, the
Smiths, in Goldsboro and they became engaged. Harvey accompanied George, when he
traveled to Cabin for his wedding. George only saw Eva three times before they
were married.
When the stock laws changed and open range ended, George sold his sheep because
he didn't have enough pasture for sheep, cows, mules, and horses. George needed
land to farm.
George missed the ox he sold in Duplin. It took time but he found another one
and purchased a red ox to pull his 2-wheel cart.
Tom's log house had glass windows but the tenant house where George and Eva
lived only had wooden shutters. One day while George was gone to town, Eva sawed
an opening and used shoe tacks to attach the 4-inch-by-6-inch glass window lit. It was on
the right side of the fireplace.
George returned home and seeing the glass pane said, "I'm going to tell pa on
you!"
Eva retorted, "I hope you will George!"
George later added a glass pane to the left side of the fireplace.
Eva and George's fifth child, Celia Rachel was delivered by Delaney on July 3,
1910. Rachel had black hair. One of her eyes had a yellow speck in the iris. She
was named for Eva's sister Johnnie Rachel Mercer and her maternal grandma, Celia
Jane Mercer.
Mamie Alma born on March 27, 1913 was last baby delivered by Delaney. Mamie had
black hair and blue eyes. She was named Alma after the daughter of Jobe T.
Stroud and Ada Mercer. Her sister Effie named her Mamie, after Mamie Smith,
sister-in-law of Harvey Stancil.
The tenant house was old, the walls weren't tight and the floor had large
cracks. In the winter, icy air blew up through the floor. The house was built
when George was a boy. The chimney was made of mud and sticks and chimney fires
were common. Eva pasted pretty magazine pictures on the drafty walls to help
keep the wind out.
The open well dried up in 1914. All water was carried from Tom's well.
The outhouse had two holes. Catalogues provided the paper along with corn cobs.
There was no pit under the outhouse. It was moved to a new location when it
filled up.
George borrowed a surrey from William Gray Pittman about 1914. W. Gray first
married Pinetta Hales, daughter of Gillis Hales and Martha Patsy Rentfrow
Stancil Hales. She was half-sister to John Thomas Stancil. George used the
surrey to travel to Duplin County. Mules "Zeb" and "Daisy" pulled the surrey. The
surrey was fancy with two kerosene lamps. George, Emmette and Ralph rode in the
front. Eva, Effie, Delanie, Rachel and Mamie rode in the back. The trip took
three days and was about 75 miles.
The first night was spent in Hickory Cross, just on the other side of the Neuse
River Bridge, near Goldsboro.
George made it to Uncle Phen Turner's the next night. James Pineas "Phen" Turner
had married to Aunt Celia Jane "Seal" Mercer, sister of Eva's father John
Mercer. They were childless.
Uncle Phen stored wine in the cool tobacco barn. He brought a pitcher to the
house. Aunt Sis cautioned Phen that the kids might drink too much.
Phen said, "It won't hurt them."
Emmette, 10, Ralph, 6, and Rachel, 4, drank some.
Soon after leaving Rachel said, "Pa, the trees are moving."
George replied, "Watch those trees and see that they did not run into you!"
They spent the third night at Cabin in Duplin County with Eva's people.
Eva's ma had white pet rats she kept in the clothes closet. Osco Kennedy, Eva's
half brother, gave her a white male rat and her ma gave her a white female.
George kept them in the smokehouse.
It was very cold on the return trip home and George decided against stopping in
Goldsboro. He lit the kerosene lamps on the surrey to the delight of the kids.
It snowed the next morning.
Delaney, age 72, had a stroke. George visited her along with his brothers.
Delaney struggled to tell George something, but he could not understand her
words. Delaney died Jan. 11, 1915.
Delaney was buried in the Stancil Graveyard, wearing her spectacles and black
silk bonnet. George had given to her the bonnet in appreciation for her help
with tobacco.
Alvin's wife died. He gave his telephone to George, who installed it next to the
door, in the tenant house. Telephone subscribers shared in the upkeep of the
telephone line.
Eva Vazelle was delivered by Dr. Grover Woodard on Sept. 5, 1915. She had
black hair and blue eyes. Vazelle was born while George was in the hospital in
Rocky Mount with kidney problems when she was born. She was named Vazelle for
George's favorite nurse and Eva for her mother.
In 1916, Tom told Eva that they should trade houses. Tom wanted the room, just
off the porch for his bed, chest, chair and trunk. He would store his furniture
in the tenant house. This was a good move for Eva and George who had a growing
family with seven children. Tom's house had five rooms with a rock chimney.
George and Eva moved in. George installed the phone. The tenant house was used
for tobacco storage.
The yard was large with many shade trees. There were elms, hickories and a lone
pine. In the orchard were apple, pear, mulberry, peach and fig trees. Grape
vines were plentiful. There was a flower garden too.
George built a large shelter for his wagon. Charley Godwin had a saw mill and
cut enough of George's timber for the shelter. It had a tin roof with three
walls around it. The oversized shelter left plenty of space for farm equipment
storage and even a few animals.
When Arnettie became quite ill, George visited her as much as possible. Her
heart just gave out.
Lola Myrtle was delivered by Cynthia Cockrell on June 4, 1917. Myrtle had black
hair. George wanted to name her Jenny after an old Duplin County girlfriend but
Eva would not hear of it!
George purchased an anvil, a cane mill and syrup pan at Uncle Fred Hill's sale
in 1918. Fred had gotten the anvil from his brother Jethro Hill. George bought a
syrup pan from Fred Hill's brother, Jethro, who lived close to Raines
Cross Roads. Rufus Starling taught him and Harvey to cook syrup. George began
cooking syrup. He was known as an expert syrup maker.
There were always some children around on days George made syrup. They looked
forward to the fun. They would come with wooden pine paddles they used to scoop
up foam and candy bits.
Hilda Mae was delivered by Cynthia Cockrell on May 24, 1919, for $1. She had light hair and blue eyes. At first, it was thought she was named Fedora
Evangeline Stancil, after Preacher Clark's wife. Preacher Clark, was the minister of Center Ridge Presbyterian Church. Eva considered this name. Cynthia
Cockrell, thought this was the correct name and turned it into the county. Years later the error was discovered.
George kept up with the news. He read the Smithfield Herald, The Johnstonian Sun
(a Selma Paper) and the Progressive Farmer Magazine. George enjoyed a lively
political debate with Pinettie, the most politically savvy of his
sister-in-laws.
Mormon Missionaries sometimes stayed with Eva and George. Once George took then
into Kenly to buy clothes. The missionaries traveled in pairs and spent two
years proselyting. They stayed with families who would provide free room and
board. George was very knowledgeable about the Bible. He enjoyed talking and
debating with them.
George wanted to enlarge his farm. His brother Sam decided to sell The Jim
Place. It joined George's farm. The Jim Place had originally belonged to Tom and
he built the house there. Eva received a sizable inheritance from her pa's
estate. George wanted to use it. Eva said that as long as her name was on the
deed, it would be OK. George bought the farm.
The Jim Place was named after a black man who lived there, "Jim" James Yelverton.
It was located close to the Stancil Graveyard. Jim descended from slaves, who
had belonged to a wealthy farmer near Fremont.
George had several tenant farmers over the years. Jim Yelverton was there the
longest. Jim Lucas was there for two years and among the farmers of the bunch.
Harvey Starling was there only one year. Harvey was smart and a hard worker.
George often said that he was the best tenant farmer he ever had. A terrible
accident cost him his life. He was run over by a car.
Harvey's wife Flonnie moved out of the tenant house.
George always had dogs. Among them was a female fox terrier named "Guess." She
mated and had puppies. George built a dog house for her.
George enjoyed possum hunting with his brothers Alvin and Harvey. He had a
number of dogs. George had a female black and tan hound dog named 'Sharp' who
had a strange habit of eating lye soap. "Sharp" had a brother named "Jack" that
was great at hunting for rabbits, fox, possums and coons. A red female hound
"Blaze," was a good hunter too.
George sold hound dog puppies for $25. Once when a female "Huldy" had puppies, a
man picked out two puppies and paid in advance for them. When the man came for the
puppies, Eva and Delanie gave him the wrong two.
George and Ralph hooked Ruby
the mule to the buggy and took the correct puppies for the exchange. They
stopped on the way back to visit with Ronia,
Tempy Ann's daughter, and Stephen Stancil.
Electrical lights were becoming popular. George bought a second hand Delco Light
Plant from a man in Rock Ridge. The light plant had a gasoline generator that
lit with a spark and a set of batteries that produced 32 volts of electricity.
George and Eva were musical although neither danced. Eva and George both had
good voices. Eva's favorite song to sing was, "Silver Threads Among The Gold,"
and George's was "When They Ring Those Golden Bells."
George played the autoharp. He often made music with his brothers Harvey, Alvin
and sometimes Henry. Neighborhood square dances were treats they all enjoyed.
George, Alvin, Harvey and Leumos played as often they could.
George was a Republican. He was elected to serve eight two-year terms as Justice
of the Peace from 1918 through 1932. People with various disagreements came to
him and he usually heard the cases on the front porch. He wore glasses to read
and kept documentation of the cases he heard.
Once two black men came before him, one got on the stand and then the next one.
The last black man asked, "Who was that person in the Bible who lied about some land
and was drugged?" George said, "Ananias." The man replied, "So either the times
have changed or that one will have to be drugged."
As a Justice of the Peace, George could perform marriages. Among the marriages
he performed were: John Archer's son William Arthur and Clyde Holland, Delanie
Mavis Stancil, Harvey's daughter and Raymond Hill.
In May of 1920, great Aunt Elizabeth Stancil, was very ill. Elizabeth was the
wife of James Henry Stancil, Tom's brother. George took Tom and Ralph to visit
her.
She asked Tom, "Do any of your boys pray in public?"
He replied, "Yes, George does."
Many farmers planted wheat and oats. George grew wheat too. Josiah and Alvin
worked together to harvest the grains. Josiah had a thresher and Alvin had a
gasoline engine that turned the thresher. A pair of mules pulled the thresher.
The threshing machine was attached to wheels. Wheat and oats seeds were left on
the machine after a job was completed. George raked it up off the machine onto
the road for his chickens. Unfortunately one of the few cars killed a chicken or
two, who were forging for grain.
George was a blacksmith as well as a farmer. George and Harvey both used Alvin's
stalk cutter for corn and cotton. George and Harvey bought a disk harrow
together. It helped a lot in farming. Most of the farm work was done by hand.
George and Eva decided to build a new house in 1924. Elbert Stancil, George's
nephew drove them around Wilson to see new houses. Rufus Barnes was hired as the
overseer and hired carpenters to build the house. He was also the brother of
Frances, Henry's wife. Ralph and first cousin Arthur Hill nailed up the lathes
for the plaster. They were told to use their finger as a measure to properly
space the lathes. The Hinnants applied the plaster. Henry laid the brick columns
on the front porch.
The front steps were poured after the columns were complete.
There were two stack chimneys and a stove chimney. Each stack chimney had two
fireplaces. Two were downstairs and two were upstairs. Walter, Henry's son
painted the house. The first roof was shingle. After 10 years it was replaced
with a galvanized tin roof. The window frames were built by John Holland. George
purchased standard windows and doors. The old outhouse stayed.
They moved into the new house. A Negro laborer, John Campbell, moved into the
cabin. He ate his meals in the kitchen of the new house.
An insurance agent sold George and Alvin disability insurance policies. The
premium was paid annually. George kept this paid up. Alvin let his lapse.
George had a stroke and his health deteriorated. He filed a claim with the
insurance company. A doctor examined him to confirm his disability and he began
receiving monthly disability payments.
Times were tough and George borrowed about $2,000 from the Micro Bank using the
farm as collateral. George continued to have tenant farmers.
They were married in front of William James Kennedy's store by Eva's stepfather,
William James Kennedy, who was a Justice of the Peace, on March 6, 1901.
Following the wedding, George's previous relationship with Jenny Smith came to
the forefront, when Jenny rushed up and kissed George, before Eva could. Eva
never forgot this event. Eva wore a long white dress with lace trim and was
surrounded by her family. A photo was taken that survives today. Eva was given a
small wedding ring, but it disappeared over the years.
George brought Eva back to Johnston County. They moved into the Uncle Henry's
"old place." John Thomas gave George a white horse as a wedding present. She
was named "Pigeon." George kept her for a while and then traded her for a mule.
Mules were better for farming. They had more strength and stamina than horses.
After a year, George and Eva returned to the Cabin Community, Smith Township,
Duplin County, NC. They moved into Johnnie Rachel Mercer's house. Johnnie Rachel
was Eva's sister. George farmed on Johnnie's land. The house even came with a
milk cow. Their first daughter, Effie Irene, was born on Jan. 20, 1902. Effie
had black hair like her Pa.
One Sunday, George drove Eva and Effie to church in the buggy. He let them out
at the door and drove on to tie up the horse. The church was almost full. When
George walked inside, he could not find Eva. He stood at the doorway. A young
lady, noticed the handsome man who walked in, smiled and motioned for him to sit
with her. Not finding Eva, he did. Eva had found a seat with enough room for
George. Eva kept occasionally glancing at the door, looking for George. No luck.
He seemed to have vanished. Finally, Eva spied him, sitting by this flirtatious
girl. Eva, using some ingenuity, sent an older lady over, carrying Effie, for
him to hold. His marital status was no longer in doubt!
Eva and George's second child was son Tomey Emmette (his name at birth), he was also born in the
Smith Community, like Effie, 600 feet from the Cabin Canal on Oct. 18, 1903. Emmette had light hair and blue eyes. He was named by Eva's sister, Laura
Mercer. It is believed that both Effie and Emmette were delivered by Eva's
mother, Celia Jane Mercer Kennedy.
In time, George and Eva returned to Johnston County again. They moved into the
Haywood Hales Place. Alvin moved in with them. George and Alvin planned to
purchase the farm.
George brought Ashley Johnson, a 12-year-old Negro boy, back from Duplin County.
Jim Batey, a Negro boy, Alvin had previously picked up in Wilson and taken to
his parent's home, was also brought to the Hales Place. Jim Batey was in the
First Reunion Photo. George and Alvin farmed together one year with the help of
Ashley and Jim.
Eva missed her family. Eva and George drove the buggy to Duplin County. Tommy,
19, wanted to go too and rode his bike. While there, Jane Mercer Kennedy gave
her daughter $10, so she could buy a sewing machine. On the trip home Tommy's
bike broke and the $10 was spent repairing it.
Soon after this visit, George and Eva decided to return to Duplin County again.
George sold his interest in the Haywood Hales Farm to Alvin.
George and Eva arrived at her 100 acre farm in Duplin County, in late 1904.
George bought a yoke of oxen for farming.
Once again George yearned for Johnston County. George sold his yoke of oxen in
Duplin County.
Eva always said, "George was never satisfied in Duplin, he had to be close to
Alvin and Harvey."
This time they came to stay. They moved on Tom's tenant farm in Micro.
During their time on the Micro Farm, George's baby brother,
Tommy, was shot and
killed in a terrible hunting accident, on May 14, 1907. Tommy and Harvey had
been shooting crows in a crow blind made of vines. Harvey reported that Tommy's
shot gun went off accidentally, hitting him in the chest while Tommy was
crawling out.
After Tommy's death, Tom asked George to move his family into his tenant house
located close to Tom's house. George was now the youngest son and heir. George
waited until all the crops were harvested before moving in the fall of 1907.
The tenant house had one room and a shed, where the food was cooked and the
meals eaten. There was also a porch. Furnishings in the cabin were sparse, a
table, three chairs, a high chair, two benches for the older children, and ropes
supported the feather beds on the bed frames
The tenant house had an open well for water. It was not used for drinking or
cooking. Each morning George carried two buckets of water for drinking back home
after feeding the stock. George fixed the latch on the gate so it opened with
his knee. This engineering made life easier.
George kept most of his stock at his Pa's house. Feeding the mules and hogs at
his pa's house had to done twice daily. The milk cows and chicken were kept at
the tenant house,
George Ralph was the first child delivered in the tenant house. He was also the
first of George's children delivered by Delaney. Ralph was the second son and
fourth
child. He was born Jan. 21, 1908. Ralph had black hair and hazel eyes. He was
named for his pa and for Ralph Smith, a neighbor and brother-in-law of Harvey.
He was the one who told George of his brother, Tommy's death.
Tom gave George 25 head of sheep. This was in the days of open range. The sheep
were marked with cuts in their ears. Each farmer had his own distinctive mark.
George grew tobacco and used it. He dipped snuff, chewed tobacco and smoked
"Charutts" cigars. Apple was his favorite chewing tobacco. George preferred
Railroad Mill snuff. A snuff toothbrush was made from black gum wood, the ends
of the twig was frayed and chewed to make them soft. The brush was dipped into
the snuff box. Keeping a spit can close by necessary when inside.
George's handwriting was very good and he was a good letter writer. He's often
wrote letters for men in the neighborhood, who could not read or write, or were
not very good at expressing themselves. George wrote letters for Vince Godwin
and Moose Godwin.
Vince asked George to write, "Miss Maggie Roberts, will you marry me?" She wrote
back and said, "Yes."
Often Harvey would help out, by dictating to George.
Harvey dictated this, in a letter from Moose Godwin to Mamie Hill, "I love you
once, I love you twice, I love you better than cats love mice."
Moose and Mamie married.
In the Fall George, Alvin, Emmette, Clyde and Roscoe Pope gathered the sheep and
drove them home. The sheep were penned up for the winter. The pen was northeast
of the old house. George provided shelter and hay for them. All his sheep were
white, except for one black one.
George and Harvey sheared their sheep together in the late spring and then
turned them out, taking advantage of the open stock law in effect. There was a
market for the raw wool, at the nearby Farmer's Supply Company. After open range
ended in Beulah Township, there was still open range north of Beulah Township,
in O'Neal Township. George and Harvey moved to their sheep to O'Neal Township.
Sheep were used for meat and wool. Eva dried and boiled the sheep skin. They
were used for rugs beside all the beds.
In 1912, Jimmy Boyette, Harvey Stancil, Thomas Cockrell and George Stancil
started the Center Ridge Sunday school at the home of Thomas and Cynthia
Cockrell. This grew into the Center Ridge Presbyterian Church. Services at Holly
Springs Free Will Baptist Church were also attended. They were once a month.
She asked, "George, please pray that I will be able to rest."
Everyone knelt and George prayed. A peace came over her and she was able to
rest. Elizabeth died a few days later, on May 23, 1920.
During WWI there were sugar and flour restrictions. Harvey purchased sugar using
George's name at the Gillian Stancil Store. George suspected he was making
whiskey or having some made.
Colonel G.I. was delivered by Cynthia Cockrell on November of 1920. He had
light hair and blue eyes. George and sons Emmette and Ralph had been cooking
syrup when word came that George had a baby. George went to the house and came
back all smiles because he had a son. George named him Colonel G.I. Years later
the name was changed to George Ira Jr.
George's father died Jan. 27, 1922. George was named his Executor. George
tried to settle the estate but with his own health problems and his siblings
getting advances on their anticipated shares it was almost impossible. Sibling
jealousy was evident.
A Sale was held soon after his death. At Tom's sale, George purchased his
mother's sewing machine and Eva found inside it pages torn from the John Thomas Stancil Family Bible. The Bible was given to Minnie, Josiah's wife. These pages
had the names of their children and birthdates written on them.
Harrel Lloid, delivered by George and Dessie, Emmette's wife, was born May 7,
1924. He had black hair and brown eyes. Robert Renfrow, Effie's husband picked
his name out of a listing of movie stars and comedians. Later the spelling his
name was spelled "Harold Lloyd."
Dorothy Jane was delivered by Cynthia Cockrell on Oct. 7, 1926. She had light
hair and blue eyes. She was named Jane after her maternal grandma Celia Jane
Mercer. It appeared from the family Bible that originally her middle name was
Clementine
In 1928, the county had a number of orphan boys. George agreed to take one,
William 'Bill' Wyatt. This was the first time Bill ever got to eat all he
wanted. Bill had a bladder control problem and had been rejected by many other
farm families. Eva treated Bill well, never berating his accidents. When Bill
was an adult he sent Eva flowers on Mother's Day.
In 1928, George had Jim Cockrell build a barn with hay storage above and a place
for the mules below. Emmette hauled the logs. George and Ralph cut it into
lumber.
In 1929, George made a two-wheeled Hoover cart using the rear axel of a car.
George added a rumble seat. The welding was done by John Hinnant.
George made a refrigerator for Eva. A screen wire covered the top, a cloth
dipped in cool water was draped over the top to keep the ice longer.
In 1930, George built Effie and Robert a new house beyond the Stancil Graveyard
on part of the Jim Place.
In 1933, George went to a sale in Shoeheel. He bought a piano for $50. Today, the
piano is used by Springhill Presbyterian Church.
The Estate of John Thomas Stancil was still unsettled in 1934, 12 years after
Tom's death. George asked Ralph for help. Ralph visited his uncles in an effort
to get it settled. Josiah was owed money. George gave him a note. Alvin owed
money to the Estate, Henry and John's portions was almost even with amount
received. Harvey was owed a little.
George had high blood pressure, stomach cancer, and Bright's disease. He had a
cancer on his face removed by a doctor in Goldsboro. Eva dressed it daily beside
the blue wood stove. She burnt the dressing she removed. George legs hurt so bad
he sometimes cried at night. Eva heated hot water on the wood stove for the
scrub tub. She wet sacks in the water, wrapped them around his legs to ease the
pain.
George had been in the hospital for three weeks back in July. Now it was October
and had been sick a week at home, Dr. Grady was treating him.
George died on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 1935, about noon in his bed. Harvey, Nevell
and Leafy were with him. He was 55 and had all his teeth and no gray hair.
Grizzard Funeral Home embalmed his body at home. Emmette had his brother-in-law
Edgar Morris stay and watch the procedure.
George always said, "I'd rather be embalmed than smelling at the grave."
Emmette was in charge of all the arrangements. The Wake and funeral were held at
home.
On Thursday, Oct. 24, 1935, Rev. Styron preached his funeral, quoting some
poetry. A men's quartet made up of Herbert Pittman, David Boyette, Sam Cockrell
and Tom Davis sang, "In A Land Where We Never Grow Old." Burial was in the
Church Cemetery.
Prior to his death, George saw other family cemeteries being neglected and this
was the basis for his decision to be buried in Holly Springs Cemetery.
Clyde, attorney, nephew of George and son of Harvey, read George Ira's Will
after the burial. The farm was willed to Ralph. Ralph would have to buy it from
all the heirs. Ralph was in California.
George did not mention his wife Eva in his Will nor did he give the Jim Place,
purchased with Eva's inheritance to her. The Jim Place became part of his
estate. Money was scarce and times were difficult. Emmette stepped in and
started telling his mother how to manage her money. Emmette wanted to buy the
farm for $2,500, but Mamie and Vazelle got wind of this and put a stop to it.
Ralph signed it back over to his mother and told her that he thought she should
will it to minor sons G.I., 14, and Harold, 11.
Based on memories of George Ralph Stancil (son), Mamie Stancil Carraway Blair
(daughter), Myrtle Stancil Eason (daughter), Hilda Stancil Hales Stover
(daughter) and Virginia Stancil Fulghum (niece).
www.stancilreunion.com
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