Leumos Stancil |
Leumos Stancil in 1902
Leumos Stancil was born March 5, 1895, and died Jan. 5, 1961. He married Sarah Ethel Harris on Sept. 22, 1920.
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Leumos' children with Sarah Ethel Harris |
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James Harding Stancil June 20, 1921 Johnston, NC-Feb. 18, 2009 Chattanooga, TN |
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Paul Edwin Stancil Nov. 8, 1923 Kenly, NC-Aug. 29, 2020 Chattanooga, TN |
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Harold Stancil June 25, 1925 Nash, NC-March 24, 2011 Marietta, GA |
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Gloria Maxine Stancil Wood Oct. 29, 1926 Chattanooga, TN -Nov. 23, 2016 Fort Lauderdale, FL |
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Billie Jean Stancil Rowles June 8, 1928-Oct. 20, 1986 Panama City, FL |
Leumos Waverly Stancil, son of Josiah and Minnie Sasser Stancil, was born on March 5, 1895. His lineage was deeply rooted in the history of North Carolina, with grandparents Eliza Jane Creech and Thomas Haywood Sasser, and Delaney Cathrine Sasser and John Thomas Stancil, who were siblings. Leumos grew up in a large family, though not all his siblings survived infancy. He had brothers and sisters who shared his journey: Ross, Ruby, Harry Lester, William Hubert, Herbert Andrew, Sarah Beatrice, Leafy Irene, and Carrie Mozelle.
Leumos' early education was brief. He attended Moore School House until the third grade, but his schooling was cut short when his father, Josiah, needed him to work on the family farm. Despite this, Leumos showed determination and hard work, earning a trip to the fair by picking 500 pounds of cotton with the help of his aunt, Kate Fuller.
Music was a solace for Leumos. He played the autoharp with picks on his fingers, often filling the air with melodies of "I’ll Fly Away" and "In the Garden."
His life took a significant turn at the age of 22 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army on September 21, 1917. Serving as a Wagoner in Co. C, 3rd Ammunition Train, 3rd Division during World War I, he was stationed in France until his discharge on April 17, 1919.
Upon returning home, Leumos found his father had become Chairman of the Johnston County School Board. It was through an advertisement for teachers that Leumos met Sara Ethel Harris from Del Rio, Tennessee. Smitten from the moment she arrived by train, Leumos ended his engagement with Mabel Godwin and began courting Ethel. They married on September 14, 1920, and started their family in a modest sharecropper’s house, welcoming their first child, Jimmy, on June 20, 1921.
Leumos' post-war life was filled with various jobs and relocations. He worked for Barnes Automotive in Goldsboro, rebuilt motors, and spent a season in a tobacco warehouse. In 1926, the family moved to Nashville, where they lived in a two-story house with two apartments. Their family grew with the births of Maxine, Paul, Harold, and Billie Jean.
Health challenges struck in 1928 when Ethel and Billie Jean developed pellagra, a serious condition caused by niacin deficiency. Seeking a healthier climate, the family moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1930. Despite these hardships, Leumos remained a pillar of strength. He became a Mason, joined the Junior Order, and was an active member of the Free Will Baptist Church of Piney Grove.
Leumos sent Ethel and the children on the train to Chattanooga.
Leumos packed up the Model T Ford and drove the 650 miles with the family dog, a pit bull named ‘Spot’, riding behind the head light on the running board.
When Leumos moved to Chattanooga, he joined the Southern Baptist Church. His wife Ethel was a member of the Christian Church.
Leumos' first job was as a mechanic in a service station. The family rented a house on 13th Ave. Ethel’s brother-in-law got Leumos a much better job in the textile mill.
Ethel, Leumos’ wife, and son Harold visited Josiah and Minnie the Christmas of 1934.
Leumos hurt his back. He had to travel to the Johnson City Veterans Hospital. A black woman named Doxie helped Leumos while he was there. Ethel’s sister Mary helped the family at home.
Each year Josiah and Minnie sent Leumos and Ethel a ham and a bag of peanuts by the train. It was a steam engine.
Ethel joined the Amaranth Order founded in 1873. They were a Masonic-affiliated organization for Master Masons and their Ladies. The year Ethel was inaugurated as the Royal Matron of her chapter, granddaughter Debra Sue Stancil was the flower girl and granddaughter Anne Stancil played piano and sang, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."
Grandsons, Paul and Harold, Leumos’ boys, often spent the summer with Josiah and Minnie. They were city boys with little understanding of country ways. Harold recalled tossing biddies into the air expecting them to fly. Many lost their life. When he told Minnie he found a dead biddie (baby chicken), she told him to toss it on the barn so it wouldn’t smell.
Josiah took Harold, 10, Paul, 13, both sons of Leumos, along with daughter Mozelle, 23, her children, Euris, 5, and Barbara, 4, to White Lake. White Lake was a resort even back then. Josiah pulled a trailer, where the children rode. White Lake was 75 miles away and the trip took 2 hours each way.
In 1937, Leumos drove from Chattanooga with his family to visit Josiah and Minnie. Leumos had a Dodge car. When they had some mechanical problems, Mozelle’s husband, Glenn Campbell, fixed them.
Josiah’s health declined. He was unable to go anywhere. He knew he was dying. Josiah had a heart attack and died on July 5, 1939, at age 73.
Leumos brought two of his children to the funeral, Maxine and Harold. George Ira’s daughter Rachel Stancil Renfrow attended along with her husband, Graydon, and children Jimmy and Gilda.
Mrs. Herbert Grizzard’s wife sang. The funeral was at Josiah’s home. The open coffin was on the wrap-around front porch. Everyone stood up for the service. Minnie was dressed in a long black dress. A Mormon Elder preached for over an hour and a quarter standing on the front porch.
According to great-niece, Gilda Renfrow, daughter of Rachel Stancil Renfrow, the Elder kept saying, “We Mormons” and “Mr. Stancil knows who is here today. His spirit is among us.”
Josiah was laid to rest in the Stancil Graveyard.
A treasured family heirloom, a clock given to Delaney by John Thomas Stancil in 1860, was passed down to Leumos in 1921 as a token of gratitude. This clock symbolized the enduring legacy and love within the Stancil family.
Leumos Waverly Stancil passed away on January 5, 1961, and was laid to rest in Chattanooga National Cemetery. His life, marked by resilience, love, and dedication, left an indelible mark on his family and community.
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