Lauderdale County, Alabama
Conferring of the Southern Crosses of Honor Upon the Veterans on Confederate Memorial Day, 1902
Contributed by Lee Freeman
SOURCE: Florence Times, Friday, April 25, 1902
CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY
Conferring of the Southern Crosses of Honor Upon the Veterans.
DECORATION OF THE SOLDIERS’ GRAVES.
At The Court House at 3 o’clock Saturday afternoon, April 26th, most interesting services will be held by the Ladies’ Memorial Association and the Florence chapter U. D. C.
The chief feature of the occasion will be the conferring of the crosses of honor upon the Veterans. The guest of honor upon this occasion will be Mrs. Gov. O’Neal, who has been invited by the Daughters to assist in the bestowal of the crosses.
The following young ladies, daughters and grand-daughters of Veterans, will serve as ushers; Misses Annie O’Neal, Mattie May Patton, Elizabeth O’Neal, Olivia Dudley, Janie Harris, Mildred Keller, Marjorie Price.
The ladies have extended invitations to the Tuscumbia chapter U. D. C., to Camp Johnson U. C. V., of Tuscumbia, and the following organizations of our own town: The wheeler Rifles, Knights of Pythias, Woodmen of the World, Masons and the Odd Fellows; and they ask us to extend a cordial invitation to all citizens of our community who are interested in this cause, dear to every Southern heart.
After the exercises at the court House everybody is invited to adjourn to the cemetery, where the graves of the Confederate dead will be decorated. The parade will form in front of the Court House under direction of Maj. A. M. O’Neal, marshal.
The following is the program of the services at the Court House:
Music. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Woodmen Band
Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. M. Malone
“America”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(sung by all present)
Election of officers of the Ladies Memorial Association Address. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mrs. Lucy Humphreys
Reading of the rules for the bestowal of Crosses of Honor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Edgar James
Roll Call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. A. M. O’Neal
Conferring of the Crosses of Honor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Committee—Mrs. Gov. O’Neal, Mrs. Cutler Smith, Mrs. H. C. Wood, Mrs. J. Wm. Morgan, Jr., Miss Olive Rogers, Mrs. R. T. Baylis, Mrs. M. W. Camper.
Response for the Veterans. . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Cutler Smith, introduced by Maj. A. M. O’Neal.
Dixie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Woodmen Band
The chief marshal will be Maj. A. M. O’Neal; assistant marshals Capt. Robert Andrews, Capt. Andrew Brown, H. A. Killen and Frank Carroll.
The following is the list of Veterans who are to receive the Cross of Honor:
Robert Andrews L. C. Moore
L. N. Butler H. McVay Moore
Lockhart Bibb R. D. Martin
Andrew Brown J. T. McCarley
Jas. Burtwell M. Malone
C. A. Blackely W. A. Mitchell
M. W. Camper T. A. Lemay
A. R. Carroll M. J. Mobley
James N. Carroll H. A. Moody
C. F. Carson M. McGhee
A. C. Chisholm J. W. Nugent
B. F. Chisholm A. M. O’Neal
W. J. Chester Alexander p. Odom
A. T. Clemmons J. C. Ott
N. T. Coffee J. B. Patton
D. C. Crow R. Perry
J. M. Crow Thos. R. Powers
Hiram Cox A. D. Ray
R. L. Bliss B. A. Rogers
Josephus Darby A. S. Ray
Thos. J. Duncan M. B. Shelton
G. Duncan R. T. Simpson
W. T. Calahan Cutler Smith
Frank W. Carroll R. H. Smith
J. S. Eastep Jas. R. Smith
W. P. Ellis E. R. Till
W. g. Grigsby Lee Waits
M. R. Hayley J. W. Wallace
G. A. Hale John d. Weeden
J. L. Howell O. P. Whitten
J. F. Inman J. B. White
S. S. Ives A. J. Williams
W. M. Joiner B. F. Williams
Geo. W. Karsner P. S. Williams
H. A. Killen H. J. Winborn
C. W. Lemay Henry C. Wood
Wm. Linder C. F. Williams
John H. Martin J. T. Watkins
R. B. Meadows Wm. Wiley
Attention Veterans!
Members of Camp O’Neal, and all other Veterans of Lauderdale county, entitled to receive the “Confederate Cross of Honor,” are requested to meet at the City Hall, Saturday afternoon next at 2:30 o’clock.
J. D. Weeden,
Florence Ala. Lt. Commander.
April 22, 1902.
SOURCE: Florence Times, Friday, May 23, 1902, p. 1.
The Cross of Honor.
On Jefferson Davis' birthday, June 3rd, the Florence Chapter, U. D. C. will again bestow Crosses of Honor upon our veterans. As we have before mentioned, there are only three days during the year upon which these Crosses can be bestowed-Memorial Day, President Davis' birthday, and Gen. R. E. Lee's birthday. According to the rules and regulations of the Daughters of the Confederacy upon the bestowal of the Crosses appropriate ceremonies will be observed.
The Florence Chapter U. D. C. extends an invitation to all citizens interested to be present at 4:30 o'clock, Tuesday afternoon, June 3, at the City Park. And especially do they urge all veterans to be present. Below we publish a list of the names of the Veterans upon which the Crosses are to be conferred. In the list we include the names of those Veterans who were prevented from being present on Memorial Day, and who are invited to apply at this time for their Crosses.
W. R. Banks
H. C. Blalock
T. F. Bradley
J. H. Butler
Lockhart Bibb
Isaac S. Barr
James Burtwell
C. L. Blakely
A. R. Carroll
A. C. Chisholm
Benj. F. Chisholm
A. T. Clemmons
Hiram Cox
Frank N. Carroll
J. C. Conner
T. J. Duncan
J. S. Eastep
N. G. Grigsby
C. W. Helden
John D. Hudson
H. A. Killen
Geo. R. Koonce
C. W. Lemay
John H. Martin
M. McGehee
J. B. Patton
J. O. A. Pace
Jesse A. Pate
John R. Price
R. Perry
N. A. Phillips
A. S. Ray
J. A. Spires
Richard Tidwell
J. W. Wallace
Samuel A. Wade
A. J. Williams
B. F. Williams
P. S. Williams
C. F. Williams
Scruggs Young
SOURCE: Florence Times, Friday, June 6, 1902, p. 1.
More Crosses.
At the court house, on Tuesday, afternoon, June 3rd, Jefferson Davis' birthday, the Florence Chapter U. D. C. again conferred Crosses of Honor upon the Veterans. Thirty-five ex Confederate soldiers responding to the roll-call and received their Crosses. The following program was observed on this occasion:
Prayer - Rev. A. P. Odom.
Song - Maryland.
Reading of Rules of eligibility to membership for U. D. C.- Miss Mattie McDavid.
Address - Miss Annie W. O'Neal.
Reading of Rules for Bestowal of Crosses of Honor - Mrs. T. B. Ingram.
Calling of Roll - Mrs. H. C. Gilbert.
Bestowal of Crosses of Honor - Mrs. J. O. Ewin, Mrs. J. T. Ashcraft, Miss Marie Weeden, Miss Julie Camper.
Address - Col. John D. Weeden.
Song - "Dixie."
Benediction - Rev. A. E. Wasser.
The following are the names of those veterans who failed to receive their Crosses of Honor on June 3rd. We are requested to state that they may receive them, if they will call at the residence of Mrs. M. W. Camper, any Saturday morning in June, between the hours of 9 and 12 o'clock:
J. H. Butler
Lockhart Bibb
Jas. Burtwell
A. R. Carroll
H. J. Darby
Ingram Fuqua
S. J. Fowler
Henry A. Killen
M. McGehee
J. B. Patton
Jesse A. Pate
R. Perry
A. H. Powers
J. A. Spires
J. H. Thornton
W. J. Weaver
A. J. Williams
B. F. Williams
P. S. Williams and Scruggs Young.
SOURCE: Florence Times, Friday, January 15, 1904, p. 1.
General R. E. Lee's Birthday Anniversary. Jan. 19, 1904.
On Tuesday afternoon, January 19th, at 2:30 o'clock at the residence of Mrs. M. W. Camper, the Florence Chapter U. D. C. will commemorate the birthday of Gen. R. E. Lee, and upon this occasion bestow crosses of honor upon veterans and descendants of veterans.
The Florence Chapter extends a cordial invitation to members of Camp O'Neal to be present, and to the following persons upon whom crosses will be bestowed.
Veterans--
Geo. W. Kelley
A. T. Littleton
John H. Lester
M. McGehee
D. J. Pettipool
A. H. Powers
J. A. Spires
P. K. Wright
Thomas Warren
and descendants of following veterans:
W. W. Bayless
A. D. Coffee
J. C. Madding
J. A. Madding
R. F. Madding
R. C. Madding
Dr. Thomas Mattingly
E. A. O'Neal Jr.
Gen. E. A. O'Neal
John L. Pleasants
J. H. Kirkman
M. J. Warren
John B. Weakley.
SOURCE: Florence Times, Friday, September 18, 1908, p. 1.
BESTOWAL OF CROSSES OF HONOR
Saturday Afternoon, Sept. 26th,
in the Chapter Room, by the U. D. C.
The Florence Chapter Daughters of the Confederacy requests all veterans who have received crosses on June 3rd, to meet at the chapter room in the court house on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 26th, at four o'clock, at which time crosses will be formally bestowed. All veterans interested are invited to be present. The following are those who will receive crosses:
I. H. Davenport
J. W. Fulton
C. C. Hipp
C. D. Hooks
L. L. Littleton
H. C. Pruitt
O. P. Whiiten
Wm. P. Campbell