Thursday,
September 4, 2008
Community | Obits | Editorial & Columnists | Society | Sports | Education | Classified Ads | Calendar of Events | Features | Newsbriefs | Legals | Archives | Subscriptions | Photo Gallery
|
|
||
|
Thursday,
September 4, 2008 |
||
|
Community | Obits | Editorial & Columnists | Society | Sports | Education | Classified Ads | Calendar of Events | Features | Newsbriefs | Legals | Archives | Subscriptions | Photo Gallery |
SocietyCity Personals Will and Patrick Carlton and families spend weekend here visiting parents Will and Kate Carlton and son, Bridger, from Steamboat Springs, Co., and Patrick and Mary Glen Carlton and twins, William and Mary Grace, of Birmingham, Ala., were guests of Vicki and Walter Webb over the weekend. They all got to visit with their cousins and aunts and uncles while they were here. Collier Carlton also spent time with his grandchildren and children during their visit. Happy early birthday wishes go out to David Person, who will celebrate his birthday on Friday. It is hummingbird time again! Holly Springs will be flooded with tourists from all around the country towards the end of the week and over the weekend. Be sure to have a friendly smile and a “hello” to unfamiliar faces you may see on the streets. The Hummingbird Festival will be going on all weekend at Strawberry Plains. If you have never been, it is truly an amazing event. All sorts of wonderful activities are planned, including the banding of hummingbirds. Go have fun and enjoy nature’s beauty on the gorgeous grounds of Strawberry Plains! Kay and Laura Wheeler travelled to Jackson to pick up Lloyd Thompson of Ocean Springs. She evacuated the Gulf Coast seeking refuge from Hurricane Gustav. Clay Crawford, Elizabeth Colhoun, Johnny Ray, Leah Ray, Jonathan and Renee Vanderburg all went to Southland Greyhound Park in West Memphis, Ark., to celebrate Leah’s birthday! The couples ate dinner on site in the Bourbon Street Steakhouse with a wonderful dinner and drinks. After dinner the friends watched the live dog races in the Kennel Club and also played a few slots in the casino. (To put your news in City Personals, please e-mail maryclayb@yahoo.com; mail to City Personals, The South Reporter, P.O. Box 278, Holly Springs, MS 38635 or call 662-252-4261. You may also e-mail your City Personal news to south@dixie-net.com). Miss Jessica Whisenant and Jason Newman to wed October 4 at First Baptist Church
Mr. and Mrs. Larry W. Whisenant of Holly Springs and Mr. and Mrs. Charles J. Smith of Olive Branch are proud to announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Jessica Marion, to Jason B. Newman, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Valentine of Vidalia, La., and Robert E. Newman of Sicily Island, La. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Louise Whisenant and the late Lamar Whisenant of Holly Springs, and James E. Smith and the late Marion Smith of Mt. Pleasant. Jessica is a 2000 graduate of Marshall Academy and attended Northwest Mississippi Community College. She is employed with the Olive Branch Family Medical Clinic in Olive Branch as a receptionist and medical assistant. The prospective groom is the grandson of the late Gene Newman of Ferriday, La., and the late Billie Box of Ferriday, La. Jason is a 1992 graduate of Vidalia High School in Vidalia, La. He is employed with Dodge’s Store as a store leader in the Olive Branch and Memphis area. The couple will exchange vows Saturday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Holly springs with Dr. Curtis Ferrell officiating. A reception will be held in the church’s fellowship hall immediately following the ceremony. All family and friends are invited to attend. After the wedding, the couple will reside in Olive Branch. Rachel Brame and Carl Curbo say vows at Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
Rachel Belinda Brame and Carl Wilson Curbo, both of Olive Branch, were united in marriage June 28, 2008 at six o’clock in the evening at Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Rachel is the daughter of Susan Curl Brame of Olive Branch and the late Joseph Webb Brame of Ridgeland. She is the granddaughter of Sam Stradley and the late Polly Stradley, the late Ralph Curl and the late Nancy Capps and the late Joseph Brame of Ridgeland. Carl is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Zerby and the late Glenn Curbo all of Olive Branch. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Lawerence Curbo of Olive Branch and Ann Buescher and the late Ralph Buescher both of Memphis, Tenn. Maid of honor was the bride’s sister, Olivia Brame; the best man was Eric Geeslin; and the bride’s cousin, Brent Strauss, sang during the beach wedding. All are from Olive Branch. Rachel is a graduate of Marshall Academy and The University of Mississippi where she received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration. She is employed in the International Marketing Department of FedEx as the project manager of Puerto Rico. Carl is a graduate of Olive Branch High School and Mississippi State University where he received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in public accounting. He is employed at Sedgwick CMS as a financial reporting manager. Following a honeymoon trip to the Dominican Republic, the couple now resides in Olive Branch.
Museuming Mott, a brave, exciting “hero”
Enchanting tales of bygone days are what history is made of and such is the story of Sally Govan and her husband, Christopher Mott. Mott was born in Kentucky in 1826 and moved to Holly Springs with his parents at an early age. He went to school at the original St. Thomas Hall with E.C. Walthall, James Autry, and other Holly Springs notables. He fought in the Mexican War in 1846 as a lieutenant with the Mississippi unit. He was known as a brave, exciting “hero.” After the 1845 war, he studied law under Roger Barton and became a lawyer; and his Holly Springs partners were James Autry and L.Q.C. Lamar from Oxford. After the Civil War, a sign saying “Attorneys at Law, Mott, Autry, Lamar” was fished from the swirling waters of the Mississippi River. Nobody knows how it got there or where it is now. Christopher married Sally Govan in 1853. By this time he had taken to the West Coast. He and Sally went to New York where they took a “steamer” to Mexico. There was no Panama Canal, so they walked across Mexico and took another “steamer” when they got to the Pacific Coast to San Francisco. They lived in the Oregon Territory and California for a while. When the War Between the States came along, Christopher was a general in the state militia and began forming the “Jeff Davis Rifles” to fight. He was being sent a commission as brigadier general in the Confederacy. Sally was living in Virginia to be close to Christopher when he was killed in the battle of Williamsburg. Mott’s manservant was with him in battle. After Mott died, the servant picked him up and carried him off the field of battle. Mott was buried there and later interred in Hill Crest in the Govan lot. He died before receiving his Confederate commission as a general. I recently saw Christopher Mott’s beautiful sword, inscribed with his name, his battle flag and letters from Robert E. Lee and Jeff Davis. He was an important character and he crammed a lot of living into the few short years he lived. Sally lived at ‘Snowden’, a plantation along the Sylvestria Road, with her family. The Yankees came to burn her house but the commanding officer told Mrs. Govan that he would hold the torch long enough for her to retrieve one possession. She ran back inside the house and saved a beautiful blue and white Parisian pitcher, which I also saw last week. When it was the Confederacy’s turn to search the Holly Springs houses, Col. Griffin (from Texas, he was in Van Dorn’s unit) sent men to the Walter Place to search for General Grant or anything of value. Sally Govan was at the Walter Place with her mother, Mrs. Eaton Pugh Govan and her sister. All three ladies were known for their great beauty. When Colonel Griffin’s troops arrived to search Walter place, all three ladies stood across the gate and refused entry into the house. The men returned to Colonel Griffin and said, “We can’t search Walter Place as the ladies won’t let us.” Colonel Griffin said, “Go back. Don’t touch the ladies. Don’t even touch the hem of their garments. Just search that house.” The third time Colonel Griffin himself went. The Govan ladies were still at the gate (Colonel Griffin thought Mrs. Govan was Mrs. Grant). Griffin ordered the fence on either side of the gate be removed. So with the ladies still standing in front of the gate, the fence portions were removed on each side and the search was made. The Grants were living at Walter Place at this time: Mrs. Grant, her slave Jule, and the Grant’s son Fred, and of course, the general, U.S. Grant. The Govan ladies had been burned out of their plantation and had moved to town and were keeping the Walter Place for the Walters in their absence. They treated Mrs. Grant as a guest, except she wasn’t allowed free reign of the house. Mrs. Govan had teas in the parlor so the town could meet Mrs. Grant. Sally went on a trip to Columbus after the war. She was crossing the river on a ferry boat when Mr. Billups saw her and fell madly in love with her. They married and had several children. Sally named her house there “Snowden” also. She is buried in Hill Crest beside General Mott |
       |
Report
News: (662) 252-4261 or south@dixie-net.com
Questions, comments, corrections: south@dixie-net.com
©2004,
The South Reporter, All Rights Reserved.
No part of this site may be reproduced in any way without permission.
The South Reporter is a member of the Mississippi Press Association.
Web
Site managed and maintained by
South Reporter webmasters Linda Jones, Kristian Jones
Web Site Design - The South Reporter
