Newspaper Page Text
HOME JOURNAL. PERRY. GA.. THURSDAY, JULY 19. 1951
Rosier Os
"Docs" Long,
Honorable
Even beyond ail of the tradi
tional qualities of the old “Coun
try doctor,” Houston county has
been blessed further with physi
cians who have been some of the
leading citizens in civic, business
and spiritual affairs of the coun
ty.
One of the earliest was Dr. Ed
ward T. McGehee, who was born
in Jasper county, Ga. in 1808 and
as a young man came to Perry to |
enter the mercantile business,
with Sam Felder.
He also practiced medicine, was
a Methodist preacher, and farm-1
er. Later he moved to Hender
son. In 1830 lie married Clara
Apperson Owens and they were I
A QUARTER CENTO! OF SERVICE
SALUTES FOUR-SCORE VEARS OF
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
UNION MOTOR COMPANY
UNION MOTOR Cl). AS IT LOOK S TODAY AT SAME LOCATION
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UNION MOTOR CO. IN 1020 —Here is the Uni n Motor Co., a Chevrolet and the personnel
in a .1929 picture. Left to right, Lee M. Paul, Owner Charles P. Gray, Lewis Tabor, Book
keeper; Orace Holer, shop foreman, and Virginia Gray (now Mrs. T. D. Mason Jr.), office
assistant. Mr. Paul was a visitor, not an em ’Joyce, tl e day the photo was taken.
—m r x~.
CHEVROLET IS AMERICA S CHOICE FOR TOP VALUE!
UNION MOTOR COMPANY
Sales - CHEVROLET - Service
;; % ' *"2; BpL Jr #
Telephone 136 1000 Ball St. Perry, Ga.
CHARLES P. GRAY
| blessed with a large family of
children. He died at Henderson
in April 1870.
Others At Henderson
Associated with Dr. McGehee
| later in his life was Dr. John
Thomas Coleman, a native of
Fayette county, Ga. who borrow
ed money to attend medical lec
tures in Charleston, S. C. and re
ceived his medical diploma in two j
years. He married Sarah L. Me- |
Gehce and practiced medicine in I
Houston and Dooly counties. He ;
died at Henderson in March 1899. !
His son, Dr. Jeff Davis Cole- j
man, also practiced medicine in j
the county for 31 years and died
in December 1917.
In Perry, Fort Valley and other
! communities of the county during
that period, a long and honor
! able list of doctors were serving
i humanity and helping build the
I county.
Dr. Cater, Dr. Evans
In the late years of the 19th
/century and the early 20th, Dr. j
| R. L. Cater, who had his office in
• ) the rear of his drug store at the
[! corner of Carroll and Eall Sts.,
i made many contributions to the
I city and county. His widow
still lives in’ Perry, and she too
. / made major contributions to the
religious and cultural life of the ,
I community in addition to rearing
a fine family.
Also in the early 20th century,
Dr. H. E. Evans, father of Horace
IE, EvTms, now president of the
Georgia Junior Chamber of Com- 1
| merce, and of Mrs. Mildred Ev- ■
ans Warren, was a widely known I
and respected physician. His
widow also resides in Perry.
The roster of Houston county ,
j doctors down through the years
as listed in the official history of
the county include Doctors W. F.
Hollinshed, Fred Toomer, Adol
pheus W. Purijay, P. B„ D. H.
Culler, J. P. H. Culler, M. H.
Means, Sam A. Riley, John B.
Smith, John Laidlcr, Joseph B.
i Dunwoody, H. S. Kezar, Joseph j
Palmer, Burnham Davis, Laur- 1
{ ence Felder, J. W. Story, W. L. 1
Orr, Jesse Riley, R. L. Cater.
J. Newman, William I. Greene,
B. L. Ross, Dr. Pattishall, James
T. Ross, D. N. Austin, G. T. Mil
ler, R. M. Patterson, C. H. Rich
ardson, J. H. Jenkins, Thomas
Coleman, W. J. Simpson, O. G:
Singleton, A. C. Bryan, J. C. Gil
bert, J. C. Solomon, Minor W.
Havis, J. 'C. Johnson, Dr. Jack
son, Dr. Bell, Jeff Davis Cole
man, J. B. Edge, H. W. Bridges,
Stephen Smith, Beauregard
' Williams, Charles Mann, H. M.
i *
j Holtzclaw, Horace E. Evans,
Mike H. Pearce, Dr. Fordham,
Dr. Thomas, Dr. Baskin, W. H.
Roberts.
I Doctors now living in Perry
are Dr, J. L. Gallemore, Dr. H. E.
Weems Jr. and Dr. A. G. Hend- ,
rick.
Dentists listed in the county ■
history include Doctors Gark, •
Carpenter, Jobson, Bunn, Sims
Sr., Sims Jr., Thorpe, H. N. Gal- 1
laher, N. T. Otis, W, J. Avera and
H. P. Dobbins, the latter having :
retired from the practice of den
tistry several years ago but still
resides in Perry.
Dr. C. E. Graham is a dentist
in Perry now.
PERRY EXHIBITS
AT PARIS FAIR
Perry students’ class work was
exhibited in the Paris Exposition
of 1900 and one of them won a
$lO prize.
Prof. E. H. Holland, principal,
was advised by the American
Book Co. that papers by Miss
Clifford Powers, of the second
grade, Asa Woodard, Sam Hodg
es, Miss Cora Chapman, Miss
1 May Thurmond, Miss Alice Hol
land and Miss Annie Blewster
were selected as part of Georgia’s
exhibit at the World’s Fair in
Paris. Miss Powers received a
$lO check for her composition,
declared the best of all submitted
by Georgia pupils.
FIRST DEED RECORDED
In the first deed recorded in
Houston county, on June 5, 1822,
showed Solomon Braswell sold to
Shadrick Dennard on Dec. 21,
1821, about 200 acres of land for
SIOO.
■ I
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DOWNTOWN PERRY ABOUT 1928: Here is a photo of the main
drag—Carroll Street—looking north. That’s the Perry Loan
and Savings Bank on the left and the Anderson Building on the
right.
Paper's Early
History Given
BY RUBY C. HODGES
(Former Editor)
/The Houston Home Journal
was established by the late John
T. Waterman, a native of Haw
kinsville, in December, 1870.
The first issue is dated Dec. 17,
1870.
Mr. Waterman was editor until
1872 w'hen he sold The Home
Journal to the late Edwin Martin.
Mr. Martin sold the Home Jour
nal to the late John Hicks Hodg
es in April, 1880.
From 1880 until 1924, John H.
Hodges was owner, editor and
publisher of The Home Journal.
Before purchasing this paper, Mr.
Hodges owned and edited a news
paper at Irwinton, Ga. in part
nership with his brother, Charlie
Hodges, for two years.
Half-Century Newsman
Prior to that time, he had b«en
employed by The Home Journal,
so that his experience as a news
paper man covered over 50 years.
In Mr. Hodges’ time, journal
ism was more personal than it is
today and the personality of this
gifted editor made its impression
on his day and age.
The files of The Home Journal
reveal that Mr. Hodges was a
fair, fearless, vigorous and pro
gressive editor whose criticism
was constructive and whose com
ments on everyday living were
philosophical.
Ahead of His Time
In his editorials on agriculture,
] he was far ahead of his time, for
he advocated diversified farming
and crop rotation 50 years ago.
On state and national affairs, his
opinions were widely quoted.
During the era of Mr. Hodges
editorship, the weekly newspaper
field was at the zenith of its in
j fluence and income. It was be
! fore the day of radio advertising,
movie advertising or even out
j door advertising. There were
1 few magazines and the bulk of
j national advertising was placed
in weekly newspapers. Not every
family took a daily paper and
there were no news broadcasts
over the radio. People subscrib
ed to the hometown newspaper
and looked for all types of news,
as well as interpretations and
j comments on this news on the
| editorial page.
Educated Eight Children
I Although living costs were l
i much lower than today, it took j
good business management for!
Mr. Hodges to rear and educate
eight children, giving five of 1
1 them college educations, fi’om
this newspaper.
Being well occupied with the
rearing of this family, Mrs. Hodg- 1
es, who was Miss Katherine Nor
wood before her marriage} did
not assist her husband in editing
the paper although she was in
terested in his work.
Possessing a deep love and
loyalty for his native Perry, Mr.
Hodges ever sought to promote
its welfare and serve its best in
terests. He served as city coun
cilman, mayor and school trustee
at various times. He was an
active member and secretary of
the Perry Methodist church. He
was a member of Houston Lodge
No. 35, F. and A. M- He was also
postmaster for eight years.
Founded Press Association
Interested in the progress of
the newspaper profession, Mr.
Hodges was one of the 30 charter
members of the (Georgia Press
Association when it was organiz
ed in 1778 at Milledgeville, and
was one of five men who wrote
the constitution and by-laws of
this organization, according to
the minutes of the association.
Since the history of The Home
Journal is so bound up in his life,
this anniversary edition would
not be complete without his per
sonal history. His love and en-
FIRST MARRIAGE LICENSE
John Williams and Susan
Yearly were the first couple to be
issued a marriage license in Hous
ton county on Aug. 25, 1825, by
Clerk Lewis Yarborough. The
ceremony was performed by Rob
ert Gawley, Justice of the Peace.
thusiasm for the newspaper
profession was expressed in the
finished product of The Home
Journal—a country weekly, cap
ably managed and edited.
John L. Takes Over
/Succeeding his father, John L.
Hodges became owner and editor
in 1942 after acting as business
manager and associate editor
from 1915 to 1924. John L. Hodg
es had been in the fire insurance
business in Atlanta, Ga. and in
Birmingham, Ala. for 10 years
prior to his connection with the
Home Journal.
In 1931, John L. Hodges was
elected ordinary of Houston
County and his wife, Ruby C.
Hodges, succeeded his as editor.
Mrs. Hodges had been associate
editor since their marriage in
1924. Mr. Hodges continued as
publisher. Mr. and Mrs. Hodges
sold The Home Journal to Coop
er Etheridge, a native of Perry,
in 1946, and he has been editor
and publisher for the last five
years.
Powell Is Veteran Printer
lA remarkable fact in connec
tion with The Home Journal’s
history is that Henry M. Powell
has been employed as a printer
for the paper for 41 years, being
away from the paper only 13
months in 1918-19 when he was
in the army during World War I.
In 1939, a new brick building
was erected by John L. Hodges
on Carroll Street adjacent to the
old building. For 60 years the
plant had been located in a frame
building on the corner lot where
Dr. J. L. Gallemore’s office build
ing and clinic now stands.
The name of the paper has
been changed from The Home
Journal to Houston Home Jour
nal twice, the last change having
been made in 1924.
Same County Events
During the regime of the John
L. Hodges as editors and publish
ers, the following events have
occurred;
I. Houston county was divided
and a part became new Peach
1 county.
| 2. The Penn-Dixie Cement
I Corp. located its Plant No. 2 at
| Clinchfield in Houston cbunty.
! 3. Perry has become a noted
j tourist center.
! 4. The New Perry Hotel was
built.
I 5. The highways through Per
(ry were paved.
I 6. Tw r o modern brick schools
erected in Perry.
7. The Great Depression of the
’3os hit, retarding progress local
ly as well as nationally.
8. World War II came, with
the building of Warner Robins
Air Base in Houston county, con
struction of 150 new homes in
Perry, doubling of Perry’s pop
ulation and of the county.
9. Changes in agriculture in
Houston—from peaches and cot
ton to production of peanuts,
pecans, sweet potatoes, corn and
livestock, Soil conservation in
augurated. REA lines installed.
Green Acres contest attracted
wide publicity.
10. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges,
native of Perry achieved fame in
World War II and was given a
home-coming celebration in 1945.
11. Freezer locker plant built
in Perry in 1945.
Perry has made great progress
in every way and Houston coun
ty has made marked advances in
agriculture. This newspaper
pledges its best efforts to the fu
ture welfare of Perry and Hous
ton county and restates its desire
to be worthy of its splendid herit
age.