Pearl Francis Seymour

Pearl Francis Seymour
June 23, 1927 - October 28, 2011
Chapel Hill
Pearl Francis Seymour, 84, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, passed away on October 28th, 2011. She was born to Sallie Bailey and Paul Francis in LaFollette, Tennessee, on June 23th, 1927. Preceding her in death were her parents and her brothers, Paul Bailey Francis and William Clark Francis. She received her education beginning in Columbia, Missouri, at Christian Junior College, followed by a BA in music from the University of Michigan in 1949, and an MA in music from Mills College in Oakland, California in 1952. An accomplished pianist and organist, she started her career teaching in the Music Department of Mars Hill College, and was also the organist of the Mars Hill Baptist Church. Following her marriage to the Reverend Robert Edward Seymour, Jr., the couple moved to Chapel Hill in 1959, where she served as the organist for the Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church for 30 years. She also taught local piano students in her home.
She was an active member of the community, serving as an early President of the Chapel Hill Service League, and a member of the Chapel Hill Music Teachers' Association. She was recently honored with her husband in the naming of the new Chapel Hill Senior Center as the Robert and Pearl Seymour Center. Pearl enjoyed playing tennis, though her primary athletic passion was as a fan of Carolina basketball. She will be greatly missed by everyone whose life she touched, and her gift of music will be perpetuated by all for whom she played and taught. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Robert Edward Seymour, Jr.; a son, Robert Edward Seymour III and wife Kelly of Raleigh; a daughter, Frances Jane Seymour and husband Michael Kopetski of Bogor, Indonesia; a sister, Anne Margaret Knott of New York City; and a brother, Phillip Meyrick Francis of Naples, Florida. Pearl especially delighted in her four grandchildren: Leigh Francis Seymour, Robert Edward Seymour IV, Macy Elizabeth Seymour, and Emme Grace Seymour. The family extends special gratitude to the staff of the Carol Woods Health Center for their loving care and support during her illness. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions to the Ministry of Music or the Endowment Fund of the Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church (1712 Willow Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514). Funeral arrangements are being made by Walkers Funeral Home in Chapel Hill. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 5th, 2011 at 3:00 pm at the Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church in Chapel Hill.
Published in The News & Observer on October 30, 2011

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Today is the 5th anniversary for the "Seventy Years in the Coal Mines" website.

John Lycurgus Offutt, II

OFFUTT, JOHN LYCURGUS, II - age 96 of Knoxville, passed away on Thursday, August 4, 2011 at Continuum Courtyard following an extended illness. Mr. Offutt was born on February 28, 1915 in Offutt, Tennessee. He was the son of the late John Oscar Offutt and Sarah Irene Hatmaker Offutt and was also preceded in death by his wife, Hansel Minton Offutt in 2010 and a brother, Frank Delma Offutt. Though unable to attend church on a regular basis during his last years, Mr. Offutt was of the Methodist faith. He is survived by his devoted daughter, Cynthia Diane Offutt of Knoxville; a cousin, Herman (Buddy) Irwin of Atlanta; two second-cousins, Andrew Offutt Irwin and Sally Irwin McFolling both of Atlanta. A graveside service will be conducted at 2:00 p.m. Sunday at Sinking Springs United Methodist Church in Clinton with Reverend Don Thomas officiating. The family will receive friends on Sunday from 12:00 noon until 1:30 p.m. at the mortuary prior to the graveside service. Online condolences may be extended at www.rosemortuary.com. Arrangements by Rose Mortuary Broadway Chapel.
Published in Knoxville News Sentinel on August 6, 2011.

John Lycurgus Offutt, II, was named for his grandfather, Col. John Lycurgus Offutt. Col. Offutt was born 1 Aug 1826 in MD and died 12 Aug 1885 in TN. He married Adalide A. Kindler, born 25 Mar 1848 in MD. According to John L., his grandfather was a contractor who came to TN in the 1800s. He built part of the Southern Railroad between Clinton and Jellico. He bought a farm where the Southern Railway leaves the Clinch River going to Jellico.

John L. Offutt was the best friend of my father, Paul Bailey Francis, Sr., in high school in LaFollette, TN. He and his wife, Cora Hansel (Minton) Offutt, accompanied my parents when they eloped to Sevierville, TN, 25 February 1940, and my parents accompanied them to Sevierville to be married by the same minister on 19 June 1940. They were lifelong friends. Rest in peace.

A photograph of John L. and Hansel is on my website at:

http://www.seventyyearsinthecoalmines.org/kidsfriends2.html

New pages of photographs

I have added 2 new web pages entitled, "Frank Carden Agee Family Photographs". Some of the individuals are either unidentified or tentatively identified. Any help with the names of the people in the photographs would be greatly appreciated. The link to the first page is:

http://www.seventyyearsinthecoalmines.org/cardenbrown4.html

There is a link on page one to go to page two.

Fraterville Miner, W. Earnest WALLACE

Ed Wallace, a great grandson of Fraterville miner, W. Earnest WALLACE, contacted me recently. He provided me with some information that I did not know. W. Earnest WALLACE had a son, William Earnest WALLACE, born December, 1902. In the 1910 census for Anderson County, TN, William Earnest WALLACE, age 7, was a nephew in the household of Andy J. and Martha A. WALLACE. Andy J. WALLACE was also a coal miner. I think that they are the Andy J. WALLACE and Alice BAILEY who were married 7 August 1899 in Anderson County, TN. William Earnest WALLACE married Maude HOLMES in 1921, and they had 7 children including Gerald WALLACE, who married Louise. Ed WALLACE is the 4th child of Gerald and Louise WALLACE.

Thank you, Ed, for writing me and providing the new information.

Revision of Cross Mountain Miners' Pages

I have added new information to many of the miners who were killed or rescued in the Cross Mountain mine explosion.

Revision of Fraterville Miners' Pages

Today, I completed a second round of adding more information for some of the miners and correcting a few typographical and other errors. There will probably be no significant revision in the near future unless new and/or better information is found for one or more of the miners. This coming May 19th will be the 109th anniversary of the Fraterville mine explosion.