Two women discover kinship, and their great-grandmother’s common history with the Morgan DAR

by stephanie johns  |  photos by angelina bellebuono

“The grave-marking service and reception were a lovely tribute to Gran, and our family was so honored and appreciative of all their efforts along with all the DAR ladies to make it such a meaningful event for our family,” Perry shared. “To be initiated on the day of the grave marking was very meaningful and will always be a special memory for me.”

Peggy Bruckner, regent of the Madison Chapter, said she and Vice Regent Janice Johnson Manos decided to research the chapter’s beginnings.
“With so many new members we thought it was a good idea to do a history,” she said.

In doing so they found the house on Main Street where Manley and the other 13 ladies met in 1909 to talk about forming the chapter.
Perry explained that her mother inherited that house upon Manley’s death: “My mother gave it to the Morgan County Historical Society in 1977 in memory of Gran. My family is very appreciative and pleased with the efforts of the Historical Society restoring this beautiful home now known as Heritage Hall.”

Bruckner and Manos then looked for Manley’s grave and found it – minus a DAR marker.

Bruckner said it is a DAR tradition to add a DAR marker to a deceased member’s grave.
DAR headquarters said it was okay to add a DAR marker to Manley’s grave but the family’s permission would be required.
As no local Manley family members remain, Bruckner said they reached out to family – Perry’s family, in fact – in Gainesville, who gave permission to add the marker.

Story of Cotton Queen Sybill Nunn, told by her grandson, Nick Nunn

By Nick Nunn
Staff Writer

The 23rd annual Cotton Gin Festival will take place this Saturday, Nov. 3 in downtown Bostwick.
Before the events on Saturday, Bostwick will be selling long- and short-sleeve versions of three different designs, representing Bostwick’s heritage, contributed by local artist Eugene Swain. These shirts will be on sale until Friday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Susie Agnes Hotel.
The first event on Saturday will be the 2012 5K Gin Run. Registration for the race begins at 8 a.m., and the race kicks off at 9 a.m., and will begin at Gibbs Memorial Church, near Whitaker Park. This year, the race is dedicated to Rick Spence, late resident of the community. Ten percent of the raised funds go to the MCHS junior class.
At 11 a.m., the annual tractor parade will begin. The parade is expected to last approximately an hour and include more than 200 tractors. Additionally, floats, antique cars and horseback riders are welcome to participate. There is no participation fee but there is a form that needs to be completed and submitted before the event. The registration form can be found at www.bostwickga.com.
The Ruarks’ cotton gin will be running throughout the day, and visitors are invited to come into the gin house and watch the ginning process. Also, this year, for the first time, local cotton will be on sale at the festival, although supplies will be limited.
Sixty-two arts and crafts vendors will be at the festival this year, the most they have ever had. These vendors will be located in the pecan grove of the Riden/Argo house (the location of the yearly Bostwick Fourth of July barbecue) and will offer a variety of handmade goods.
There will also be food vendors, including a barbecue put on by the Nunn family to raise money for the continued restoration and upkeep of the Susie Agnes Hotel.

The Images of America series has released a new book on a topic that is near and dear to our hearts: Madison. The book, an illustrated history of Madison, is part of a series by Arcadia Publishing, which presents the histories of towns, cities, and communities around America through a collection of photographs in an attempt to preserve their local heritages.
Each book in the Images of America series is written by local authors. The new volume on Madison is no different. Marcia Brooks and Kittie Mayfield, natives of Morgan County and a mother and daughter pair, compiled scores of photographs from the Morgan County Archives and the Morgan County Library, among other sources, and arranged them into themed sections. The commentaries provided for each of the photographs highlight the important aspects of each subject of interest.
Marcia Brooks, one of the contributing authors of Madison, told me about her inspiration for the book. “Writing has always been my dream. I began writing as a child at Morgan County Primary School. I had published some poetry, and wanted to take it a step further and write a book.”
While browsing the internet, Brooks found Acadia Publishing’s website and decided to send them a proposal for a new addition to their Images of America series about Madison. Acadia Publishing solicits such proposals, and they decided to green-light the project.
Publisher Lee Scott asserts that Madison had always been an interest for the series, and, they feel that they, “found the right authors,” in Brooks and Mayfield.

Christy Reid’s Relay for Life team has big plans to raise awareness for Ovarian Cancer.

By Emily Patrick

Story by Kathryn Schiliro • Photos by Jesse Walker