Fighting to Live Again

By Rita McVey

Fighting to Live Again is about Cecil McLendon, a World War II veteran who fought in Europe in the US Army's 110th Infantry, 28th Division. The day he received his draft notice was the happiest day of his life. He spoke very little of the gory details of war. Like other veterans, he said no one would believe him. He didn't mention the names of buddies he lost, although his division was called the Bloody Buckets. He talked about his family, his childhood, the Army, the people he met, and his war wounds. The Army was such an improvement in his life; he didn't complain. His captain told him that since he liked KP, he could go to cook and baker's school. That is where he met Dorothy. Like many other couples of their generation, he went to war, and she went to work. With Dorothy waiting for him, life took on a new purpose and gave him a stronger determination to fight to survive. Cecil fought in four major battles in Europe and was seriously wounded twice. After Germany surrendered, Cecil was shipped home for a month-long furlough before reporting for jungle training. When the Japanese surrendered, he felt as if a death sentence was lifted. He survived the war but then had to fight its emotional effects. He began reading the Bible and searching for God's will for his life. He also fought the Veterans Administration for benefits to help him with the physical effects of his war wounds. He fought through pain each day in order to get out of bed to go to work to provide for his family. He fought the paralysis that finally overtook his body. Even as a paraplegic, he continued to participate in the community. He greeted and offered friendly smiles to those he met. He fought the good fight.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644920190

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Fighting to Live Again

Rita McVey

Copyright © 2019 by Rita McVey

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

McLendon History

Mason McLendon’s Family Line

The Orphans

Daddy Comes Home

Fortymore

Cecil’s Teenage Years

Mr. Mac’s Syrup-Making Rules

The Runaway Mule

The Passing of Aunt Tade

A Thing or Two about My Brothers

The Army

Going Home

The Café

Wisconsin

The Redhead: Dorothy Darlene Short McLendon My Childhood

Harvey Moon

The Georgia Peach

The Christmas Surprise

Joe Davis

Losing Loved Ones

Georgia By Rita McVey

Uncle Ivy

Pryor Lewis Pickren

The Fire

The Little Cajun

Deep Sea Fishing By Gary Cecil McLendon

The Battle of the Bulge: A Story of One Man’s Sacrifice By David Elliot McVey

My Grandfather’s Wartime Picture

David McVey’s Interview of His Grandfather, Cecil McLendon

Introduction

Although the Civil War ended over 150 years ago, its influence still affects the lives of people because of the devastation it had on the South. Just the effect of the huge number of people who died due to the conflict left almost no family untouched. Many families were shattered due to differences in ideology, loss of loved ones, and betrayal. In the South, where most of the fighting occurred, communities were forever changed when towns were burned, records were lost, and populations were displaced. Reconstruction also added to the way the South changed after the war. Southerners were a conquered society under subjection to a government which had been the enemy. This casts government officials in a less than benevolent light. People were less than anxious to make a public record of their family or business affairs. When searching archives for genealogy information, I found a lot of missing information and misinformation. Much of my information came from my mother and father, Cecil and Dorothy McLendon, and my father’s brothers Uncle Ivy and Uncle Rabon, Gary McLendon, Waver McLendon Perry, and other family members, as well as a genealogy research paper titled Some McLendons, written by Henry McLendon. Henry was a distant cousin, a descendant of my great-great-great-uncle Wiley McLendon. I also used US Census records and military records.

My parents, Cecil and Dorothy, were an amazing couple. He came from the South and she was from the North. They both suffered through the Great Depression and a difficult family life. My father’s mother and my mother’s grandmother passed along love and wisdom through their faith. My parents were part of the greatest generation. He went to war and she went to work, like many other people of their generation. They were two broken people who found each other. Their love and faith in God carried them through more than seventy-one years together.

Part 1

McLendon History

Our history plays a part of who we are. There is something about where our ancestors came from, how they survived, and ideas about how to live that seems to seep through the generations. Perhaps it is in our DNA or stories that pass through generations. According to Henry McLendon, the first McLendon ancestor to cross the Atlantic Ocean was John McLendon (1620–1700). He was a Scotsman who emigrated to what is now North Carolina, USA, from Ulster, Northern Ireland, by way of Barbados, in about 1696. John died in 1700, four years after arriving in North Carolina. He was probably an indentured servant whose passage from Ireland to Barbados was paid back with his labor on the early island colony. Old records from Barbados show he left an estate for which his son, Dennis, returned to the island and settled by selling land and property. John’s descendants—his son, Dennis (1640–1706); grandson, Thomas (1687–?); and great-grandson, Joel (1716–1800)—settled in Wingyaw, South Carolina. Joel’s son Lewis (1749–1811) moved to Washington County, Georgia in 1788. Lewis’s son, Burrell McLendon (1787–1861) moved to Jones County, Georgia, in 1810 to an area later annexed into Bibb County. On January 11, 1816, in Jones County, Georgia, Burrell married Sarah (Sally) Moreland (born in Halifax County, NC). The first Moreland in this line arrived on this continent in 1621. Thomas Moreland, age nineteen, was also an indentured servant. He sailed on the ship Abigall , which landed in Virginia. The Morelands have been a prominent family in Georgia. Moreland Avenue in Atlanta and the city of Moreland were named for them. Moreland Avenue crosses McLendon Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia.

According to the 1820 US Census, Sally and Burrell McLendon lived in the Clinton District of Bibb County, near Macon. In the 1830s, they moved from Bibb County to Lee County into an area annexed into Terrell County in the mid-1800s. Burrell McLendon was a farmer of moderate means, living near Chicasawhatchee Creek. On July 25, 1836, he took part in the Battle of Itchaway Notchaway Swamp, an area also known as the Chicasawhatchee Swamp. It was the last battle fought between State Troopers and Creek Indians in Georgia.

Mason McLendon’s Family Line

Burrell and Sally’s son, Mason McLendon (1817–1865), was also a farmer. He married Nancy Kitchens about 1842. Nancy (1823–1863) was born in Jones County. Her parents were Sarah and Garry Kitchens. Nancy and Mason were the parents of:

William Garry (1843–1862), born in Lee County. At nineteen, he died serving in the Confederate Army.

Sarah Narcissa (1845–?), born in Lee County. She married Franklin P. Cook in Terrell County, January 6, 1861.

Mary Ann (1848–?), born in Lee County.

John Taylor (August 28, 1849–November 10, 1893), born in Lee County and died in Miller County.

Henry Clay (Jan. 14, 1852–March 3, 1878), born in Lee County and died in Baker County.

Thomas Tom Kitchens McLendon (1859–1882), Cecil McLendon’s grandfather, born in Terrell County and died in Jackson County, Florida.

Martin F. (1860–1864), born in Terrell County. His twin, Martha (April 28, 1860–August 24, 1931), married M. G. Goodman Murray in Baker County. She died in Quitman, Georgia.

Louvenia Lou (1863–1930) married James T. Holt, a Confederate Veteran, in Early County, Georgia. She died in Miller County and was buried in Flat Creek Cemetery, Early County. Lou and James Holt were the parents of Henry, Cully, Mason, Mercer, Liela, and Effie Lou. Henry named his daughter after his mother. The younger Louvenia Holt married Leslie Widner. Leslie Widner descended from early settlers of Miller County, Georgia.

Grandmother Sally McLendon died April 28, 1860. Grandfather Burrell died August 8, 1861. He had no will. Abraham Sasser, for whom the town of Sasser was named, was appointed administrator of Burrell’s estate. There were three heirs: Mason, Wiley, and their sister, Matilda (b. 1820). Matilda was a deaf mute. After the property was divided, Mason and Wiley were appointed guardians of Matilda, who inherited the bulk of the estate. She married James M. Smith in 1863.

Mason and Nancy lost their oldest son early in the Civil War after Wiley and William joined the Confederate Army and went off to war. In 1862, nineteen-year-old William gave his life for the cause. Nancy died shortly after the birth of Louvenia in 1863. Martin died in 1864 at age four. When Mason’s brother Wiley came home from the conflict, vowing not to go back, Mason left to take his place and never returned. Mason left his brother, Wiley, to look after the farm and his children. Mason left his sons, John Taylor (16), Henry Clay (13), and Thomas Kitchens (6), and their younger sisters, Martha (5), and baby Louvenia (2). After news of Mason’s death in 1865, Wiley was appointed administrator of his estate and cared for the children, providing them a year’s support. Terrell County Courthouse records show Wiley assumed Mason’s land. After the year was up, the boys took their younger sister Martha and left Louvenia in the care of an older married sister. They settled in Milford, Georgia, where the boys found work on the James McCoy Calhoun farm. Years later, John Taylor sued Wiley McLendon in Terrell County over the children’s inheritance. He lost the case.

John Taylor McLendon married the young widow, Vashti Calhoun Harrison (Feb. 18, 1846–April 9, 1885). They bought a farm in Miller County and built a nice house. The home they built still stands just off Highway 91, north of Colquitt, Georgia. They had four children:

James F. Jim McLendon was born in Baker County and was buried at Christ Church Cemetery in Baker County.

Kate Alma McLendon Phillips was buried at the Colquitt Cemetery.

Wright Saluda McLendon Tabb was buried at the Tabb Cemetery.

Kitty Pearcy McLendon married D. W. Roberts and was buried at the Rawls Cemetery, in Miller County.

After Vashti died, John Taylor married Delphia E. Eb Grimes (May 13, 1866–?). They had three children: Rosa Lee McLendon Cleveland, John Henry McLendon, and George Taylor McLendon.

John Taylor McLendon was a successful farmer and cattleman. Some called him Beef John because of his success as a cattleman. He became sick during a cattle drive from Quincy, Florida, and died of pneumonia on November 10, 1893. He was buried at the foot of Vashti’s grave at Christ’s Church Cemetery. His son James F. Jim (Nov. 14, 1870–Feb. 21, 1894) took over the operation of the farm. Almost four months after his father’s death, Jim was murdered by his sister Alma’s husband, John Phillips, over his father’s estate.

Henry Clay McLendon married Mariah Elizabeth Bettie Carter, the daughter of Thomas J. and Sarah Ann Bivens Carter in Baker County on April 26, 1871. Henry and Bettie had two children: William Henry (Feb. 8, 1874–Jan. 26, 1926) and John Edward Eddie (March 9, 1877–Nov. 25, 1882). Henry Clay McLendon died on March 3, 1878, at age twenty-six and was buried at Christ Church Cemetery in Baker County. He owned 200–300 acres of land in western Baker County. Bettie’s sister Susan moved to the farm after Henry’s death. His son, William Henry, grew up to be a multitalented farmer. He was a carpenter, a blacksmith, and a merchant. He also enjoyed art. He was described as intelligent and reserved. Bettie and Susan spent the rest of their lives on the farm.

Thomas Kitchens McLendon married Mollie McCullars, his distant cousin in 1877. They lived in Baker County where their son, Charles Ivans McLendon (Nov. 1, 1877–Dec. 4, 1960),