Rev. D. Frank Eutsur

Rev. D. Frank Eutsur officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:

1891 -
Stewart H. Brown & Millie Lillian Jackson, 2/25/1891

761st Tank Battalion - World War II

Cleo Caval Haynes Dickason Blakely was my grandfather's sister. She was born in Brushy Ridge, Greenbrier County and was one of the 14 children of George Washington Haynes and Elizabeth Jane Payne Haynes Haynes Lewis.

Cleo was a teacher in a number of locations in W.V. and she was also the principal of a school. I saw her a couple of times when I was a small child. The only thing I can recall about her was the delightful task of brushing her waist long black hair.

When I began to do genealogical research I learned a lot more about Aunt Cleo including the fact that she had a son, Sidney Andrew Dickason, who was a member of the 761st Tank Battalion in World War II.

Yesterday as I was flipping through the channels, and upon seeing the face of a Black soldier, I stopped at the HISTORY CHANNEL. To my surprise, the channel was airing the documentary FIRST TO FIGHT - THE BLACK TANKERS OF WORLD WAR II.

Here are a few quotes from the documentary:
"676 African American soldiers" ... "seven-six-one tank battalion" ... (Patton said) "Your people are looking for great things out of you" ... "awarded the Presidential Unit Citation" ... "34 men from the 761st died" ... "US Army - Fort Hood".

Also see "BROTHERS IN ARMS = The Courageous Story of World War II's 761st Black Panthers" by Kareem Abdul Jabbar & Anthony Walton.

The documentary was very moving & I was proud to know I had a cousin who was a member of the battalion. I'm not sure how many other citizens of West Virginia were members of this battalion. I hope to visit the D-Day Museum in New Orleans to follow up on this documentary and perhaps do some research to see if I can find other WV names.

Rev. R.D. Haynes

Rev. R.D. Haynes officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:

1903 -
Edward Burk & Maggie V. Syms, 7/9/1903

& he officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:

1890 -
Ballard W. Haynes & Laura J. Pack (after 9/1890)
John R. Bennett & Ellen Nora Bush (after 9/1890)

1891 -
William Peters & Carrie Gore, 7/3/1891

1892 -
James R. Loggins & Anna B. Gore, 2/28/1892
Charles C. Gore & Ada Bunch, 5/18/1892
James A. Meadley & Sabrina Price, 7/24/1891
James Gore & America Crump, 9/11/1892
Grant Haynes & Malinda Webster, 12/28/1892

1894 -
Samuel M. Kinley & Henrietta Hargo, 4/21/1894
Frank Gore & Nancy Walker, 6/5/1894

1895 -
Frank H. Brown & Fannie Gore, 3/7/1895
Alexander Shanklin & Sarah Leftridge, 8/9 or 10/
Randolph Brooks & Ella Pack, 12/24/1895

1896 -
J.E./Z.E. Dobbs & Annie Bell Kent, 5/14/1896
William E. Huffman & Nellie Clay, 11/26/1896

1898 -
Robert Harris & Ardelia Shanklin, 6/12/1898

1899 -
James E. Merchant & Ada Meadley, 5/1899

1901 -
Charles W. Gore & Lula Haynes, 5/16/1901

1902 -
Robert Gore & Mayme Pack, 2/21/1902
David Hargro & Minnie Agee, 12/23/1902

1903 -
Oliver Age & Nessie Gore
Julia Gore & (unintelligible)

Rev. Jennings

Rev. Jennings officiated at the following (Black) marriages:

1951 - Lindsay Dane Williams, Jr. & Ruth Ann McKinney, 6/8/1951

Rev. O.T. Harris

I'm not sure if Rev. O.T. Harris was Caucasian or Black but

he officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:

1895 -
Frank Dunsmore & Janet Haynes, 5/19/1895 at Sinks Grove
Perena Susan Spotts & Lon Erskine, 6/19/1895

&
he officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:

1896 -
Hiram Gore & Hattie Gore, Jan/28/1896
Dennis Henderson & Charlotte Walker, 2/5/1896
Lewis Johnson & Rhoda Shanklin, 4/11/1896
Joseph Gore & Dora Wood, 6/1/1896
William Hargro & America Crump Gore, 12/24/1896

1897 -
Robert Burks & Nora Muse, Jan/28/1897
Lee Symns & Josie Walker, 2/24/1897
Robert Meadley & Robertie Merchant, 8/5/1897


1898 -
Robert Loggins & Jennie ? Vest

1899 -
Edward Shanklin & Rosie Shanklin, 4/29/1899
Edward Bush & Georgia Jackson, 12/24/1899
G.W. Reddix & Artie Clark, 12/27/1899

1901 -
J.T. Haynes & Stella Walker, Jan/24/1901
Preston Green & Nannie M. Crockett, Jan/27/1901

1902 -
Madison Gore & Cora Harper Davidson, Oct or Nov. 1902
Samuel E. Harris & Minnie S. Muse, 12/25/1902

1903 -
Matison Gore & Lavinia Haynes, 3/31/1903
David Pace & XXX J. Williams, April or May, 1903

1904 -
Dock Lewis & Gertie Davidson, 3/8/1904
Robert Haynes & Dora Gore, 12/1904