| Sources |
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 7 Apr 2008.
Guynn Leevon "Butch" Hall obituary
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 19 Aug 2001.
Calvin Coolidge Rathbone obituary
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 15 Jun 2012.
Just Plain Talk: Many familiar people showed up at Henderson cemetery
(c)2012 NPT PHOTO BY DAVID POPIEL
My friend and Plain Talk columnist Iva Lee Rathbone, at left, was at the Henderson-Ellison burial. It has been many months since we talked and she is getting along well and still writing her popular column. With her is daughter Melaine Rathbone Phillips, who had lived in Florida for about 22 years near Niceville. She has returned to a nicer place with mom and dad. At far right is Tammy Hall, who is a first cousin to the late Terri Henderson, one of the three murder victims.
Author: Duay O'Neil
Summer officially begins on Wednesday, June 20, the summer solstice, for our hometown eagerly awaiting the longest day of the year to reflect on the shorter ones to follow.
Before returning to Edsel Hall's barbershop for Wednesday afternoon music, after the scissors have all been put to sleep, I wanted to share some sights and thoughts from a visit to Grassy Fork's Henderson family cemetery. Last week I did get to return to Bybee Market so you will read about that visit. You may recall a photo made months ago of Lydia Shelton and Ann Ward running in the rain. They along with Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church pastor Craig Ward did finish the Flying Pig Marathon, Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 6. Some 30,000 runners entered the 26.2 mile race in the city, across the river into Kentucky and back. Lydia and Ann finished together after 6 hours. Wow, I'm impressed with what three years training can do. Lydia is an assistant to Cocke County Clerk Janice Butler.
Memories fade, photos are forever
The weather was perfect, sunny and not too hot as it has been in mid spring, when folks gathered at the Henderson family cemetery. Although some people thought the Plain Talk photographers, including me, should not be there, I felt it important to record the event. After all, how many triple homicides in a burned-out-home do we ever have in Cocke County? The only other fire of that magnitude, so far as deaths, is one I covered in the 1970s or early 1980s off Highway 107 in Del Rio where an entire family except the husband were burned to death. Many folks would have liked to attend the Henderson-Ellison burial but could not so we were able to bring the burial service to them in a respectful way. And, we did ask family members if it would be OK. I can assure you, if any family member had asked me or Nelson Morias, our reporter, to leave we would have done so immediately without commotion. If we offended anyone in the family, then I am sorry for this and did not intend to do so. Rather, as one family member said to me, people needed to see what suffering and hurt was done by this heinous act. Oh, and if it goes to court we will be there making many photos of the suspects and court scene even if the defendants object to our presence. Should I have made the photo of Brenda Ellison after she fell? Probably not, but we wanted to illustrate the great emotional stress she has been under since the death of her son, Sherman, and grandson, Riley Gene. If we offended her, then I apologize, too. Personally, I met all the immediate family either at the fire scene or burial and expressed my personal condolences and interest in helping them in a compassionate way. Brenda Wilburn noted that we had gotten some incorrect information on the blue toy truck in a photo that I made. I thought it was Riley's toy that survived the fire, but it was not. Rueben Williams, who is a brother to Brenda Wilburn's sister-in-law Alene, went to Knoxville and bought the truck and blocks for the funeral/burial display. A Knoxville florist did the arrangement. Brenda reports that Rueben made the extra effort to get the truck and returned on a second trip to the florist to pick it up and take it to Manes Funeral Home, because he is a neighbor to the Hendersons and knew that Riley loved to play with trucks and blocks.
As a postscript note, and I wish the details would come to mind but they didn't, many years ago as a reporter I covered the shooting death of a Henderson teen at the home of Walter Hembree. He was later charged with murder, sued the Plain Talk for libel, but the suit never got anywhere, as what we printed was true. We didn't shy away from publishing the news and photos of the terrible incident that resulted in the prosecution. I seem to recall the name, John Henderson, as a family member I interviewed and worked with but that was almost 35 years ago.
A good thing on a somber afternoon was seeing a lot of folks I've known for years. You see some photos of them here. One of my favorite places to visit in the early years of my reporting was Grassy Fork where I did features on such memorable people as Dr. B. Parker Ford and Cebo Ford. I mentioned this to Glen Henderson, a brother to the late Gene Henderson, whose daughter, Terri, was brutally murdered. Glen was surprised that I knew Dr. Ford, who took me on my first and last trip up Snowbird Mountain. We passed a most unusual home and yard of a Mr. Williams, whose first name escapes me. He had milk jugs painted and hung about the yard, which was decorated with all sorts of whirly-gigs he had created. I am sure he is long-time dead. Dr. Ford and I drove past his house and up the steep road in my old Maverick. We made it about half way and the ruts were so deep we had to back up and turn around. It scared me that me might be going off the side of the mountain.
Everybody knows Iva Lee
Iva Lee Rathbone arrived using a walker, as she has a serious problem getting about but still writes her interesting Big Creek news column and has done so religiously since 1989. Her connection to the Henderson's is her sister-in-law, the late Ann Henderson Hall, who was married to Eddie Hall. I almost didn't recognize Charlie Rathbone, who was squatting near a Henderson gravestone and said he could easily sit on the back of his lower legs because of his Indian heritage. I have heard old timers say that if any family had Cherokee Indian blood in Cocke County it would be the Rathbones. Charlie has been suffering with shingles and he is not as active as when he was younger and farming their 30 acres. Married for 53 years this October, they have four children. Melanie was there with Mom that day and had lived in Florida for more than 20 years raising her sons, Charles and Cory Lee, who are now grown. Melanie spent her working years cleaning condos and grilling food at commercial businesses for customers. The other children are Wiley and Charla, who live in the county. You have seen Charla working at Sagebrush Restaurant as a waitress and before that at Shoney's. Justin lives and works at Black Mountain. Iva Lee told me to be sure to mention her seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. They are a wonderful family and typical of the hardworking, dependable people of our mountains. Iva Lee and the Hall family will be gathering at Bell Hill off Raven's Branch Road the fourth Sunday in August for the family reunion. That makes her a cousin to both Rev. Ransom Hall and Edsel Hall.
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name: Mack Hall
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 15 Mar 1939
Event Place: Cocke, Tennessee, United States
Age:
Birth Year (Estimated):
Father's Name:
Father's Titles and Terms:
Mother's Name:
Mother's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Name: Hester Ball
Spouse's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Age:
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated):
Spouse's Father's Name:
Spouse's Father's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Mother's Name:
Spouse's Mother's Titles and Terms:
Reference ID:
GS Film number: 1669900
Digital Folder Number: 004485975
Image Number: 02430
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name: Iva Lee Hall
Also Known As:
Suffix:
Event: Marriage
Event Date: 10 Oct 1959
Event Place: Cocke, Tennessee, United States
Gender: Female
Spouse: Charles Rathbone
Spouse's Also Known As:
Spouse's Prefix:
Spouse's Suffix:
Page: 160
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, d. From 13 May 1977 to 13 Dec 2002 (Age ~ 60 years) 
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