by Clyde Parker

June 5, 1965

Cosby Moore, Chairman of Virginia National Bank, announced today that V.S. Pittman Jr., Vice President and Trust Officer, will assume supervision of all VNB operations in the Franklin-Capron-Boykins area. At the same time, he announced that V. K. Daugtrey Jr. will move up from Assistant Manager to Manager of the Franklin office. He will be a Vice President.

The new assignments are effective immediately as Clifford Cutchins of Franklin is preparing to take his new post in Norfolk as Executive Vice President of Virginia National Bank. All of these changes are resulting from the earlier announcement of the merger of Tidewater Bank and Trust Company of Franklin, of which Cutchins was President, and Virginia National Bank of Norfolk.

Pittman, a native of Capron, graduated from Capron High School and VMI. He first joined the Bank of Capron in 1953 and was promoted to Cashier in 1954, a position he held at the time of the Capron bank’s merger with Meherrin Valley Bank of Boykins and Vaughan and Company Bank of Franklin to form Tidewater Bank and Trust Company of which he was appointed Vice President.

Prior to joining the Bank of Capron, Pittman taught school in Nansemond County for six years.

Daughtrey was born in Southampton County. He graduated from Franklin High School. He later attended VPI and Massey Business College.

His banking career began in 1928 with the former Vaughan and Company Bankers of Franklin. He was Vice President of the Vaughan bank and continued with that title at Tidewater Bank and Trust Company.

BARBER ELLIS RETIRES

After 40 years of barbering in Courtland, W.B. Ellis has retired. His first shop, in 1925, was in what is now known as the M.R. Joyner store, one of the oldest landmarks in continuous operation on Main Street in Courtland.

In the winter of 1927-28 Ellis established his shop in the Reese building, where he operated for nearly a quarter of a century before moving to his new building on Main Street on January 1, 1950.

In his early years of barbering, Ellis worked from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. five days a week and from 7 a.m. until midnight on Saturdays.

Ellis is a member of Courtland Baptist Church, and for the past 30 years he has taught the young men’s bible class, which was named for him a few years ago. He is presently a member of the Church’s Board of Deacons and is the Executive Committee Representative for Courtland Baptist Church.

Ellis is a past Master of the Masonic Lodge, a member of the Courtland Town Council, and a charter member of the Courtland Ruritan Club.

He is married to the former Sarah Bradshaw of Newsoms. They have two daughters, Mrs. J. L. Fisher of Selma, Alabama, and Mrs. J. L. Grissom of Courtland.

CITIZENS PETITION FOR ROADS

Monday’s meeting of the Southampton County Board of Supervisors was taken up in large part with issues involving roads in the County. Johnnie Lee Scott presented a petition with 43 signatures requesting that the highway department improve and assume maintenance of a .8 mile road in the Black Creek area. Some people have called it Bowers Road. A five-member “board of viewers” was appointed by the supervisors to look into the project. Appointed to that board were H. F. Babb, R. B. Story, Paul Branch, Norman Lankford and Paul Camp Marks.

Another petition, signed by 75 people, was presented by Hurley Bradshaw. It asked for improvement and widening of 2.2 miles of Route 642 and 638 located approximately a mile east of Sedley. Bradshaw said that property owners in the vicinity are willing to give the necessary land for the improvements. Supervisor Will Story said “it is unusual for people to want to give up their land.”

Resident Highway Engineer Ronald Fink said that these projects will take preference when money comes available. This caused an immediate reaction from Supervisor N. S. Boykin. “I brought in a petition a year ago for improvement of Route 618 and nothing has been done yet,” he said.

Supervisors George Davis and Fred Worrell asked about progress on Route 671 between Newsoms and Boykins. That segment of the road completes the Boykins-Newsoms-Franklin project, started several years ago.

In commenting on the 671 highway, Worrell said “The entire project hasn’t been built according to the schedule approved by the Board of Supervisors.”

CLYDE PARKER is a retired human resources manager for the former Franklin Equipment Co. and a member of the Southampton County Historical Society. His email address is magnolia101@charter.net