by Clyde Parker

Nov. 18, 1941

Virginia voters, apparently taking the election of the Democratic slate for granted, absented themselves from the polls in large numbers last Tuesday but, still, Colgate Whitehead Darden Jr., a native of Southampton County, now resident of Norfolk, defeated his three opponents by better than a four to one margin. On the basis of still incomplete returns, the total vote was expected to reach something like 130,000 with Mr. Darden taking 90 to 100 thousand of it. He will be the first Southampton County man to serve as Governor of Virginia. He was born on the family farm just west of the Town of Franklin, going toward Courtland, and was a 1914 graduate of Franklin High School.

Republican candidate Benjamin Muse polled over 20,000 votes, while Mrs. Alice Burke, Communist, and Hilliard Bernstein, Socialist, counted their votes in hundreds rather than thousands.    

For the position of Lieutenant Governor, Democratic State Senator William M. Tuck of Halifax was an easy winner over Republican Dr. I.C. Wagner of Covington and Socialist Stephen Moore of Roanoke.  Incumbent Attorney General A.P. Staples had no real opposition from Republican Julian Hickman of Bath County.

Marvin P. Sebrell of Courtland returns to the Virginia General Assembly having had no opposition either in the primary or the general elections.

Bag factory highlighted

An attractive and interesting display in the window of the Virginian Drug Store, at 100 North Main Street, between Third and Second Avenues, calls attention to the fact that the Taggart Corporation is scheduled to open a bag factory at the Chesapeake-Camp Corporation mill site in Isle of Wight County, in early January.

Chesapeake-Camp, an outgrowth of Camp Manufacturing Company, established a paper mill across the Blackwater River from Franklin in 1938. Taggart, an independent subsidiary of St. Regis Paper Company, will have its factory directly behind the Chesapeake-Camp mill and will use as its raw material, for producing multi-wall paper bags, paper produced by the mill.

The bag factory will employ 100 women and 80 men.  It is expected to have a daily capacity of 250,000 bags which will be, for the most part, large bags suitable for the shipment of chemicals, building materials, and food products

Toy Savage dies

Toy Dixon Savage, a native of Como, North Carolina, and for many years a prominent member of the legal profession in Norfolk, died last Saturday at the age of 63. Mr. Savage, who was also a civic and church leader of prominence in Norfolk, was the brother of Mrs. James L. Camp Sr., the former Caroline Savage, of Franklin and of Mrs. H.T. Williams of Chase City. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Hildreth Gatewood Savage, and a son, Toy D. Savage Jr., a student at the University of Virginia. The senior Mr. Savage was the son of the late Rev. R.R. and Rowena Vann Savage of Hertford County, North Carolina.

The late Mr. Savage was for a period of 25 years general counsel for the Camp Manufacturing Company here and was general counsel and also a director of Chesapeake-Camp Corporation at Franklin. He was vice president of the Investment Corporation of Norfolk, a director of the Norfolk General Hospital, a member of the Virginia Baptist Board of Missions and Education, director and general counsel of Charles W. Priddy and Company and a director of the Colonial Oil Company. He was a member of Freemason Street Baptist Church in Norfolk.

Red Cross is short of goal

Mrs. George H. Parker, chairman of the American Red Cross “Roll Call” for the Franklin District, stated this week that the town was far behind in its goal for the 1941 fund-drive.

“In an effort to catch-up before the November 30 reporting deadline, a large corps of volunteer workers is soliciting from house to house for contributions and memberships,” Mrs. Parker said earlier this week.   

“However, we are pleased to report that a whole lot of businesses in Franklin have contributed to the cause, and I believe more will be forthcoming,” she added. 

So far, the following businesses have contributed: J.E. Moyler Law Office, Hi-Way Esso Station, Edwards Grocery Store, Mike’s Franklin Café, Duck’s Store, J.C. Eley’s Grocery, J & M Grill, L.B. Norfleet’s Store, Dr. J.C. Rawls, Roy Edwards Livery Stable, Parker Drug Company and The Chinese Laundry.    

H.L. Duff, Southampton County American Red Cross Chairman, recently announced the following district chairmen: Boykins, Miss Retta Hart; Berlin-Ivor, Mrs. H. Wayland Stephenson; Capron, Mrs. L.W. McGrath; Drewryville, John T. Claud Jr.; Franklin, Mrs. George H. Parker; Jerusalem, Mrs. Charles W. Davis; and, Newsoms, Mrs. Henry Bailey.

William M. Johnson, Franklin undertaker, and R.H. Allen, manager of Leggett Department Store in Franklin, are also managing efforts in the Town of Franklin and the Franklin District.

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