Curtis Robert Kirkland

Children of Sarah Hutto
Matilda Kirkland	b. 10 June 1907 Henry Co., AL	31 Jul 2000 Lakeland, Polk, Florida, [SS Death Index, ]age 92	m. William Edward Howell 1 Feb 1929 Pinehurst, Dooly Co., GA
Lloyd Aaron Kirkland	b. 26 Mar 1909 Henry Co., AL	d. 20 Mar 1955 Fairfield, Jeff. Co., AL [AL Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974]	m. Alberta J. Wallace
Zack T. Kirkland	b. 17 Feb 1911 Henry Co., AL	d. 7 Mar 1994 Richmond, GA(age 83) [SS Death Index]	m.
Curtis R. Kirkland Jr.	b. 1914 Henry Co., AL	d. 18 Oct 1978 Crisp, GA [Georgia Deaths 1919-98]	m.
Mary Kirkland	b. 1915 Henry Co., AL	d.	m.
Lucy Kirkland	b. 1919 Henry Co., AL	d.	m.
infant
William Charles "Bill" Kirkland	b. 1 June 1922 Abbeville, AL	d. 11 March 2012 St. Augustine, FL [obituary included 2012]	partner: Harris "Louis" Andrews 1964 (32 years) (b. ? d. 1996 FL) partner: Richard French 1998 (b. c1937)

Children of Nannie ? with Mr. Cook
Margaret E. Cook	b. abt 1916 Georgia	d.	m.
Olin L. Cook	b. 3 Aug 1922 Covington, Newton, Georgia	d. 21 Jun 2008 Georgia	m. ?Mary Hays(unknown) Oct 1937 Randolph Co., AL

no known children with Curtis

1900 - US Census, Alabama, Henry Co., Abbeville,
         Kirkland, Zacheriah     head          m w   Feb 1850   50 mar 29          Ala     Ala      SC        carpenter
          " , Elizabeth     wife           f    w April 1853 47   mar 29 7 7   Ala     Ala     Ala
            " , Carrie dau.           f w Sept 1877 22                        Ala     Ala     Ala
            " , Oscar T.    son            f w July 1882   17                      Ala     Ala     Ala
            " , Curtis R.    son        m w    Jan 1889   11                         Ala     Ala     Ala
            " , Edward S.    son            m w July 1879   20                        Ala     Ala     Ala
            " , Vallie    dau.in.law   f   w    May 1882 18                        Ala     Ala     Ala
            Majors , Harriett motherinlaw f w Dec 1831 68                      Ala     Ala     Ala

US Census, Alabama, Henry Co., Lawrenceville, Dist 96. page 262
Hutto, A. Jesse    head     w m    Sept   1847   52   mar 30          Ala
"              , Sarah   wife    w f     Apr    1844   56 mar 30
"              , James   son     w m    Oct    1874   25    s
"             , Celia     dau    w   f     July   1877   22    s
"             , Augustus son w m    Oct 1883    16   s
"             , Sallie       dau   w   f Oct    1885 14    s
"             , Georgia   dau    w f    May   1890   10    s

1910 - US Census, Alabama, Henry Co., Abbeville   enum. dist. 126, sheet 7a
          Kirkland, Zacheriah         head              m w 60    mar 40yrs    Ala     Geo    Geo Carpenter     house
           "             , Elizabeth           wife         f w   56    mar 40yrs     Ala     Ala     Ala
         "             , Curtis R.             son              m w 21                        Ala     Ala     Ala Farmer      Several farms
         "             , Sarah M   daughter-in-law   f w 24                        Ala     Ala     Ala
         "             , Matilda      grand daughter    f w   2                           Ala     Ala     Ala
           "             , Loyd A      grand son            m w 1                         Ala     Ala     Ala

1918, June 5 - WWI Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Abbeville, Alabama
          Curtis Robert Kirkland       age 28
          address    -   Abbeville, Ala.
         date of birth      January 25   ,    1889
         natural born
         where born       Abbeville, Ala, USA
         occupation       Carpenter        29
          by whom employed            Father
         where employed         Abbeville,   Ala
         dependents            wife and 5 children under 12
         married?               Married      race   Caucasian
         What military service        Private       Infantry
         years      1 yrs           state   National Guard, Ala.
         height    Medium        weight   Medium

1920 - US Census, Alabama, Henry Co., Abbeville, Dist. 129.
           Kirkland ,   Curtis   R    head   r m w 30 mar                     Ala     Ala     Ala
            "             ,   Sarah C.    wife         f w   33   mar                     Ala     Ala     Ala
            "             ,   Matilda      dau           f w   12   s                        Ala     Ala     Ala
            "             ,   Lond           son          m w 9     s                       Ala     Ala     Ala
            "             ,   Zack T.       son          m w 8     s                        Ala     Ala     Ala
            "             ,   Curtis R. Jr son         m w 6    s                          Ala     Ala     Ala
            "             , Mary dau    f    w   4 1/12 s          Ala     Ala     Ala
            " , Lucy    dau         f w   1 s           Ala     Ala     Ala

Georgia, Ben Hill, city of Fitzgerald Ward 1, Dist 6, page 208
Cook,   Lenord A   head     m w 28         mar                    Geo Geo Geo              Carpenter   House
"         , Nannie Bell   wife      f w 26         mar                   Geo Geo Geo
"         , Marla             dau       f w   6 9/12    s                        Geo Geo Geo
"         , Margarete       dau      f w   4 6/12     s           Geo Geo Geo

1930 - US Census, Georgia, Dooly co., Militia dist. 525, Dist 2,   enum. dist 47-2,   sheet 4A
          Kirkland, Curtis R.         head   1200   m w 41 mar 18             Ala   Ala Ala      salesman    furniture store
          Kirkland, Nannie B.      wife             f w 35 mar 18           Geo Geo Geo
          "             , Curtis R.      son                 m w 14 s               Ala   Ala Ala
          "             , Mary             dau                 f   w 13 s                   Ala   Ala Ala
          "             , Lucy              dau                 f   w 11   s                   Ala   Ala Ala
          Cook, Margaret E    step-dau                f w   14 s                  Geo Geo Geo
          "            , Olin L.     step-son             m w    7 s                    Fla Geo Geo

        Henry Co., Abbeville, Dist. 14, sheet 3
          Kirkland, Angus R.     head     o $5000    m w 50 mar 20           Ala   Ala Ala
          "             , Mary R.        wife                        f w   46 mar 18              Ala   Ala Ala
          Folmar,    George H.    boarder                   m w 28 d                 Ala   Ala Ala
         two houses away
          Reynolds, Carrie          head     o $2500   f w   57 wd                   Ala   Ala Ala
        Kirkland, Zack T.         nephew                  m w 18 s                      Ala   Ala Ala
          Parrish, Billy                nephew                  m w   7 s                      Ala   Ala Ala

1845, Alabama Marriages, 1800-1969
Matilda Kirkland marries Uriah Monk, Henry Co. license issued 30 Mar 1845,

1942 -1945 - William "Bill" Kirkland signs up with the Coast Guard, 4/21/1942 - with an Honorable Discharge 5/31/1945.

2011 - A Walking Tour of Abbeville's "Old Cemetery", brochure. by Sylvia Beasley Clark, (enter up steps on Elm Street),

After Bill’s mother died, Rebecca Kirkland Searcy wanted to adopt Bill but his father wanted Bill to keep the Kirkland name. Bill was given to his father’s sister, Carrie Kirkland Reynolds to raise Carrie, already had five older children and Bill thought he was a Reynolds until he was in the second grade.

At Bill’s age four, Carrie (Bill always called her Mama) and Bill moved to Adams Groves near Lake Alfred, Florida. About two years later they moved back to Abbeville for Carrie to care for her father Zachariah who was ill and who died two years later. Bill went to the first and second grade in Abbeville, Alabama. Mama and Bill then moved to St. Petersburg, Florida to live with mama’s children Emmie, Vera and Jack for two years. Bill attended the third grade twice in St. Pete as he didn’t pass the first time and although the teacher said she would pass him, Mama made him take it over. Emmie had married Dr. Charles Walton Adams who owned Adams Groves and Mama and Bill moved to a house on the Groves property. Bill attended the fourth through the seventh grade in Auburndale, Florida and the eighth through the senior high school in Lake Alfred, Florida. There were twelve students in Bill’s graduating class.

Bill attended Webb’s Business School in Lakeland, Florida then went to work for Belknap Hardware in Louisville, Kentucky. December 1941, World War Two broke out and Bill joined the U.S. Coast Guard April 12, 1942. He went through Coast Guard boot camp in Algiers, LA, then Marine Corps boot camp at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, CA and was assigned to duty in San Francisco for one year. He was then sent to radio school for six months. He was supposed to the radio man behind the pilot of an OS2U2 bomber but threw up in his hat…end of flying. Bill was then assigned to the frigate USS Hoquiam with duty in the north Pacific and the Aleutian Islands. He was sea sick when the seas were rough. He served until May 31, 1945.

After discharge Bill lived in Los Angeles, CA for a few months. Upon the death of his father Bill moved to Jacksonville, FL and became an assistant buyer in the millinery business. After four years learning the business Bill was given his first store in Mobile, AL for Emporium World Millinery Company which was based in Chicago, IL. Bill made frequent buying trips to New York where he also saw the best shows on Broadway of that time. After five years in Mobile, Bill was transferred to Memphis, TN where he bought hats for three Lowenstein’s Department Stores and supervised the hat department for a store in Little Rock, Arkansas. Lowenstein’s kept the store open at night for Elvis Presley’s mother to shop in private and Bill met Elvis but was too shy to ask for an autograph.

Bill spent seven years in Memphis and then was transferred to Atlanta, GA as buyer of ladies hats for Davidson’s Department Stores, with branches in Augusta, Macon, Columbus and Athens, GA. JFK & Jackie were in the White House & no more hats.

Bill went to work for Rich’s Department Stores in Atlanta selling men’s suits and sold $50,000.00 worth of suits in one month. Later Bill sold major appliances and furniture for Rich’s as they were higher ticket items and Bill could make much more money.

Shortly after Bill moved to Atlanta, Bill met Harris, AKA Louis Andrews and they were life partners for 32 years until Louis death in 1996. Bill retired at age 62 in 1984. He and Louis moved to Crescent Beach, Florida near St. Augustine. A few months after Louis’ death, Bill moved to Fort Lauderdale in the hope of starting a new life. After about a year and one half in 1998, Bill met Richard French, a painter/artist and they became Life Partners. In 1999, they moved to Bradenton, FL so that Richard could be closer to his widowed mother who lived in Sebring, FL. In 2000, Richard’s mother had spontaneous fractures of her hip and femur and lived in a nursing home a mile from Bill and Richard’s home until she died at age 95 in 2002.

Bill had always loved St. Augustine so in 2003 Bill and Richard bought a home on Magnolia Avenue in St. Augustine, (Listed by National Geographic as one of the ten most beautiful streets in the U.S.A.) They spent the next year commuting from Bradenton to remodel their home. Their home finally finished, they arrived September 30, 2004, the same day Hurricane Jean swept through Florida. They lived in a motel for a week until their furniture could be delivered as the roads were closed. Bill and Richard still lived at 16 Magnolia Avenue directly across the street from The Fountain of Youth (it doesn’t help). They loved their home and life here.

Today it is March 11, 2012 and Bill was 89 and in very poor health. Richard is 75 and is Bill’s caregiver along with weekly visits by a Hospice nurse. Bill died at 6:45 this morning at Bailey Hospice here in St. Augustine.

I am certain Bill is now with God. Above all, he was a First Class and True Southern Gentleman. I will always miss Bill and hold his memories and his love in my heart. May God bless him and keep him.

Richard French [Obituary and email March 11, 2012]