THE AVENGER. GUEST SPEAKER Hunter Groves

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1 THEY BLEED WE WEEP WE LIVE THEY SLEEP Volume 13, Issue 1 THE AVENGER The next meeting of the Isle of Wight Avengers will be held at 6:30 PM, Tuesday January 2 nd at the Carrollton Ruritan Club Building located at Norsworthy Drive, Carrollton, VA GUEST SPEAKER Hunter Groves As most of you know, we lost our compatriot John Wellons on December 8 th. This was just three days after welcoming him back at our December meeting after extended health issues and hospital stays. We lost three good men this past year and all will be missed. This is the start of a brand-new year. How can we make the Avengers even better than they are? We need to recruit new members that will be active in our group. Just think, if we all recruited one person, we would double in size in just a year. Considering the state of anti Confederate sentiment out there, it is crucial that we grow and spread the truth of our ancestors or we will become irrelevant. Keith Morris sent me this and it fits perfectly with what I wrote above. Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. Robert Kennedy COMMANDER S COMMENT S Fellow Avengers, Happy New Year, I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas with your families. I believe that Kennedy s words should persuade the members of the Avengers to bend a little bit of today s history as it is taking shape in order to honor our ancestors and monuments to the best of our abilities, as per the Charge of General Stephen Dill Lee. Robert Francis Kennedy probably never envisioned that any Camp of the SCV would use his words to support the current day historical battles to honor Confederate veterans. But we of the Avengers are proud of our ancestors and serve to honor their memory. Keith Morris

2 Isle of Wight Avengers 2 Thank you, Keith, for providing that quote and your thoughts on how the Avengers can apply it. Our very own Hunter Groves will be providing the program. Hunter is a great example of getting our youth involved. These young men are our future and we will be relying on them to ensure that our ancestors are never forgotten. Come out and support your Camp and Hunter in his first program. Bring a guest and something good to eat and I ll see you Tuesday. Deo Vindice, Tony ADJUTANT S REPORT The Camp meeting was called to order on December 6, 2017 at 6:40 p.m. by Commander Tony Griffin. Chaplain Tom Conley gave the invocation with Compatriot Tommy Thomas leading us in the pledges to the Flags and reading The Cause for Which They Fought. Lt. Commander Dan Lewandowski introduced our guests for the evening; Mrs. Myrna Sharon, Mrs. Joan Jones, Mrs. Thelma Cockes, Mrs. Linda Conley, Mrs. Lou Anne Johnson, Mrs. Connie Jenkins, Mrs. Lisa Lewandowski and her daughters Aeronwyn and Aine Lewandowski, Ms Linda Life, Mrs. Katherine Hamilton, first time visitor Mr. Bill Long and his wife Martha, and our special guest speaker for the evening Mrs. Billie Earnest and her husband Heritage Defense Coordinator Frank Earnest. We had 15 visitors and 17 members present for the evening. Commander Griffin welcomed everyone to our annual Christmas dinner and meeting. He stated we had many members out at our November meeting with either surgery or illness and welcomed them back to the camp. Compatriot Earl Hall reported on his brother s (Compatriot Frank Hall) condition. Earl said that Frank was rehabbing fine, but had some ways to go before he could come home. The Commander then invited our guest to join us at the buffet by going first. After dinner, Tony lit the Camp candle in honor of one of his ancestors Private John Ellis, 39 th Tennessee Infantry Co. A. He then introduced Mrs. Billie Earnest, our guest speaker for the evening. She began with the Christmas of 1860 after Mr. Lincoln had been elected. The South was nervous over how he would handle the succession of South Carolina and other Southern States. The whole holiday season was in turmoil as everyone speculated on the chance of War. The children were told that Christmas may be different from times past. As War became the rule of the time, Christmas was still the high light of the year, even if it was not as elegant. Soldiers in the field would decorate a small tree with items that they may have on hand, using tin drinking cups, eating utensils, and other personal items. Even soldiers in captivity found Christmas to be special. They would gather together to make the best of their time in captivity to celebrate the season. Commander Griffin presented Billie with a small package from the Camp in gratitude of her presentation. Tony with the assistance of Lt. Commander Tommy Davis also presented Poinsettias to both Myna Sharon and Joan Jones for supervising the potluck dinners during the year and planning the

3 Isle of Wight Avengers 3 Christmas Dinner. Thank you, ladies for a job well done. In the business meeting, Tony thanked the Camp for working to make 2017 a great year. We not only presented two scholarships for 2017, we have also financed the Scholarship Fund for 2018 and 2019, and started a third Scholarship fund for Looking through the full room in the Ruritan Clubhouse he stated that with our growth he was pleased that we had started to look to the future by also starting a Building Fund. All though the Camp is growing, he reflected on the loss of 2 of our members, Commander Frank Sharon and Compatriot Brennen Cleary. Both men will be strongly missed by the Camp. Adding these two men to The Last Roll the Camp began a Memorial Plaque to honor our three members who have made the last roll. Compatriot Buddy Beale was our first in The Camp meeting was closed at 8:40 p.m. with Chaplain Conley giving the Benediction and the Commander leading us in Dixie. As a footnote, on December 8, 2017 Compatriot John Morgan Wellons, Jr. answered to The Last Roll. On December 14 th, his funeral was at Central Hill Baptist Church with burial at Mill Swamp Baptist Church. John will be missed by the Camp. It was a sad day for our camp December 8, 2017, when we learned of the death of our compatriot John Wellons. Many of us spoke with John at our Christmas dinner camp meeting December 5, We were all glad to see John out of the VA hospital and looking well. When I spoke to John, he stated to me that he felt really good and was looking forward to spending Christmas with family. Little did we know that three days later John entered into his heavenly reward. We, as a camp, only knew John for about a year. He was extremely personable and loved to talk about history (his major in college), especially Southern history and the War Between the States. John served in the military and was a Baptist minister. Adjutant Ed Whitley and I attended his funeral December 14, 2017, at Central Hill Baptist Church. Rest in Peace, John with your Confederate ancestors. You go to join Frank Sharon and Brendan Cleary. You will always be an Avengers Camp #14 member in our eyes. God Bless! Our compatriot Frank Hall is now home recuperating. Happy 2018! Ed Whitley, Adjutant From the desk of the Chaplain REMEMBERING JOHN MORGAN WELLONS, JR. Chaplain Tom Conley WINDSOR - John Morgan Wellons, Jr. of Windsor passed away peacefully Friday, December 8, Born August 16, 1947, he was a son of Clara Virginia Catron Wellons and the late John Morgan Wellons, Sr. John served his country in the United States Air

4 Isle of Wight Avengers 4 Force and was a member of Central Hill Baptist Church. Along with his mother, left to cherish his memory is his sister, Virginia "Jenny" Wellons Rhodes (Dusty); brother, Mark Edward Wellons (Nancy); a niece, Lindsay Wellons Murray (Chris) and numerous cousins. The funeral service will be held at 11:00 am, Thursday, December 14, 2017 at Central Hill Baptist Church with Rev. Brad Jones officiating. The family will receive friends following the service in the church fellowship hall. Burial with Military Honors will follow the reception at Mill Swamp Baptist Church Cemetery. R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home, Wakefield Chapel is serving the family. Condolences may be posted at Published in Daily Press on Dec. 11, 2017 Ancestor Corner Private Joseph Harper Company E, 63rd Alabama Infantry Great Grandfather of Thomas Conley. Joined Company E of the 2nd Alabama Reserves in August of 1864 at the age of 17. This became Company E, 63 rd Alabama Infantry. Birthdays Joseph Harper January Hunter Cleary Keith Morris Earl Hall Tony Harvey 4 January 20 January 23 January 29 January Marriage License

5 Isle of Wight Avengers Enumeration of Confederate Soldiers residing in Alabama Old Friendship Primitive Baptist Cemetery Houston County, Alabama Alabama Death Index Name: Joseph Harper Birth Date: abt 1846 Death Date: 1 Dec 1928 Death Place: Houston County, Alabama Death Age: 82 Marital Status: Married Gender: Male Father Name: Benj Harper Mother Name: Elizabeth Watts Spouse Name: Mary Harper Pensioner Questionnaire

6 Isle of Wight Avengers 6 Obituary Record of Parole Thanks to 2 nd Lt. Cdr. Tommy Davis for donating a Norfolk Pine for our Door Prize Raffle.