The photo has 12 men in it and next to the photo it states they are "Iron ore miners in the Wenonah area Wenonah I remember the 1934 strike. I joined The Mine,Mill and Smelters Union.I was there. Let me tell you about it. They killed two company men. Then the company sent and got the National Guard. The company officials tried to break up unionism. They would always travel in groups,the union got so strong. The officers had a log across the road to guard strikebreakers. The strikebreakers stayed up on the mountains for their safety. Everybody who worked paid union dues. You could join if you want, but they'll cut your dues anyway. Scabs didn't join the union. Company laws backed up scabs. Some people got hurt,some got killed. Most of em dead and gone now,but I'm here though. I'm telling you what I know,I was right there because I joined the Mine,Mill and Smelters Union. At the time being I had a maintainers job,you know. I could walk all through the scabs. National Guard didn't bother me,when they saw me coming they said,"He's got a maintainer's job that's old Streeter,don't bother him. I had the job going thru all the quarters killing the mosquitoes.. Kept down malaria disease. I went everywhere. Course I wasn't by myself though. The strikers tried to knock on me ,you know. They said, "he totes a big gun everyday,suppose to put him in jail." The National Guard said to me,"Don't shoot nobody." I said,"Nawsuh Captain." I went thru places they didn't allow nobody to go thru. When they saw me they say thats a maintainers man. Have to let him on by. It was right out there too. They brought in strikebreakers from the country. Lots of them were young black boys. I remember they come on the four o'clock train,on a Sunday evening. Just droves of them came. Them boys started to beating them and they ran and the officials got them. They didn't keep them long just overnight. And they had to send them back home. There was violence on all sides in the 1934 strike Clifford Streeter Wenonah Sept 1st 1883 The Bham Public School System goes into operation with J. H. Phillips as Superintendent Sept 7th 1920 A general strike of coal miners is called, continuing conflict with coal operators begun the previous year Sept 10th 1886 The first free mail delivery is made to residences in Bham Sept 11th 1920 The home of Eugene Morgan,a Wylam miner not participating in the current strike is dynamited Sept 14th 1911 Robert Jemison is billed 23.87 for the lighting of Glen Iris Park Sept 15th 1963 Four black girls- Addie Collins,Denise McNair,Carol Robertson and Cynthia Wesley-are killed by a dynamite blast at the 16th St Baptist Church Sept 17th 1900 Professor A. H. Parker opens the Industrial High School,the first high school for blacks in Bham. Sept 18th 1883 The Post Office Department changes the name of Wood's Station to Woodlawn Sept 19th 1901 An erroneous fire alarm results in a stampede causing 120 deaths at the Shiloh Baptist Church after a lecture by Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee

Photo is of a man and two children in a very early car,the top is like the cover on a buggy and the sides are open. Next to photo is statement Mr. W.M. Yarbrough shown with B'ham's first taxi service which was traveled from No. Bham to what is now Fultondale in the early 1900's North B'ham My father died in 1914 and we moved to B'ham in 1917,and settled in Collegeville. Collegeville was all black and economically poor,but it was just as good as any other place to live. You see times were hard after WWI and leading up to the Depression. People used to say times were so hard that the Alabama River wasn't running but once a week. But in Collegeville there were more black people that had contracts from different industries than anywhere else in B'ham. When I was ten years old I worked for Bham Stove and Range on 27th and Huntsville Rd,under a contract from John Catlin. During the day I went to Hudson School and from either 3 to 8 or whenever I finished,my job was shaking out and cutting sand. I started out earning 30 cents a night. I remember I was in the fourth grade. Buster Abernathy had a contract unloading all the pig iron,coke and rock. Rev. Oliver had a contract with U.S.Pipe. The Depression kept most people travelling like hobos. The railroad L&N or Southern were very lenient about people riding in boxcars. They'd let you get coal as long as you didn't get greedy and bring a wagon. During the Depression one thing was very prevalent in Collegeville. People would take old auto tires,split it,then cut it to shape for the sole of their shoes. Nobody could afford to go to the shoe shop L.D Stevens,Henry Arnet were black businessmen. As black merchantmen died out the Italians took over. They could buy in gross and sell cheaper. A good Italian would sprinkle salt and pepper on your meat for you. There was a strong communist element in Collegeville during the Depression that was offset by Rev Sears and other ministers,Rev Sears really spearheaded the downfall of the communist. One night they came to his church with picks. They came intending to get him. He held out his arms and said,"Brethen! Brethen! let's sit and talk." Meanwhile his daughter went thru the basement and got a shotgun. She came back,threw him the gun in the pulpit and he aimed and cocked it. They fled Robert N. Washington August 9th 1942 A school to train a bomb crew for the local Civil Defense Unit opens at B'ham Southern College August 11th 1921 A Klansman kills Father James Coyle apparently because the St Paul's priest married the Klansman's daughter to a young Catholic man August13th 1936 The North Birmingham Herald reports that coal miming and other industrial activity has increased recently,raising hopes that economic conditions are improving August 15th 1920 Both coal operators and striking coal miners ask Gov. Kilby to send the state militia to the Strike area in B'ham. August 17th 1883 Woodward Iron Co.'s first furnace goes into blast

Jenny, Thanks for this information. I hope that you will post the other months as you have time. Melba -----Original Message----- From: Wrenest25@aol.com <Wrenest25@aol.com> To: ALJEFFER-L@rootsweb.com <ALJEFFER-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Tuesday, September 26, 2000 8:50 AM Subject: [ALJEFFER] January-Wylam Birmingfind Calendar >Hello >January shows a picture of Consolidated Mercantile founded in 1901 and the >statement provided everything needed for households in Wylam. > >Wylam >A longtime Wylam Resident >One time when I was a little girl, we lived back over here at #4 coal mine. >Poppa was doin something there. Some Italian people lived behind us. Some of >them said they were brought in here to break the strike. > >I remember gettin a whippin and made to come in the house,because when the >Italian men would come out of the mine they would strip naked in the >backyard. They didn't have no bath house,you know. So Mama spanked me and >made me stay in the house. > >You see people turn up their nose at the Italians. Them old hunkies,them old >strikebreakers. And some of them have turned out to be some of the finest >people and the backbone of Wylam. But they got it rough when they got brought >in here. > >I got back to Wylam in 31 with three young uns,one baby in my arms,had >nothing. Let me tell you one thing:people in Wylam were wonderful. They all >stuck to me. We made it Wylam is getting to be an old folks place. The young >people are moving out as they marry off- to Pleasant >Grove,Hueytown,Forestdale. > >Historical dates noted on the calendar for January > >Jan 1st >1910 Birmingham city limits expands to include East >Lake,Woodlawn,Avondale,North Birmingham,Ensley and Pratt City > >Jan 2nd >1930 Southern Natural Gas delivers natural gas to Birmingham for the first >time > >Jan 6th >1932 The League of Women Voters Employment Bureau reports that 11,00 people >are begging for jobs in Birmingham. > >Jan 9th >1921 Brother John Bryan,minister of the 3rd Presbyterian Church,is named >citzen who rendered greatest service to the city in 1920 > >Jan 20th >1927 The Bankhead Hotel opens > >Jan 14th >1914 The City Commission ask for Chief of Police Bodeker's removal after he >was charged with 17 counts of harboring vice especially prostitution. > >Jan 15th >1901 Sylvester Daly- Irish immigrant,rolling mill puddler and bar tender- >dies after a succesful career in city politics > >Jan 20 >1898 Robert Jemison and partners form the City Land Company which will >develop the neighborhood of Glen Iris > >Jan 26th >1891 The town of Woodlawn is incorporated > >Jan 30th >1922 After a series of ax murders of Italian grocers,the Italian Protective >Association is formed >

Photo is of Abdallah and Nazha Boohaker and four of their eight children in Bham in 1923 The Lebanes Community Most of the Lebanese that came here settled on Avenue C and as they became more prosperous they moved up to 12th Street and into the Glen Iris area. Mr Meshed was one of the first to come...in 1902,I think. The Bohorfoushs came after that and then the seven Pharo brothers. The old people couldn't speak English but they got by. Nasif Pharo,my father-in-law,couldn't speak English,just Arabic,so since he lived with us,I picked it up pretty good. Two of my children picked it up but the youngest ones- well,the youngest one don't know anything but food and money! It is funerals,holidays,christenings that draw our people together. And the church,the church has kept us together. Some, the older people,went to St Elias because services were in Arabic. My father went to St Elias's and my mother too. It is a custom that the woman must go to her husband's church. When he dies,she can go back to her family's church. When I married,my husband was Melkite so we went to St George. I had never seen a Melkite, Arabic ceremony. They really bless you back and forth,passing a crown over your heads. The entire service was in Arabic. After the wedding,I went to the groom's home and everyone in his family was there, playing flutes and dancing. My family didn't go to his house they stayed home and after a week they came to my new house bringing sweets and things. Thats an old tradition-they don't do that any more. When I got there.to my new house,they gave me a piece of dough and stood me up on a chair and you are suppose to put thatpiece of dough on the door frame-stick it there,for luck after your wedding ceremony. If it sticks the marriage will last. Like you carry the bride over the threshold,I think just for luck. I was real young. It was all new for me too. Mrs Mary Bohorfoush Pharo July1 1915 The Alabama Legislature passes a statewide prohibition law,that closes all Bham saloons,against the wishes of a majority of Bham voters July2nd 1894 A railroad trestle near Adamsville is burned during a strike of railroad workers in the Bham area July 6th 1886 The East Lake Land Co is organized by James A Van Hoose,Robert Jemison and Rufus H. Hagood July 8th 1908 5,000 coal miners join the 4,000 already on strike July 10th 1953 Dominique Lusco the city's first Italian settler and the organizer of the Farmers Market,dies a millionaire July11th 1894 Gov Thomas Jones breaks the railroad strike when he dispatches the state militia to Bham to enforce order July 12th 1931 5,000 people attend a picnic in Yarbrough Park sponsored by 6 local Italian Socities July 13th 1908 The Glen Irsi Park Committee pays 3.00 for the service of a mule to assist in cutting the grass in the park July 17th 1908 Gov. B.B. Comer sends the state militia to Bham to keep peace between striking miners,strikebreakers,and the coal operators July 23rd 1936 The Iron and Steel Credit Union organized to serve employees at TCI's Ensley works. July 27th 1895 Birmingham physician Thomas Parke reports on the extremely unhealthy working conditions of convicts leased to the Coalburg mine

Photo of house on Glen Iris Circle Glen Iris My parents bought the Harwell house March 20th,1920. This house was built in 1905. I was married here,came down the steps and stood by the window in the living room,. There were several hundred people here It was very nice but also very hot. Most of the houses in the park have been well kept but these homes were truly magnificant once,especially in the 1930's. Some had beautiful paneling,staircases and exquisite chandeliers. At one time we had two cows here. The Jemisons and Pennys had cows too. Why Mrs Dow raised chickens and sold eggs to her neighbors during the Depression. There weren't laws against this then but you had to do certain things. Like have concrete slabs that were washed down frequently. When we moved back to this house in 1948,I really didn't think Glen Iris had any prospects. I moved here reluctantly to be with my father. The whole neighborhood around here had gone down very badly to apartments. There are a great many students living in the Glen Iris neighborhood now. It is very transient.(my notes students from the University of Al live in the Glen Iris /Southside communities) The park itself-the house next door was falling down and the house on the other side was falling down but in recent years several young people have bought homes in here and they are doing a wonderful job of restoring some of these places This has always been a private park,used to be over 40 acres- someof which wasn't even in the city limits. The orginal covenant called for a committee of three to amnage the park-pay the electric bills,cut the grass,collect the annual dues(which were 25.00 in 1901) etc. We all work together. The young people here are planning great things for Glen Iris and I hope they get them all done. I'm very proud of them Mrs Eugenia Thompson Akin My notes Glen Iris Circle is a closed street (owned by the people that lived on the street)that goes in a circle with houses on the outside of the street and a communal park area in the center June 1st 1871 The first real estate lots in Bham are bought by Major A. Marre June 12th 1873 The first case of cholera in a terrible epidemic is discovered June 15th 1914 The Tutwiler Hotel opens June 16th 1958 The Jewish Community Center opens June 21st 1872 The first Baptist church of Bham is organized June 28th 1882 Temple Emanu -El,the city's first Jewish congregation is formally incorporated June 29th 1930 Under a new law forbidding assemblies of anarchist,city police arrest speakers at a rally of unemployed workers June 30th 1907 The Railroad Terminal Station goes into operation

The photo is in a park and there are around 50 people in the photo and out to the side it states Greek-American Progressive Association Picnic 1933 I was 27 when I came here,January 3,1907. I came with my countrymen,10 men - all came here and started working right here. I forgot the names of these fellows-you know, a long time ago and everybody has died. We came from Instabul ,from the old country. Same village. Before coming to B'ham I worked on a farm,a grape farme where we made wine. My father died. My mama and six children left,with me the oldest. I went to work as a twelve year old boy-I never went to school. Just worked on the farm. I met my wife here. She died in 1942,Nov 28th. She was from the old country-I knew her in Greece. Her father came here with his children,3 daughters and 3 boys. After all his children were married he went back to Greece,his wife was still there- never saw her children again. He died right after he got back. You don't got so much money in the old country so we came to the United States. You got money in the United States,plenty of money,I came for the money I went to the office on 19th Street for a job. It was a big office with a foreman. I was a Greek,a white man and there were only Negroes there. I got work. There was no light to work by so we burned wood. Got no lights,used fire for 10,15 years. Stayed on that job,one job for fifty three years,painting smoke stacks. I retired twenty years ago,about 1960 when I was 80 years old. I worked hard,painted steel stacks,chimneys,way up high. I lost part of my hand in the plant in 1941. A crane in the blast furnace crossed my hand,cut it off right here. After six months I went back to work an easier job The company the big boss liked me. They knew me because I worked there all my life. They sent me a birthday card with one hundred years old on it. I'm a Greek,a Greek all my life. Everybody that is Greek,there is just one church,the Orthodox church,with all Greeks. No church in Birmingham at first,or school. Church was in a little house,everybody worked and we made a church. If we made a church ,we could make a school. A priest came from the old country and taught children in different homes and later rented a house to use as school.I don't read or write,too busy working,but kids now go to school all their lives Constantine Nicholas Sfakianos Ensley May1 1928 The first regular delivery of mail by air into B'ham begins May 11th 1963 Dynamite explosions damage the home of the Rev. A. D. King and the Gaston Motel,headquarters for the Civil Rights Movement May12 1906 The ACIPCO plant in No Bham casts its first pipe May22nd 1932 Joe Contri is the leading pitcher in the local Italian baseball league with 6 wins no losses May23rd 1930 A meeting of 150 unemployed,discontented local workers is called" a mass protest meeting of Communists" by a local newspaper May29th 1954 The largest gathering in the history of Ensley witnesses the dedication of the 2,000,000 overpass to the west of the community

Photo is of former Woodlawn City Hall(my notes 2 story wooden structure as of this picture was made into a battery place downstairs and maybe where someone lived upstairs. The name of the battery shop is Turner and Morgan and the cars in the front are in the 30's(I think)) Woodlawn My mother was Florence Hawkins Wood Moss. My grandfather was Obadiah Washington Wood Jr and his father was Obadiah Washington Wood Sr. My greatgrandfather moved to Woodlawn from what is now Huffman(suburb of Birmingham). His parents lived in South Carolina My greatgrandfather and grandfather never really had a profession. When they needed money,they simply sold some of their land. My grandfathers home was on Second Avenue South and he had a large garden that extended up to First Avenue. I was the youngest granddaughter and he would allow me into his garden,which had not one weed,but he would not let me bother any of his flower beds. Their life was a very simple life but a very enjoyable one. The church was the real center of activity. Back then you went to the morning service and then you went back at night too. The Woods were Baptist. Blacks have been in Woodlawn since the beginning,because Obadiah Washington Sr brought slaves when he moved there. After the Civil Waer,he setablished Zion City as a part of Woodlawn reserved for blacks and he gave them land. He had only three requirements. They had to be former Wood slaves. They had to be Masons. And they had to be Baptist. Alot of Woodlawn residents were railroad men-engineers and firemen. Woodlawn was in "The Call District" which meant they could be reached by telephone and told that a certain train was coming in and needing repairs. They could get on the Tidewater Line,the express streetcar,and get to the shop quickly. Woodlawn has some problems now. So many of the people have moved"over the mountain" and out toward Roebuck that the people left are in the "twilight years." Elizabeth Moss Brown April1st 1887 The L and N Station opens for traffic April 8th 1951 The B'ham Museum of Art opens April 11th 1887 The furnances in the Ensley iron plant go into blast for the first time April 12th 1960 New York Times reporter Harrison Salisbury describes Bham as a city of racial hatred and violence and is subsequently sued for libel by city officials April 14th 1894 8,000 coal miners begin a long and unsuccessful strike April 16th 1963 Dr Martin Luther King Jr defends his civil rights activities in a letter to local white ministers written in the Birmingham City Jail April 19th 1882 The Sloss Furnace is fired for the first time April 23rd 1911 Dr H. A. El-Kourie, B'ham physician argues before U.S. Congress that Syrians and Greeks are members of the white race April 24th 1922 WSY,the first Bham radio station broadcast its first program April 28th 1892 The first electric streetcar in Bham begins service in Avondale April 30th 1921 Children from Ensley,Wenonah and other villages take part in the TCI"May Day" pagent called "A Quest for Health"

Photo is of former Woodlawn City Hall(my notes 2 story wooden structure as of this picture was made into a battery place downstairs and maybe where someone lived upstairs. The name of the battery shop is Turner and Morgan and the cars in the front are in the 30's(I think)) Woodlawn My mother was Florence Hawkins Wood Moss. My grandfather was Obadiah Washington Wood Jr and his father was Obadiah Washington Wood Sr. My greatgrandfather moved to Woodlawn from what is now Huffman(suburb of Birmingham). His parents lived in South Carolina My greatgrandfather and grandfather never really had a profession. When they needed money,they simply sold some of their land. My grandfathers home was on Second Avenue South and he had a large garden that extended up to First Avenue. I was the youngest granddaughter and he would allow me into his garden,which had not one weed,but he would not let me bother any of his flower beds. Their life was a very simple life but a very enjoyable one. The church was the real center of activity. Back then you went to the morning service and then you went back at night too. The Woods were Baptist. Blacks have been in Woodlawn since the beginning,because Obadiah Washington Sr brought slaves when he moved there. After the Civil Waer,he setablished Zion City as a part of Woodlawn reserved for blacks and he gave them land. He had only three requirements. They had to be former Wood slaves. They had to be Masons. And they had to be Baptist. Alot of Woodlawn residents were railroad men-engineers and firemen. Woodlawn was in "The Call District" which meant they could be reached by telephone and told that a certain train was coming in and needing repairs. They could get on the Tidewater Line,the express streetcar,and get to the shop quickly. Woodlawn has some problems now. So many of the people have moved"over the mountain" and out toward Roebuck that the people left are in the "twilight years." Elizabeth Moss Brown April1st 1887 The L and N Station opens for traffic April 8th 1951 The B'ham Museum of Art opens April 11th 1887 The furnances in the Ensley iron plant go into blast for the first time April 12th 1960 New York Times reporter Harrison Salisbury describes Bham as a city of racial hatred and violence and is subsequently sued for libel by city officials April 14th 1894 8,000 coal miners begin a long and unsuccessful strike April 16th 1963 Dr Martin Luther King Jr defends his civil rights activities in a letter to local white ministers written in the Birmingham City Jail April 19th 1882 The Sloss Furnace is fired for the first time April 23rd 1911 Dr H. A. El-Kourie, B'ham physician argues before U.S. Congress that Syrians and Greeks are members of the white race April 24th 1922 WSY,the first Bham radio station broadcast its first program April 28th 1892 The first electric streetcar in Bham begins service in Avondale April 30th 1921 Children from Ensley,Wenonah and other villages take part in the TCI"May Day" pagent called "A Quest for Health"

Can some one do a Cemetery Look up for me. This may be in Jefferson Co., Alabama. I will give you the full name, But she went by and the family called her by the middle name. Sarah Amanda <<Magnus-Magnuess> Gaddis She was born about 1866 in Ga. But died here in Alabama, probable in the area of Birmingham, she does have a son buried at the Pleasant Grove Cemetery. But not sure if that is where she is buried. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks, Peggy psueg@bellsouth.net

The photo on the top half of the Mar calendar is of Catanzano Brothers Grocery Store on 4th Ave No. (my notes 10 people in the photo) Article under photo and above dates The Italian Community My father worked in the sulpher mines in Sicily and also had orchards that he attended. He use to estimate what these orchards would yeild and would let the landlord know about their crops. So he had pretty good experience at handling fruit and orchards. The conditions in Europe were very sad. There was no work and people had a hard time there. People had to go anywhere to find jobs. There were two places a miner like my father could go to. One was Pittsburg and one was in the South. Now the people who went to Pittsburg were not happy because the weather was so cold. In Sicily the weather was nice and they told the Italians to come to the South,where they'd have the same weather conditions they had in Sicily. Now the reason my father went from mine to mine around Birmingham is because most of the mines were just beginning and very unsafe. Lots of time when he began to think safety was bad,he moved out. Everybody followed my father. The Italians followed him because he knew how to work in the mines. When the Italians began accumulating like they did,Bishop Allen went to Rome and asked the Pope for an Italian Priest for Birmingham. The Pope sent Father John B Canepa,who had just been ordained in Genoa. When he arrived in Bham in 1904,he formed a committee and studied how to form a church. The first thing they got was land from Republic Steel in East Thomas. Right away they went to work and the church,St Mark's was completed in 1905. You see Father Canepa didn't waste much time. Charlie P. La Rocca Midfield March 2nd 1887 William Brodie,a coal miner recently arrived in Birmingham from Scotland is killed by a convict guard in Pratt City March 5th 1973 Brookwood Medical Center begins its health care service in B'ham March 6th 1914 Temple Emanu-El dedicates it's new synagogue"to the service of God and Humanity" March 10th 1934 Over 200 fireman battle flames in Loveman's store for 12 hours,150,000 people witness 3,000,000.00 damage March 14th 1905 B'ham's first movie theatre the"Theatorium" opens at 13 North 20th Street March 15th 1936 The Internatal Goodwill Organization is formed to promote cordial relations between local Syrians,Greeks and Italians March 19th 1905 On St Joseph's Day Father John B. Canepa holds his first mass in St Mark's March 31st 1911 The state legislature approves an act creating the commission form of government in Bham (my note this form of government is the one we will be working to change in the 60's from commission to council and mayor)

The photo on the top half of the Mar calendar is of Catanzano Brothers Grocery Store on 4th Ave No. (my notes 10 people in the photo) Article under photo and above dates The Italian Community My father worked in the sulpher mines in Sicily and also had orchards that he attended. He use to estimate what these orchards would yeild and would let the landlord know about their crops. So he had pretty good experience at handling fruit and orchards. The conditions in Europe were very sad. There was no work and people had a hard time there. People had to go anywhere to find jobs. There were two places a miner like my father could go to. One was Pittsburg and one was in the South. Now the people who went to Pittsburg were not happy because the weather was so cold. In Sicily the weather was nice and they told the Italians to come to the South,where they'd have the same weather conditions they had in Sicily. Now the reason my father went from mine to mine around Birmingham is because most of the mines were just beginning and very unsafe. Lots of time when he began to think safety was bad,he moved out. Everybody followed my father. The Italians followed him because he knew how to work in the mines. When the Italians began accumulating like they did,Bishop Allen went to Rome and asked the Pope for an Italian Priest for Birmingham. The Pope sent Father John B Canepa,who had just been ordained in Genoa. When he arrived in Bham in 1904,he formed a committee and studied how to form a church. The first thing they got was land from Republic Steel in East Thomas. Right away they went to work and the church,St Mark's was completed in 1905. You see Father Canepa didn't waste much time. Charlie P. La Rocca Midfield March 2nd 1887 William Brodie,a coal miner recently arrived in Birmingham from Scotland is killed by a convict guard in Pratt City March 5th 1973 Brookwood Medical Center begins its health care service in B'ham March 6th 1914 Temple Emanu-El dedicates it's new synagogue"to the service of God and Humanity" March 10th 1934 Over 200 fireman battle flames in Loveman's store for 12 hours,150,000 people witness 3,000,000.00 damage March 14th 1905 B'ham's first movie theatre the"Theatorium" opens at 13 North 20th Street March 15th 1936 The Internatal Goodwill Organization is formed to promote cordial relations between local Syrians,Greeks and Italians March 19th 1905 On St Joseph's Day Father John B. Canepa holds his first mass in St Mark's March 31st 1911 The state legislature approves an act creating the commission form of government in Bham (my note this form of government is the one we will be working to change in the 60's from commission to council and mayor)

The photo on the top half of the Mar calendar is of Catanzano Brothers Grocery Store on 4th Ave No. (my notes 10 people in the photo) Article under photo and above dates The Italian Community My father worked in the sulpher mines in Sicily and also had orchards that he attended. He use to estimate what these orchards would yeild and would let the landlord know about their crops. So he had pretty good experience at handling fruit and orchards. The conditions in Europe were very sad. There was no work and people had a hard time there. People had to go anywhere to find jobs. There were two places a miner like my father could go to. One was Pittsburg and one was in the South. Now the people who went to Pittsburg were not happy because the weather was so cold. In Sicily the weather was nice and they told the Italians to come to the South,where they'd have the same weather conditions they had in Sicily. Now the reason my father went from mine to mine around Birmingham is because most of the mines were just beginning and very unsafe. Lots of time when he began to think safety was bad,he moved out. Everybody followed my father. The Italians followed him because he knew how to work in the mines. When the Italians began accumulating like they did,Bishop Allen went to Rome and asked the Pope for an Italian Priest for Birmingham. The Pope sent Father John B Canepa,who had just been ordained in Genoa. When he arrived in Bham in 1904,he formed a committee and studied how to form a church. The first thing they got was land from Republic Steel in East Thomas. Right away they went to work and the church,St Mark's was completed in 1905. You see Father Canepa didn't waste much time. Charlie P. La Rocca Midfield March 2nd 1887 William Brodie,a coal miner recently arrived in Birmingham from Scotland is killed by a convict guard in Pratt City March 5th 1973 Brookwood Medical Center begins its health care service in B'ham March 6th 1914 Temple Emanu-El dedicates it's new synagogue"to the service of God and Humanity" March 10th 1934 Over 200 fireman battle flames in Loveman's store for 12 hours,150,000 people witness 3,000,000.00 damage March 14th 1905 B'ham's first movie theatre the"Theatorium" opens at 13 North 20th Street March 15th 1936 The Internatal Goodwill Organization is formed to promote cordial relations between local Syrians,Greeks and Italians March 19th 1905 On St Joseph's Day Father John B. Canepa holds his first mass in St Mark's March 31st 1911 The state legislature approves an act creating the commission form of government in Bham (my note this form of government is the one we will be working to change in the 60's from commission to council and mayor)

At the top of the calendar is a photo (courtesy of The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church) of The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Choir,May 22,1918 Birmingham has produced more jazz musicians who have played with big name bands then any other city in the country relative to its size,Frank Adams,Al Killian,Dud Bascomb and Haywood Henry played with Duke Ellington. Amos Gordon and Shelton Hemphill were with Louis Armstrong. My brother Sammy Lowe played for Cab Calloway. Of course Erskine Hawkins is from here and he has his own band and many of the Birmingham musicians played with him at one time or another. The reason so many professional musicians came out of Birmingham is that Parker High School had a music teacher named John T"Fess" Whatley who knew how to work with bandsmen. Hewas very strict about his students reading music and playing exactly what was in the score. Before that time,many black musicians had simply played as they felt. Whatley's discipline prepared his students for the "Big Band" sound that became popular in the 1930's. With so many pieces the Big Bands had to have carefully scored music which meant that musicians had to be able to read music. When a guy from Birmingham asked for a job with a band,he had an advantage because they would say"Well if you studied under Fess Whatley,I'll take you because you can read music." When Whatley came to the Industrial School in 1917,it was the only public high school for blacks in B'ham. All the black students in the city went there. In the 1920's and 30's,music seemed like an exciting way to make a living for a young black person. Blacks were very limited in what they could do-teach preach or be a doctor if they had money. With music you could make a name for yourself and make money. And you were"playing" instead of worjking. Many of Whatley's students did make a living with their music,either as members of bands or as music teachers in schools. Almost all the bandsmasters at black schools in Birmingham are Whatley's students,or students of his students. But many people don't know about the jazz tradition here. Haywood Henry who has traveled all over the world with Duke Ellington,has said,"I'm better known in Siberia than in my own home town." J.L. Lowe Feb2nd 1887 The Baptist Church of Woodlawn is established an acre of land having been donated by Washington Wood Feb 4th 1933 Responding to decreased demand in the Depression,the local Barber's Union cuts the price of a haircut to 35 cents Feb 13th 1906 The Lord Byron Society agrees to purchase a church building on 19th Street for the Greek Orthodox community Feb 14th 1921 A committee of local citizens ask local editor Victor Hanson to try again to negotiate an end to the 2 year old coal strike Feb 15th 1879 The Pratt Coal and Coke Co. ships the first ton of coal from the rich Pratt seam northwest of Bham Feb 17th 1933"Smart Birmingham" society and music lovers assemble at Phillips High School for the first formal concert of the Birmingham Civic Orchestra Feb20th 1905 Explosion at Virginia City Coal Mine kills 111 men. Feb 27th 1900 The fifth and last Mardi Gras celebration in Bham ends Feb28th 1890 Richard Hawes convicted of murdering his wife and daughters and dumping their bodies in Lakeview and East Lake is hanged

At the top of the calendar is a photo (courtesy of The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church) of The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Choir,May 22,1918 Birmingham has produced more jazz musicians who have played with big name bands then any other city in the country relative to its size,Frank Adams,Al Killian,Dud Bascomb and Haywood Henry played with Duke Ellington. Amos Gordon and Shelton Hemphill were with Louis Armstrong. My brother Sammy Lowe played for Cab Calloway. Of course Erskine Hawkins is from here and he has his own band and many of the Birmingham musicians played with him at one time or another. The reason so many professional musicians came out of Birmingham is that Parker High School had a music teacher named John T"Fess" Whatley who knew how to work with bandsmen. Hewas very strict about his students reading music and playing exactly what was in the score. Before that time,many black musicians had simply played as they felt. Whatley's discipline prepared his students for the "Big Band" sound that became popular in the 1930's. With so many pieces the Big Bands had to have carefully scored music which meant that musicians had to be able to read music. When a guy from Birmingham asked for a job with a band,he had an advantage because they would say"Well if you studied under Fess Whatley,I'll take you because you can read music." When Whatley came to the Industrial School in 1917,it was the only public high school for blacks in B'ham. All the black students in the city went there. In the 1920's and 30's,music seemed like an exciting way to make a living for a young black person. Blacks were very limited in what they could do-teach preach or be a doctor if they had money. With music you could make a name for yourself and make money. And you were"playing" instead of worjking. Many of Whatley's students did make a living with their music,either as members of bands or as music teachers in schools. Almost all the bandsmasters at black schools in Birmingham are Whatley's students,or students of his students. But many people don't know about the jazz tradition here. Haywood Henry who has traveled all over the world with Duke Ellington,has said,"I'm better known in Siberia than in my own home town." J.L. Lowe Feb2nd 1887 The Baptist Church of Woodlawn is established an acre of land having been donated by Washington Wood Feb 4th 1933 Responding to decreased demand in the Depression,the local Barber's Union cuts the price of a haircut to 35 cents Feb 13th 1906 The Lord Byron Society agrees to purchase a church building on 19th Street for the Greek Orthodox community Feb 14th 1921 A committee of local citizens ask local editor Victor Hanson to try again to negotiate an end to the 2 year old coal strike Feb 15th 1879 The Pratt Coal and Coke Co. ships the first ton of coal from the rich Pratt seam northwest of Bham Feb 17th 1933"Smart Birmingham" society and music lovers assemble at Phillips High School for the first formal concert of the Birmingham Civic Orchestra Feb20th 1905 Explosion at Virginia City Coal Mine kills 111 men. Feb 27th 1900 The fifth and last Mardi Gras celebration in Bham ends Feb28th 1890 Richard Hawes convicted of murdering his wife and daughters and dumping their bodies in Lakeview and East Lake is hanged

Hello January shows a picture of Consolidated Mercantile founded in 1901 and the statement provided everything needed for households in Wylam. Wylam A longtime Wylam Resident One time when I was a little girl, we lived back over here at #4 coal mine. Poppa was doin something there. Some Italian people lived behind us. Some of them said they were brought in here to break the strike. I remember gettin a whippin and made to come in the house,because when the Italian men would come out of the mine they would strip naked in the backyard. They didn't have no bath house,you know. So Mama spanked me and made me stay in the house. You see people turn up their nose at the Italians. Them old hunkies,them old strikebreakers. And some of them have turned out to be some of the finest people and the backbone of Wylam. But they got it rough when they got brought in here. I got back to Wylam in 31 with three young uns,one baby in my arms,had nothing. Let me tell you one thing:people in Wylam were wonderful. They all stuck to me. We made it Wylam is getting to be an old folks place. The young people are moving out as they marry off- to Pleasant Grove,Hueytown,Forestdale. Historical dates noted on the calendar for January Jan 1st 1910 Birmingham city limits expands to include East Lake,Woodlawn,Avondale,North Birmingham,Ensley and Pratt City Jan 2nd 1930 Southern Natural Gas delivers natural gas to Birmingham for the first time Jan 6th 1932 The League of Women Voters Employment Bureau reports that 11,00 people are begging for jobs in Birmingham. Jan 9th 1921 Brother John Bryan,minister of the 3rd Presbyterian Church,is named citzen who rendered greatest service to the city in 1920 Jan 20th 1927 The Bankhead Hotel opens Jan 14th 1914 The City Commission ask for Chief of Police Bodeker's removal after he was charged with 17 counts of harboring vice especially prostitution. Jan 15th 1901 Sylvester Daly- Irish immigrant,rolling mill puddler and bar tender- dies after a succesful career in city politics Jan 20 1898 Robert Jemison and partners form the City Land Company which will develop the neighborhood of Glen Iris Jan 26th 1891 The town of Woodlawn is incorporated Jan 30th 1922 After a series of ax murders of Italian grocers,the Italian Protective Association is formed

Hello I have a calendar that was done in 1981 with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities,by the Birmingham Alliance for the Humanities.There is a lot of information and it will take me some time to do it. There are names,but also a feel for what is happening in Bham and Jefferson County as it develops. I hope ya'll enjoy it and it helps you know about your families. Birmingfind is the name of the Calendar "The 1981 Birmingfind Calendar is part of an effort to discover the history and culture of our city. Birmingfind is focusing on the history of six neighborhoods and five ethnic groups in order to make local residents more aware of the cultural diversity and the varieties of historical experience in this city" Jenny

Hi Bham was incorporated in 1871 and many of the little towns around it eventually became part of Bham. Jenny

ALABAMA Researchers: Please join us for a lively discussion about researching your ancestors who lived in Alabama: Monday Chats: http://huntsville.about.com/mpchat.htm (Subtract 1 hr. for Central time; 2 hrs. for Mt., 3 hrs. for Pacific time) 10 pm Eastern--ALABAMA genealogy (whole state) 11 pm Eastern--Genealogy Research (hints, tips, questions) (last one) Stop by the forum to post your surname queries, research questions, or genealogy tips. Also, if you have a website pertaining to genealogy or have found a good one you use in your research, let us know about it: http://fourms.about.com/ab-huntsville Check the Chat Transcript Index if you want to read the latest chat that you might have missed or want to double-check some info given in the chat: http://huntsville.about.com/blrecords.htm If you need instructions on how to use the chat room or forum, let me know and I'll send you step-by-step instructions. It's really easy and a lot fun! Jean Brandau huntsville2@home.com

Gail, Birmingham didn't exist before 1871 and Alabama didn't become a state until 1819, so John Nail would not have been born in Birmingham or Alabama in 1801. I did a look up on my 1850 Census CD in Jefferson County. I found 4 Nail heads of household, the oldest being James, age 64, born in Tennessee. The other men were also born in Tennessee. There was no John and no one born in 1801. Jim Nix Gail Harms wrote: > Can someone tell me out I could fine out were someone is buired in > Birmingham. I am looking for Catherine Nail born 1913 died at the age of > five from eating poison. I understand that there is three other children > buired some where in Birmingham. > Also is there anyone that can do a census lookup on John Nail born 1801 > Birmingham I am trying to fine out who his parents were. > Thank you Gail

Can someone tell me out I could fine out were someone is buired in Birmingham. I am looking for Catherine Nail born 1913 died at the age of five from eating poison. I understand that there is three other children buired some where in Birmingham. Also is there anyone that can do a census lookup on John Nail born 1801 Birmingham I am trying to fine out who his parents were. Thank you Gail