Recollections - Legends of Yesterday: Sanders Harvey Watford

­­This is a reprint of original articles by Hugh Woolley, a longtime resident and community leader of Graceville. Woolley published these articles in The Graceville News more than 20 years ago.

Originally published in the February 13, 2003 edition of The Graceville News.

Family of Sanders Harvey Watford

Sanders and Ammie Watford

Sanders Harvey Watford was born to Dempsey D. and Rachel (Williams) Watford on August 7th, 1877 in Jackson County, FL. He married Ammie Annie Miller on June 12th, 1905. Ammie was born to Henry and Martha Elizabeth (Williams) Miller on April 7th, 1887.

Sanders was employed by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad for 17 years and also worked in the naval stores (turpentine) business for six years. The couple had nine children. They were: an infant son born prematurely and died in 1905; Glen Angus Watford, born July 26th, 1907 in Jackson County, FL; Radious Dempsey Watford, born December 12th, 1909 in Jackson County, FL; Effie Mae (Franklin, Hall), born March 23rd, 1912 in Florala, AL; Lester Fred Watford, born August 16th, 1914 in Georgiana, AL; Martha Elizabeth (Grant, Garner), born April 25th, 1917 in Castleberry, AL; Henry Wallace Watford, born May 4th, 1922 in Dothan, AL; Charles Lamar Watford, born February 4th, 1928 in Graceville, FL; and Sanders Doyle Watford, born November 12th, 1929 in Hartford, AL.

Sanders died on February 28th, 1929 in Dothan, AL at the young age of 41 before Sanders Doyle was born. Ammie died on February 12th, 1977 in Marianna, FL.

Glen married Paralice Fowler. They had two foster children, Sanders Harold and Ruby Clyde. Glen was in the grocery business and the hardware business for many years, owning the first self-service food store in Graceville. He was also owner of Tindel-Watford Hardware in Graceville. Glen died in 1983 in Dothan, AL. Paralice died in 2001 in Graceville, FL.

Radious married Myrtice Elizabeth Bradley. They had one son, Angus Bradley. Radious served in active combat in World War II. He worked in the grocery business and in the hardware business most of his life. He died in 1982 in Dothan, AL. Myrtice and Brad reside in Graceville, FL.

Effie Mae married Horace Franklin, Sr. They had one daughter, Bobby Joyce, and two sons, Horace, Jr. and Sanders Harold. Horace died in 1935 and Effie Mae remarried to Edgar Earl Hall in 1938. They had one daughter, Wanda Elizabeth, and one son, Charles Perry. Effie Mae died in 1994 in Montgomery, AL.

Lester Fred died in 1929 at age 14, one month to the day before Sanders Harvey died.

Elizabeth married William Oscar Grant and they had one daughter, Mary Ann. William died in 1941 and Elizabeth remarried to Early Garner. They had one son, Wallace Earl. Early died in 1997 in Dothan, AL. Elizabeth, known by family as “Aunt Iboo,” resides in Graceville.

Henry Wallace married Theo Martin and they had one adopted son, Frederick Chandler. Henry Wallace was in the dry goods and clothing business for many years, owning the Kingry’s and Liddon White stores in Graceville. Fred and his wife, Lana, have two girls, Kara and Erin. Henry Wallace died in Panama City, FL, where Theo still resides.

Charles married Jeannette Patterson. They had four daughters, Patsy Corinne, Martha Kathryn, Margaret Namette, and Melissa Anne. In 1966 Charles contracted a very serious kidney disease and was flown to Ochsner’s Hospital in New Orleans. His wife, Jeannette, was told that her husband had only 48 hours to live. By a chance meeting she was seated at the only available table with a lady from Mississippi. As it turned out this lady’s husband was in Ochsner’s with the same kidney disorder that Charles had. She told Jeannette that her husband was receiving a new treatment utilizing an Artificial Kidney Machine. Jeannette rushed back to the doctor treating Charles and inquired about this new treatment.

He was placed on this machine and for five months he underwent this treatment, which removed the blood from his body, cleansed it, and returned it to his body. This early type of Artificial Kidney Machine resembled a wringer washing machine. Then the kidney specialist informed Charles that he needed a kidney transplant. This was very new at this time. One of Charles’ brothers, Henry Wallace, volunteered to give Charles a kidney and he went to Ochsner’s to see how many “factors” in his body matched Charles’. God was blessing them all the time and so many factors matched that a date for the surgery was set.

Nine surgeons participated in the operation and the kidney taken from Wallace and transplanted in Charles started working right on the operating table. Theirs was the first kidney transplant using a live donor to be performed at Ochsner’s Hospital. They had previously removed a kidney from a cadaver and transplanted it in a patient, but this was the first live donor-to-patient transplant.

After months of recovery, Charles went back to college and received his Master’s Degree and completed work for his Doctorate at Florida State University and the University of West Florida. He was an educator and taught for many years for the University of West Florida and Washington-Holmes Vocational School. He and Jeannette had ten grandchildren: Charles Justin Faucheux; Monique Nanette Jeannet Faucheux; Patrick James Faucheux II; Adrian Shaun (Casey) Middleton; Anna Corinne Mixon; Jason Kyle Whittemore; Christopher Colby Whittemore; Kelly Martha Whittemore; Kenneth Charles Summerall; Eric Watford Summerall; and one great-grandchild, Grace Kinsley Faucheux. Charles died in 1996 in Panama City Beach, FL, where Jeannette still resides.

Doyle graduated from Graceville High School on June 6th, 1947 and six days later enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, which later became the U.S. Air Force. He was on active duty in the United States Air Force for nine straight years from 1947 to 1956, including three overseas assignments: Caribbean Air Command with the Sixth Air Force from 1948 to 1949; Korea with the Fifth Air Force from 1951 to 1952; and Germany with the Twelfth Air Force from 1955 to 1956. He was also stationed at Joint Long Range Proving Ground, Air Force Division, Cocoa Beach, Florida, and Cape Canaveral.

One of the most interesting assignments was in 1948 when he was placed on detached service with eleven other Air Force men, receiving orders to report to Westbank Naval Station for six days special duty with Submarine Squadron No. 6 out of San Diego, California. Doyle was assigned to the commander’s submarine as they performed special operations.

After his military service, Doyle spent two years in civil service at Fort Rucker, Alabama. On December 1st, 1964, he began employment with the State of Florida and retired from that position on December 31st, 1991.

Doyle married Sara Helen Bush. They had two sons, Jack Edwin and David Michael. He and Helen reside in Graceville. They have one grandson, John David Watford.

To Subscribe To The Graceville News Visit Pricing Plans.