James Osgood Burgess (1921-1944)
Born Jan. 7, 1921, in Gainesville, Hall County, Georgia, James Osgood Burgess was the second son and youngest child of Osgood Miller Burgess (1895-1967) and Bessie May Stovall (1891-1983). Older siblings included John Stovall Burgess (1918-1992) and sister, Janie Elizabeth Burgess (1916-2011). James, his mother and brother, moved to Munford
Jesse G. Hunt (1895-1918)
Corporal Jesse G. Hunt was born May 1895 to Willis Nathaniel Hunt and Annie Blond Strange in the Gift area of Tipton County, Tenn., the third of their four children. Jesse lost his mother at the tender age of 10, when his mother Annie died on Jun 30, 1906 after
Holmes N. Thompson (1894-1991)
Holmes Napoleon Thompson was born Feb. 2, 1894 in Mason, Tipton County, Tenn., the son of William Thompson and Martha Adams and the oldest boy of six siblings. Federal census report that he completed four years of high school and could read and write, which at that time was quite
Gone but not forgotten: Remembering those whose lives were lost in Vietnam
By Sherri Onorati, The Covington Leader, May 22, 2014 Two veterans mourn fallen soldiers at the Celebration of Service and Sacrifice event’s traveling Vietnam Memorial in October 2013. Nearly a dozen Tipton Countians were killed in action during Vietnam. Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, the day we honor
Remembering Tipton County’s fallen servicemembers on Memorial Day
By Echo Day, The Leader, May 29, 2023 Tipton County Veterans Memorial/Tipton County Museum Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who died in service to the country. The following men from Tipton County died while serving the country during wartime. A memorial commemorating their sacrifice is at
Mason’s Ahmid Doggett served and died during World War I
By Sherri Onorati, The Covington Leader, May 23, 2019 During the First World War, Tipton County lost both Black and white sons to the ravages of war, as grief knows no color, and death does not discriminate. Ahmid D. Doggett of Mason was born on Sept. 15, 1886, one of
Men of Valor: A Tipton County Museum exhibit honors the Wakefield and Wherry brothers
By Sherri Onorati, The Covington Leader, November 11, 2020 The Wakefield/Wherry brothers. A family’s legacy – a torch of honor and patriotism – which started with a father and uncles serving in the United States Navy and Army during World War II, was passed down to sons and now grandchildren and
African-Americans enlisted in World War I to prove patriotism
By Sherri Onorati, The Covington Leader May 24, 2018 Several African-American units saw action alongside French soldiers fighting against the Germans. During World War I, 171 black soldiers were awarded the French Legion of Honor for their efforts. More than 350,000 Black Americans served in segregated units during World War
After WWII, Tipton County’s Black veterans founded their own American Legion post
By Sherri Onorati – published in the Covington Leader, November 11, 2020 The soldiers who came home after World War I were tired, and traumatized and many felt out-of-place given what they had been through – even in their hometowns – places which should have been welcoming and familiar. A
James Kirby Smith
Pvt. James Kirby Smith was born in Brighton, Tipton County, TN to Robert Lee Smith and Frances Ida Huffman Smith on Sept. 11, 1895. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 28, 1918, under service number 3501627. He was 22 years old when he enlisted, 5′ 9 1/2″ tall,