Basically, the village of Glendale was made
up of law abiding, church going and peace loving people. Every one knew
and helped their neighbor when needed. Seldom was there a major crime
committed in the community. Unfortunately, like other villages, occasionally
there was a robbery, a domestic problem, a drunkard or some teenagers
that required the attention of the law. When this happened, Glendale was
fortunate to have two efficient Law Enforcement Agents to handle the problem
- a policeman and a magistrate.
Mr. William H. Quinn, born in Switzer S.C.
on January 11, 1889. He came to Glendale at an early age and was employed
by the D. E. Converse Mill Company in the early 1900s, as a carpenter.
He was later given the added responsibility of Mill and village policeman.
Though I have been unable to establish the exact date he became the village
policeman, obviously it was in the mid to late 1920s. This writer was born
in 1924 and Mr. Quinn had been Glendale’s policeman as long as I can remember.
Old timers have told and written how they remembered the showing of old western
movies in the Glendale Community building on Saturday nights back in the
twenties and thirties. Mr. Quinn, as village policeman, was in charge
of arrangements and the collection of admission fees. The amount of
one whole dime. He was later promoted to full time police duty.
During this time his authority was limited to the immediate area of the mill
and village.
On January 11, 1941 Mr. S. J. Dupre,
who at that time was treasurer of the D.E. Converse Co., made application
with Spartanburg County Sheriff Sam M. Henry requesting that Mr. Quinn
be appointed as a Deputy Sheriff. He was to reside in the community
of Glendale, with his salary being paid by the Mill Company. Sheriff
Henry certified the appointment that day. Though his responsibility was still
limited to the mill and village, this expanded Mr. Quinn’s authority from
that of a village policeman, to that of a County Sheriff’s Deputy.
When the company sold the village houses in the 1950s, Mr. Quinn bought
the house at 133 Church street, where he and his family had lived for a number
of years. Mr. Quinn retired shortly after the mill was merged with
Indian Head Mills in 1957, having served as Glendale’s policeman for
some 30 years.
He was a big sportsman, loving to hunt rabbits and squirrels on the land
and in the woods of Glendale Mills. He fished at times in the waters of
Lawson’s Fork, but his real treat was to be carried to Buzzard Roost (Lake
Greenwood) by his son in-law Tommy Rothrock and Crip Malone, where he really
enjoyed fishing. Sometimes he carried his sons, Kenneth
and Gerald, along .
Mr. Quinn was a fine man, a real Christian gentleman. A man of integrity.
His word was his bond. I was proud to have him as a genuine friend and
co-worker with the company. His intent in every arrest he made was
to help the person straighten out his or her life. I remember well, the
occasion when he caught some teenage boys down on the river in unlawful
behavior. Knowing that it would devastate their parents, they were prominent
families in the community, perhaps marking the boys for life,
he asked this writer if I would talk to them with him. He brought them into
my office and we talked to them, warning them of the ultimate cost of the
path they were treading. They agreed to sign a statement of their guilt with
the promise that nothing would ever be said or done about their unlawful acts
provided they would clean up their lives and not get into trouble again. The
statements were sealed before their eyes and locked in this writer’s office
safe. Before I left the mill company, Mr. Quinn and I destroyed the signed
statements. The boys were then young men, some had married. All had
become responsible citizens of their community.
Mr. Quinn was twice married. He was first married
to Nettie Mae Turner Quinn. They were the parents of six children. Ella
Mae, Margaret, Elmer and Frank. Also Reba, who was born June 24, 1925
and died Sept 27, 1926, an infant stillborn son, July 20,1927 and an infant
stillborn daughter, February 22,1931, two days before her mother’s death.
Mrs. Nettie Mae Quinn’s obituary, published in the Journal/Carolina Spartan,
February 25th,page 12 and February 26, 1931, page 5, stated
that she had died on Tuesday night, February 24, 1931, at her home
in Glendale after a short illness. Her funeral was held at the Glendale
Baptist Church, where she was a member, She was 37 years of age and
was buried in the Quinn Square in the Glendale Cemetery where her three
children had been buried.
She was survived by her husband, two daughters, Ella Mae and Margaret,
two sons, Elmer and Frank, five brothers and three sisters. She was loved
and appreciated greatly by the people of the community. A side article
listed as Glendale news, printed in the paper the day after her death,
stated, "the people of this place and community were saddened by her death".
Next, he married Alice Gossett Quinn on September 19, 1931.
They were the parents of three children, Maxine, Kenneth and Gerald. Her
obituary published Thursday May 3,1962, Spartanburg Herald page 33, stated
that Mrs. Alice Gossett Quinn died on Tuesday, May 1, 1962, 8;30 P.M. at the
Spartanburg General Hospital following a long illness. Her funeral service
was held at the Glendale Baptist Church where she was a member, with
interment following in the Quinn Square in the Glendale Cemetery.
Mrs. Quinn was a kind loving lady who was known, loved, and appreciated
by everyone in the community. She was survived by her husband of almost
31 years, three daughters, Ella Mae, Margaret and Maxine, four sons, Elmer,
Frank, Kenneth and Gerald. This writer had the distinct honor of assisting
in the funeral services of this dear lady. Mrs. Quinn had a fine family.
Each of her seven living children grew up to become outstanding successful
men and women in their own right, They were loved and appreciated by everyone
in the community.
Mr. Quinn was a member of the Glendale Baptist
Church and the Senior Men’s Sunday school class of which I had the pleasure
of teaching for a number of years. His obituary published February 15,1963
in the Spartanburg Herald and Journal, page 16, stated that Mr. Quinn died
in a Spartanburg Nursing Home on February 13, 1963 at about 1;30 PM.
Unfortunately, I was out of town at the time. Funeral services were held
at the Glendale Baptist Church with interment following in the Quinn Square
in the Glendale Cemetery. He was 74 years of age and was survived by
seven children. (names listed above).
My thanks to Gerald Quinn for supplying pictures and some details of
the Quinn family.
Mr. John C. LeMaster was the village Magistrate for a number of years.
He was born June 28, 1876 and married Ila Revels in 1896.
Spending most of his life in Glendale, Mr. LeMaster had operated
a grocery store in the community for many years before retiring and selling
out to Spot Hopper in 1941. (See map of store
location.) He was a member of the Glendale Methodist Church where he
served as a Steward for 25 years and was for many years superintendent of
the Sunday School. He was also a member of the Woodman of the World and
the Knights of the Pythias.
The office of the magistrate was part time and his office was first
located on the second floor of the Mill store. We found and destroyed,
numerous old warrants which had not been served in the old office
when we started renovating the store in 1949. The office was later
moved across the street to the first floor of the Community building. Judge
LeMaster later moved the Magistrate office across the river from the village,
into his store warehouse. County rural police, as well as State Highway
patrol, oft times scheduled persons they had arrested in the area to appear
before Judge LeMaster.
He and his family lived in a large two story
colonial style house located just off the Bethesda Road, along side the
river shoals which he had bought back in December 1911.
His obituary, appearing in the Spartanburg Journal, November 11, 1953
page 5 stated that Judge LeMaster died on Tuesday, November 10, at his
home following an illness of some two years. He was 77 years of age. He
was survived by his wife, Ila Revels Lemaster of 57 years and three
daughters, Mrs. T. DeWitt Murph, Mrs. H. Forney Gault and Mrs. S.H. Browne
and four sisters, 4 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Funeral services were held on Thursday of that week at the Glendale
Methodist Church with interment following in the Glendale Cemetery. Judge
LeMaster was the second cousin of this writer.
Ida Revels LeMaster’s obituary was published in the Spartanburg Herald,
April,14, 1962, page 6. She was 84 years of age.
Walter l. Gregory became village Magistrate following the resignation
of Judge LeMaster and served until the office at Glendale was closed. Born
February 21,1884, he was the son of the late James and Tina Hawkins Gregory.
Mr. Gregory was overseer of weave room #1 for a number of years back in
the late 1800s and early 1900s when the Mill was known as the D.E. Converse
Co. and A. H. Twitchell and W. E. Lindsey, respectfully, served
as President of the company.
He had been a member of the Glendale Methodist Church for many
years and a member of the Glendale Masonic Lodge #271 over 60 years, being
a Past Master of the Lodge. He lived for a while in the Glendale Mill village,
later moving to his home on the Glendale/Whitestone road, just above
the bridge.
Judge Gregory was twice married, first to the
late Emma Gilmer Gregory, born February 19,1876 and died August 20,1923.
They were the parents of two infant sons who are buried in the Gregory
square at the Glendale Cemetery with their parents. His second marriage
was to Susie Lockman Gregory. born December 20,1883 and died
December 18,1964. I have found no record showing that they had any
children.
According to his obituary published in the Spartanburg Herald November
24,1967-page 20, Mr. Gregory died Nov.22, 1967 in the Marion General Hospital
after a brief illness. He was 83 years of age. His funeral was held at J.
F. Floyd Mortuary with interment following in the Glendale Cemetery with
full Masonic rites. Mr. Gregory was survived by only a half sister who lived
in New York City
