The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1948-06-17
Fathers Of Land Get Their Chance Sunday, Dads
Day. Oldest Man OF Town Says Plans To Stay Home

Der of them are young or middle
aged men with perhaps many years
yet to go. Some of the fathers are
short and stout, other are tall and
thin, some are bald, and others have
CRAVING hair.
Names Listed
Some of them may try to hide
their badness under a wide-brimm-
ed hat, some of them may be jolly
about the whole thing. But the i'm
portant thing is they are fathers.
Among the county's fathers are
w. P, Hammett, representative to
the State Legislature from this
county; w. o. Barrett, retired bank
er and founder of First National
Bank here; E. H. Shaddock Of
Shaddock and Kimbrough, Charlie
and Ben Lundy; w. P. Roach; DR..
G. G. Ash, R. M. Duke; DIR. S. A.
Eggleston and Oliver Nixon Of
Tchula; Edgar Gwin of KERN, L. r.
Peaster, Horace M. Jordan, H. A.
Gillian, DR.. c. o. Buck, and C. D.
McCaleb. These are only a few
There are many other eminent and
illustrious men.
George Dowd McCaleb Oldest
Mr. McCaleb is perhaps the oldest
father in Lexington. The son Of
James Monroe and Mary E. Brad
ford McCaleb, he was christened
George Dowd McCaleb at Ripley,
Lauderdale county, Tennessee, where
he was born February a, 1855. He
was n of eight children who NOV
ed with the parents to Holmes
county in March, 1871.
He attended Lexington school COM
pleting his high school work, and
was married to Miss Lula Jones Of
Black Hawk, on Christmas Day,
1880. The birth of his first child,
Georgia Lou, born on August 80,
1881, was followed by the death Of
his wife in October of that year.
The daughter followed her in death
September 8, Is years later.
MI. McCaleb was married a second
time to Miss Urvinah Buck on Feb
ruary Z, 1883 and soon, thereafter
purchased the U. H. Buck home
on the Ebenezer road two and one
half miles from Lexington at a
dowry sale. Children born to this
union We're Mary Urvinah.. James
Hunter, Bette Buck, David Reed,
Willie Bradford, Maude May, Inez
Frank Phillip, Gertrude Omega, and
Mable Elaine McCaleb, all of whom
are living with the exception Of
Mary Urvinah (Mrs. j. L. Under
wood) and James Hunter McCaleb
of Cleveland.
He has Is grandchildren and II
great grandchildren.
Remembers Civil Won
Mr.. McCaleb has the friendship
and goodwill of Colored as well as
White persons who know him. He
has lived through four wars Civil,
Spanish American, World War /,
and World WarID, and though he
cannot see to read, seldom misses
a Jews cast over the radio, and is
alert on current news. He is a lover
of all kinds of sports, especially
swimming and hunting, and it is
said can tell the type of any bird
by its whistle. He can tell interest
ing talks about the Civil War and
his boyhood days on a farm.
In his early married life IS years
ago he vas a saloon operator in
Lexington, where Flowers depart
ment store now is. He says he never
drank or used tobacco. Among his
various occupations were operator
of a merchantile business and of a
saw mill. He did farming and cattle
raising, served as magistrate in the
district and Holmes county, and re-
tired from active life at the age
of 90. He is in good health and
has not been i'll for years according
to Mrs. McCaleb, who will be 81
on June %, He cannot see, having
lost his eyesight entirely.
To Observe Futher's DuY Quietly
A member of the Cumberland
Presbyterian church where he was
christened as a child, Mr.. McCaleb
joined the Oak Grove Cumberland
Presbyterian church in 1874, and
was active in Sunday school and
church work.
On February z, 1888, the McCalebs
celebrated their Golden Wedding
university by having Open House
for friends. Their Diamond Wedding
anniversary was celebrated on Feb
ruary z, 1943, again with Open
House.
Fathers Day will be observed by
Mr.. McCaleb quietly at his home,
among members of the family, he
said. In spite of his loss of eysight
during the past two years, he says
he enjoys "very good health" and