The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-08-13

gone up tremendously in the last
so years.
Mr.. Cuthrell was born in Fair
field few blocks from the pre-
sent Methodist Church in a
house now owned by Mrs. Rob-
ena Midget. 81 won't say when,
he catches himself, "you might
think 1 was getting old" If he
didn't give hints now and then
indicating that he was a young
man before the turn of the CEN
tury one would mistake Mr..
Cuthrell for a much younger
man.
Born and reared in the village,
he lived his entire life in Fair
field. He ran the store now oper-
ated by Murell Swindell for ten
years before buying farm about
a mile south of Fairfield in 1899
where he lived until May 1854.
j Mr.. Cuthrell was married in
May 1895 to Carrie Swindell also
of Fairfield. "a lot of people
probably think that they have
the finest wife that has ever
been, he says. 'but Pm sure
that l had" They had five chill
dren and of the five only one is
living, Malcolm of Swan Quar-
; ter.
ANDREW Brock died in 1906"
Mr.. Cuthrell says. In 1888 Walter
Creole Cuthrell died and in 1943
Holden L. After nay wife died in
1889 l lived alone for five years.
Then my daughter, Aletha c.
Fites, and her family came from
Steelville, Illinois to make a
home for me for the rest of my
life. MIR. Fites died in August
1853 and 1 lost my daughter in
May of 1854. In May, after so
many years in Fairfield left my
home to come to live with my
son here. He and his wife have
been wonderful to me and l am
enjoying life in spite of losing
my loved ones"
| Mr.. Cuthrell has three grand
children and four great-grand-
children of whom he is very
proud. The population of Hyde
County is smaller today than
when he was sheriff. There
were fewer opportunities else
where then than there are now,
he says. "Only few enjoyed an
education. People stayed because
there were no opportunities for
them elsewhere. They stayed
here and did the best they
could"
Clyde County was owned by a
small percentage of the popula-
ton them, he says. There were
more tenants. A big man with
$50 acres could then raise and
educate a family on his land
easily. When the $50 acres were
divided among several children,
however, the children could not
support their families on their
shares"
Mr.. .Cuthrell is unstinting in
his praise of the present school
system. One can see as he warns
: to his subject that he has great
interest in this field
81 went to a one teacher pub
lie school in Fairfield, he re-
grets, and he is proud that he
sent his children to the private
Fairfield Academy. "That was a
good school,, he says. ''It had
two or more teachers and gave
the children sound preparation
for college. It's only drawback
was that it was only for those
who could afford to pay. About
SIPS a month was charged for a
beginner there and in those days
SIPS was large amount. Those
who could not afford private
school could only go for few
months in the summer to one
room public school. The teacher
probably couldn't have passed
the sixth grade"
Mr.. Cuthrell is obviously
proud to have been on the three
member school committee that
consolidated the Fairfield public
school. ut was the first consoli-
dated school in the county. he
declares. about 1925, I think it
was. Carlos O'Neal, Preston
Swindell and I were on the COM
mittee that put the present
building there. We had the lar
gest school in the county then.
We had no buses and the farm
ers carried the children to school
in covered wagons. Sometimes
the roads would be so bad that