WILLIAM ALFRED  CLELAND, JR
("Dub, or W.A.")

 

William Alfred Cleland (Jr.) was born in Ware County on August 4, 1909, the son William Alfred Cleland Sr. (Huxford's PWG Vol IX) and Mina Ellen Hogarth. He was the grandson of John Cleland (PWG Vol IX) and James W. Hogarth. His great grandfathers were Isham S. Peacock (PWG Vol. VI), and Littleberry Walker Jr.(PWG Vol. V). To close friends he was known as W.A. or ("Dub").

On April 24, 1927, W.A. Jr. was married to Maude Alma Harris, daughter of Noah T. Harris (PWG Vol IX) and Clifford Amanda Highsmith. Her  grandparents were  Joseph Eben Harris, and Owen K. Highsmith, a descendant of  David Highsmith (PWG Vol. I), and Jimpsey Harris. Maude was born in Wayne County, Georgia (now Brantley County) on August 17, 1910. To this marriage were born six children, five boys and one daughter:

1. William Alfred III., born in Brantley County on 07/3/1928 and died at birth and was buried at Smyrna Cemetery.

2. Thomas Earl, born in Brantly County on 10/10/1930. Married Sylvia L. Boren, on 7/9/1955, daughter of James Roy Boren and Thelma Louise Blocker.

3. Wannis LaVerne, born in Brantly County on 6/11/1933 and died 03/13/1987, and buried at Smyrna Cemetery. Married Jean Carol Sowell on 12/25/1955.

4. Johnnie Frederick, born in Waycross, Georgia on 9/7/1935. Married Marlene Highsmith, daughter of Collis E. Highsmith on 3/18/1956.

5. Donald E. Cleland, born in Waycross, Georgia on 4/8/1940. Married Wanda Gale Turner, daughter of Ward Turner, on 11/3/1962.

6. Carol, born in Nahunta, Georgia, 2/8/1943 and died at birth.

W. A., Jr. (Dub) moved to Brantley County with his father and mother as a teenager in early 1923.  His father, William Alfred, Sr., was involved in the construction of many private dwelling and business buildings after Nahunta was designated as the county site for Brantley County.

Having reached his teen-age years during the depression period of the mid-1920's, when 'food on the table' was more important than education, W.A. quit attending the Nahunta public school with only a 7th grade education.  In the early-mid 1920's very few children advanced beyond the 7th grade.   Working with his father in carpentry and home construction became W.A.'s vocational technical training, and he became very skilled.

In the 'early thirties' when the economic depression began to affect construction work in Nahunta, W. A. and Maude moved to Waycross to work with his father, William Alfred Cleland Sr.  Upon arrival they resided  for a short time with his father and mother at 1121 Church Street (now demolished).

Construction work was plentiful when they moved to Waycross, but later the Cleland family began to feel the  impact of the bitter depression years, and W.A. turned to automotive mechanics.  He worked temporarily with the R. L. Walker Chevrolet Company on Teabeau Street, providing a living income  for both his father and his own family. In the mid-to-late 1930's the area of Waycross, now known as Cherokee Heights, began to flourish with new homes and the Clelands returned to the construction business again.

The W.A. Cleland, Jr., family moved to 371 Oak Street (now demolished) in the early 1930's, where sons, Johnnie and Donald were born. In the summer of 1940 the family moved to 205 Butler Street in Waycross, one block from the old Quarterman Street Elementary School (now demolished) where Thomas Earl and Wannis commenced their education.

At the start of World War II, W. A. Jr. was employed as a "Carpenter Leaderman" by J. A. Jones Construction Company to assist in building war-time Liberty (Transport) Ships in the ship yards at Brunswick, Georgia. Subsequently, he and Maude bought a home from D.L. (Dan) Jones in Nahunta on Roberson Street and moved his family back to Nahunta in December 1942 to reduce commuting time to the Brunswick Ship Yards. He worked in this "Essential War Time Job" until he was drafted into the U.S. Army (WWII) in 1943. W.A. Jr. served the Army at Fort Leonardwood, Missouri, until he was honorably discharged a year later due to health reasons (Bronchitus). After his discharge W.A. returned to the Brunswick Ship Yards for the duration of WWII.

Following WWII when military personnel were returning to civilian life, the U.S. government sponsored a program to train and rehabilitate returning service personnel to civilian jobs. W. A. was an instructor in Techniques of Carpentry and taught many WWII Veterans in evening classes in the Agricultural Shop Building on the Old Nahunta High School grounds; a program sponsored by the Military Rehabilitation program.

As a carpenter, W. A. was involved in constructing many public and private buildings in Pierce, Ware, Glynn, and Brantley Counties. Fellow labors have jokingly said that 'Dub' had a "plumb-bob" for an eye ball. In the later year of his life (late 1940's and 1950's) W. A. contracted and built many small homes, and commercial buildings in Brantley County.

As a hobby, W. A. alternated raised biddies (little chicks), rabbits, parakeets, and enjoyed gardening. He was an avid fisherman, and spent many hours on the Satilla River, and adjacent lakes; fishing mostly from flat-bottom boats he had built to paddle across the low-water Satilla River sand-bars and swamp-lakes. These were times he spent with his sons in prelude to "fish frys" and camping on Long Lake, a lake which branches off the Satilla River, south of the Satilla bridge on highway U.S. 84 (now U.S. 82).

W. A. Jr. died at his home in Nahunta, Georgia, during the early morning hours of August 27, 1959, just three weeks after reaching the age of 50, and perhaps at the happiest time of his life. Three of his sons were married and had presented him with Grandchildren, whom he dearly loved. Donald, his youngest son, had graduated from Nahunta High School where he had won the State of Georgia Pole Vault Championship, and had played on the State Championship Basketball team, being selected as an All State Guard for two years. W. A. (Dub) was buried in the Smyrna Baptist Church Cemetery at Lulaton, Georgia, near the graves of his father and mother-law, Noah Thomas and Clifford Amanda (Highsmith) Harris.

W.A.'s mother, Mina Ellen Hogarth, died one week later on September 4, 1959, at the age of 78, after an extensive illness, now identified as alzheimers,  at Milledgeville, Georgia. Granny Cleland, as she was known, was  buried at Ben James Cemetery, in Pierce County, along side of her husband, William Alfred Cleland, Sr., and some of her sons..

Maude Alma Harris Cleland was only 49 years of age when her husband, W. A., Jr. died.  Granny Cleland, as she became known,  continued to reside at the home place in Nahunta which she owned, and became the matriarch of the Cleland family.  She took great pride in working outdoors in her flower and vegetable garden until she suffered a broken leg in early 2000.  Maude is remembered as a quiet Christian who praised Gods creation daily and held her family together through her love for them.  Maude maintained a vegetable garden up through her mid-80s.  The story is told that after W.A.'s death, an elderly gentleman came calling on Maude.  Quite proud of her garden work, she showed him rows and rows of both vegetables and flowers of various varieties planted together.  The old gentleman shook his head, and disgustedly muttered, "I'll be dammed if I'd waste garden space and labor on growing something I couldn't eat!"   Nothing is recorded as to Maude's reply, but the old gentleman was never seen visiting Maude again.  To Maude, pretty flowers were the Lord's creation, something of beauty to be admired and brighten the day.

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