West Jefferson in Days Gone By - series 143 by Charlie Miller
- 1903 – Two West Jefferson mayors died in office, Matthew W. Stutson 1849-1931, and George Gillivan, Mayor from 1902 to December 1903. On December 21, 1903, Council passed the following resolution:
Whereas Governments with an executive head have been created for the welfare and protection of their citizens, it is met and proper that the members of the Council, as representatives of the people of the Village of Jefferson, do take official notice of this removal. Therefore, be it resolved: That in the death of Mayor Gillivan, this body has lost a wise counselor of the common people. A champion of business interest and an active participant. Be it further resolved: Aside from official life, his death is deplored as a citizen and as one true to his convictions of duty and practiced for the benefit of the town he loved and called home.
Resolved: In home life, we can hold him up as one worthy of evaluation; he was ever a loving husband and a tender and indulgent father. While we bow in submission to the will of God, we extend our deepest sympathy to the bereaved family and relatives. As a token of respect to our departed leader, the council chambers be draped in mourning for a period of 30 days, and a copy of this resolution be entered into the minutes, and a copy under seal be sent to the family and in the Home News and passed this 21st day of December 1903.
_____________________________________________
- The following appeared in the Columbus Citizen on February 27, 1949 – The mouth comes up in an exaggerated kissing expression. Zip goes the lipstick, a dot of rouge on the cheeks, and a smear of powder—and the modern miss has her makeup on. It was not always so. A recent letter to the Citizen Magazine points this out. The letter is from Ida (Patterson) McDonald, West Jefferson.
“In the good old days, there weren’t modern preparations for fixing our faces and hair. So we made our own one day. We used burnt matches on our eyebrows. Red candy drops on our lips. There was wallpaper that could be moistened and used for rouge and overripe pineapple juice and sugar to fuzz up our hair. My girlfriend and I gathered up some and extracted the juice. We added sugar to the liquid, doused our hair in it, and put it up in rags to make pretty curls. We were out in the yard in the sunshine, drying our hair. Suddenly, swarms of honey bees appeared from nowhere and headed right for our pineapple curls. They got in our hair and chased us into the house. Mother said, "Wash that hair out right now and get that lipstick and paint off before your daddy gets home!” There were old-fashioned scissors-like metal curlers with wooden handles and a spring that controlled the gaping of the alligator-like snout. These were heated over the kitchen stove, an oil lamp chimney, or an open gas jet. Mainly, hair care consisted mostly of vigorous and frequent brushing, as well as crimping with the iron before special events such as church socials and school activities.