Lavonna Ruth Van Cleave was born on Jan 13, 1932. She was the daughter of Nathaniel Moore Van Cleave and Lois Gladys Standlee. Lavonna married John W. Hopkins on Feb 6, 1952.

      Robert Roland Van Cleave was born on Aug 24, 1933. He was the son of Nathaniel Moore Van Cleave and Lois Gladys Standlee. Robert married Patricia Shrimplin on Dec 14, 1963.

     John married Lavonna Ruth Van Cleave, daughter of Nathaniel Moore Van Cleave and Lois Gladys Standlee, on Feb 6, 1952.

      Melinda Suzann Hopkins was born on Jan 19, 1955. She was the daughter of John W. Hopkins and Lavonna Ruth Van Cleave. Melinda married Joseph Bula on Apr 24, 1982.

      Jacqui Lynn Hopkins was born on Nov 7, 1957. She was the daughter of John W. Hopkins and Lavonna Ruth Van Cleave. Jacqui married Keith Cantillon on Jul 9, 1977.

      Cynthia Susan Hopkins was born on May 28, 1963. She was the daughter of John W. Hopkins and Lavonna Ruth Van Cleave. Cynthia married Craigg Miller on Mar 26, 1988.

     Joseph married Melinda Suzann Hopkins, daughter of John W. Hopkins and Lavonna Ruth Van Cleave, on Apr 24, 1982.

      Matthew Joseph Bula was born on May 8, 1987. He was the son of Joseph Bula and Melinda Suzann Hopkins.

     Keith married Jacqui Lynn Hopkins, daughter of John W. Hopkins and Lavonna Ruth Van Cleave, on Jul 9, 1977.

      Kendall Cantillon was born on Oct 8, 1980. She was the daughter of Keith Cantillon and Jacqui Lynn Hopkins.

      Kara Cantillon was born on Aug 30, 1982. She was the daughter of Keith Cantillon and Jacqui Lynn Hopkins.

     Craigg married Cynthia Susan Hopkins, daughter of John W. Hopkins and Lavonna Ruth Van Cleave, on Mar 26, 1988.

     Patricia married Robert Roland Van Cleave, son of Nathaniel Moore Van Cleave and Lois Gladys Standlee, on Dec 14, 1963.

      Robert Randall Van Cleave was born on May 30, 1965. He was the son of Robert Roland Van Cleave and Patricia Shrimplin.

     Charles married Gladys Ruth Van Cleave, daughter of Herbert Rowland Van Cleave and Elsie Chase, on Jun 27, 1928.

     (Unknown) Tapley died circa 1930. He was born circa 1930. He was the son of Charles Tapley and Gladys Ruth Van Cleave.

      Evelyn Elaine Tapley was born on Jan 12, 1932. She was the daughter of Charles Tapley and Gladys Ruth Van Cleave. Evelyn married Norman Hanson on Jun 24, 1955.

     Norman married Evelyn Elaine Tapley, daughter of Charles Tapley and Gladys Ruth Van Cleave, on Jun 24, 1955.

     Richard Hanson was the son of Norman Hanson and Evelyn Elaine Tapley.

     Drena Hanson was the daughter of Norman Hanson and Evelyn Elaine Tapley.

     (Unknown) Hanson was the daughter of Norman Hanson and Evelyn Elaine Tapley.

     Bert married Gladys Ruth Van Cleave, daughter of Herbert Rowland Van Cleave and Elsie Chase, on Jun 26, 1942.

     Winnie married Robert Charles Van Cleave, son of Herbert Rowland Van Cleave and Elsie Chase, on May 5, 1944.

      Carol Ann Van Cleave was born on Feb 15, 1946. She was the daughter of Robert Charles Van Cleave and Winnie Ann Mackey. Carol married Daniel Van Horst.

     Daniel married Carol Ann Van Cleave, daughter of Robert Charles Van Cleave and Winnie Ann Mackey.

     Tom Van Horst was the son of Daniel Van Horst and Carol Ann Van Cleave.

     Tim Van Horst was the son of Daniel Van Horst and Carol Ann Van Cleave.

     Troy Van Horst was the son of Daniel Van Horst and Carol Ann Van Cleave.

     Willard married Helen Rosalie Van Cleave, daughter of Herbert Rowland Van Cleave and Elsie Chase, on Jun 16, 1935.

      Willard Anderson Long, 3rd was born on Jun 22, 1938. He was the son of Willard Anderson Long, Jr. and Helen Rosalie Van Cleave. Willard married (Unknown) (Unknown).

      Kathryn Ellen Long was born on Dec 27, 1939. She was the daughter of Willard Anderson Long, Jr. and Helen Rosalie Van Cleave. Kathryn married Richard Bellamy.

     (Unknown) married Willard Anderson Long, 3rd, son of Willard Anderson Long, Jr. and Helen Rosalie Van Cleave.

     Teri Long was the daughter of Willard Anderson Long, 3rd and (Unknown) (Unknown).

     Blakely Long was the son of Willard Anderson Long, 3rd and (Unknown) (Unknown).

     Charis Long was the daughter of Willard Anderson Long, 3rd and (Unknown) (Unknown).

     Richard married Kathryn Ellen Long, daughter of Willard Anderson Long, Jr. and Helen Rosalie Van Cleave.

     Lisa Bellamy was the daughter of Richard Bellamy and Kathryn Ellen Long. Lisa married Brian David Warner.

     Dorsy Dian Bellamy was the daughter of Richard Bellamy and Kathryn Ellen Long.

     Brian married Lisa Bellamy, daughter of Richard Bellamy and Kathryn Ellen Long.

     Brian David Warner Jr. was the son of Brian David Warner and Lisa Bellamy.

     Nathaniel Bellamy Warner was the son of Brian David Warner and Lisa Bellamy.

     Henry married Helen Rosalie Van Cleave, daughter of Herbert Rowland Van Cleave and Elsie Chase, on Jul 12, 1946.

      Robert Adrian Van Cleave was born on Nov 10, 1872 at Arkansas. He was the son of Nathaniel Moore Van Cleave and Hulda Rosalie Blakely. Robert married Alice Coleman. Robert Adrian Van Cleave died on Sep 14, 1919 at Corpus Christi, Texas, at age 46. Robert was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery, Corpus Christi, Texas.

     Alice married Robert Adrian Van Cleave, son of Nathaniel Moore Van Cleave and Hulda Rosalie Blakely. Alice Coleman died on Sep 14, 1919 at Corpus Christi, Texas. Alice was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery, Corpus Christi, Texas.

      Lula Bessie Van Cleave was born on Mar 2, 1871 at Arkansas. She was the daughter of Nathaniel Moore Van Cleave and Hulda Rosalie Blakely. Lula married William R. Booker circa 1896. Lula Bessie Van Cleave died on Jun 20, 1960 at Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas, at age 89. Lula was buried at Steep Hill Cemetery, Sebastian County, Arkansas.

     William married Lula Bessie Van Cleave, daughter of Nathaniel Moore Van Cleave and Hulda Rosalie Blakely, circa 1896. William R. Booker died in Nov, 1936. William was buried at Steep Hill Cemetery, Sebastian County, Arkansas.

      Roy Van Cleave Booker was born on Aug 26, 1898 at Cresent, Sebastian County, Arkansas. He was the son of William R. Booker and Lula Bessie Van Cleave. Roy married Adie Pinkerton. Roy Van Cleave Booker died on Feb 25, 1984 at age 85.

      Dorothy Booker was born on Aug 17, 1900 at Cresent, Sebastian County, Arkansas. She was the daughter of William R. Booker and Lula Bessie Van Cleave. Dorothy married Guy Roam. Dorothy Booker died on Jan 14, 1986 at Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County, Washington, at age 85.

      Bessie Blakely Booker was born on Jul 10, 1903 at Cresent, Sebastian County, Arkansas. She was the daughter of William R. Booker and Lula Bessie Van Cleave. Bessie married John Hallard circa 1924.

      William Murray Booker was born on Feb 5, 1906 at Crescent, Sebastian County, Arkansas. He was the son of William R. Booker and Lula Bessie Van Cleave. William married Evelyn Shibley circa 1935. William Murray Booker died on Mar 22, 1988 at Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas, at age 82.

      VA Agnes Booker was born on Jan 11, 1913 at Cresent, Sebastian County, Arkansas. She was the daughter of William R. Booker and Lula Bessie Van Cleave. VA married Hiram Kimes.

     Guy married Dorothy Booker, daughter of William R. Booker and Lula Bessie Van Cleave.

     Mary Kathryn Roam was the daughter of Guy Roam and Dorothy Booker.

     John married Bessie Blakely Booker, daughter of William R. Booker and Lula Bessie Van Cleave, circa 1924.

      Nona Marie Hallard was born on Jun 27, 1925. She was the daughter of John Hallard and Bessie Blakely Booker. Nona married Richard Swan circa 1948.

      Bess Jean Hallard was born on Jun 21, 1927. She was the daughter of John Hallard and Bessie Blakely Booker. Bess married Mickie Law circa 1945.

      John Andrew Hallard was born on Aug 4, 1929. He was the son of John Hallard and Bessie Blakely Booker. John married Pauline (Unknown) circa 1959.

     Evelyn married William Murray Booker, son of William R. Booker and Lula Bessie Van Cleave, circa 1935.

      Beatrice B. Booker was born on Aug 20, 1936. She was the daughter of William Murray Booker and Evelyn Shibley. Beatrice married Robert Joyce Key on Feb 4, 1961.

      William Murray Booker, Jr. was born on Feb 10, 1942. He was the son of William Murray Booker and Evelyn Shibley. William married Susie Sewell circa 1962.

     Hiram married VA Agnes Booker, daughter of William R. Booker and Lula Bessie Van Cleave.

     Hiram Nelson Kimes was the son of Hiram Kimes and VA Agnes Booker. Hiram married Dottie Ann McWilliams circa 1966.

     Dottie married Hiram Nelson Kimes, son of Hiram Kimes and VA Agnes Booker, circa 1966.

      Lance Allen Kimes was born on Jun 30, 1968. He was the son of Hiram Nelson Kimes and Dottie Ann McWilliams. Lance married Karen Sue Whitehouse on May 25, 1991 at Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas.

      Lana Annette Kimes was born on Jun 11, 1972. She was the daughter of Hiram Nelson Kimes and Dottie Ann McWilliams.

     Susie married William Murray Booker, Jr., son of William Murray Booker and Evelyn Shibley, circa 1962.

      Shellie Booker was born on Aug 17, 1963. She was the daughter of William Murray Booker, Jr. and Susie Sewell.

      Jeffery Booker was born on Jul 19, 1965. He was the son of William Murray Booker, Jr. and Susie Sewell.

      Jennifer Booker was born on Oct 6, 1972. She was the daughter of William Murray Booker, Jr. and Susie Sewell.

      Julie Catherine Booker was born on Feb 8, 1977. She was the daughter of William Murray Booker, Jr. and Susie Sewell.

     Robert married Beatrice B. Booker, daughter of William Murray Booker and Evelyn Shibley, on Feb 4, 1961.

     Pauline married John Andrew Hallard, son of John Hallard and Bessie Blakely Booker, circa 1959.

      Andrew Devlin Hallard was born on Oct 27, 1960. He was the son of John Andrew Hallard and Pauline (Unknown).

      John Christopher Hallard was born on May 22, 1962. He was the son of John Andrew Hallard and Pauline (Unknown).

      Lynn Blakely Hallard was born on Aug 10, 1964. She was the daughter of John Andrew Hallard and Pauline (Unknown).

     Mickie married Bess Jean Hallard, daughter of John Hallard and Bessie Blakely Booker, circa 1945.

      Mickie Wayne Law was born on Jan 3, 1947. He was the son of Mickie Law and Bess Jean Hallard.

     Richard married Nona Marie Hallard, daughter of John Hallard and Bessie Blakely Booker, circa 1948.

      John Richard Swan was born on Jun 24, 1950. He was the son of Richard Swan and Nona Marie Hallard.

      Nathaniel Moore Van Cleave was born on Feb 22, 1842 at Hinds, Mississippi. He was the son of Jonathan Van Cleave and Elizabeth Rowland. Nathaniel married Hulda Rosalie Blakely, daughter of Zerah Blakely and Harriet Strong, on Dec 12, 1869 at Independence, Arkansas. Nathaniel Moore Van Cleave died on Feb 10, 1897 at Cavanaugh, Sebastian County, Arkansas, at age 54. Nathaniel was buried on Feb 11, 1897 at Leard Cemetery, Sebastian County, Arkansas.

      Hulda Rosalie Blakely was born on Apr 8, 1848 at Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. She was the daughter of Zerah Blakely and Harriet Strong. Hulda married Nathaniel Moore Van Cleave, son of Jonathan Van Cleave and Elizabeth Rowland, on Dec 12, 1869 at Independence, Arkansas. Hulda Rosalie Blakely died on May 12, 1934 at Ursula, Sebastian County, Arkansas, at age 86. Hulda was buried at Oak Cemetery, Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas.

     Adie married Roy Van Cleave Booker, son of William R. Booker and Lula Bessie Van Cleave.

      Robert Adrian Van Cleave was born on Jun 9, 1840 at Hinds, Mississippi. He was the son of Jonathan Van Cleave and Elizabeth Rowland. Robert married Eliza Rebecca Sheppard, daughter of George A. Sheppard and Sarah Ann (Unknown), in 1865 at Yazoo County, Mississippi. Robert Adrian Van Cleave died on Sep 24, 1908 at Ocean Springs, Mississippi, at age 68. Robert was buried at Evergreen Cemetery, Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi.
     In the census on Jun 8, 1880 Robert Adrian Van Cleave was named R. A. Van Cleave.










Robert Adrian Van Cleave (1840-1908) first appointed Mayor of Ocean Springs (1892). Van Cleave was a native of Hinds County. He came to Ocean Springs in 1867 from Yazoo City with his wife, Eliza R. Sheppard (1842-1912). Van Cleave was a merchant and opened a store on Bluff Creek, which became the town of Vancleave, Mississippi. In the 1880s and 1890s, Van Cleave and his sons operated a large mercantile store on the east side of Washington Avenue between Robinson and Desoto. He built the Van Cleave Hotel (1880-1920) on the southeast corner of Washington and Robinson, which became known as the Commercial Hotel in later years. Mr. Van Cleave was also postmaster at Ocean Springs from 1872-1882.



Robert A. Van Cleave

Robert Adrian Van Cleave (1840-1908) assumed the role of Postmaster at Ocean Springs on January 15, 1872. He was born on June 9, 1840 in Hinds County, Mississippi the son of Jonathan Van Cleave (1800-1885) and Elizabeth Rowland (1806-1870+), natives of Tennessee and Kentucky respectively. R.A. Van Cleave known siblings are two brothers, Nathaniel Van Cleave (1842-1860+) and Daniel VanCleave (1844-1860+). In 1854, Jonathan Van Cleave moved his family to Yazoo County, Mississippi. Here he was a planter and had a net worth of $6200 in 1860.(1860 Yazoo Co., Mississippi Federal Census, M653_594)

Civil War

In 1861, Robert A. Van Cleave enlisted in the 1st Cavalry Battalion of State Troops commanded by Captain William F. Gartly of the Confederate States Army. Gartly’s men united with the army of General Sterling Price (1809-1967) in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. After this campaign, Van Cleave joined the 1st Mississippi Light Artillery commanded by Colonel William T. Withers. At the Siege of Vicksburg (May-July 1863), the 1st Mississippi Light Artillery was integrated into Moore’s Brigade led by Brigadier General John C. Moore. R.A. Van Cleave was taken prisoner on July 3, 1863, when the Confederate Army surrendered to General U.S. Grant (1822-1885) and his Union forces. He was later paroled.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, March 22, 1895, p. 2 and The History of JXCO, Ms., 1989, p. 376)

Van Cleave and Cox

R.A. Van Cleave married Elizabeth Rebecca Sheppard (1842-1912) in Yazoo County, Mississippi in 1865. She was the daughter of William Sheppard (1817-1850) and Sarah Ann Sheppard (1821-1880+). After William Sheppard had expired, her mother married George Allen Cox (1812-1887), a native of Tennessee.

George A. Cox, who was an early pioneer and entrepreneur at Ocean Springs, arriving here in the early 1850s. He was active in commerce and real estate. R.A. Van Cleave, his step-son-in-law, arrived at Ocean Springs in 1867 from Yazoo County, Mississippi. In 1868, Mr. Van Cleave established a store on Paige Bayou. This commercial venture didn't last long, but R.A. Van Cleave was so respected in this rural area that when a U.S. Post Office was established in the area in June 1870, it was called Vancleave's. The name stuck and today, Vancleave is the general geographic term used for that region of west central Jackson County within T6S-R7W and T5S-R7W. This is an area of approximately seventy-two square miles. Specifically, Vancleave is a rapidly developing unincorporated village in Sections 9 and 16 of T6S-R7W, flanked by Highway 57. Historically within the “Vancleave area”, there have been many smaller settlements around public schools and churches, such as: Mount Pleasant, Greenhead, Ebenezer, Evergreen, Live Oak Pond, Dead Lake, and Fort Bayou.

R.A. Van Cleave returned to Ocean Springs to begin an entrepreneurial career that would span nearly twenty-five years.

Postmaster Van Cleave

R.A. Van Cleave, a staunch Democrat, began his ten year appointment as US Postmaster at Ocean Springs in January 1872, during the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), a Republican. Although a Democrat, Mr. Van Cleave received this office by virtue of a petition by the local populous averring that there was not a Republican in Ocean Springs capable of meeting the requirements of a Postmaster. R.A. Van Cleave also served during the term of Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893), another Republican President. Postmaster Van Cleave retired from his office in June 1882, when Emile Engbarth (1855-ca 1905), a well-known Republican from Rodney, Mississippi, was placed in office by President Chester A. Arthur (1829-1886), himself a Republican.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, March 22, 1895, p. 2)

Postal robbery

In late April 1881, the R.A. Van Cleave store, also which served as the local U.S. Post Office and situated on Washington Avenue was violated by burglars and robbed. Mr. Van Cleave described the incident as follows:

The robbers effected an entrance by boring through the front door of the store, and then proceeded to help themselves. They broke down the alarm drawer which contained the postage stamps and registered letters, and carried off postage stamps of the denominations of one, three, and five cents to the amount of $157.58. They broke open registered package No. 62, mailed at Lake Charles, La., April 26th, addressed to Vancleave post office, which is about fourteen miles north of Ocean Springs, the latter office being the distributing point for that office, and also rifled registered letter No. 152. Next morning Mr. Van Cleave found scattered over the floor with many other letters, a registered package and a registered envelope which corresponded with the above numbers, and also a letter and land deed signed by John Havens, from Calcasieu Parish, La. These papers are supported by Mr. Van Cleave to have been the contents of the registered package.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, May 6, 1881, p. 3)

The Van Cleave store and postal robbery was foiled as the intruders awoke a store clerk who had been asleep in a room isolated from the main sales room of the mercantile establishment. The dazed clerk fired a pistol at one of the crooks who with lantern in hand was securing small change of five and ten cents pieces and Mexican dollars at the time. The intruder fled though the front portal after being spared his life by the misaimed shot of the clerk. Equally frightened, the shaken clerk left through the rear door to cry the alarm and seek assistance. During the investigation following the crime, it was discovered that the carpenter tools utilized in the heist belonged to J.B. Simmons (1824-1886) and the lamp was the property of Thomas Cochran (1852-1883). The lantern had been stolen from Cochran’s saloon the same night.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, May 6, 1881, p. 3)

Capture

Shortly after the burglary, John Thomas, a Black man, was captured. The detective ability of Mr. Van Cleave was credited with the observation and incarceration of John Thomas. In December 1883, Mr. Thomas was convicted of stealing several thousand postage stamps from the U.S. Post Office in the Van Cleave mercantile store on Washington Avenue. He was sentenced in the Federal District Court at Jackson, Mississippi to four years in the penitentiary situated at Chester, Illinois.(The Pascagoula Democrat Star, December 7, 1883, p. 3)

Postmaster R.A. Van Cleave

In June 1880, when a weekly mail route was established between Ocean Springs and Vancleave, R.A. Vancleave was postmaster at Ocean Springs. He was described as, “clever and good-humored”. William Seymour (1837-1908) carried the mail from Ocean Springs to the store of George W. Davis (1842-1914) at Vancleave. As previously mentioned, the post office and area were named for R.A. Van Cleave.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, June 18, 1880, p. 3)

During R.A. Van Cleave’s over ten year tenure as local Postmaster, the following developments happened in the US Postal System: 1872- Congress enacts Mail Fraud Statute;1873- Penny postal card; 1874- General Postal Union (later Universal Postal Union); 1879- Domestic mail divided into four classes; and 1880- Congress establishes title of Chief Post Office Inspector.

R.A. Van Cleave Mercantile Store

Located on the east side of Washington Avenue midway between Robinson and Desoto, this impressive, two-story, frame structure was erected in 1894 by Charles E. Pabst (1850-1920), Adolph Wieder (1879-1931), and George Wilson. It replaced Mr. Van Cleave’s original and smaller, one-story. frame building built in the 1870s. R.A. Van Cleave and spouse sold this property to Schmidt & Ziegler, a large wholesale grocery establishment in New Orleans. In 1903, William S. Van Cleave (1871-1938) and Junius Poitevent Van Cleave (1878-1945+), two sons of R.A. Van Cleave and Elizabeth Sheppard Van Cleave (1842-1912), owned their father’s former store property. On October 11, 1926, the former Van Cleave store building burned to the ground. At this time, it was owned by H.F. Russell (1858-1940) and occupied by Mrs. A.O. Bourdin and the local Social Club.

R.A. Van Cleave merchant and entrepreneur

In November 1872, Robert A. Van Cleave began acquiring commercial property at Ocean Springs, primarily in proximity to the new railroad depot. On October 29, 1870, the New Orleans, Mobile, & Chattanooga Railroad, which had been chartered in1866, completed its rail connection between Mobile and New Orleans. Train service commenced on November 21, 1870. The N.O.M. & C. was reorganized on April 18, 1871 and became the New Orleans, Mobile & Texas Railroad. The L&N Railroad leased the property of the N.O.M. & T. on May 8, 1880. On October 5, 1881, the L&N Railroad purchased all the assets of the reorganized New Orleans, Mobile, & Texas Railroad for $6,000,000.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 5, p. 299)

R.A. Van Cleave had the vision to see that rail commerce would soon displace the steam packet service to Ocean Springs and that the business district would relocate from lower Jackson Avenue and the steamboat wharf to Washington Avenue near the passenger and freight depot. Van Cleave’s initial purchase was a lot situated in the Andre Fournier Tract, Section 19, T7S-R8W in Block 24-Culsmeig Map of 1854, on the east side of Washington Avenue midway between Desoto and Robinson. Here Mr. Van Cleave erected his mercantile store building and residence. R.A. Van Cleave through his agent, George A. Cox, bought this tract with a ninety-four foot front on Washington Avenue from Edward Chase and Elizabeth W. Chase of St. Louis, Missouri. The original deed was stolen in the April 1881 Van Cleave store robbery and a replacement warranty deed was recorded in the Jackson County Chancery Court in January 1886.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 8, p. 461)

By the early 1870s, Edward Chase and Elizabeth W. Chase of St. Louis, Missouri were in possession of large tracts of land at Ocean Springs probably through the efforts of local land speculator George A. Cox (1811- 1887) who was also their agent. Block 24 was a small apart of what was then called the Martin and Shortridge Tracts. It consisted of twelve lots bounded by Washington Avenue, Desoto, Cash Alley, and a point about 100 feet north of the L&N Railroad tracks. Before 1890, R.A. Van Cleave would possess all the land bounded by Robinson, Cash Alley, Desoto, and Washington Avenue, as well as the lot on Washington and Government where the Ocean Springs State Bank was erected in 1910.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 6, pp. 30-31)

The R.A. Van Cleave store was a single story structure with an area of 2300 square-feet. The family domicile was thirty feet south of the store building was a single story dwelling with an L-shaped gallery and living area of 1500 square-feet. A single story building which served as a warehouse and stable was situated east of the R.A. Van Cleave store. It had an area of about 1000 square feet.(1893 Sanborn Map-Sheet 1)

Van Cleave Children

Here on Washington Avenue, Robert Adrian Van Cleave and souse reared their seven children: Fannie B. Van Cleave Covington (1866-1893), George A. VanCleave (1868-1897), Robert A. Van Cleave Jr. (1869-1930+), William S. Van Cleave (1871-1938), Richard S. Van Cleave (1875-1930+), Sarah “Sallie” Van Cleave Reid Westbrook (1874-1934), and Junius P. Van Cleave (1878-1945+).

New Van Cleave home

In the winter of 1891, R.A. Van Cleave announced that he would soon have a new family home erected. As Mr. Van Cleave was known for his sophistication, it was anticipated that this new domicile would be a town jewel. The Van Cleave home was built on the northeast corner of Washington Avenue and Desoto about 100 feet south of the R.A. Van Cleave Mercantile Store. The Van Cleave residence was a two-story, frame edifice with a cross-gabled roof.(The Biloxi Herald, February 7, 1891, p. 1 and 1893 Sanborn Map-Sheet 1)

New Van Cleave store

In April 1894, R.A. Van Cleave completed the foundation for his new mercantile store on Washington Avenue. It was a 4275 square-foot, two-story, frame building and situated north of the new R.A. Van Cleave residence. Mr. Van Cleave contracted with Adolph Wieder (1879-1931), George Wilson, and Charles E. Pabst (1850-1920) to erect his new store. In time, the Van Cleave business changed its name to R.A. Van Cleave & Son. Their slogan was "Best Quality and Honest Quantity".(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, February 23, 1894, April 6, 1894, and May 11, 1894 and The Gulf Coast Times, October 28, 1949)

Sale-Schmidt & Ziegler

Robert A. Van Cleave in his mid-fifties decided to retire from his business career. He and spouse, Elizabeth R. Van Cleave conveyed their mercantile store to Schmidt & Ziegler in December 1896. The consideration was $4000 and the sale included the store counters, shelves, stable, and a one-half interest in the picket fence on the northern perimeter of the store lot.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 17, p. 621)

Schmidt & Ziegler, the new proprietors, were no strangers to Ocean Springs. William B. Schmidt (1823-1901) and Frances M. Ziegler (1818-1901) were wholesale grocers and liquor importers from New Orleans. Mr. Schmidt was born at Schwieberdingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany on April 10, 1823. His parents settled initially at St. Louis, Missouri and Lexington, Kentucky before establishing permanent residence at New Orleans in 1838. In 1845, at the age of twenty-two, Schmidt commenced a business relationship with Francis M. Ziegler, a native of Oberndorf-Am-Nekar, Baden-Wurttemberg in southwestern Germany. Their firm, Schmidt & Ziegler, began as a small wholesale grocery business on Old Levee Street in the Vieux Carre. It later located at 428-436 on South Peters. By 1900, Schmidt & Ziegler had expanded to eleven stores. The firm was the pioneer in New Orleans international trade initiating commerce between South and Central America.

In January 1849, W.B. Schmidt married Virginia A. Jackson (1835-1912) who was born at Philadelphia of Cuban parentage. Francis M. Ziegler married, Adrianna Weissenburger (1831-1886) on the same day at the Third Presbyterian Church in New Orleans. She was a native of Lauterburg, Lower Alsace.

Of all the people who have been a part of the history of Ocean Springs, William B. Schmidt stands among the greatest. His transient tenure here during the final decades of the 19th Century, was marked by entrepreneurship, patriotism, and philanthropy. Schmidt although a resident of New Orleans, owned the Ocean Springs Hotel, the Seashore House, the Medical Lot at Marble Springs, a vacation residence and estate called “Summer Hill” on Biloxi Bay, and other real estate throughout the town. “Summer Hill” is extant at 231 Front Beach having survived Hurricane Katrina.

W.B. Schmidt was described as a quiet, thoughtful man with a will of iron and a heart of gold. He was a moving force assisting those less fortunate than himself. At various times, he sent German immigrants to Ocean Springs to work on his estate until they could get a start in life. Among those whom Schmidt guided to Ocean Springs were Adolph Joseph Schrieber (1835-1875) and Ferdinand W. Illing (1838-1884) who had escaped from Mexico in 1867 after the fall of Emperor Maximilian and his German and Austrian nationals.

F.W. Illing operated a hotel, the Illing House, on the northeast corner of Washington and Porter for many years. Adolph J. Schrieber died young, but two sons, Frederich Adolph “Dolph” Schrieber (1871-1944), Joseph Louis “Dode” Schrieber left their indelible mark in our local history. Dolph Schrieber, a lighthouse keeper, was instrumental in preserving the “Iberville Stone”, which has been in the Louisiana State Museum at New Orleans since 1937. Dode Schrieber was the local historian du jour and anecdotally preserved much of our local 19th and early 20th Century history.(Schmidt, 1972, pp. 8-9)

Schmidt & Ziegler Ltd.

Upon the demise of W.B. Schmidt (1823-1901) and Francis M. Ziegler (1823-1901), the surviving company became Schmidt & Ziegler Ltd. under the aegis of Charles W. Ziegler, the son of Francis M. Ziegler. They acquired the former Van Cleave store property for $350 in February 1902, at a public auction held at 311 Baronne Street in the Crescent City.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 24, pp. 273-275)

Charles W. Ziegler (1865-1936), a son of F.M. Ziegler and president of Schmidt & Ziegler Ltd. after the demise of the founders of the company, owned a home at Ocean Springs called "Lake View". It was located west of the Schmidt estate on Lots 17, 18, and 19 of Block 17 (Culmseig Map of 1854). The Ziegler residence acquired in May 1894, was modest in comparison to that of W.B. Schmidt. In 1895, Charles Dyer in Along The Gulf described it as: an attractive little cottage, situated on a hill, with neatly laid out and well-kept lawn, with any number of massive moss-covered oaks and magnolias to shade it. The estate contains all the comforts it is possible for a complete seaside residence to have.

The Van Cleave Brothers Mercantile Company

In January 1903, two sons of R.A. Van Cleave, William Sheppard Van Cleave (1871-1938) and Junius Poitevent Van Cleave (1878-1945+), acquired their family mercantile store from Schmidt & Ziegler Ltd. for $1500. The sale was inclusive of store counters, shelving, the stable, and a one-half interest in the picket fence on the northern perimeter of the store lot. To finance the sale, the Van Cleave Brother were loaned $1000 by B.F. Parkinson (1859-1930) and Robert Parkinson (1864-1925), insurance executives domiciled at New Orleans. It appears that the Parkinson brothers eventually became partners with the Van Cleave brothers in this venture.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 25, p. 487 and Bk. 25, p. 488)

The Parkinson family had owned a summer home on Lovers Lane since June 1875, when the family matriarch, Eugenia Bodley Parkinson (1827-1898), acquired the Allison place. B.F. Parkinson, a bachelor, raised chickens on Lovers Lane as a hobby. This venture was called the Ocean Springs Poultry Farm. When he came over from New Orleans, the L&N train would stop where Porter Street intersected the railroad tracks and let him off. It was a short walk to his residence on Biloxi Bay.(JXCO Land Deed Bk. 1, pp. 479-481 and Thomas P. Crozat, November 6, 2004)

N.J. Francis

In May 1906, the Van Cleave Brothers Mercantile Company conveyed their store property on Washington Avenue to N.J. Francis for $3000. At this time, the store lot had a frontage on Washington Avenue of eight-feet. No further information on N.J. Francis. In September 1909, N.J. Francis sold the old R.A. Van Cleave store place to H.F. Russell (1858-1940). (JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 31, p. 175 and Bk. 35, p. 232)

H.F. Russell

Hiram F. Russell (1858-1940) was born at Yazoo City, Mississippi on March 10, 1858, the son of William Russell and Mrs. Russell. H.F. Russell arrived at Ocean Springs in 1880, and was associated with R.A. Van Cleave (1840-1908) in the mercantile business. In 1888, he commenced his own enterprises in real estate, insurance, furniture, stationary, and sewing machines. Like his mentor, Mr. Van Cleave, H.F. Russell was also the local postmaster serving the community from 1885-1889.(Dyer, “Ocean Springs”, 1895)

During his lifetime, Mr. Russell acquired large land holdings throughout Ocean Springs and Jackson County. Just after the October 1929 stock market crash, he sold thousands of acres of pinelands, and town lots in Ocean Springs, Biloxi, Long Beach, and Pascagoula. H.F. Russell was considered a powerful politico in Jackson County, once serving as chairman of the JXCO Democratic Executive Committee. He was an avid supporter of Governor James K. Vardaman (1861-1930) and Senator T.G. Bilbo (1877-1947).

H.F. Russell had two wives May Virginia Minor (1866-1910) and J. Lillian Miles (1890-1929). May V. Minor Russell bore him five children: Frederick R. Russell (1889-1889); Hazel May R. Robinson (1890-1920), the spouse of Pomeroy Robinson; Hiram Minor Russell (1892-1940) who married Ethel Duffie; Harry Turner Russell (1898-1899); and Ethel R. Moran (1899-1957), the wife of A.P. “Fred” Moran (1897-1967).

Before Mr. Russell’s demise on May 5, 1940, his daughter, Ethel R. Moran (1899-1957) was running Russell’s Ocean Springs Insurance Agency, which became the Moran Agency in 1942. Her husband, A.P. “Fred” Moran (1897-1967), began the Ocean Springs Lumber Company in 1924, and was a member of the JXCO Board of Supervisors from 1929 until 1967. At the height of the Depression, Mrs. Moran won $2500 in a contest sponsored by The Item-Tribune of New Orleans. Some of the money was used to pay taxes and probably saved some of her father’s real estate holdings and preserved the future fortunes of the present Moran generation.(The Jackson County Times, September 21, 1935, p. 1)

Mr. Russell expired on May 5, 1940. He was interred in the Russell family area of the Evergreen Cemetery

Van Cleave store demise

On October 11, 1926, the former Van Cleave store building burned to the ground. At this time, it was owned by H.F. Russell (1858-1940) and occupied by Mrs. A.O. Bourdin and the local Social Club. Mr. Russell estimated the loss at $10,000. Although H.F. Russell carried no insurance, Mrs. Bourdin’s stock and equipment were insured for $2000.(The Jackson County Times, October 16, 1926, p. 1)

Van Cleave Hotel-Commercial Hotel

This structure was situated on the southeast corner of Washington Avenue and Robinson. It was built by R.A. Van Cleave and opened in 1880. This hostelry was known for its excellent food and sanitary state. Mr. Van Cleave quit the hotel business in December 1891 when he sold this edifice to Emma Arndt Meyer (1866-1924+) for $3000. Before it was destroyed in a large conflagration in October 1920, the former Van Cleave Hotel had been known as: The Meyer Hotel, Gillum-City Hotel, Frye Hotel, City Hotel, The Inn Hotel, Iberville Hotel, Commercial Hotel, and Commercial House. Salmagundi Gift Shop at 922 Washington Avenue occupies the former site of the Van Cleave Hotel in a building, which was erected in 1953-1954 by Wendell Palfrey and leased to the U.S. Postal Service as a post office. Credit: A Ken Matthew, pen and ink drawing commissioned in 1994 by Ray L. Bellande.

Van Cleave Hotel-R.A. Van Cleave entrepreneur

In addition to being a successful Washington Avenue merchant, R.A. Van Cleave invested heavily in local real estate and was the builder of the Van Cleave Hotel. The Van Cleave Hotel was a two-story, wood frame structure with an area under roof of 5450 square feet which included a 9-foot wide gallery on the front (west) and depot side (north). The living area was approximately 4300 square feet.

Although initially called the Van Cleave Hotel, this hotel had the distinction of being the hotel at Ocean Springs with the most name changes through its lifetime. At various times, it was known as the: Meyer Hotel (1891), Gillum Hotel-City Hotel (1893), Frye Hotel (1895), City Hotel (1898), The Inn Hotel (1897), Iberville Hotel (1905), Commercial Hotel (1906-1915), Commercial House (1915), and once again the Commercial Hotel (1915-1920).

R.A. Van Cleave purchased the hotel site from E.W. Clark and Mary T. Clark of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 1, 1877. In the conveyance deed, the lot was described as commencing from the northwest corner of the Van Cleave Store lot on Washington Avenue thence north 150 feet, east along Robinson Avenue 120', thence south 150' to the northeast corner of the said store lot.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 8, p. 460)

Mr. Van Cleave must have commenced operation on his hotel in late 1879 as evidenced by the following:

Van Cleave's new hotel on the depot grounds is going steadily forward to a speedy completion and gives employment to a number of workmen. He seems to believe in the right way of doing things - that is employing home folks when he has work to be done.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, January 16, 1880, p. 3).

By mid-April 1880, two-carloads of furniture for the new lodge had arrived at Ocean Springs. R.A. Van Cleave was diligently engaged in preparations for his May opening.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, April 30, 1880, p. 3)

The Van leave Hotel opened on May 1, 1880. The Pascagoula Democrat-Star of May 7, 1880 revealed:

This entirely new and comfortable hotel opened on the 1st of May, 1880, and will remain open all the year round for the accommodation of regular and transient boarders. This hotel being entirely new and elegantly fitted up, and with large, well ventilated rooms lighted by gas, boarders will find every comfort desired. Special arrangements made for family. Rates moderate.

Jefferson Davis Visits

On September 9, 1882, probably the most memorable event to take place at the hotel and possibly in Ocean Springs occurred. This special occasion was the military review by Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), former President of the Confederate States of America, of the Reichard Battalion and German Guards of New Orleans under the command of Major Maximilian Hermann. The troops were accompanied to Ocean Springs by Wolf's band. The train, which carried the military personnel, stopped at Beauvoir for Mr. Davis and his daughter with the band playing the "Bonnie Blue Flag". When they arrived at Ocean Springs, the uniformed Ocean Springs Fire Company greeted them in a heavy rain at the depot. The honored troops marched to the splendidly decorated Van Cleave Hotel where they were welcomed by R.A. Van Cleave, President of the Ocean Springs Fire Company. After a review by Jefferson Davis, a reception with champagne punch sponsored by W.B. Schmidt (1823-1900) was held in the parlor of the hotel. The festivities of the day were concluded with a grand military ball at Schmidt's Ocean Springs Hotel.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, September 8, 1882, and September 15, 1882)

By the spring of 1884, the Van Cleave Hotel was open year round and was known for its fine food and sanitary conditions.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, May 2, 1884, p. 3)

The Liberty Bell

In January 1885, the Liberty Bell was being transported by rail back to Philadelphia from its exhibition at the 1884-1885 World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, which was held at New Orleans. Robert A. Van Cleave used his influence to have the train make a brief stop at Ocean Springs. He donned a paper hat and wooden sword and led a small contingent of veterans in firing a derelict cannon. Political speeches were made.(Ellison, 1991, pp. 11-12)

Politics

In addition to his business acumen, Robert A. Van Cleave (1840-1908) was a well-respected, citizen, who helped to establish a local government at Ocean Springs. Prior to its December 1892 charter from Governor John M. Stone and subsequent incorporation as a town, Ocean Springs had failed in three attempts to form a municipal government. In the spring of 1892, a citizen’s committee chaired by James J. Garrard (1828-1902) was completing their plans to obtain a Charter for the Town of Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Thirty-four citizens worked to determine the city limits and the four ward boundaries. At a meeting held at the Fireman’s Hall in mid-June 1892, R.A. Van Cleave was unanimously elected Mayor. Councilman elected were: Joseph J. Garrard-Ward I; Jeremiah J. O’Keefe (1859-1911)-Ward II; Charles E. Pabst (1851-1920)-Ward III; D.D. Cowan (1850-1929)-Ward IV; and Judge J.B. Wigginton (1823-1895)-Councilman-at-Large.(Ellison, 1991, p.p. 19-23 and The Biloxi Herald, June 18, 1892, p. 1)

The first municipal election at Ocean Springs was held on December 13, 1892. Professor Decatur Dwight “D.D.” Cowan (1850-1929), a public school teacher and principal, was elected Mayor of Ocean Springs. Robert A. Van Cleave elected not to seek the Mayoral office. Others elected to our first city government were: Joseph Kotzum (1842-1915), Ward I; Jeremiah J. O’Keefe (1859-1911), Ward II; Benjamin .F. Joachim (1847-1925), Ward III; Louis L. “Tune” Ryan (1837-1909), Ward IV; E.S. Davis (1859-1925), Treasurer; and George Tardy (1839-1902), Marshal.(Schmidt, 1972, p. 133)

Children of R.A. Van Cleave and Elizabeth R. Sheppard

Fannie B. Van Cleave

Fannie B. Van Cleave (1866-1893) was born on August 26, 1866 at Yazoo County, Mississippi. She married Walter Hearn Covington (1863-1898), a native of Sylvarena, Smith County, Mississippi, in October 1886. Walter H. Covington was born July 23, 1863, the son of William Covington (1834-1880+) and Martha Rose Barnes (1844-1880+). In 1880, William and Walter H. Covington were farming in the Dry Creek Precinct, Hinds County, Mississippi.(1880 Hinds Co., Mississippi Federal Census, T9_649, p. 397, ED 13)

A son, Walter H. Covington Jr., and two daughters, Irma Covington Tate (1887-1907+) and Ora Mead Covington (b. 1893), were born of this union.

Fannie and Walter H. Covington lived in Paria, Mexico and Terry, Mississippi. In July 1891, Mrs. Covington brought her young children to Ocean Springs to visit their grandparents. The Covingtons were at Victoria, Mexico at this time.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, July 18, 1891, p. 1)

Fannie Van Cleave Covington expired on December 5, 1893. Her corporal remains were interred in the George A. Cox Family Cemetery, which was situated north of U.S. Highway 90 between the present day Oak Cove condominiums and the PFG Optical plant, formerly the Coca Cola plant. When this cemetery was removed by the Public Works Administration during the Depression the following members of the Cox-Van Cleave families were reburied in the Evergreen Cemetery on Old Fort Bayou: George A. Cox, Sarah Ann Sheppard Cox, Henry Van Cleave, Walter H. Covington and spouse and their infants, Walter H. Covington and Ora Mead Covington.(Verta Lee Bradford VanCleave-1995, The History of JXCO, Ms., (1989), p. 376, The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, December 8, 1893, p. 3)

George A. VanCleave

George A. Van Cleave (1868-1897) was born at Ocean Springs. He married Emma Catherine Noll (1872-1904), the daughter of Albert P. Noll from Pennsylvania and Augustine J. Stein, a native of New Orleans, in the Grace Church in the Crescent City on December 9, 1891. They were the parents of two sons born at New Orleans: Noll A. Van Cleave (1893-1930+) and George Emmet Van Cleave (b. 1894).(The Biloxi Daily Herald, December 12, 1891, p. 4 and The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, October 23, 1891, p. 3) )

George A. VanCleave expired at New Orleans on March 24, 1897.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, April 2, 1897, p. 3)

After the demise of George A. Van Cleave, Emma Noll Van Cleave married Thomas Peter Graham (1871-1955) on November 3, 1898. They had a son, Thomas P. Graham Jr. (1900-1973) born May 1900. Thomas P. Graham was born at New Orleans of Peter Graham (b. 1846), a school teacher, and Mary Murphy (b. 1842), both Irish immigrants. In 1900, Thomas Peter Graham made his livelihood as a “drummer” selling groceries for a wholesale grocer. They resided on Canal Street.(1900 Orleans Parish, Louisiana Federal Census, T623 571, p. 7B, ED 42)

Children of George A. Van Cleave and Emma Catherine Noll

Noll A. Van Cleave

Noll Allen Van Cleave (1893-ca 1937) was born at New Orleans on March 14, 1893. As a young man, Noll was a rafter on the Pascagoula River floating saw logs to the sawmills at Moss Point. Circa 1922, he married Georgia Ernest, probably at Mobile where he made his livelihood as a bookkeeper. They were the parents of two sons: Noll Van Cleave (1925-1930+) and Alfred Kent Van Cleave (1927-1999).(1930 Mobile County, Alabama Federal Census-R42, p. 4B, ED 76 and Christopher Van Cleave, December 2005)

George E. VanCleave

George Emmet Van Cleave (1894-1930+), called Emmet, was born at New Orleans on February 1, 1894. In 1916, he married Astazie ? , a native of Louisiana. They were the parents of Bettie Ann Van Cleave (1919-1930+) and Emmet L. Van Cleave (1922-1922). In 1920, Emmet Van Cleave made his livelihood as a shipping clerk in a factory. By 1930, he was the proprietor of a radio repair shop in the Crescent City. The family resided on North Miro. No further information.(1930 Orleans Parish Federal Census, R805, p. 3B, ED107)

Robert A. VanCleave Jr.

Robert Adrian VanCleave Jr. (1869-1930+) was born at Ocean Springs. Circa 1888, he left Ocean Springs for New Orleans where he became involved in cornice construction. Richard S. VanCleave (1876-1930+), his younger brother, joined him there in August 1895.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, August 23, 1895, p. 3)

In the Crescent City, Robert A. Van Cleave Jr. married Isabella Edwards (1871-1940) on January 8, 1890. They were the parents of two children: Adrian Edwards Van Cleave (1894-1959) and Richard Van Cleave.(The Pascagoula Democratic-Star, December 1895)

Circa 1900, Robert A. Van Cleave relocated from New Orleans to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to become a building contractor. Circa 1903, Robert A. Van Cleave Jr. married Mabel Russell (1879-1930+), a native of Pennsylvania. They had a child, Richard A. Van Cleave (1908-1930+), born at Philadelphia in July 1908. In 1920, they were living on 13th Street in Philadelphia. By 1930, Robert and Mabel Van Cleave and son had relocated to Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia. He continued in the building industry in the Philadelphia region. No further information.(1910 Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania Federal Census, T624R1410, pt. 2, p. 115A; 1920 Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania Federal Census, T625_1616, p. 5A, ED 463; and 1930 Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania Federal Census, R2034, p. 37A, ED 161)

William S. Van Cleave

William “Will” Sheppard Van Cleave (1871-1938) married Eudora “Dora” Pearl Casey (1876-1950), the daughter of John F. Casey and Mary Flynn. Their nuptials took place on December 28, 1897, at the Ocean Springs Methodist Church, now St. Paul's United Methodist Church on Porter. Mr. Van Cleave' s sister, Sarah "Sallie" Van Cleave Reid Westbrook (1876-1934), married Dunklin F. Reid (1871-circa 1906) at the same time.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, January 7, 1898, p. 3)

“The Little Store”

In March 1897, after Schmidt & Ziegler acquired the R.A. Van Cleave mercantile business in December 1896, W.S. “Will” Van Cleave erected a small, one-story, frame, store building juxtaposed to the family home and situated on the northeast corner of Washington Avenue and Desoto. This 750 square-foot, general store building was razed in March 1903, after he had formed a partnership with Junius P. Van Cleave, his brother.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 17, p. 621 and The Pascagoula Democrat Star, March 5, 1897, p. 3 and January 27, 1903, p. 3)

Van Cleave Brothers Store

On September 16, 1902, William S. Van Cleave and Junius “June” P. Van Cleave (1878-1945+) formed a partnership and firm, “Van Cleave Brothers”. In January 1903, the Van Cleave brothers acquired their former family mercantile store from Schmidt & Ziegler Ltd. for $1500. The sale was inclusive of store counters, shelving, the stable, and a one-half interest in the picket fence on the northern perimeter of the store lot. To finance the sale, the Van Cleave Brother were loaned $1000 by B.F. Parkinson (1859-1930) and Robert Parkinson (1864-1925), insurance executives domiciled at New Orleans.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 25, p. 487 and Bk. 25, p. 488 and The Pascagoula Democrat Star, September 12, 1902, p. 3 and The Pascagoula Democrat Star, January 16, 1903, p. 3)

In March 1904, the Parkinson brothers of New Orleans and the Van Cleave brothers chartered, “The Van Cleave Bros. Mercantile Company”. This stock corporation was capitalized with $15,000. The Van Cleave Brothers’ enterprise planned to immediately enlarge it stock and occupy both floors of their father’s former mercantile edifice on the east side of Washington Avenue. In late August 1904, the Van Cleave Brothers Mercantile Company sent a box of preserved figs to Belfast. Ireland. This fig shipment was considered the first of this product from Ocean Springs.(The Progress, March 12, 1904, p. 4 and September 3, 1904, p. 5)

Apparently, the Van Cleave brothers’ joint venture with B.F. and Robert Parkinson was not successful. In May 1906, the Van Cleave Brothers Mercantile Company conveyed their store property on the east side of Washington Avenue to N.J. Francis for $3000. (JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 31, p. 175)

The Van Cleave Brothers Store

This store building was erected in 1906 on the northwest corner of Washington Avenue and Porter by W.S. “Will” Van Cleave (1871-1938) and J.P. “June” Van Cleave (1878-1945+), the sons of Postmaster R.A. Van Cleave and Elizabeth R. Sheppard Van Cleave. The old landmark was removed from the streetscape on July 22, 1967 and replaced with a convenience store. Mr. Will Van Cleave is standing in front of his new building in this 1906 image. In the interior view of the Van Cleave Brothers building (l-r): unknown; Eudora “Dora” Casey Van Cleave (1876-1950); unknown; and Will Van Cleave. Image made pre-1938. Courtesy of: The Verta Lee Bradford Van Cleave (1916-2004) Family Collection courtesy of Joseph B. Garrard II and Sandra Van Cleave Garrard (1943-2005).

The new Van Cleave Brothers Store

In January 1906, the Van Cleave Brothers liquidated their stock. Will S. Van Cleave and June P. Van Cleave then acquired the former the Herman Nill Drugstore lot, for $1900 from Frank Marquez (1840-1914) in May 1906. The Nill pharmacy, which had occupied this commercially strategic parcel on the northwest corner of Washington Avenue and Porter had been destroyed in a fire in December 1900.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, January19 , 1906, p. 3, JXCO, Ms. Record of Deeds Bk. 31, p. 260, and The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, December 7, 1900, p. 3)

Burk & Shaw began construction of the Van Cleave Brothers store building in August 1906. It was erected from concrete blocks manufactured on the site. This enterprise lasted for over sixty years.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, August 3, 1906, p. 3)

The J.P. Van Cleave Store

In May 1906, June P. Van Cleave purchased the Switzer Cash Store on the southeast corner of Washington and Porter from Owen Switzer (1837-1910+), a Canadian immigrant. He remained here until February 1909, when he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to work with his brothers, Richard and Robert A. Van Cleave Jr. They were building contractors there.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. Book 31, p. 260 and The Ocean Springs News, February 20, 1909 , p. 5)
A sidewalk

In September 1915, Will Van Cleave contracted to have 275 feet of Schillinger pavement laid from Porter Avenue north to the Bertuccini property, which is now divided and owned by Courtney Cook Blossman and Attorney-at-Law, Hayden Dent.(The Ocean Springs New, September 30, 1915, p.1)

Robberies

In less than year in a period in 1915-1916, the property of Will Van Cleave, was robbed. The initial illegal entry occurred at his home, followed by his store being violated, and finally in January 1916, the thieves struck his Washington Avenue place of business. They took money and jewelry, but overlooked a money bag containing several hundred dollars.(The Ocean Springs News, January 20, 1916, p. 1)

In June 1929, the Van Cleave Brothers store was victimized by “local talent” when they illegally entered the building after dark. Will Van Cleave had left nothing in the store safe, except a sack of pennies and some personal papers. The perpetrators did escape with cigarettes, cigars, candy and several watermelons.(The Jackson County Times, June 15, 1929)

Another publicized burglary of the Van Cleave store occurred in January 1953, when a juvenile gang not only robbed the store, but fired at the local law enforcement during their felony.(The Gulf Coast Times, January 22, 1953, p. 1)

Will Van Cleave dies

After her husband’s demise on February 22, 1938, Will Van Cleave’s spouse, Eudora Casey Van Cleave (1876-1950), inherited the business, which was a grocery and mercantile enterprise. She legated it to her son, Gordon R. Van Cleave (1906-1964), and grandchildren. After Gordon Van Cleave’s death, the old block building, which had been a family run business for over sixty years, was sold to the City Ice Delivery Company, a Georgia corporation in June 1967. It was demolished on July 22, 1967, and construction of a new building commenced immediately.(The Ocean Springs Record, August 3, 1967, p. 2)

In recent years, Curmis Broome (b. 1928) owned the property, which he called Aileen’s Corner, for his spouse, Aileen Grady Broome (1934-1987). Here the Broome family operated a quick shop and eatery. In late 1991, Jan Gallaspy Walker and Paul Ballard acquired the former Van Cleave Brothers site from Mr. Broome. Here they commenced “Five Seasons”, a holistic center, catering to individuals and groups interested in high quality and organic food products, vitamins, and other salubrious appurtenances. The “Five Seasons” building maintains the convenience store, architectural style of the late 1960s.

W.S. Van Cleave home

The W.S. Van Cleave home is extant at 605 Porter Street. It is a one and one-half story, wood frame Queen Anne cottage with a cruciform gable roof, on high brick piers. This lovely edifice was built in November 1895 by Henry H. Richardson (1833-1906), a prominent Chicagoan.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, November 22, 1895)

By January 1896, the Richardson-Ornstein Cottage was completed as signaled by this article in The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, of January 10, 1896.

Among the handsome residences recently erected in this delightful Gulf Coast resort, the cottage built for Major H.H. Richardson of Chicago, situated corner of Porter and Martin Avenues deserves special attention. Southern lumber was used exclusively in the construction. The frame, floors, and interior works are of yellow pine, the latter furnished by the Farnsworth Lumber Company of Scranton (Pascagoula), being entirely free of knots and finished in oil. The building is one and one-half stories high, is of modern style and was designed by the well-known architect and builder, Gregor Wieder. There are four commodious rooms on the main floor with closets and three air porticos set off the building to good advantage. A neat and well-arranged stable occupies the rear. The grounds surrounding the residence are tastefully laid out in landscape style, embellished by numerous shade and fruit trees. Mr. Richardson and his charming wife took possession of this elegant place January 1, 1896 and will continue to occupy same as their winter home in the South.

Henry H. Richardson
Henry H. Richardson (1833-1906) and his spouse, Julia E. Richardson (1836-1906+), were both natives of Connecticut. They married on February 18, 1857. In February 1895, the loving couple celebrated their thirty-eight anniversary of their nuptial at Ocean Springs.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, February 22, 1895, p. 3)
From 1860 until pre-1880, the Richardson family was at home in Springfield, Illinois. Here Henry H. Richardson made his livelihood as the proprietor of a boot and shoe retail business. Alice Richardson (1861-1880+) their only child was born at Springfield, the State capital.(1860 Sangamon Co., Illinois Federal Census, M653_226, p. 119 and 1870 Sangamon Co., Illinois Federal Census, M593_82, p. 245)
Before 1880, the Richardson clan had relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota were Henry worked as a railroad inspector. The family residence was situated on University Avenue.(1880 Hennepin Co., Federal Census, T9_621, p. 15, RD 230)

Winter tourists
Like many affluent Midwesterners, the Richardsons were frequent winter visitor to the area. When Mr. Richardson left Ocean Springs in March 1894, he related that when he returned next year, that he would erect a cottage.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, March 23, 1894)
In December 1894, Frederick Mason Weed (1850-1926), the "Yankee Mayor", who served the people of Ocean Springs in that civic office from 1899-1911, and James Ira Ford (1862-1915), a Pascagoula attorney, sold a lot on Porter Avenue to Julia E. Richardson for $350. The Richardson lot was described in the warranty deed as being situated on the northeast corner of Porter Street and Martin Avenue with a frontage of 120 feet on Porter and running north 180 feet on Martin Avenue. David Baker owned the lot to the east of the Richardson parcel.(JXCO Land Deed Bk. 16, p. 186)

Lot 7
The Richardson-Ornstein Cottage is located in the western portion of Lot 7 of the Jerome Ryan Tract in Section 37, T7S-R8W. In November 1853, Lot 7 was given to Pierre Ryan (b. 1839) by his father, Jerome Ryan (1793-1870+), after the death of his mother, Euphrosine LaFontaine (1802-c 1852).(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. Book 4, pp. 546-547)
Guillaume “William” Ladnier (1829-1875) acquired Lot 7 of the Jerome Ryan Tract for $34.40 in a State tax sale in June 1871. In April 1893, F.M. Weed purchased Lot 7 from: George W. Ladnier (1851-1893+), Lavinia L. Taggert (1855-1893+), William H. Ladnier (1863-1893+), and James R. Ladnier, the heirs at law of William Ladnier, for $400. Mr. Weed immediately sold J.I. Ford a ½ interest in Lot 7 for $500.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 7, pp. 313-314, Bk. 14, p. 518, and Bk. 14, p. 519 and Cassibry, 1988, p. 795)
On his town lot on Porter Street, which at this time was on the edge of town, Henry H. Richardson, a prominent Chicagoan, commenced a house in November 1895, after hiring Gregoire Wieder (1849-1899), a local building contractor, to erect his edifice. Less than a year later, Martin Avenue was completed from Porter to the front beach.(/ The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, November 22, 1895 and July 24, 1896)
The Pascagoula Democrat-Star announced on June 11, 1897, that "H.H. Richardson and wife have left their delightful home on Porter for their usual summer trip to Chicago, St. Paul, and other sections of the north".

Richardson-Ornstein Cottage

Situated at 605 Porter, this Queen Anne cottage was built for Henry H. Richardson (1833-1906), a Midwestern boot and shoe merchant, by local contractor, Gregoire Wieder (1849-1899), in 1895. The Will Van Cleave family and descendants lived here for over seventy-five years. Note that in the pre-1938 image, the L-shaped gallery is extant. It was later boxed-in to create an additional room on the southeast corner of the house as seen in the March 1994 image.
Credit: March 1994 image by Ray L. Bellande. Pre-1938 image courtesy of Verta Lee Bradford Van Cleave (1916-2004).

Sale
In May 1898, H.H. Richardson of Chicago conveyed his Porter Street cottage to Belle Caraway Sauls (1877-pre-1920+). After leaving Ocean Springs, the Richardsons relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan. They returned to Ocean Springs for the winter season in November 1898, and were the guest of the Sauls family until they settled in at “Three Oaks”, the H.B. Powell domicile on Front Beach.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 19, p. 75, The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, November 25, 1898, p. 3 and December 2, 1898, p. 3)
The Richardsons continued to winter at Ocean Springs until the winter of 1903-1904. Mr. Richardson wrote the editor of /The Progress /bemoaning this fact. His words follow: We are in cold country-the coldest in years-where it snows five days a week. It is a grand sight to look upon Mother Nature, if one likes snow and ice. I don’t like it. Gosh, how I would appreciate being in Ocean Springs about this time. We are quite well, however, and Mrs. Richardson joins me in sending our best wishes for a Happy New Year to all our friends in Ocean Springs.
By April 1904, H.H. Richardson had moved to Dolton Station, Cook County, Illinois. He planned to return to Ocean Springs in the winter of 1905. H.H. Richardson spent some time at St. Petersburg, Florida in the spring of 1906, before returning to Chicago. His health was reported to be failing rapidly by mid-April. Richardson passed at his Chicago residence on April 25, 1906. He was survived by his wife.(The Progress, April 2, 1904, p. 4, The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, April 20, 1906, p. 3 and April 27, 1906, p. 3)

Quilla D. Sauls
Belle Carraway Sauls the new owner of the H.H. Richardson cottage, was the spouse of Quilla D. Sauls (1870-1930+). They married in 1897, the year that Mr. Sauls came to Ocean Springs to teach school. The Pascagoula Democrat-Star/ reported on June 4, 1897, "Professor L.D. Sauls, Superintendent of Purvis High, is visiting our town this week". Q.D. Sauls taught school at Ocean Springs and Biloxi. He succeeded D.D. Cowan (1850-1929) who came to Ocean Springs in 1892, to teach school. Decatur Douglas Cowan was the first elected Mayor of Ocean Springs serving in that capacity from 1893 to 1894. He was elected the Superintendent of Education for Jackson County and managed the county school system from 1896 to 1906.
The Pascagoula Democrat-Star of late 1898 had several mentions of Professor Sauls untiring efforts to improve the educational environment at the Ocean Springs High School. At this time, the school consisted of a two-story red frame building located at the rear of the Ocean Springs Fire Company No. 2 Hall on the east side of Washington Avenue between Porter and Joseph Street. C.E. Schmidt in Ocean Springs French Beachhead (1972), wrote that "Q.D. Sauls was a man of vision, possibly far ahead of his time. He had a broad concept of a city high school and looked beyond horizons for the student body. He announced arrangements for boarding young ladies at the Beach Hotel, and young men at the Artesia House for $10 per month".

In November 1900, Professor Sauls lived at the Artesian House, which was located on the southwest corner of Porter Street and Jackson Avenue, probably as a chaperon for his male boarding students. An attestation to Saul's efforts to promote education at Ocean Springs beyond the three Rs is evidenced by the Fourth Annual Catalogue of Officers, Teachers, and Students (1900-1901). It lists the following special courses: Commercial, teacher's training, music and art, stenography, elocution, and physical culture.
When the Sauls were selling the house in 1904, it was advertised in The Progress as follows:

FOR SALE
The Richardson Cottage
Q.D. Sauls-Arcola, Louisiana
One of the neatest and best built cottages in town, on a large lot bounded by Porter and Martin Avenue in a desirable locality of Ocean Springs.

William “Will” Sheppard Van Cleave purchased the Richardson Cottage from the Q.D. Sauls in May 1904. The Sauls family relocated to Arcola, Louisiana in Tangipahoa Parish. By 1909, Q.D. Sauls was in the long leaf yellow pine business as a manufacturer and dealer. He was located at Saw Mill, Old Camp on the N.C. & M. R.R. near Norfield, Lincoln County, Mississippi.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 28, pp. 115-116)
In 1910, Q.D. Sauls and family had relocated to Lawrence County, Mississippi. He was a retail merchant in Beat 3. (1910 Lawrence Co., Mississippi Federal Census, T624R747, p. 200A, ED 97)
By 1920, Q.D. and Belle C. Sauls had settled at Tylertown, Mississippi. Their family had grown to six children: Lucille Sauls (1897-1920+), Norma Sauls (1906-1920+), Dorothy Sauls (1908-1930+), William Sauls (1915-1930+), and Berkley Sauls (1918-1930+). One Sauls child had died at infancy. At Tylertown, Q.D. Sauls owned a saw mill and lumberyard.(1920 and 1930 Walthall Co., Mississippi Federal Census, and T625_896, p. 10A, ED 137 and R1169, p. 5A, ED 2)

Van Cleave occupancy
Will Van Cleave (1871-1938) and his legatees remained at 605 Porter until January 1981, when Vertalee Bradford Vancleave (1917-2004), widow of his son, Gordon R. VanCleave (1906-1964), sold the 1895 Richardson cottage to Stephen F. Collins and Gloria “CoCo” C. Collins. The Collins were in residence here until July 1993, when they sold to Marvin A. Ornstein. The Ornstein family had come to Ocean Springs from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 697, 453 and JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 1019, p. 825)
In the fall and winter of 1993 and 1994, the Ornsteins refurbished the interior and exterior of the Richardson Cottage. Large dormers were added to the west and north elevations under the auspices of the OS Historic Preservation Commission. Marvin A. Ornstein, a gaming consultant and president of MAO Inc. and MAO Gaming and the father of the “STREAK” bet, a patented side bet based on a player’s predictable winning streak, resides here today.

Will Van Cleave’s children
W.S. “Will” Van Cleave (1871-1938) and Eudora “Dora” Pearl Casey Van Cleave (1876-1950) were the parents of William “Sheppard” S. Van Cleave Jr. (1899-1947); Henry Dryden Van Cleave (1901-1946); and Richard Gordon Van Cleave (1906-1964).

William S. Van Cleave Jr.
William Sheppard Van Cleave Jr. (1899-1947), called Sheppard, was born at Ocean Springs on June 2, 1899. He received his education in the local public school. Returning from military service during WW I, Sheppard Van Cleave in August 1920, opened a vulcanizing plant in the rear of the Mobile Pressing Club, which occupied a building owned by Will Van Cleave, his father. Here, Shepard repaired old tires and tubes. By January 1922, J.L. O’Neil of New Orleans opened a pool hall in the space vacated by Sheppard Van Cleave who had relocated his tire and automobile company to 406 Reynoir Street in Biloxi./(The Jackson County Times, January 28, 1922)
In his later life, Sheppard Van Cleave worked as a clerk in his father's store on the northwest corner of Washington Avenue and Porter. He was a Mason and member of the local American Legion Post. Sheppard Van Cleave expired at Ocean Springs in late February 1947. His corporal remains were interred in the Evergreen Cemetery on Old Fort Bayou.(The Daily Herald, February 28, 1947, p. 9)

Little Children’s Park
In the 1940s, Sheppard Van Cleave acquired the old Shanahan House resort property, 1.84-acres, situated on the northeast corner of Washington Avenue and Calhoun. In November 13, 1941, he and E.F. Shanks of Taylorsville, Mississippi paid the back taxes, which were less than $400. They were both issued forfeited land tax patent deeds by the Secretary of State.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 78, pp. 424-425 and Bk. 78, p. 503)
Naturally, this action initiated litigation. Mr. Shanks sued Sheppard Van Cleave in the Chancery Court of Jackson County, Mississippi as Cause No. 6883, filed May 31, 1943. In the complaint, E.F. Shanks alleged that Van Cleave, in addition to not having clear title to the land, had also collected rents from D.R. Gillon, who was occupying a house on the property. Shanks wanted the rent money and clear title to the Shanahan tract. This Chancery Court matter was not settled until after Sheppard Van Cleave's demise in February 1947. The Chancery Court ruled in favor of William Sheppard Van Cleave Jr. and his heirs, Eudora Casey Van Cleave, his mother; Richard Gordon Van Cleave, his brother; and the children of his deceased brother, Dryden Van Cleave (1901-1946).
In April 1954, the surviving heirs of Sheppard Van Cleave conveyed the property to David Neely Powers (1890-1983) and Katherine Crane Powers (1891-1961). The Powers donated the large tract to the City of Ocean Springs in February 1959. Little Children’s Park was created by the city for the utility of families and their young children.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 138, pp. 349-352 and Bk. 186, pp. 435-436)

H. Dryden Van Cleave
Henry Dryden Van Cleave (1901-1946), called Dryden, was born August 27, 1901. H. Dryden Van Cleave married* Emma Lee Stewart (1903-1973) on February 15, 1926, at Biloxi. She was the daughter of Alfred Dyer Stewart and Elizabeth McCarty Major. They were natives of Kentucky. Emma Lee Stewart was born at Opelousas, Louisiana on July 25, 1903. She attended the Sophie Wright School for Girls at New Orleans and was a graduate of Belhaven College at Jackson, Mississippi. While a resident of Ocean Springs, she served as a special correspondent for several New Orleans journals. The Stewart family relocated to New Orleans in 1929.(The Jackson County Times, February 20, 1926, p. 4 and The Daily Herald, July 18, 1973, p. 2)
Dryden and Emma Lee Van Cleave were the parents of two children: Dixie “Mitzie” Lindon Van Cleave Rabeneck (1926-1990), who married Frederick C. Rabeneck (1916-1992), the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Rabeneck of New Orleans; and Henry Dryden Van Cleave Jr. who married Coleen King. In August 1931, Emma Lee Van Cleave’s sister, Sarah Chappell Stewart married Hugh Oliver Jones at the Stewart home on Marengo Street in New Orleans. Her sister, Florence Stewart, was her only attendant.(The Daily Herald, August 11, 1931, p. 2)

517 Jackson Avenue

H. Dryden Van Cleave and bungalow-situated at 517 Jackson Avenue, H. Dryden Van Cleave (1901-1946), the eldest son of W.S. “Will” Van Cleave (1871-1938) and Dora Casey Van Cleave (1876-1950), had this bungalow built in 1926. Dryden made his livelihood at the Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, where he was employed in the electrical department. Dryden was active in the McLeod Masonic Lodge. He was elected Worshipful Master in January 1946. In this image, Dryden is depicted as he looked in 1917. Courtesy of Joseph B. Garrard II from the Verta Lee Bradford Van Cleave (1916-2004) Van Cleave family collection.

Van Cleave bungalow
In the spring of 1926, Dryden Van Cleave (1910-1946) contracted with Joseph A. Wieder (1877-1960) to erect a California style bungalow on his Jackson Avenue lot. He had acquired a lot in April 1925 on the west side of Jackson Avenue between Porter and Cleveland from H.F. Russell (1858-1940). The Van Cleave home is extant at present day 517 Jackson Avenue and owned by Walter E. Mullen, a retired English professor, formerly of the MGCCC-Jackson County campus. Walter was born at Chicago of Mississippi parentage. He was educated at the University of Mississippi and Auburn.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 55, p. 86 and Walter E. Mullen, May 16, 2006)
By mid-June 1926, the Van Cleave residence was nearing completion. In early August 1926, a multitude of friends of the young Van Cleaves gave them a surprise housewarming and shower. The walk-in guests brought as gifts many useful domestic items. Refreshments were served and dancing was enjoyed by the partygoers. At this time, Mr. Van Cleave worked at the post office.(The Jackson County Times, June 19, 1926, p. 3 and August 7, 1926, p. 3)
In September 1955, nearly a decade after the demise of Dryden Van Cleave, The Van Cleave bungalow was conveyed to James “Bob” Robert Murray (1891-1982) and Bessie Ross Murray (1895-pre-1981) by the heirs of Dryden Van Cleave in September 1955. The Murrays may have originally been from Silver Creek, Lawrence County, Mississippi and arrived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast during WW II. They married circa 1920 and were the parents of two children: Nell Murray Henry (1921-1995) and James R. Murray Jr. (b. 1923). Before his demise in December 1982, Bob Murray had been employed at Ingalls Shipbuilding for many years.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 152, p. 182, Walter E. Mullin, May 12, 2006, and The Ocean Springs Record, December 23, 1982, p. 9)
Prior to their arrival on the Coast, the Murrays lived at Columbia and Prentiss, Mississippi. Here Bob Murray made his livelihood in the wholesale grocery business. At Columbia, he was initially a traveling salesman and later manager of a wholesale grocery at Prentiss.(1920 Marion Co., Mississippi, Federal Census, T625_886, p. 13B, ED 118 and 1930 Jeff Davis Co., Mississippi, R1150, p. 2A, ED 1)

Dryden’s demise
In later years, Dryden Van Cleave made his livelihood at the Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula. Here he was employed in the electrical department. Dryden worshiped at St. John’s Episcopal and was active in the McLeod Masonic Lodge. He was elected Worshipful Master in January 1946. Dryden was also a Shriner, Knight Templar, and Royal Arch Mason. He expired at his home on Jackson Avenue on February 8, 1946. His corporal remains were interred in the Evergreen Cemetery on Old Fort Bayou. Emma Stewart Van Cleave relocated to New Orleans after the demise of her spouse. She passed on there on July 16, 1973. Her remains were laid to rest next to Dryden’s in Ocean Springs.(The Jackson County Times, February 9, 1946, p. 1 and The Daily Herald, July 18, 1973, p. 2)

Dixie L. Van Cleave
Dixie “Mitzie” Lindon Van Cleave (1926-1990) was born October 13, 1926 at Ocean Springs. On August 11, 1950 she married Frederick Charles Rabeneck, the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Rabeneck, of New Orleans. Their nuptials were solemnized at the Parker Memorial Methodist Church in New Orleans. The Rabeneck wedding reception was held at the home of Mrs. James Weshe, the aunt of Dixie L. Van Cleave Rabeneck. The young couple made their home in New Orleans./(The Gulf Coast Times, August 25, 1950, p. 5)
Dixie L. Van Cleave Rabeneck expired in January 1990. Fred C. Rabeneck followed her in death passing on July 15, 1992. They were at home in Gretna, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.


Richard Gordon Van Cleave
Richard Gordon Van Cleave (1906-1964), called Gordon, was born at Ocean Springs on May 24, 1906. He attended local public schools and later matriculated to the Perkinston Agricultural High School at Perkinston, Mississippi. Gordon worked in his parent’s grocery and mercantile store on the northwest corner of Washington Avenue and Porter. During WW II, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. R. Gordon Van Cleave married Verta Lee Bradford (1916-2004), the daughter of Frederick Semmes Bradford (1878-1951) and Letecia Carver (1881-1968). They were the parents of Sandra Van Cleave Garrard, the spouse of Joseph B. Garrard II. R. Gordon Van Cleave expired at Ocean Springs on November 9, 1964. His corporal remains interred Evergreen Cemetery on Old Fort Bayou.(Joseph B. Garrard II and The Daily Herald, November 10, 1964, p. 2)

Gordon Van Cleave home
In November 1946, Alcena Casey (1885-1961), the sister-in-law of W.S. “Will“ Van Cleave, was awarded a deed to the former Shanahan House lot by the Chancery Clerk for paying the delinquent taxes on the property. Thereafter, R. Gordon Van Cleave (1906-1964) and his family moved into the six-room cottage on the large vacant lot. They remained here until 1950, when they moved to 605 Porter. Alcena Casey gave R. Gordon Van Cleave a quitclaim deed on the old Shanahan tract in May 1950. The structure was later purchased by Charles Adam Westbrook (1918-1999) and relocated to 1912 Kensington Avenue. Mr. Westbrook subsequently remodeled the building.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 95, pp. 278-279 and Bk. 112, p. 435)

Richard S. Van Cleave and family

[L-R: Richard S. Van Cleave; Betty Jane Van Cleave Hecht (1912-1987); and Anna Tiedemann Van Cleave (1889-1960+). Image made April 1913]

Richard S. Van Cleave

Richard S. “Dick” Van Cleave (1876-1930+) was born at Ocean Springs. He left the Mississippi coast as a young man to seek his fortune in New Orleans where Robert A. Van Cleave Jr. (1869-1930+), an older brother, had settled and was employed as a tradesman involved in cornice construction.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, August 23, 1895, p. 3)

Circa 1900, Dick Van Cleave and Robert A. Van Cleave Jr., left New Orleans for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to enter the contracting business. They were very successful in domestic and commercial construction on the Eastern seaboard. In 1910, Dick was residing with Robert A. Van Cleave Jr. and his family at Philadelphia.(1910 Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania Federal Census, T624R1410, pt. 2, p. 115A)

Circa 1911, Dick Van Cleave married Anna Henrietta Tiedemann (1889-1960+). She was a Camden, New Jersey native and the daughter of Henry Tiedemann (1850-1930), an 1859 German immigrant, and Mary Jane Baird Tiedemann. Henry Tiedemann served in the Royal Navy and made several circumnavigation of the earth. He made a model of his ship and donated it to the Cape May, New Jersey Court House museum. Henry was a furniture and cabinet maker. Some of his cabinets were used on the main floor of Wanamaker’s Department store at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.(1910 Camden Co., New Jersey Census T624_874, p. 4A, ED 79 and Nancy H. Fitzpatrick, January 2008)

Anna and Dick Van Cleave were the parents of two children born at Philadelphia: Betty J. Van Cleave (1912-1987) and Richard S. Van Cleave (1914-1982). By 1920, the Dick Van Cleave family had relocated to West Dayton Street in Flint, Michigan where he was a building engineer. Dick had studied architecture in Chicago.(1920 Genesse Co., Michigan Federal Census, T625_765, p. 8B, ED 53 and Nancy H. Fitzpatrick, Granville, New York, January 2008)

By 1930, Dick Van Cleave had Divorced Anna H. Tiedemann Van Cleave and married Irene A. Van Cleave. She appears to have had a daughter, Irene G. Van Cleave (1912-1930+), from a prior marriage. Dick Van Cleave and family had returned to Pennsylvania from Michigan and were domiciled on Burmont Street in the unincorporated village of Oak View in the Upper Darby Township on the west side of Philadelphia. Here Dick Van Cleave remained in construction. Anna H. Van Cleave remarried to Francis X. King.(1930 Delaware Co., Pennsylvania Federal Census, R 2034, p. 4B, ED 167 and Nancy H. Fitzpatrick-January 2008)

After the Divorce, Bettie Jane Van Cleave was sent to Ocean Springs to live with William and Dora Casey Van Cleave and Will Casey on West Porter Street. Betty later lived with relatives at Birmingham, Alabama. Nancy H. Fitzpatrick, Betty's daughter and a resident of Granville, New York, grew up listening to Betty Jane’s stories of the time she spent in Ocean Springs and Gulfport and tales of her Van Cleave and Casey families of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.(Nancy H. Fitzpatrick, January 2008)

In 1934, Betty Jane Van Cleave (1912-1987) married Richard Roy Gribben Jr., (1907-1974) the son of Allan Roy Gribben (1883-1965) and Nan Gribben. Allan R. Gribben was president of the Cord Motor Car Company and the newly weds lived at Roynancroft, the Gribben estate, at Morristown, New Jersey. Betty Jane and Richard R. Gribben Jr. Divorced in September 1940. Betty Jane found employment at Drew University at Madison, New Jersey. Here she met and married Ira Young Hecht Jr. in January 1941. After graduation from Drew University, Ira found employment as a reporter for the Morristown Daily Record. Betty Jane and Ira Youngwood Hecht Jr. were the parents of: Robert Seldon Hecht (b. 1941) and Nancy Anne Hecht Fitzpatrick Gervais (b. 1942). Nancy Anne Hecht married Alan Fitzpatrick (1941-1998) and Thomas Gervais. Betty Jane Van Cleave Hecht expired on October 13, 1978. Her corporal remains were interred in the Blue Mountain Cemetery at Saugerties, New York.(Nancy H. Fitzpatrick, January 2008)

Captain Johnson’s 1897 Jackson Avenue store

In late May 1897, The Ocean Springs Progress announced that:

Captain John Johnson who kept the Press bar in Biloxi has purchased lots opposite the Artesian House [southwest corner of Porter and Jackson], and will shortly commence the erection of a large store and dwelling thereon. The store we learn will be a one-story affair 30x60 feet in dimensions, and the residence 40x40 feet with an L [shaped porch] 25x30 feet. Immediately on completion of the store room Mr. Johnson will open up a large stock of general merchandise.(The Biloxi Daily Herald, May 29, 1897)

Captain Johnson’s 1897 Jackson Avenue house

Friar and DeBourgh were the contractors for the John E. Johnson store and house. In May 1897, the foundation was laid for Captain Johnson’s house adjoining his store on Porter and Jackson.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, April 16, 1897 and May 14, 1897)

Captain Johnson’s house is extant at 526 Jackson Avenue. It is a one-story, frame Queen Anne cottage with a cross gable roof, L-shaped plan with a two bay porch within arms of the “L”. There are imbricate shingles in the gable. The Captain Johnson cottage was restored in 2003-2004 by current owner, Joan Ladnier.

Captain John E. Johnson

In February 1897, Captain John E. Johnson (1859-1921) had acquired these lots for $900, from Lilli Franco Geiger (1863-1905) and Peter Geiger (1858-1923), who were domiciled at Stewart County, Georgia.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 18, pp. 123-124)

John E. Johnson, called "Cap", was the son of Norwegian immigrant, Nels Johnson (1814-1895) and German immigrant, Caroline Lunderman (1828-1911). Cap Johnson was born at Biloxi were his father was a prominent boat builder. He went to sea in 1877, piloting a trading schooner into ports from Florida to Texas. From 1890-1897 at Biloxi, he owned the Press Saloon on the front beach between Lameuse Street and Main Street. Johnson also had a wholesale shipping business in fish, oysters, and shrimp employing sixty men during the seafood season.(Dyer, 1895, “Biloxi”)

In August 1897, Johnson took a lease from Mayor Thomas W. Grayson (1825-1904) of the City of Ocean Springs at the south end of Martin Avenue. The lease granted Johnson the right to operate and conduct "the business of opening, selling or shipping fish, oysters and shrimp, provided the same shall be conducted in such a manner as to not create a nuisance in said neighborhood". Johnson was required to build "a wharf not less than six hundred feet in length from the shore, and not less than five feet wide, to be used by the public in landing and receiving passengers ....erect and maintain bath houses as may be necessary for the accommodation of the public".

Captain John E. Johnson married Felicia Pons (1868-1910), who was called Ella. They had two sons, John L. Johnson (1885-1917) and Joseph E. Johnson (1886-1887), and a daughter, Mrs. Joseph (Edna) Longinotti (1881-1927), who lived at Hot Springs, Arkansas. Her father-in-law, Joseph Longinotti, Sr. (d. 1923) once was the proprietor of the Hotel Pullman at Hot Springs. Her husband ran hotel when she was murdered in 1927, at Hot Springs. Son, John L. Johnson, also died tragically when he choked to death after leaving Schmidt's Premium Bakery on Washington Avenue.(The Jackson County Times, August 20, 1927)

At the foot of Martin Avenue, Cap Johnson also operated an oyster shucking shed. On February 13, 1899, the mercury fell to one degree Fahrenheit on the Mississippi Coast. An announcement was made in The Biloxi Daily Herald concerning some of the property loss at Ocean Springs:

Captain John Johnson was probably the heaviest loser of anyone in town from the cold. A few days previous he had purchased 700 barrels of oysters at fancy prices, all of which froze, entailing a loss of nearly $800. To make matters worse, orders for oysters have been pouring in all week which cannot be filled.(The Biloxi Daily Herald, February 21, 1899, p. 8)

This natural disaster put Captain John E. Johnson out of business at Ocean Springs. The Pascagoula Democratic-Star of September 1, 1899, related that: Captain John Johnson is auctioning goods at his store. He is going out of business.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, September 1, 1899)

Cap Johnson sold his store property on the northeast corner of Jackson Avenue and Porter Street to Sidney J. Anderson (1867-1917) of New Orleans in December 1899, for $750. Mr. Anderson, who owned charcoal schooners and operated a mercantile store at Vancleave, also bought the Artesian House, a small hostel, on the southwest corner of Porter and Jackson, opposite the Johnson store, in February 1900.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 20, p. 586 and Bk. 21, pp. 150-151)

Captain Johnson moved to Biloxi where he may have gotten in the bar business again. He became ill about 1910, probably with cancer. Cap Johnson died on April 18, 1921 at 879 East Beach, the home of his sister, Louise Johnson Dorries (1863-1953) and the widow of August Dorries (1842-1909). All of the John E. Johnson family members are buried at the Bellande Cemetery on Dewey Avenue.(The Daily Herald, April 18, 1921, p. 3)

Richard S. Van Cleave and 528 Jackson Avenue

Situated at present day 528 Jackson Avenue, the Van Cleave cottage was built in 1908 by Richard S. “Dick” Van Cleave (1876-1930+) for his aging parents, Robert A. Van Cleave (1840-1908) and Eliza R. Sheppard Van Cleave (1842-1912). Dick Van Cleave left Ocean Springs in the late 19th Century to make his fortune and became a successful building contractor at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. R.A. Van Cleave expired at Ocean Springs in September 1908 while his new home on the southeast corner of Porter and Jackson Avenue was under construction. Postmaster Mayon F. Johnson (1919-1988) owned the Van Cleave cottage from 1942 until 1968. USMC veteran, Robert C. Smith, expired here in 2004. The domicile is now owned by Richard and Jennifer Benz of New York. The 1897 Captain John E. Johnson-Ladnier cottage is to the right. Left image courtesy of Joseph B. Garrard II from the Verta Lee Bradford Van Cleave image collection. Right image made August 30, 2005 by Ray L. Bellande.

Van Cleave Cottage-528 Jackson Avenue

By November 1904, the John E. Johnson store building on the southeast corner of Jackson Avenue and Porter Street was gone. Its demise was probably due to fire.(1904 Sanborn, “Ocean Springs”, Sheet 2)

In July 1904, Sidney J. Anderson sold the vacant lot to Dr. O.L. Bailey (1870-1938). Here circa 1908, Dick Van Cleave had a one-and-one-half story, frame, side-gable home erected for his aged father, Robert A. Van Cleave (1840-1908), the patriarch of the local Van Cleave family, The Van Cleave home, which is extant, has a small dormer on the south elevation and is uniquely covered with imbricate “fish scale” shingles and has an undercut, L-shaped wrap-around gallery on the west and a portion of the north elevation. The rafter ends were sawn with a decorative profile and there is a small polygonal projecting bay on the south elevation.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 28, pp. 380-381 and Nat. Reg. of Historic. Places Inv.-Nom. Form, “Old Ocean Springs Historic Dist.”, p. 10, 1986 and The Gulf Coast Times, October 28, 1949, p. 6)

Will Van Cleave (1871-1938) had acquired the well-situated corner lot, which is a part of Lot 1-Block 34 of the 1854 Culmseig Map, in November 1907, from Dr. O.L. Bailey. The price was $300. In May 1908, Will sold the small parcel to brother Dick Van Cleave, a resident of Philadelphia, for $400.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 33, p 46 and pp. 386-387)

In March 1912, Dick Van Cleave sold the Van Cleave cottage at 528 Jackson Avenue back to Will Van Cleave for $1700. The home remained in the Will Van Cleave family until August 1942, when Dora Casey Van Cleave (1876-1950), the widow of Will Van Cleave, conveyed it to Mary Alice McEwen Johnson (1918-2002), the spouse of Mayon F. Johnson (1919-1988). Coincidentally, Mayon F. Johnson became Postmaster at Ocean Springs in June 1971. He retired from this post November 1981.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 80, p. 484-485)

After the Mayon Johnson family sold the Van Cleave cottage in September 1968 to Oris H. Troyer (1902-1970) and heirs, it has been owned by: Stella Hann Richardson (1890-1972) and heirs from 1971 until 1973; Robert C. Smith (d. 2004) and heirs from 1973 to 2005. The current owner is Richard and Jennifer B. Benz.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 340, p. 246; Bk. 396, p. 144; Bk. 484, p. 405; and Bk. 1376, p. 188-192)

Pre-Katrina, Richard W. “Dick” Benz (b. 1964) and spouse, Jennifer “Jenny” Becker Benz (b. 1969), formerly of the Crescent City owned and operated a widely acclaimed Uptown New Orleans eatery appropriately called Dick and Jenny’s. It is situated at 4501 Tchoupitoulas Street near Napoleon Avenue and the Mississippi River. At Ocean Springs, the Benz family possessed the 1908 von Rosambeau-Bryan home at present day 410 Jackson Avenue, which was destroyed in late August 2005 by Katrina. Post-Katrina, the Benz family relocated to Buffalo, New York, but still own the Van Cleave cottage at 528 Jackson Avenue.

Sarah Van Cleave

Sarah “Sallie” Van Cleave (1874-1934) married Dunklin Felix Reid (1872-circa 1906) on December 28, 1897, in Jackson County, Mississippi. He was probably a native of Greenville, Butler County, Alabama. In 1880, D.F. Reid was living with James A. Reid (1852-1880+), his uncle, who was a hardware dealer. In 1900, the D.F. Reid family was domiciled at Hammac, Escambia County, Alabama, a small sawmilling community west of Brewton, where they had a mercantile business. The D.F. Reids had two children, Van Cleave Reid (1899-1972) and Audrey E. Reid (1900-1914).(1880 Butler Co., Alabama Federal Census, T9_4, p. 317, ED 36 and 1900 Escambia Co., Alabama, T623 15, p. 19A, ED 152)

Circa 1909, Sallie Van Cleave Reid, a widow, married George L. Westbrook (1888-1935), a telegraph operator and ticket agent at the local L&N Depot. He was the son of Edward M. Westbrook (1858-1913) and Harriet Clark (1857-1927). Sallie expired on May 14, 1934. Her corporal remains were interred in the Evergreen Cemetery.

On December 15, 1934, George L. Westbrook married Ina Towle Baker (1881-1947) at Gulfport. She was the daughter of James Towle, a Scotsman, and an Irish lady named Daily. Ina T. Westbrook had previously resided at Wausau, Wisconsin. She had two sons, Frederick Otis Baker and William John Baker, from her first marriage to F.W. Baker. Mrs. Westbrook was president of the Ocean Springs Demonstration Club and a recognized landscape authority. She died on September 23, 1947. Her remains were interred at Memphis.(The Daily Herald, September 26, 1947, p. 6)

This vintage image was made circa 1910 on the south elevation of the Richard S. Van Cleave cottage at present day 528 Jackson Avenue. L-R: Van Cleave Reid (1899-1972), Audrey E. Reid (1900-1914), and George L. Westbrook (1888-1935), their step-father, and a L&N Railroad employee. The Reid children were born of Sarah “Sallie” Van Cleave (1874-1934) and Dunklin Felix Reid (1872-circa 1906) who was a merchant in Escambia County, Alabama until his untimely demise circa 1906. The Widow Reid and children returned to Ocean Springs and Sallie married George L. Westbrook. After her demise, he wedded Ina Towle Baker (1881-1947), a former resident of Wausau, Wisconsin.

Courtesy of Joseph B. Garrard II from the Verta Lee Bradford Van Cleave (1916-2004) family collection.

Van Cleave Reid

Van Cleave Reid (1899-1972) was born at Ocean Springs. He married Gertrude Augusta Carson (1899-1996) at Chicago in late November 1922. She was the granddaughter of M. Hausler of Chicago. She met Van Cleave Reid as she spent several winters at Ocean Springs with her grandparents. Gertie Carson Reid expired on January 9, 1996. Their corporal remains were interred in the Evergreen Cemetery in Ocean Springs.(The Jackson County Times, December 2, 1922)

Audrey E. Reid

Audrey Elizabeth Reid (1900-1914) was born at Escambia County, Alabama in May 1900. She expired on January 20, 1914. Her corporal remains were interred in the Evergreen Cemetery on Old Fort Bayou. No further information.

Junius Poitevent VanCleave

June Poitevent VanCleave (1878-1945+) was born at Ocean Springs on December 6, 1878. He was named for Captain Junius “June” Poitevent (1837-1919). Captain Poitevent was of Huguenot descent being born at Gainesville on the Pearl River in Hancock County. He was active in the lumber trade, ran steamboats, speculated in land in Texas and Florida, and farmed in Mexico and Florida. June Poitevent settled his family at Ocean Springs in 1877, building a Victorian Italianate home of unusual design on the Bay of Biloxi. The Lover's Lane location of the Poitevent home is believed by some historian to be the site of Fort Maurepas (1699-1702), the French beachhead in the Lower Mississippi Valley. R.A. Van Cleave held Captain Poitevent in deep respect, and honored him by naming his youngest son, Junius Poitevent Van Cleave.

After a childhood and adolescence at Ocean Springs, June Van Cleave left Ocean Springs circa 1898, for Hammac, Alabama where his sister, Sallie Van Cleave Reid, lived. She had married Dunkin Felix Reid in December 1897. Here he worked in the mercantile business with his brother-in-law.

In May 1900, June Van Cleave returned to Ocean Springs and on September 16, 1902, created a partnership with his brother, W.S. Van Cleave (1871-1938) to form the Van Cleave Brothers, a mercantile business, adjoining the residence of their father on Washington Avenue near Desoto.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, September 12, 1902)

Minnie C. Richardson

Junius Poitevent Van Cleave married Minnie Clayton Richardson (1879-1952+), a native of Tennessee, at the Methodist Church at Ocean Springs in August 1904. She was the daughter of William Richardson (d. 1883?) and Mary Witt Richardson (1849-1927). The Van Cleave-Richardson union created two daughters: Mary Witt Van Cleave (1909-1930+) and Mildred Van Cleave (1916-1930+).

Mary Witt Richardson

Mary Witt Richardson, a native of Lynville, Giles County, Tennessee, and the wife of William Richardson who was postmaster at the Fort Bayou community from 1882-1888, owned over one thousand acres of land southwest of Vancleave. Mrs. Richardson succeeded her husband as postmaster until 1891, when she was replaced by Mary Senter Hill (1827-1916), the mother of Mrs. Sardin G. Ramsay, Lula Hill Ramsay (1861-1949).(Miss. Coast History & Genealogical Society, Vol. 13, No. 1, June 1977, p. 19)

Mrs. Richardson’s acreage was primarily in Sections 19, 30, and 31 of T6S-R7W. In August 1877, she began procuring tracts from Napoleon Davis in this area. Mrs. Richardson farmed her lands and orchards with the assistance of Henry Webb (1829-1900+) and probably the advice of Theo Bechtel (1863-1931), the well known, pecan nurseryman, who resided at Ocean Springs.(JXCO Land Deed Bk. 13, p. 47)

In the harvest season of 1891, Mrs. Richardson sold for $500, most of her Le Conte pear crop to Parker Earle (1831-1917) of Ocean Springs. Mr. Earle was the proprietor of the Earle Farm and Parker Earle & Sons, growers and packers of selected fruit.(Glenn, 1893, p. 47)

A May 1892, guest of Mrs. Richardson noted her Le Conte and Kiefer pear orchards, young peach orchard, and hundreds of two year old trees for the next year market.(The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, May 20, 1892, p. 2)

In May 1906, Mary W. Richardson acquired the Oren Switzer (1837-1921) home on the southeast corner of Washington Avenue and Porter for $1700. At the same time, her daughter, Mrs. J.P. Van Cleave, bought the south half of Mr. Switzer’s lot on Washington Avenue for $1400. Both structures were destroyed in the Big Fire of 1916.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 31, pp. 260-261)

Mrs. Richardson later relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to be with the Junius P. Van Cleave family. She expired on April 3, 1927, at Philadelphia. Her remains were sent to the family burial ground at Lynville, Tennessee.(The Daily Herald, April 28, 1927, p. 7, c. 3)

In January 1906, the Van Cleave Brothers liquidated their stock. They then purchased land on the northeast corner of Washington and Porter, and built a store, the Van Cleave Brothers Store, in August 1906, which lasted for fifty-eight years.

J.P. Van Cleave store

J.P. Van Cleave purchased the Switzer Cash Store on the southeast corner of Washington and Porter in May 1906, from Owen Switzer. He remained here until February 1909, when he moved to Philadelphia to work with his brothers, Richard S. Van Cleave and Robert A. Van Cleave Jr. They were building contractors in the City of Brotherly Love. June Van Cleave returned to Ocean Springs about a year later in poor health. He had lost over fifty pounds of weight in the east.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 31, p. 260, The Ocean Springs News, February 20, 1909, and December 24, 1910)

Mr. and Mrs. Van Cleaves’s first daughter, Mary Witt Van Cleave, was born at Philadelphia in October 1909.(1910 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Federal Census, T624R1405, ED 820, pt. 2, p. 108A)

The spring of 1914 saw vast changes in the life of the J.P. Van Cleave family. In March, Van Cleave leased his J.P. Van Cleave Store on Washington Avenue to Charles B. Morrison (1868-1938) and sold his interest in the Van Cleave Brothers Store diagonally across the street to W.S. Van Cleave.

J.P. Van Cleave Store

This mercantile store was situated on the southeast corner of Washington Avenue and Porter, now Robert Mohler’s Corner. Junius P. Van Cleave (1879-1945+), who was a partner with W.S. Van Cleave (1871-1938) in the Van Cleave Brothers Store, which was located diagonally across the street on the northwest corner of Washington Avenue and Porter, acquired this excellent commercial parcel in May 1906 from Oren Switzer (1837-1921), a Canadian immigrant, who operated the Switzer Cash Store here prior to his sale to Mr. Van Cleave. J.P. Van Cleave remained here until February 1909, when he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to work with his brothers, Richard Van Cleave and Robert A. Van Cleave Jr. J.P. Van Cleave let the store to Charles B. Morrison (1868-1938) in 1914. In November 1916, “The Great Fire” commenced in the kitchen of the empty J.P. Van Cleave Store building. It raced south down Washington Avenue borne by a howling gale destroying many homes and several buildings including the firehouse and the Vahle House, an inn.

Charles B. Morrison

Charles Bickham Morrison (1868-1938), a native of Assumption Parish, Louisiana, was the son of Dr. John Morrison (b. 1832) and Mary Ellen Thomasson (b. 1844) and the nephew of Amanda Chick Shaffer (1841-1923), a wealthy plantation owner of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. Mrs. Shaffer was the widow of William Lafayette Shaffer (1834-1895), the founder of Cedar Grove Plantation, near Chacahoula, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. At Ocean Springs, she owned “White House Hill” from March 1909 until November 1922. This Greek Revival structure is one of our oldest, if not the oldest home, and situated at present day 214 Washington Avenue.(Terrebonne Life Lines, Spring 1995, p. 5)

Charles B. Morrison had arrived at Ocean Springs from Flora, Illinois, in February 1911. In early September 1911, The Ocean Springs News announced that C.E. (sic) Morrison, a gentleman of sufficient means to enter commerce, and a recent arrival to Ocean Springs from Flora, Illinois, was contemplating opening a variety store. A building for Mr. Morrison was erected on the H.F. Russell lot located on the southeast corner of Bowen and Washington next to the Picture Palace run by Mr. Illing. Work was commenced by carpenters on the structure on September 8, 1911.(The Ocean Springs News, September 2, 1911)

Economy Variety Store

Charles B. Morrison opened the Economy Variety Store in October 1911. It vended a general line of five and ten cent goods and other low priced articles. Morrison establishment was juxtaposed to the Picture Palace. He let a residence on Bowen Avenue from Albert C. Gottsche (1873-1949) in November 1911.(The Ocean Springs News, October 14, 1911, p. 5 and November 25, 1911)

J.P. Van Cleave Store

Charles B. Morrison took a lease from Junius P. Van Cleave (1878-1945+) in March 1914, on Mr. Van Cleave’s building and mercantile business on the southeast corner of Porter and Washington Avenue. J.P. Van Cleave and family were moving to Laurel, Mississippi where he was erecting a new structure to house his mercantile business, Van Cleave & Green.(The Ocean Springs News, March 28, 1914, p.1)

Circa 1915, Mr. Charles B. Morrison the following information was related in a local pamphlet:

Charles B. Morrison conducts one of the most prosperous stores at Ocean Springs. He has on hand a full line of fresh groceries, dry goods, shoes, notions, and a complete line of candies, cigars, etc. Mr. Morrison formerly resided in Terrebonne Parish. His boyhood days were spent on one of the large sugar plantations of that parish. For some years he was engaged in sugar planting, and removed to Battle Creek, Michigan to engage in the grocery business, in which venture he was highly successful. In connection with his Ocean Springs store, he has a large warehouse in the rear, which contains heavy staples in his line. Mr. Morrison has developed not only a large trade, but has a growing business in the interior of Jackson County. (Ocean Springs 1915, p. 32 )

On January 27, 1915, Charles B. Morrison had to liquidate the merchandise in his Ocean Springs store. Ill health had prevented him from giving proper attention to his business, which resulted in an unstable credit line. Morrison had started here in March 1914, when he bought out J.P. Van Cleave who moved to Laurel, Mississippi.(The Ocean Springs News, January 21, 1915, p. 1)

Biloxi

Circa 1929, Charles B. Morrison moved to Biloxi to be with his sister, Virginia M. Shanahan (1862-1943), the widow of Thomas B. Shanahan (1872-1932) of Ocean Springs. Thomas B. Shanahan, a carpenter, was the son of Irish immigrants, John J. Shanahan (1810-1892) and Maria Torney (1826-1909), who founded the Shanahan House, a popular hostelry on Washington Avenue. Thomas ran the Shanahan House after his mother’s demise and until it was destroyed by fire on Christmas Eve 1919.

At Biloxi, Charles B. Morrison and Virginia M. Shanahan resided at 143 Fayard Street. Mr. Morrison took care of the Pines Hotel on Washington Avenue in 1929, when ownership was transferred from Frank J. Raymond (1883-1952) to Mrs. Victor Levy.(The Jackson County Times, June 8, 1929, p. 1)

Mr. Morrison also worked for the WPA before his demise. He had been married to Pearl Walker (b. 1879) and they appear to have had a son. Upon their demise in 1938 and 1943 respectively, the corporal remains of Charles B. Morrison and his sister were buried in the Biloxi Cemetery.(Bradford-O’Keefe Book 25, p. 273, The Daily Herald, August 27, 1938, p. 6 and Bradford-O’Keefe Book 29, p. 185)

The "Big Fire"

The "Big Fire" of November 1916 at Ocean Springs commenced in the kitchen of the J.P. Van Cleave Store building. It had been vacant for a few months before the conflagration. Ocean Springs was fortunate as the great fire started at the leeward end of the business district on the southeast corner of Porter and Washington where the Mohler Service Station and Café are now located. A gale force wind blew out of the north and the flames and burning embers were sent south towards the beach with great celerity. The Richardson Cottage and the Firemen's Hall both near the fire's origin were rapidly consumed by the fast moving conflagration. People on Washington Avenue were on their roofs with buckets of water and brooms to sweep away the fire and burning particles. Suddenly the cry went out that the Vahle House, a local hostelry on the northwest corner of Washington and Calhoun, was ablaze. This tall, two-story house made the burning shingle roof impossible to reach and contain. Soon the flames leaped to the Armstrong and McFarland Cottages on the west side of Washington Avenue just south of the Vahle House. They were also destroyed. In these times, devastation by fire was complete as buildings were composed almost entirely of wood, a very combustible material. Only the yeoman efforts of the Ocean Springs Fire Company No. 1, the Hook and Ladder Company, and volunteer citizens saved other structure in the direct path of the conflagration. The Vahle House was valued at $2500.(The Jackson County Times, November 18, 1916, p. 1)

Sale

After the Great Fire, J.P. Van Cleave sold his vacant lot on the southeast corner of Washington And Porter to his brother, W.S. Van Cleave, on October 15, 1923. W.S. Van Cleave kept the property for a number of years before he conveyed it to the Texas Company in June 1930. There has been an automobile service station at this location continuously since Texaco acquired the lot. The Robert Mohler family operates here today selling petrol, food and beverages.(Jackson County, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 53, pp. 354 and Bk. 63, p. 479)

Laurel, Mississippi

In April 1914, Junius P. Van Cleave had moved his family to Laurel, Mississippi where he went into business as Van Cleave & Green. By November 1915, June Van Cleave was purchasing additional property north of his Laurel store on First Avenue. He planned to erect three cottages on them.(The Ocean Springs News, November 18, 1915)

In 1918, J.P. Van Cleave and family were still in Laurel as he registered for the WW I draft (1917-1918) at Jones County, Mississippi. January 1920 found the June Van Cleave family still at Laurel and in the grocery business. Mrs. Mary Witt Richardson, his mother-in-law, was with them as they resided on 4th Avenue.(1920 Jones Co., Mississippi Federal Census, T625_881, p. 5A, ED 87)

In 1923, J.P. Van Cleave joined his brother, Robert S. Van Cleave, in the construction business. They had a contract to build one thousand houses for the DuPont Engineering Company at Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

By 1930, the J.P. Van Cleaves were living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the Allen Lane Apartments. They later relocated to Richmond, Virginia. Vertalee Bradford Van Cleave (1916-2004) met Junius P. Van Cleave at Ocean Springs in the late 1940s, when he visited here from Virginia. Mrs. Minnie Van Cleave was still living in 1952. No further information.(Vertalee Bradford Van Cleave-1995 and 1930 Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania Federal Census, R2104, p. 47A, ED 622)


R.A. Van Cleave Recap
Among the many accomplishments earned during his life time, Robert A. Van Cleave (1840-1908) was appointed the first provisional Mayor of Ocean Springs in 1892, served as Postmaster here from 1872-1882, and was appointed from 1885-1889 as Special Agent of the U.S. Land Office to protect public timberlands. Vancleave, Mississippi was also named for him.(The Gulf Coast Times, October 28, 1949, p. 6)
During his tenure as Postmaster at Ocean Springs (1872-1882), Congress enacted the Mail Fraud Statue (1872); the Penny postal card was initiated (1873); the General Postal Union was formed (1874), which was later known as the Universal Postal Union; and the Office of Chief Postal Inspector was created by Congress (1880).

      Eliza Rebecca Sheppard was born circa Oct, 1840 at Mississippi. She was the daughter of George A. Sheppard and Sarah Ann (Unknown). Eliza married Robert Adrian Van Cleave, son of Jonathan Van Cleave and Elizabeth Rowland, in 1865 at Yazoo County, Mississippi. Eliza Rebecca Sheppard died in 1912. Eliza was buried at Evergreen Cemetery, Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi.
     In the census on Jun 8, 1880 Eliza Rebecca Sheppard was named E. R. Sheppard.

      Fannie B. Van Cleave was born on Aug 26, 1866 at Yazoo County, Mississippi. She was the daughter of Robert Adrian Van Cleave and Eliza Rebecca Sheppard. Fannie married Walter Hearn Covington, son of William Covington and Martha Rose Barnes, in Oct, 1886 at Mississippi. Fannie B. Van Cleave died in 1893. She died on Dec 5, 1893 at age 27.

      George Allen Van Cleave was born circa 1868 at Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi. He was the son of Robert Adrian Van Cleave and Eliza Rebecca Sheppard. George married Emma Catherine Noll, daughter of Albert P. Noll and Augustine J. Stein, on Dec 9, 1891 at Grace Church, Crescent City, Mississippi. George Allen Van Cleave died on Mar 24, 1897 at New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana.

      Robert Adrian Van Cleave Jr. was born in 1869 at Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi. He was the son of Robert Adrian Van Cleave and Eliza Rebecca Sheppard. Robert married Isabella Edwards on Jan 8, 1890 at Mississippi. Robert married Mabel Russell circa 1903. Robert Adrian Van Cleave Jr. died in 1938.
     He removed to at Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, circa 1900.

      William Sheppard Van Cleave was born circa Feb, 1870 at Jackson, Mississippi. He was the son of Robert Adrian Van Cleave and Eliza Rebecca Sheppard. William married Eudora Casey, daughter of John F. Casey and Mary Flynn, on Dec 28, 1897 at Ocean Springs Methdist Church, Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi. William Sheppard Van Cleave died on Feb 22, 1938 at Jackson, Mississippi. William was buried at Evergreen Cemetery, Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi.
     

      Richard S. Van Cleave was born in 1875 at Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi. He was the son of Robert Adrian Van Cleave and Eliza Rebecca Sheppard. Richard married Anna Hernrietta Tiedemann, daughter of Henry Tiedemann and Mary Jane Baird, circa 1911 at Possibly, Pennsylvania. Richard S. Van Cleave and Anna Hernrietta Tiedemann were divorced before 1930. Richard married Irene A. (Unknown).
     Richard S. Van Cleave was appointed by the Governor of Mississippi as the Mayor of on Sep 9, 1892 at Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He removed to at West Dayton Street, Flint, Genesee County, Michigan.

      Sarah Elizabeth Van Cleave was born in 1876 at Jackson, Mississippi. She was the daughter of Robert Adrian Van Cleave and Eliza Rebecca Sheppard. Sarah married Dunklin Felix Reid on Dec 28, 1897 at Ocean Springs Methdist Church, Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi. Sarah married George L. Westbrook, son of Edward M. Westbrook and Harriet Clark, circa 1909. Sarah Elizabeth Van Cleave died on May 14, 1934. Sarah was buried at Evergreen Cemetery.

      Junius Poitevent Van Cleave was born on Dec 6, 1878 at Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi. He was the son of Robert Adrian Van Cleave and Eliza Rebecca Sheppard. Junius married Minnie Clayton Richardson, daughter of William Richardson and Mary Witt, in Aug, 1904 at Methodist Church, Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi. Junius Poitevent Van Cleave died in 1945.
     He removed to at Hammac, Escambia County, Alabama, circa 1898. He removed to at Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi, in May, 1900.

      Walter Hearn Covington was born on Jul 23, 1863. He was the son of William Covington and Martha Rose Barnes. Walter married Fannie B. Van Cleave, daughter of Robert Adrian Van Cleave and Eliza Rebecca Sheppard, in Oct, 1886 at Mississippi.

      Irma Covington was born in 1887 at Mississippi. She was the daughter of Walter Hearn Covington and Fannie B. Van Cleave. Irma married Bill Tate.

     Walter Haven Covington Jr. was the son of Walter Hearn Covington and Fannie B. Van Cleave. Walter Haven Covington Jr. died young.

      Ora Mead Covington was born in 1893. She was the daughter of Walter Hearn Covington and Fannie B. Van Cleave. Ora Mead Covington died young.

     Bill married Irma Covington, daughter of Walter Hearn Covington and Fannie B. Van Cleave.

      Richard Van Cleave was born. He was the son of Robert Adrian Van Cleave Jr. and Isabella Edwards.

      Eudora Casey was born circa Dec, 1876 at Louisiana. She was the daughter of John F. Casey and Mary Flynn. Eudora married William Sheppard Van Cleave, son of Robert Adrian Van Cleave and Eliza Rebecca Sheppard, on Dec 28, 1897 at Ocean Springs Methdist Church, Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi. Eudora Casey died in 1950. Eudora was buried at Evergreen Cemetery, Ocean Springs, Jackson County, Mississippi.
     She was also known as Pearl Casey.