You’re reading “Echoes in Time,” a weekly newsletter by the Independent Herald that focuses on stories of years gone by in order to paint a portrait of Scott County and its people. “Echoes in Time” is one of six weekly newsletters published by the IH. You can adjust your subscription settings to include as many or as few of these newsletters as you want. If you aren’t a subscriber, please consider doing so. It’s free!
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by the Scott County Chamber of Commerce. Since 1954, the Scott County Chamber of Commerce has advocated for a strong community by supporting stronger infrastructure and leadership.
Remembering Judge William A. Terry
Before it was called Scott County Mayor, and before it was called Scott County Executive, the county’s top executive officer was termed the County Judge. And one of the men to hold that title, more than 100 years ago, was William A. Terry.
William Abner Terry was born May 8, 1873, the son of Milton Terry (1834-1904) and Jane Thomas (1830-1908).
The Terry family figured prominently in the early days of Scott County. William’s paternal grandfather — Milton’s father — was Josiah Terry, who lived about where Hardee’s is now located in Oneida and was said to be the town’s first permanent settler. A plaque outside city hall recognizes him as such. Josiah had a brother, Elijah Terry, who lived about where Burchfield School is now located before moving to Parch Corn Creek in what is now the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area. Together, the Terry brothers owned most of present-day Oneida. Josiah’s land holdings stretched from about Grape Rough Road to about where the Scott Farmers Co-Op is currently located.
Josiah Terry had been dead for five years by the time William Abner Terry was born in 1873. Meanwhile, his maternal grandfather was Abner Wiley Thomas, who owned the land around what is now Dexter Laxton Road on the east side of town. (William was named after him.)
William grew up and married Rosetta “Rosa” Litton (1872-1965), the daughter of Cornelius “Neal” Litton (1828-1890) and Eliza Ann Chitwood (1831-1909). Her father’s family was the Littons who settled the area that is now Litton Road, west of the Oak Grove intersection. Her mother was descended from Revolutionary War veteran James Chitwood, who founded Winfield.
All in all, you could say that William and Rosa’s folks were a sort of who’s who of the Oneida and Winfield pioneer days.
William and Rosa had seven children: Ethel Chester, born in 1894; Evelyn Barbara, born in 1898; Edgar, born in 1900; William Elso, born in 1902; Estele, born in 1904; Elbert Aubrey, born in 1906; and Virginia (Jennie), born in 1913.
Terry was extensively involved in public life. He served as a county court clerk and was the city recorder for Oneida. He also taught school and was a rural mail carrier. At various points in his adult life, he also farmed, mined, and owned a mercantile store.
Terry was active in the Scott County Republican Party, and in both the First Baptist Church of Oneida and Bethlehem Baptist Church. He served as Sunday school superintendent at both churches.
As for elected politics, Terry was elected justice of the peace to represent Oneida on the county court (what we now know as county commissioner), and in 1934 was elected Scott County Judge, replacing Mitt Robbins.
Terry was re-elected County Judge in 1938, serving a total of eight years before being replaced by C.W. Wright in the contested election of 1942.
Terry had a nephew, William Claude Terry, who served as mayor of Oneida in the 1920s. His cousin, Inman Terry, was the town’s mayor in the 1930s.
Terry’s brother, Milt, shot and killed a man — Thomas Phillips — in 1935, after Phillips entered Milt’s restaurant north of Oneida with a gun after Milt refused to sell him beer. Milt was seriously wounded, and his 17-year-old daughter was also wounded.
Terry died at his home in Oneida on Feb. 27, 1967, at the age of 93. A funeral service was held at Oneida Funeral Home with Rev. Roy Blevins and Rev. Philip Kazee officiating. He was buried at Litton Cemetery, where his wife had also been buried several months earlier.
Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be Threads of Life tomorrow. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!
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Our Newsletters:
• Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
• Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
• Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
• Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
• Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
• Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)