WILLIAM METCALF Community

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: Biography – Community Residents
William Metcalf (1885-1977)

William Metcalf, known as “Pappy Bill.” [pappybill1.jpg]

WILLIAM METCALF Community
Pine Mountain Valley Community Resident, 1885-1977


TAGS: William Metcalf, William M. Metcalf, Willie Metcalf, “Pappy Bill” Metcalf, Dillard Metcalf;, Allene (Nolan) Metcalf, Sara Elizabeth (Metcalf) Richardson, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Nolan, Dora Blevins, Metcalf Cemetery. The Harlan Enterprise obituaries. L&N Railroad


William Metcalf: HIS STORY AS TOLD BY HIS GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER

This is the story of William Metcalf as told by Cora Richardson, one of his 35 great-grandchildren. Cora is the granddaughter of William’s son, Dillard Metcalf, and Allene (Nolan) Metcalf, who were the parents of Sara Elizabeth (Metcalf) Richardson, Cora’s mother.

To my Mom, our family and me, he was known as “Pappy Bill” and, like everyone else, he went by several different names. Some knew him as Willy, Dry Bill or just William.

William was the son of Sarah Metcalf and his father was never disclosed to us.

He married Elizabeth “Lizzie” Nolan, daughter of Calvin and Sarah Jane (Blanton) Nolan, on April 26, 1903. They divorced shortly thereafter, probably just before their son Dillard Metcalf was born in 1904. After Lizzie gave birth to Dillard, her family would not let her keep him so she carried him across the mountain to give Dillard to his father William. But William was not home so Lizzie gave Dillard to William’s mother, Sarah Metcalf. Dillard was raised by his grandmother, Sarah Metcalf.

One tale that my grandfather [Dillard Metcalf] loved to tell was that as a young boy his Granny would milk the cow. She would want Dillard to drink the cream and he wanted the cream off the milk very much, but he would hold out [until] she would offer to pay him .05 cents to drink the cream. He would say that he got exactly what he wanted, the nickel and the cream…. He would just laugh with fond memories of his childhood. It is said that Sarah raised Dillard in a cave up on the cliffs across the road at 119 and 421 across from Baxter.

William then married Dora Blevins, daughter of James and Sarah Blevins, on March 7, 1908.

William was born at Poor Fork and then moved across the mountain to Pine Mountain where he married Lizzie. He lived at Pine Mountain on Big Laurel until after the 1940s when he moved back across the mountain to Totz. He lived here the rest of his life until he wasn’t able to live alone and he then lived with Dillard and [his wife Allene (Nolan) Metcalf] until he died. He passed in 1977 in Corbin, Whitley Co. 

William Metcalf: RESEARCH ON HIS LIFE AND FAMILY

William Metcalf’s birth date on his 1942 U.S. WWII Draft Registration Card was recorded as July 2, 1885. At the time he completed his Draft Registration, he was living in Pine Mountain, Kentucky, and working for the L&N (Louisville & Nashville) Railroad.

On the PMSS Collections website, “Mr. and Mrs. William Metcalf” is included in a card file that accompanied a Map of Community Residents, created during a survey of the PMSS community that took place from 1934 to 1942 and updated in later years. The file records the Metcalfs as living in Greasy and William’s employment as a bridge watchman. The survey also records that he had 9 children at the time.

Gathered from various sources, including information provided by Cora Richardson, the names of William’s children are as follows:

William and his first wife, Lizzie (Nolan) Metcalf (1888-1932), had one child: Dillard Metcalf.

William and his second wife, Dora (Blevins) Metcalf (1891-1969), had 11 children:

Edna Mae (Metcalf) Patterson (1910–2001)
George W. Metcalf (1912–1974)
Martha Metcalf (1914–1916)
Oceana (Metcalf) Mead (1916–1980)
Lincoln Metcalf (1918–1972)
Ruth Ellen (Metcalf) Kreiling [Kreyling?] (1920–2002)
Pearl Ambrose Metcalf (1923–1949)
Brutus Metcalf (1924 – ____)
Mary Winifred (Metcalf) Turner (1927–2009)
Swannee (Suanee) Sue (Metcalf) Hacker (1929–2002)
Herbert Hoover Metcalf (1931–1982)

Two of Wiliiam Metcalf’s children attended Pine Mountain Settlement School: Ruth Ellen Metcalf in 1935-1936 and Winifred Metcalf in 1941. His granddaughter (Dillard and Allene’s daughter), Ann (Metcalf) Long, also attended Pine Mountain Settlement School, graduating in 1949.

WILLIAM METCALF Community

William M. Metcalf gravestone at Metcalf Cemetery. Source: Findagrave.com. [pmss_metcalf_wm_grave.jpg]

William M. Metcalf’s gravestone in the Metcalf Cemetery, Harlan, Kentucky, indicates that he died June 19, 1977.

The Harlan Enterprise published his obituary (see Gallery) the day after his death and provided further information. He died at the age of 91 at the South Central Kentucky Baptist Hospital in Corbin. He lived in Harlan County all of his life, ending his days in the town of Totz. He had always been a farmer but also had worked for the L&N Railroad. He was survived by 7 of his children: Dillard, Herbert, Mrs. Edna Mae Patterson, Mrs. Oceana [Mead], Mrs. Ruth Ellen Kreling [Kreiling, Keryling?], Mrs. Winfred [Winifred?]Turner and Mrs. Suanee [Swannee] Hacker. He had 35 grandchildren and 50 great-grandchildren.


See Also:

MAP OF COMMUNITY RESIDENTS 1934 – 1942

METCALF FAMILY
ANN METCALF Biography
EDNA MAE (METCALF) PATTERSON Biography
WILLIAM METCALF Biography
JOHN D. SHELL Biography (granddaughter, Allene Nolan, married Dillard Metcalf)

NOLAN FAMILY
ELHANNON MURPHY NOLAN Biography
LIZZIE (NOLAN) METCALF SCEARCE Biography

SCEARSE (SCEARCE) FAMILY

Return To:
GUIDE TO FAMILIES IN THE PINE MOUNTAIN VALLEY COMMUNITY


William Metcalf: GALLERY

[Images courtesy of Cora Richardson.]

Title

William Metcalf

Alt. Title

William M. Metcalf ; Willie Metcalf ; Willy Metcalf ; Dry Bill Metcalf ; Pappy Bill Metcalf ;

Identifier

https://pinemountainsettlement.net/?page_id=55794

Creator

Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY

Alt. Creator

Ann Angel Eberhardt ; Helen Hayes Wykle ;

Subject Keyword

William Metcalf ; William M. Metcalf ; Pine Mountain Settlement School ;  Willie Metcalf ; “Pappy Bill” Metcalf ; Dillard Metcalf ; Allene (Nolan) Metcalf ; Sara Elizabeth (Metcalf) Richardson ; Elizabeth “Lizzie” Nolan ; Dora Blevins ; Metcalf Cemetery ; The Harlan Enterprise obituaries ; L&N Railroad ;

Subject LCSH

Metcalf, William B., — 1885-1977.
Pine Mountain Settlement School (Pine Mountain, Ky.) — History.
Harlan County (Ky.) — History.
Education — Kentucky — Harlan County.
Rural schools — Kentucky — History.
Schools — Appalachian Region, Southern.

Date

2018-07-11 aae

Publisher

Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY

Contributor

Cora Richardson, great-granddaughter of William M. Metcalf.

Type

Collections ; text ; image ;

Format

Original and copies of documents and correspondence in file folders in filing cabinet

Source

Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Community Residents

Language

English

Relation

Is related to: Pine Mountain Settlement School Collections, Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Community Residents

Coverage Temporal

1885 – 1992

Coverage Spatial

Pine Mountain, KY ; Harlan County, KY ; Poor Fork, KY ; Totz, KY ; Harlan, KY ; Corbin, KY ; 

Rights

Any display, publication, or public use must credit the Pine Mountain Settlement School. Copyright retained by the creators of certain items in the collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Donor

n/a

Description

Core documents, correspondence, writings, and administrative papers of William M. Metcalf ; clippings, photographs, books by or about William M. Metcalf ;

Acquisition

n/d

Citation

“[Identification of Item],” [Collection Name] [Series Number, if applicable]. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY.

Processed By

Helen Hayes Wykle ; Ann Angel Eberhardt ;

Last Updated

Bibliography

Sources

Cora Richardson (great-granddaughter of William M. Metcalf), Corbin, KY, 2018.

Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 12 July 2018), memorial page for William Metcalf (2 Jul 1885–19 Jun 1977), Find A Grave Memorial no. 153041969, citing Metcalf Cemetery, Harlan, Harlan County, Kentucky, USA ; Maintained by Cora L Richardson (contributor 48824391). Internet resource.

“United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942,” database with images, FamilySearch  (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKC4-BSC4 : accessed 2018-07-12), William M Metcalf, 27 Apr 1942; citing NARA microfilm publication M1936, M1937, M1939, M1951, M1962, M1964, M1986, M2090, and M2097 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). Internet resource.

“Metcalf.” DATABASE OF PMSS BOARDING SCHOOL STUDENTS; Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Community Residents. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY. Internet resource.

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