Black Sheep Sunday - Part 12 (1958-1960) of From small town Georgia boy to notorious Texas (and beyond!) con man

 

This post is the 12th in a series of posts about the life of my cousin and con man Elridge Solomon Price, Sr.  You can find the other installments here:  

Part 1 (Preview up to 1913)  

Part 2 (1913-1930) 

Part 3 (1931-1934) 

Part 4 (1935-1939)  

Part 5 (1940) 

Part 6 (1941-1943) 

Part 7 (1944-1946)  

Part 8 (1947) 

Part 9 (1948-1950)

Part 10 (1951-1955)

Part 11 (1956-1957)

The year 1958 started out easy enough.  The Supreme Court had ruled on whose lien should take priority - Elridge's workers (mechanics lien) or the government (tax lien).  While the local and state courts took the workers' side, of course the IRS took it to the Federal Supreme Court and they ruled that the tax lien should take priority.  Shocker!  Of course, everyday folks did not agree with this finding.

Newspapers.com, Pampa Daily News, Pampa, Texas,
Sunday, January 05, 1958, Page 4

A whole year went by with no news about ole Elridge.  But in January 1959, Elridge's luck went from bad to worse with the dismissal of his appeal on the sentence he received in Georgia in 1957.

Newspapers.com, The Official Daily Court Record, New Orleans, Louisiana,
Tuesday, January 27, 1959, Page 1

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Friday, February 06, 1959, Page 7

In an Elridge Price typical move, he ran.  He did not turn  himself in to start his prison sentence, and he disappeared.  The manhunt was on.  

Newspapers.com, San Angelo Evening Standard, San Angelo, Texas,
Wednesday, February 11, 1959, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The San Angelo Weekly Standard, San Angelo, Texas,
Friday, February 13, 1959, Page 6

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Thursday, April 16, 1959, Page 6

Newspapers.com, The Colton Courier, Colton, California,
Thursday, December 17, 1959, Page 8

Newspapers.com, Medford Mail Tribune, Medford, Oregon,
Thursday, December 17, 1959, Page 7

Newspapers.com, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, California,
Friday, December 18, 1959, Page 5

Newspapers.com, Redlands Daily Facts, Redlands, California,
Saturday, December 19, 1959, Page 4

Newspapers.com, Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona,
Saturday, December 19, 1959, Page 59

Newspapers.com, The San Bernardino County Sun, San Bernardino, California,
Sunday, December 20, 1959, Page 6

Newspapers.com, Rialto Record, Rialto, California,
Monday, December 21, 1959, Page 10

Newspapers.com, Daily Press (formerly The Victor Press), Victorville, California,
Thursday, December 31, 1959, Page 1

Happy New Year 1960, Elridge!! You're caught!

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Saturday, January 02, 1960, Page 8

Newspapers.com, El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas,
Saturday, January 02, 1960, Page 16

Newspapers.com, The Daily Advance, Lynchburg, Virginia,
Saturday, January 02, 1960, Page 1

It may seem that I share a lot of news stories that say the same thing over and over.  However, many of the articles are just different enough... they add an interesting bit of information to the story.  Take for example this next article... the last paragraph took me by surprise.  It also saddened me because I so wanted Edith to escape her life with Elridge unscathed.  

Newspapers.com, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio,
Sunday, January 03, 1960, Page 3

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Monday, January 04, 1960, Page 2

That is all.  Nothing more the rest of 1960. They must have moved him to a prison at some point, but it was never printed in a newspaper I could find.

Check back next week for the finale of this series.  Yes, folks, I'm sorry but we are approaching the end of this story.  It's been quite a ride.  But don't leave now.  The story isn't over until it's over.  

Sympathy Saturday

 

    Sympathy Saturday will be where I share the obituaries and my condolences for members of my family tree who passed recently.  When you get to be a certain age, you begin to read the obituaries every day.  As the days go by, you read about more and more of your friends and family members who have died.  You compare their age to your own and get a jolt. "That could have been me." 

    For genealogists, checking obituaries and visiting cemeteries is as normal as breathing. I learn so much from an obituary, i.e., maiden names, parents' names; children's' and grandchildren's' names, funeral and burial locations, sometimes even a cause of death.  I want to learn these things not for any purpose but to put it on the family tree for future generations to see and learn about the family that went before them. I admit, most of these relatives I have never met, but I think it is important to share that they were here on this Earth, and they were important.

    So I am signed up with at least three funerals homes from Swainsboro, Vidalia, and Wrightsville to get daily notices of obituaries sent to my email.  Every day, I peruse them and with the help of the family tree, figure out who is related to me and add any new information to the tree. Some weeks there are several, and some weeks there are none. We have one this week

    Please join me in offering condolences to her family and holding them in the light.

Nancy "Darling" Powell Winfrey
Apr 14, 1943 - Sep 28, 2026

Funeral services for Nancy “Darling” Powell Winfrey, age 83, will be held at 11:00 A.M. Thursday, October 1, 2026, at Kite First Baptist Church with burial to follow in Kite City Cemetery. Rev. Burton Dixon and Rev. Sammy Hall will officiate.

Mrs. Winfrey was born on April 14, 1943, in Wrightsville, Georgia. She was a retired supervisor with Easter Seals. She was a member of Kite First Baptist Church, where she served as secretary, and was a member of the Kite Homemakers Club. Her greatest love was her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, John Ezra Powell and Frances Logue Powell; siblings, Wilson Powell, William Powell, J.B. Powell, Russell Powell, W.S. Powell and Sally Pullen. Mrs. Winfrey passed away on Monday, September 28, 2026, at Fairview Park Hospital.

She is survived by her loving husband of 65 years, Harry Winfrey of Wrightsville; daughter, Wendy Powell (Rex) of Wrightsville; son, Jeff Winfrey (Cheryl) of Wrightsville; 4 grandchildren, Mandy Berry (Sean) of Brooklet, Krystal Tanner (Toby), Brandi Rowland (John Allen) and Jason Winfrey (Samantha) all of Wrightsville; 6 great grandchildren, Knox Tanner, Piper Tanner, Brooklyn Taylor, Rhett Rowland, Blakelee Rowland and Waylon Thompson; and a special nephew, Burnon Powell.

Pallbearers will be Jason Winfrey, John Allen Rowland, Toby Tanner, Sean Berry, Keith Powell, Ken Powell and Dale Powell.

The family will receive friends from 10:00 A.M. to 10:45 A.M. on Thursday at the church.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Kite First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 31 Kite, GA 31049.

Stanley Funeral Homes and Crematory/Wrightsville Chapel has charge of the funeral arrangements. 

Friday Funny

 

Now that it is Fall and getting cooler, I am ready!!

Surname Word Cloud

 

I don't know if any of my readers have noticed, but there is new image gadget on my blog.  I'll share it here, but please check it out there on the side the next time you open my blog to read a post!

This was very simple to do!  It was made by ChatGPT using a surname report I prepared in Family Tree Maker (FTM) 2024.  The size of the each name corresponds to the number of individuals in my tree with that last name.  So obviously, I have mostly Tapleys in my tree, but surprisingly, Price, Claxton, and Powell are right up there!  You can do one with every surname in your tree, as I did, or you can limit it to just your immediate or extended family.  It's entirely up to you.

How did I learn about Surname Word Clouds and how to make one?  I am so glad you asked!  Thanks to Randy Seaver over at Genea-Musings.com, I read his weekly post of the Best of the Genea-Blogs -- Week of 13 to 19 September 2026 and found a link to Doris Kenney's blog, A Tree With No Name.  You can read the excellent directions she provides on her post Updating My Genealogy Surname Word Cloud - and a Little Blog Housekeeping and make your own!  (And I got a new blogging friend out of deal, too!)

I'm going to hold on to her post for future updates like she did.  It will interesting to see how the surnames "grow" in my cloud.

(Please note that I had to remove my underlines for an unknown surname from my list or 5 dashes would have appeared in the Word Cloud.  I really don't want to think about how many surnames I do not know!)

Tombstone Tuesday

 

Veta Irene Herrmann Barwick

buried at

Watson Cemetery
Adrian, Emanuel County, Georgia, USA

Military Monday

 

George W Watson

11 Oct 1921 or 1922 - 30 Jul 1944

Georgia, USA
TEC5 Infantry, 66 Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division
World War II

Draft Registration Card:

WWII Application for Headstone or Marker:

Note: Birth year in Military Records was 1922; in family records it was 1921.  

One family tree listed that he died in Kin, Liege, Belgium.  However, Google Gemini cannot find a town or village by that name in Belgium. Also, his regiment or division was not in Belgium in July of 1944.  They had landed on the beaches of Normandy in early June of that year and had been slowly fighting their way inland.  They did not arrive in Belgium until September.  So the exact location or circumstances of his death are unknown.  

Thank you for your service and ultimate sacrifice.  

Black Sheep Sunday - Part 11 (1956-1957) of From small town Georgia boy to notorious Texas (and beyond!) con man

 

This post is the 11th in a series of posts about the life of my cousin and con man Elridge Solomon Price, Sr.  You can find the other installments here:  

Part 1 (Preview up to 1913)  

Part 2 (1913-1930) 

Part 3 (1931-1934) 

Part 4 (1935-1939)  

Part 5 (1940) 

Part 6 (1941-1943) 

Part 7 (1944-1946)  

Part 8 (1947) 

Part 9 (1948-1950)

Part 10 (1951-1955)

Come 1956, it must have been Georgia's turn on the fraud spin wheel.  Elridge is indicted again.

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Tuesday, March 27, 1956, Page 2

The following article out of Monroe, Louisiana, added a colorful description and some new, interesting information, i.e., "Cadillac and diamond necklace profits" and "assaulting a federal tax officer" !!  

Newspapers.com, The News-Star (formerly The Monroe News-Star), Monroe, Louisiana,
Wednesday, March 28, 1956, Page 9

(I checked and re-checked February of 1956 to try to find something about Elridge assaulting a federal tax officer, but I found nothing.)

Unfortunately, is appears that Edith is now neck deep in Elridge's shenanigans.

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia,
Wednesday, March 28, 1956, Page 3

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Saturday, April 14, 1956, Page 2

Newspapers.com, Standard-Times (formerly San Angelo Standard-Times), San Angelo, Texas,
Saturday, April 14, 1956, Page 5

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Saturday, May 05, 1956, Page 8

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia,
Saturday, November 10, 1956, Page 2

Then it was 1957 and this picture about sums up Elridge's year, and it is just beginning!

In between all his other troubles, Elridge was sued by his workers in Colorado for not paying them.  This case will go all the way to the Supreme Court.

Newspapers.com, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Fort Collins, Colorado,
Wednesday, February 20, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Fort Collins, Colorado,
Monday, March 11, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia,
Tuesday, August 20, 1957, Page 19

Newspapers.com, The Valdosta Daily Times, Valdosta, Georgia,
Thursday, August 22, 1957, Page 16

Newspapers.com, The Valdosta Daily Times, Valdosta, Georgia,
Tuesday, September 10, 1957, Page 1

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Tuesday, September 10, 1957, Page 6

Newspapers.com, Standard-Times (formerly San Angelo Standard-Times), San Angelo, Texas, 
Wednesday, September 11, 1957, Page 1

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Wednesday, September 11, 1957, Page 1

Newspaper.com, The Houston Post, Houston, Texas,
Thursday, September 12, 1957, Page 51

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Thursday, September 12, 1957, Page 31

Newspapers.com, The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina,
Friday, September 13, 1957, Page 35

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Friday, September 13, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, Standard-Times (formerly San Angelo Standard-Times), San Angelo, Texas,
Saturday, September 14, 1957, Page 1

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Tuesday, September 17, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Wednesday, September 18, 1957, Pages 1 & 4

Newspapers.com, Tyler Morning Telegraph, Tyler, Texas,
Thursday, September 19, 1957, Page 16

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Thursday, September 19, 1957, Pages 1 & 18

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia,
Saturday, September 21, 1957, Page 9

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Saturday, September 21, 1957, Pages 1 & 15

Newspapers.com, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Fort Collins, Colorado,
Monday, September 23, 1957, Page 10

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Monday, September 23, 1957, Page 20

Newspapers.com, Abilene Reporter-News, Abilene, Texas,
Tuesday, September 24, 1957, Page 6

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Tuesday, September 24, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Wednesday, September 25, 1957, Pages 1 & 6

Newspapers.com, The Valdosta Daily Times, Valdosta, Georgia,
Thursday, September 26, 1957, Page 18

Newspapers.com, The Midland Reporter-Telegram, Midland, Texas,
Friday, September 27, 1957, Page 16

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Friday, September 27, 1957, Page 4

Newspapers.com, The Evening Mirror, Hillsboro, Texas,
Tuesday, October 01, 1957, Page 1

Newspapers.com, The Valdosta Daily Times, Valdosta, Georgia,
Tuesday, October 01, 1957, Page 12

Newspapers.com, The Odessa American, Odessa, Texas,
Wednesday, October 02, 1957, Page 1

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Wednesday, October 02, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Midland Reporter-Telegram, Midland, Texas,
Thursday, October 03, 1957, Page 4

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Thursday, October 03, 1957, Page 55

Newspapers.com, The Evening Mirror, Hillsboro, Texas,
Friday, October 04, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Friday, October 04, 1957, Pages 1 & 4

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia,
Saturday, October 05, 1957, Page 8

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia,
Tuesday, October 08, 1957, Page 10

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Tuesday, October 08, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Wednesday, October 09, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia,
Thursday, October 10, 1957, Page 15

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Thursday, October 10, 1957, Page 17

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia,
Friday, October 11, 1957, Page 8

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia,
Saturday, October 12, 1957, Page 3

Newspapers.com, Abilene Reporter-News, Abilene, Texas,
Saturday, October 12, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Saturday, October 12, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Monday, October 14, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia,
Tuesday, October 15, 1957, Page 6

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Tuesday, October 15, 1957, Pages 1 & 11

Newspapers.com, The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, Colorado,
Wednesday, October 16, 1957, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia,
Wednesday, October 16, 1957, Page 5

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Wednesday, October 16, 1957, Pages 1 & 8

Newspapers.com, The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, Colorado,
Thursday, October 17, 1957, Page 5

Newspapers.com, The Tulsa Tribune, Tulsa, Oklahoma,
Friday, October 18, 1957, Page 1

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Saturday, October 19, 1957 Page 2

Newspapers.com, Abilene Reporter-News, Abilene, Texas,
Saturday, November 09, 1957, Page 20

Here's my question. He was in federal court in Atlanta.  Then why did he go all the way down to Pensacola, Florida to the hospital for treatment of the flu???

Newspapers.com, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Fort Collins, Colorado,
Monday, November 11, 1957, Page 4

Newspapers.com, The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Georgia,
Friday, November 22, 1957, Page 1

It was a tough couple of years for Elridge.  Come back in a week to see what happens next.  Will he actually go to prison?  Or will he win his appeal? With Elridge, there is no predicting the outcome of any situation.