Memorials › Floyd Clinton "Bill" Chitwood

Floyd Clinton "Bill" Chitwood

13 Mar 1886 – 19 Oct 1959

Birth13 Mar 1886
Death19 Oct 1959
Added byBen Cynova on 16 Nov 2021
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/154028220

Bio

Floyd Clinton Chitwood (1886–1959) Floyd Clinton Chitwood was born on 13 March 1886 in the rural community of Ector in Fannin County, Texas, a region characterized by small farms, tenant agricultural life, and close-knit extended families. He was the son of Sparrell Hale Chitwood, a Civil War veteran and farmer, and Mary Cassandre Stephenson. Growing up in a large blended household, Floyd experienced both the rhythms and hardships of farm life from an early age. His childhood was marked by the births of several younger siblings—Bernice (1889), Dona Gay (1891), Bruce (1893), and Earl (1898)—and by the tragic loss of his sister Pearl Gertrude in 1898. By 1900, fourteen-year-old Floyd was living at home in Justice Precinct 1 of Fannin County. Like many young men of his generation, he entered the workforce early. In the years that followed, he worked as an automobile shop laborer, reflective of the rapidly expanding car industry in the early 20th century. This mechanical background complemented the agricultural skills he had learned in childhood and followed him throughout his working life. World War I Draft Registration During World War I, Floyd registered for the draft in Fannin County. His card describes him as medium height, medium build, with black hair and brown eyes, and living in Ector at the time. The document captures him during a key transitional period—still working as a laborer while gradually shifting into full-time farming. Marriage, Farming Life, and Children On 14 October 1905, Floyd married Era Mae Witherspoon in Hunt County, Texas. Together they had four children: • Emmett (1906–1912) • Savana Geneve (born 1911) • Veda Mae (1913–1968) • Robert Thurman (1916–1984) Their early family life combined Floyd's growing commitment to farming with the lingering influence of his mechanical skills. The death of their firstborn son, Emmett, in 1912 brought profound grief. Around 1910 and the early 1910s, Floyd lived in Denison, Grayson County—a busy railroad and manufacturing town—consistent with his work in early automotive labor. Later Marriages and Transition to Tennessee Around 1917, Floyd married Mary Royce Ray, with whom he had one son: • Royce Ray Chitwood (1918–1967) Sometime after the 1920s, Floyd moved from Texas to Tennessee, marking a significant shift in his life. He later married Mattie Elizabeth Autry, and the couple settled in Dyersburg, Dyer County, located in the rich agricultural region of West Tennessee. Here Floyd spent his later decades, rooted in the slower pace and close community ties typical of mid-century rural Tennessee. Final Years In his old age, Floyd continued to reside in Dyersburg, but when serious medical needs arose he sought specialized care in Memphis, the nearest major medical center for the region. It was there, in Memphis, Shelby County, that he passed away on 19 October 1959 at age 73. Though born a Texas farm boy and early automobile shop laborer, Floyd's life spanned dramatic eras—from the advent of motor travel to the agricultural transformations of the 20th century. His later years in Tennessee and his large, dispersed family stand as a testament to a life lived across two distinct regions of the American South and Southwest. Removal, 20 Oct 1959, Dyersburg, Tennessee National Funeral Home Memphis Sources World War I Draft Registration Card — Floyd Clinton Chitwood; 1917–1918; residence: Ector, Fannin County, Texas. (Draft registration; physical description: medium height/build, black hair, brown eyes.) 1900 United States Federal Census — Justice Precinct 1 (West Part), Fannin County, Texas. (Floyd age 14; son in household.) 1910 United States Federal Census — Dennison Ward 4, Grayson County, Texas. (Residence noted circa 1910.) Marriage record — Floyd C. Chitwood & Era Mae Witherspoon; married 14 Oct 1905; Hunt County, Texas. Birth / family entries (vital events from local records / compiled family tree) — Children and sibling birth years and places: Emmett (b.13 Mar 1906, Ector, Fannin, TX), Savana Geneve (b.25 Feb 1911, Denison, Grayson, TX), Veda Mae (b.27 Jun 1913, Ector, Fannin, TX), Robert Thurman (b.13 Dec 1916, Fannin, TX), Royce Ray (b.14 May 1918, Ector, Fannin, TX); siblings Bernice (1889), Dona Gay (1891), Bruce (1893), Earl (1898), Leonard "Lyn" (1902), Bluford (1907), Clyde (1883), Pearl Gertrude (1880–1898), half-brothers Martin Luther (1873–1921), Ausburn Brown (1868–1941). Second marriage (brief reference) — Floyd C. Chitwood & Mary Royce Ray; circa 1917; Texas (son Royce Ray b.1918). 1940 United States Federal Census — Dyer (Dyer County), Tennessee. (Residence 1 Apr 1940.) 1950 United States Federal Census — Dyer, Tennessee. (Residence recorded in 1950.) Death of wife Mattie Elizabeth Autry — 27 Aug 1954; Dyersburg, Dyer County, Tennessee. Death record — Floyd Clinton Chitwood — 19 Oct 1959; Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee. Family notices / probate / local cemetery entries (used for family links and dates) — assorted county vital records and compiled family-tree entries supporting births, deaths, and relationships (Fannin County, TX; Grayson County, TX; Dyer County, TN; Shelby County, TN; Corona, Lincoln, NM).

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