U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Merlethia McFadden
FLORENCE – The Rev. Merlethia “Merle” McFadden, 75, died Thursday, Dec. 21, 2006, in the Lake City Scranton Health Facility in Scranton.
Born Aug. 16, 1931, in Clarendon County, she was a daughter of the late Issac and Emma Rose McFadden.
Merle began her formal education in the public schools of Clarendon, Florence and Sumter counties and graduated from Gordon’s School of Cosmetology in Sumter. For many years, Merle taught in the Florence Public School District as a teacher in the Olanta Training School. At the same time, she owned Merle’s Beauty Salon and retired after 40 years in 1995. Since that point, she dedicated her time and talents to the church. Merle’s service was made in devotion through her role as missionary president, a member of the senior choir, a class leader and a member of the Oak Grove AME ministry staff. She demonstrated her personal relationship with the Lord through her belief that through faith, God heals all. She also served as beautician for Samuels Funeral Home and Samuels and Richardson Funeral Home.
Survivors include a son, Charles K. (Adrienne) Pack of Florence; a daughter, Vivian (Randolph) McElveen of Florence; a sister, Almeta Johnson of Turbeville; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a sister and four brothers.
Funeral services were held on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2006, at Oak Grove AME Church in Lake City, with the Rev. Oliver Davis, pastor, officiating, assisted by Elder Robert C. Cooper Sr., presiding elder of the Florence-Dillon district, and the Revs. Jimmy Wilson and Mary Rose and Minister Willie Rose.
Burial was in New McFadden Cemetery, Olanta.
Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning was in charge of arrangements.
John M. Pendergrass
John Moore “Red” Pendergrass, 92, husband of Elizabeth Jennings Pendergrass, died Friday, Dec. 22, 2006, at Sumter Health and Rehabilitation.
Born Aug. 16, 1914, in Williamsburg County, he was a son of the late Hugh Haynesworth Pendergrass and the late Louise Vermelle Gordon Pendergrass. He was first married to the late Dorothy Pack Pendergrass. He was a retired retail grocer, a National Guardsman, a member of Amity 340 Masonic Lodge, a Gideon member for 54 years and a member of Manning First Baptist Church, where he sang in the Silver Chords and sanctuary choirs.
He is survived by his wife of Sumter; three daughters, Helen (Carroll) King of Leesville, Ruth (Paul) Petersen of Winterville, N.C., and Carolyn (C.B.) Mathis of Lancaster; a sister, Haynesworth Benton of Lancaster; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held on Sunday, Dec. 24, 2006 at Manning First Baptist Church with the Rev. Jerry Cottone officiating.
Burial followed in Mount Hope Cemetery in Florence.
Pallbearers were Paul Petersen, Carroll King, C. B. Mathis, Bucky King, Tom King and Craig Mathis.
Local Gideons served as honorary pallbearers.
Memorials may be made to Gideons, c/o John Carlton, P. O. Box 1021, Summerton, S.C. 29148.
Stephens Funeral Home and Crematory of Manning was in charge of arrangements.
Mattie M. Pendergrass
Mattie M. Pendergrass died Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006, at Hopewell Healthcare.
Born in Clarendon County on May 10, 1906, she was the daughter of the late Essie Wise. Mrs. Pendergrass was a lifetime resident of Sumter and a faithful member of Union Station AME Church until her health failed.
She is survived by a host of nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by four sisters and four brothers.
Funeral services were held on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2006, at Union Station AME Church in Sumter, with the Rev. Dr. Friendly Joseph Gadson, pastor, officiating.
Burial was in Hillside Memorial Park.
Scriven Funeral Home of Sumter was in charge of arrangements.
Connie T. Perry
FLORENCE – Connie Tobias Perry, 92, widow of Charles E. Perry, died Wednesday, December 27, 2006, in Carolinas Hospital System in Florence.
Born October 29, 1914, in the Wilson Community of Manning, she was a daughter of the late Daniel F. and Hessie Lowder Tobias. She was a Manning High School graduate, retired assistant manager of Belk Department Store, and a member of Wilson Union United Methodist Church in the Wilson Community of Manning.
Surviving are a daughter, Frances Perry (Robert) Mahoney of Florence; a brother, Frank Tobias of Manning; a sister-in-law, Billie Ruth Furr of Pineville, N.C.; three grandchildren, Robbie (Katie) Mahoney and Chuck (Betty) Mahoney, all of Florence, and Denise M. (Bennie) Benton of Wilson, N.C.; five great-grandchildren, Meagan Mahoney, Claire Mahoney, Emily Mahoney, Caleb Mahoney and Luke Benton; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held on Friday, Dec. 29, 2006, in the chapel of Stephens Funeral Home with the Rev. Devere Williams officiating.
Burial followed in Wilson Union United Methodist Church Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Robbie Mahoney, Chuck Mahoney, Benny Benton, Joe Furr, Lionel M. Holladay Jr. and Danny Holladay.
Memorials may be made to Wilson Union United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 780, Manning, S.C. 29102.
Stephens Funeral Home and Crematory of Manning was in charge of arrangements.
Manton M. Plowden
Manton McCutchen Plowden, 92, widow of Col. Alfred Judson “Pudge” Plowden Jr., died Friday, Dec. 22, 2006, in the Summerville Presbyterian Home.
Born March 30, 1914, in Bishopville, she was a daughter of the late M.B. and Janie Hollingsworth McCutchen. She was a retired schoolteacher and District 3 librarian. Mrs. Plowden was a graduate of Winthrop College and earned a master’s degree in library science at Columbia College. She was a member of the DAR, American Legion Auxiliary, and was on the board of visitors at USC for 27 years. She was a member of Summerton Presbyterian Church and an associate member of Scots Kirk Presbyterian Church in Summerville.
Surviving are two daughters, Carolyn P. (L.H.) Turner and of Mount Pleasant and B.J. (John) Knippel of Amelia Island, Fla.; a sister, Carolyn Matthews of Florence; three grandchildren, Bryan Judson Helms of Atlanta, Hollis Helms Erickson of Daniel Island, and Margaret McCutchen Nichols of Marietta, Ga.; and three great-granddaughters.
Services were held on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2006, at Summerton Evergreen Cemetery with the Revs. Garland Hart and George Bush officiating.
Memorials may be made to Summerton Presbyterian Church, 16 S. Cantey St., Summerton, S.C. 29148; Scot Kirk Presbyterian Church, 1435 Old Trolley Road, Summerville, S.C. 29485; or Lutheran Hospice, 900 Johnnie Dodd Blvd., Suite 200, Mount Pleasant, S.C. 29464.
Stephens Funeral Home and Crematory of Manning was in charge of arrangements.
David Preston Jr.
David Preston Jr., 57, widower of Eugenia Sheriod Preston and companion of Karen Hill, died Friday, Dec. 15, 2006, at Clarendon Memorial Hospital, Manning.
Born Jan. 1, 1949, in the Cypress Fork section of Alcolu, he was a son of Maggie Gadson Preston and the late David Preston Sr. He received his formal education in the public schools of Clarendon County, graduating from Manning Training School in 1967. In his youth, he attended Cypress Fork AME Church. He was a photographer and an artist. He retired from the American Museum of Natural History in 
New York City, where he worked for 15 years.
Survivors besides his mother, Maggie S. Preston of Manning and companion, Karen Hill of Manning, include two sons, Darryl (Maria) Preston and Quentin Preston, both of New York, N.Y.; two stepdaughters, Kamica and Angela; one brother, Leon (Lizzie) Preston of Manning; four grandchildren, Anthony Preston, Kayla Preston, Aisiem Benton and Juwon Preston; three aunts; and two uncles.
Funeral services were held on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006, at Hayes F. Samuels Sr. Memorial Chapel in Manning, with Brother Ed Ross officiating, assisted by Brother General Benbow.
Burial was in Reeseville AME Church Cemetery.
Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning was in charge of arrangements.
Janet B. Brewster
Janet Bradham Brewster, 85, widow of Marcus Victor Brewster, died Friday, Dec. 29, 2006, in Melrose-Wakefield Hospital in Melrose, Mass.
Born April 19, 1921, in Manning, she was a daughter of the late John Ingram and Elizabeth Allred Bradham. She attended George Washington University, Washington, D.C., where in 1942 she met and married Marcus V. Brewster. They made their home in Stoneham, Mass., a suburb of Boston, where she continued her education at Suffolk University and Massachusetts Bay College, graduating in business administration. She and her husband lived in the Boston area until returning to Manning in 1984. After the death of her husband in 1995, she returned to her longtime home of Stoneham in 1999, to reside with her daughter.
Janet worked 23 years for the U.S. Government, Departments of HEW and Education, as an administrator, an investigator and as a civil rights specialist, during which time she pursued genealogical research as a vocation. Discovering that very little had been written about the Bradham heritage, Janet resolved to learn and record all she could about Bradham families and preserve it for future generations. She retired in 1981 and devoted the next five years full time to researching and writing A Bradham Family History and Genealogy.
She was a member of the First Congregational Church of Stoneham since 1950, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society, Sumter Chapter S.C. Genealogical Society, Three Rivers Historical Society, Genealogical Society of North Brevard, Clarendon County S.C. Historical Society, the Huguenot Society of South Carolina and United Daughters of the Confederacy. In addition to her Bradham heritage, she extensively researched her maternal lines, having authored several typescripts on the Cordell, Stepp, and Allred families, all presently in preparation for publication.
She is survived by two daughters, Carol Nickerson of Stoneham and Marsha Briones of Honolulu, Hawaii; a son, M. Bradham Brewster of Fairfax, Va.; a sister, W. Ellen Corrigan of Titusville, Fla.; 10 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Graveside services were held on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2006 in the Manning Cemetery with the Rev. Jerry Cottone officiating.
Memorials may be made to Fellowship Baptist Cemetery, c/o Betty Smith, 2387 Old Georgetown Road, Manning, S.C. 29102.
Stephens Funeral Home and Crematory of Manning was in charge of arrangements.
William R. Files Jr.
William Rolfe Files Jr., 91, husband of Lois Johnson Hughes Files, died Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007, at Lake Marion Nursing Home in Summerton.
Born Feb. 10, 1915, in Providence, R.I., he was a son of the late William R. and Viola May Files Sr. He was a retired mechanical engineer, a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, a 32nd-degree Mason, member of Jamil Temple in Columbia and former owner and operator of Summerton Diner, retiring in 1986.
Surviving besides his wife of Summerton are two daughters, Debbie Shaughnessy and Dr. Patricia Smart of Greenville; a stepdaughter, Lynnelle Blackwell of Summerton; a stepson, Gary Ben Hughes of Columbia; five grandchildren, Jill Anderson, Chris and Trey Townsend, Scott and Stephen Shaughnessy; three step-grandchildren, John and Michael Buvid and Bonnie Felder; 12 great-grandchildren; and six step-great-grandchildren.
A memorial service was held on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007, in the chapel of Stephens Funeral Home in Manning with the Rev. Rob Pierce officiating.
Memorials may be made to Summerton Evergreen Cemetery, c/o Johnny Scott, P.O. Box 206, Summerton, S.C. 29148.
Stephens Funeral Home and Crematory of Manning was in charge of arrangements.
Rebecca Mouzon Gaines
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Rebecca Mouzon Gaines, 79, wife of Rhoma Lee Gaines, died Sunday, Dec. 24, 2006, at Erie County Home, Buffalo.
Born Sept. 3, 1927, in the Foreston community of Manning, she was a daughter of the late Sam James Mouzon and Mollie Samuels Mouzon.
Funeral services were held on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007, at Hayes F. Samuels Sr. Memorial Chapel in Manning, with the Rev. Emanuel Evans, pastor, officiating.
Burial was in Muldrow Cemetery.
Samuels Funeral Home of Manning was in charge of arrangements.
Myrtis Margaret Hodge
Myrtis Margaret Hodge, 80, widow of Dewey G. Hodge, died Sunday, January 7, 2007, at her daughter’s home in Manning.
Born September 20, 1926, in Clarendon County, she was a daughter of the late Junious Elliott Hodge and the late Ruby Carroll Hodge. She was a member of Cross Roads Bible Fellowship Church, and was retired from Campbell’s Soup in Sumter.
She is survived by two daughters, Loretta Geddings of Sumter and Gloria (Jerry) Raymond of Manning; two sons, J. W. (Gladys) Hodgeand Gilbert Hodge, both of Manning.; a sister, Thelma Davis of Manning; a brother, Cecil (Mary Rose) Hodge of Manning; seven grandchildren; twelve great grandchildren; and a number of nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007, in the chapel of Stephens Funeral Home in Manning with the Rev. John Hall and the Rev. Keith Burgess officiating.
Burial followed in Cross Roads Bible Fellowship Church Cemetery.
Nephews served as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers were Dr. Mitchell Grumsley and Dr. James B. Cahill.
Memorials may be made to Cross Roads Bible Fellowship Church, Hwy. 261, Manning, S.C. 29102.
Stephens Funeral Home and Crematory of Manning was in charge of arrangements.
