Green Rives of Dinwiddie County Virginia

Transcribed from book written by John R. T. Rives

(1) HARRY MONROE RIVES (Benjamin Joseph) , horn Oct. 28, 1891, Birmingham, Alabama, where he resides. He was employed by the L & N Railroad as Bill Clerk and later as a railway car repairman. He was defeated as a candidate for Mayor of Inglenook, a suburb of Birmingham.

He was local grievance chairman of the men in the strike of 1922, which resulted in a failure of the strike. Following the collapse of the strike, he went into the construction business and engaged in cement and brick work and general contracting. He married July 3, 1911, Lena Catherine Dean, daughter of Pleasant Anderson and Nannie (Nelson) Dean of Shelbyville, Tenn., and had issue:

(1) NANNIE MAUDE RIVES (Harry Monroe) , born August 14, 1912, married to Lloyd Eugene Melson, January 14, 1934. They reside at 1115 S. State Street, Bellevidere, Illinois. Issue:

(3) JOHN HERBERT RIVES (Harry Monroe), born January 1, 1919; married Evelyn Perry, June 10, 1944 in Nashville, Tenn. Issue:

JOHN HERBERT RIVES Joined Army January 7, 1941, assigned to 131st Infantry as a Private. Stationed a t Camp Forrest until March 1942. The 131st Infantry was sent to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to guard the Locks at that point. At the rank of Sergeant, he was sent to Officers Training School at Ft. Benning, Georgia and graduated as a Second Lt. January 4, 1943. Shortly after Commissioned, was assigned to the Glider Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. After an injury, was put on detached services with the Air Corps, until the old injury made it necessary to reenter the hospital. Received an honorable discharge March 31, 1944 at McClosky General Hospital, Temple, Texas.

He is a Mail Carrier (U. S.) in Nashville, Tenn.; lives at 1218 Greenfield Avenue, Nashville, Tenn.

Joined Army Engineers June 10, 1943. Received basic training at Camp Claiborne, La. Was assigned to the 373rd Engineer Regiment. On October 14, 1943, sailed for England and was in London during t h e "buzz bomb" raids (V2 rockets) then to France and participated in the seige of Brest, France, then to Le Havre and on to Belgium and Germany. Received the following recognition: (1) For campaign of Northern France, Bronze Star; (2) For campaign Rhineland, Bronze Star; (3) For campaign Central Europe, Bronze Star; (4) Army of Occupation Medal; (5) Meritorious Service Unit Wreath. Badge for Expert Rifleman. Received honorable discharge at Ft. Belvoir, Va., November 21, 1945. In September, 1948, was decorated with the Confederate Cross of Honor by the Sons of The Confederate Veterans. Joined Victory Lodge 809 Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Montgomery, Alabama, 1948. Was Senior Warden 1951 and is a member in good standing. He works for the Standard Roofing Company, Montgomery, Alabama and lives at 111 Truitt Drive, Montgomery, Alabama. Issue (three) :

Ida May Rives divorced Burwell Martin in 1927 and married Hugh Parker of Bedford County, Tenn. November 25, 1933. Resides: Edna St. Ketona, Birmingham, Ala. Issue:

(5) GEORGE ANDERSON RIVES (Benjamin Joseph) born November 26, 1903, Birmingham, attended Inglenook Grammar School, Jefferson County. President of class three years. He was president of his class for three years at Jefferson High School. He was appointed a page in the 64th Congress of the U. S. by Hon. George Huddleston, Sr., Congressman from the Tenth District of Alabama, 1918-1919. He was a building contractor in Birmingham Alabama, employed with the Rives Construction Company and later went to Miami, Florida, 1948-56 with his brother, Robert Benjamin Rives, where they are now engaged as building contractors. He resides at 265 Cherokee St., Miami Springs, Florida. He married September 10, 1925 Louise Estelle Martin of Birmingham, who was born October 29, 1905 at Thomaston, Alabama. Issue:

(2) JOHN ROBERT THOMAS RIVES, b. June 13, 1875 in Bedford County, Tenn. Was 16 months old when his father died in Lamar County, Texas. Was reared by his mother; was educated in the common schools of Bedford County, Tenn., and worked as a farm hand until 1887 when he, with his mother, visited his uncle in Lamar County, Texas; returned to Tennessee in the Spring of 1888, working as a farm hand until Aug. 14, 1889, when he with his mother joined his brother in Birmingham, Alabama. At the age of 15 was employed as a messenger in the Superintendent's Office of the L & N Railroad, later serving as Call Boy, News Agent on Trains, and on November 22, 1897, as Flagman for L & N Railroad, and on March 1, 1901, was promoted to that of Conductor, and remained in that service until Jan. 16, 1916; in 1915 was elected Mayor of Inglenook, a suburb of Birmingham. He joined Division 186, Order of Railway Conductors February 22, 1903, was an active member and officer of the organization. Delegate to Grand Division, Boston, 1909; Jacksonville, 1911; Detroit, 1913; St. Louis 1916-1919; Cleveland, 1922. In the spring of 1915 proposed a meeting of the Four Brotherhoods in the southeastern territory to be held in Birmingham in September, 1915. At this meeting held in the Tutwiler Hotel in Birmingham, there were 600 members of the Four Brotherhoods present and he was elected chairman of the meeting and appointed the committee for the purpose of proposing the establishment of an eight hour day for railroad employees throughout the nation. Two weeks later the Eastern Association of General Chairmen concurred and another week later the Western Association of General Chairmen concurred. At the expiration of his term of Mayor, he was elected Coroner of Jefferson County, serving from 1917 to 1921. Was also engaged in Real Estate business during 1920 and first part of 1921. In September, 1921, he was made Deputy President of the Order of Railway Conductors of America, with headquarters at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. While acting as Deputy President of the Order of Railway Conductors, he was elected to the Legislature of Alabama, serving from January, 1923 to January, 1927, during the administration of Governor William Brandon. In February, 1927 was appointed Editor of The Railway Conductor, the official publication of the Order of Railway Conductors. In addition to his duties as Editor of The Railway Conductor, he was in July, 1932, appointed Financial Agent of the organization. In addition to the above, as financial agent and editor of the Railway Conductor, he did audit work in connection with the various divisions or lodges until his retirement, July 31, 1954. In fraternal circles, he joined Birmingham Fraternal Lodge No. 384 A. F.& A.M. initiated March 18, 1901; passed Fellow Craft April 22, 1901, and raised a Master Mason, May 13. 1901. Was Junior Steward 1902. Demitted August 4, 1913 and organized Bendale Lodge No. 773 as a Charter Member, Nov. 29, 1913. He was the first secretary of Bendale Lodge. A Charter Member and Past Patron of Birmingham Chapter No. 118 Order of Eastern Star. He took the Scottish Rite degrees from the fourth to the 32nd degree in 1914, also, was initiated a member of Zamora Temple of the Mystic Shrine. In January 1956, at Montgomery, Ala., he was invested a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor by the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Masons. He is a member of Birmingham Consistory and is assistant class director. Was editor of the Scottish Rite News 1955-1956. He is a member of the Independent order of Odd Fellows, Mineral City Lodge No. 74 and was Vice Grand in 1956. Declined to advance to Noble Grand on account of poor health. Is a member of Fighting Joe Wheeler Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans. He is past Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate

(6) ROBERT BENJAMIN RIVES (Benjamin Joseph) born July 23, 1905, Birmingham, educated in the common schools of Birmingham, Alabama; served as a page in the Alabama Legislature, January 1918 to 1922. He worked as a building contractor for the Rives Construction Co., from 1932 to 1935. He made Blizzard electric refrigerators to 1939. Again with the Rives Construction Co., to 1941, worked for U. S. Air Force, Mobile, Ala. 1941 to 1945 and in 1945 moved with his brother to Miami, Florid a, where he is engaged in that of building contractor. He married July 20, 1945 Elizabeth Ann Blow in Birmingham, Ala. They live at 714 East 51st Street, Hialeah, Florida. Issue:

*Elizabeth Ann Blow is the daughter of Luther Harrison Blow and his wife, Daisy Ruth Bearden who lived on Shades Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama.

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