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Note: When Papa and Mama were married, both sets of parents insisted they move from Jackson Gap, as it was a very isolated area and a very poor place to raise a family. They moved to Columbus, Ga. where their infant son Marion died, then they moved to Cedartown in 1904. He was a Mason. His nephew Felix Hood, lived with them and is listed on the 1900 census with them. He did a lot of work on the Turntable located in Cedartown. The turntable is now located at the Tennessee Valley Train Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee where it was moved in the mid '80's. We have pictures of the turntable in Chattanooga. He loved gardening and children. TOLD TO CRIS SURLS BY JOE P SURLS SR
"Shorty" Suls, (William Pleas), was a coach for Masonic work. When they advance from one step to another, there is a lot of memory work involved. Sometimes they would practice at the fire station, or the filling station, or somewhere they could be away from everyone, but their favorite place to practice was the cemetery, because they could see if anyone was coming and quit talking. On this particular evening, Shorty was there with several of the candidates and they were up on the hill overlooking the railroad tracks. They were squatting or kneeling down in a circle going over the work. A lady who was one of Shorty's neighbors on Broad St. was looking over the tracks and saw them. She couldn't tell what they were doing but thought they were throwing dice and gambling. She called the sheriff and told him that Shorty and some others were in the cemetery gambling. He told her he would take care of it. He went to the cemetery and when he found out what they were doing, as he was a Mason himself, he joined them. When the lady saw him squatting down and joining them she really got upset, so she called the Mayor and told him that Shorty Surls, the Sheriff, and some others were over in the cemetery gambling. She thought it was disgraceful and he'd better do something about it. He told her he would personally take care of it. It so happened that the Mayor was also a Mason, so when he got there, he joined them. After they finished going over the step, they all went over to the lady's house and explained to her and apologized to her for upsetting her. She was much relieved to find out that Shorty was not a gambler after all.
MASONIC HISTORY OF WILLIAM PLEAS SURLS, TAKEN FROM BIBLE OF JOSEPH P SURLS SR
Entered Apprentice April 18, 1921 Fellow Craft May 20, 1921 Master Mason June 17, 1921 Caledonia #121 Faud A.M. Cedartown, Georgia Mark Master Past Master Most Excellent Master Royal Arch Adoniran Chapter No 41-R.A.M. Received All Degrees on August 4, 1943 Cedartown, Georgia
His mark is drawn in the Bible.
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