The Littrell brothers Draft Cards World War II and Korea:

Redford Littrell: notice the description of residence “1/2 mile northwest of Anniston…” Maybe this can help us locate the farm they lived on out side of Anniston. Date: 2-16-1942, World War II.

John Daniel Littrell, JR: AKA Junior Dolan, AKA JD.  6-30-1942 the World War II draft. Issued In Union Co., KY

Leslie Albert Littrell: Uncle Les, 12-9-1946, the Korean War Draft.

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Redford “NMN” Littrell: Notice the “(first name only)” notation for Uncle Red’s middle name above. The family story is that Red’s military records had the letters “NMN” in place of his middle name because he didn’t have one. This was not unusual as not everyone had a three-part name; first, middle, last. It wasn’t until the advent of Social Security that people were required to have a middle name. This was a dilemma for the Littrell family as middle names were not consistently used.

It appears that Rubin, Red, and maybe Les didn’t initially have middle names. We aren’t sure about Les as he was named after his Uncle Leslie A. Comer who may have been Leslie Albert Comer. This is speculative though as Leslie often went by LA Comer and some in the Comer family believe the “LA” stood for Lester A.

All the children of Kizzie & John may have had middle names but over the years just forgot them or since Kizzie and John didn’t use them they were not aware of them. This born out by the double initial names of JD and OJ. ( as late as the 1940 census JD and OJ are still referred to only by their initials.

When faced with the need for a full three-part name we know that Rubin made up his middle name (also Albert) and when signing up for the WPA CCC Camps OJ had to make up full names for himself and JD: Oliver James and Junior Dolan. We have no idea the authenticity of Oliver James, but we now believe we have found proof that JD was actually John Daniel which would have made him John Daniel Littrell, JR., thus OJ’s use of Junior. Where he got Dolan from is a mystery.

By the time JD did his draft card, he was already using Junior Dolan, even though this was a short time after being given that name by OJ… he is still working at the CCC camp in Breckinridge, Kentucky.

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NOTES:

This would not be the only connection between JD and Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky. After returning from Korea in 1952 he would be stationed there (in the Army) were his second son Glenn (me) was born.    more on Camp Breckinridge, KY.

See Red’s service

See a summary of JD’s Service

See Les’s service

The Boys of Anniston

see also Boydie Thurman’s draft card

see Grand Pa John & his brother’s WW I draft cards

We need more Comer information!

We are trying to build pages and sections for the siblings of Kizzie Comer Littrell, as well as any Comer families.

But we need more information from you, anybody, whoever, etc., etc., etc.

Do you know any Comer cousins, OR do you know anyone named Comer and wonder if they are related? Have them contact me: indianaglenn@gmail.com or send them a link to this post.

The Tennessee to Missouri Migration:

Comer, James Littrell, John Littrell, Littrell, Belew, Thurman, Curtis, Shelton.

Migration from Lawrence County, TN to the bootheel of Missouri:

• 1929                  James Carrol & Donie (Ezell) Littrell John’s brother (& Donie is Kizzie’s cousin)
• 1929                  Edward J. Littrell a cousin of James and Grandpa John Littrell was also in the Bootheel, he and a son would die there and his wife, Laura E. Brown Littrell would return to Tennessee. UPDATE 1-10-2015: They moved in 1929,
• 1930               UPDATE 1-10-2015:  The parents of Laura Littrell (above), Francis M. Brown & Martha Ezell (Kizzie’s Cousin), would join Laura and Edward Littrell would bring their family in 1930. Both parents, a brother and a sister would also die in Missouri, prompting Laura to return to Tennessee in December of 1941 after the death of her son.
• 1932                 Grandpa John & Kizzie Littrell
• 1925-1935        William Denise Belew(TN, 1886-1959) and Iva Shelton Belew (AL, 1894-1969), sharecroppers, with 3 of their children. Daughter Corene married John’s son Noble. Like Grandpa John they were in New Madrid County in 1935 Remember, Kizzie’s grandmother was a Belew also.
• 1935-1940         Leslie Comer and Aunt Claude (Powell) Comer, Leslie was Kizzie (Comer) Littrell’s older brother.
• 1945                   Jesse Littrell (John’s son) & Viola (Johns – Simbeck) Littrell would  move from TN in 1945 to East Prairie, then to La Forge in 47 where Jesse was a sharecropper,

1940 Census:

• John Littrell HOH, age 52    Page 23A, Enumeration District 67-4  John is listed as living in rural Mississippi County, in an area that appears to be about a mile and a half east of Anniston.
  The 1940 census information indicates that this general area may have been where John & Kizzie were sharecropping this area in 1940. Children in the household are: Red, JF, Letha May, OJ, Lesley, and Rubon.  The census taker recorded Rubin as Rubon, but remember the census taker wrote it the way he heard it, or mis-heard it. On the other-hand the reviewer/transcribers of the census read JD's initials as JF. They too are reading it as they say it, and in the census takers handwriting it could be read JF, JP or JD. The only person besides John who has an occupation listed is Red, listed as a laborer. according to this census John & Kizzie were living in New Madrid County, Mo., in 1935. Our research indicates La Forge (sharecropping).
• Listed in the same household census page as John is his son, Noble Littrell(24) and Corene (Belew) Littrell(20), also sharecroppers.  Page 23A, Enumeration District 67-4
• Seven households down from Noble & Corene (on the other side of John) is Corene's parents William Denise Belew(TN, 1886-1959) and Iva Shelton Belew (AL, 1894-1969), sharecroppers, with 5 of their children. 1940 Census indicates that William's family lived in New Madrid County in 1935, same as John. Could they also been at La Forge then?
  Corene Belew's family also migrated from Lawrence County, Tennessee; living on Westpoint Road in 1920 with Iva's parents: W.E. & Mattie Shelton. Corene was a twin. Civil District 2, Page 7A, Enumeration District 84
  Noble and Corene were married in Charleston, Mo., 10-18-1939. Corene died in 3-8-1943 and was born on 10-19-1919. Burial: WOW (Memorial Park) Cemetery, East Prairie Mississippi County, Missouri, USA. Double headstone with twin sister Florine, who died 5 years earlier. 
• Bertha Littrell Thurman is living in Anniston Village, St. James Township. with Bordie. Census indicates that Bordie lived in St. James since 1935. He actually was born there. He shows on the 1920 census with his parents in Anniston Village.
• Lesley Comer and Aunt Claude (Powell) Comer LA Comer 50 (10-31-1889) Farmer (Rented: does this indicated sharecropper?) St. James Township (St.James Township includes Anniston Village & East Prairie). Census Indicates that Leslie was farming in Rural Tennessee, Lawrence County in 1935. Present in Household: Claude (46), Virgle (19), Lucille(16), OC(14), Willard(11). 1940 Census  Page 810B, Enumeration District 67-10 
  Leslie signed his name Leslie on his 1917 Draft Registration Card, born in Loretto, TN.
• Onene Littrell Curtis  Shows on Census as living in Marston, with Bert and daughter Martha Rae. Name was written as Anene.
• Jess Littrell, 30 HOH Lawrence Tennessee Page 8A, Enumeration District 50-3  Jesse is living northwest of Loretto: Busby & Westpoint Rd. The census indicates that he is at the same residence as in 1935. He listed as a farmer, no indication that he is or isn't sharecropping. Children in the household: Beatrice, Dola (Should be Dolan), Willadean (should be Willa Dean), Christine, Geneva and James (Bud).

see also 1930 Census entry for John Littrell & R. Benjamin Smith: Lawrence County, TN.