Howard E. Clayborn

Howard E. Clayborn was born on 14 June 1917 to William and Nannie Clayborn in Dismal, Tennessee.¹W.H. Nixon, History of Indian Creek Baptist Church (Nixon, 1965), 261-264. The date also tallies with his listing in the Social Security Death Index (Number: 411-34-9504; Issue State: Tennessee). He received his elementary and high school education at Liberty, Tennessee and college training at Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tennessee. On 13 February 1937, at the age of 19, he married Irene Malone in Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee.²Irene Malone was born on 25 January 1917. They had one daughter, Doris Marie Clayborn, listed below.

Though Howard was a life long farmer, he earned the proper credentials to teach and did so in the public schools of DeKalb County for seven years. In 1943, with World War II escalating, he abandoned teaching to attend Anderson Aircraft School in Nashville, Tennessee. Having completed this training, he was transferred to Brookly Field in Mobile, Alabama, where he worked in the Weight and Balance Department until he enlisted with the army as a private on 7 April 1944 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.³World War II Army Enlistment Records, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64. His enlistment records indicate he was sixty-eight inches tall and weighed 199 pounds. Howard served twenty-seven months in the armed forces before returning to the quietness of the farm life to resume his former duties in agriculture.

Clayborn (known as “Elder Clayborn” in his church) professed the Christian faith at an early age and joined the Methodist Church in his community. After some years, he cast his lot with Cooper’s Chapel Baptist Church and there he assumed the duties of teaching the “Young People’s Sunday School Class.” Eventually he answered a call to the ministry and was ordained by his church in 1951. Following ordination, he served as pastor of at least three churches in the Salem Baptist Association: three years at Cooper’s Chapel, two and a half years at New Home, and in 1965, the pastorate of Snow Hill and Indian Creek Churches. A biography of his written by a congregant at the Indian Creek Baptist Church in 1965 notes the following:⁴Nixon, History of Indian Creek Baptist Church.

The Lord has blessed the labors of this pastor and given to him souls for his hire, and the churches of his present pastorate are making substantial gain.

To give a brief exposition of the Elder Clayborn and his ministry, may it suffice to say, he is a man of medium stature with an optimistic and generous disposition; a man who has faith in God to the success of his ministry. He is a pastor of commendable attitude toward his fellow servants, and he often shares his pulpit with other ministers.

Moreover, he is a very busy man; he attends a mid-week prayer meeting in each of his churches and preaches to them twice on Sunday. Apart from his church duties, he drives a school bus and takes care of the farm needs with the remaining time.

Finally, we may well style this subject as an old-time preacher, one who speaks by the spirit of God, out of the conviction of his heart and soul. The manner and style of his ministry may also be liken to that of the prophet, Jeremiah: for he was called the weeping prophet; his soul was moved with great compassion for the hurt of his people.

So we see these qualities in Elder Clayborn that make him an old time Christian and an orthodox Baptist. May we bid this servant “God’s speed” and dedicate the following passage to his busy life in the Lord.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:58

Howard was still preaching in the Southern Baptist denomination in 1985. But about five years later, on 11 January 1990, he died.⁵Social Security Death Index (Number: 411-34-9504; Issue State: Tennessee). Irene died on 3 November 1999. Both are buried at Salem Baptist Church Cemetery in Liberty, Tennessee.

Descendants

1. Doris Marie Clayborn married James Edward Keaton on 23 April 1954.⁶James Keaton was born on 24 January 1934. For marriage records see Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002, accessed 27 January 2015 via Ancestry.com. They had five daughters, all listed below. In the early 1970s Doris and James divorced. Doris was a homemaker and resided for many years in Smithville, Tennessee.⁷Unless otherwise noted, research on the Doris Clayborn Keaton family was conducted by William Freddy Curtis with vital information from Vickie Lynn Keaton Woods in January 2015.
   1. Teresa Darlene Keaton was born on 25 November 1954 at McFarland Hospital in Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee. Teresa attended and graduated from DeKalb County High School and then attended and graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a major in elementary education. She married James Edwin Bogle on 4 March 1980 in Alexandria, DeKalb County, Tennessee.⁸James Bogle was born on 2 March 1961. For marriage records see Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002, accessed 27 January 2015 via Ancestry.com. Together Teresa and Edwin had two children, listed below. Teresa was a teacher at DeKalb West Elementary School in Liberty, Tennessee, for over thirty years, teaching mainly Kindergarten students. She retired from teaching in 2006. They resided in Alexandria, Tennessee, in 2015.
      1. Casey Nicole Bogle was born on 17 September 1981 in Donelson, Davidson County, Tennessee. Casey attended and graduated from DeKalb County High School. She married on 6 March 2004 to Joseph Robert Agee (called “Joey”) (born 21 August 1981). Casey worked in physical therapy. Joey was a longtime basketball coach at DeKalb Middle School and was named Assistant Principal in 2014 at DeKalb West Elementary School in Liberty, Tennessee. They resided in Dowelltown, DeKalb County, Tennessee, in 2015. Together they had two children, listed below.
         1. Avery Nicole Agee was born on 27 March 2007.
         2. Jordyn Alison Agee was born on 28 September 2009.
      2. Dustin James Bogle was born on 14 August 1990 in Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee. He married on 6 August 2010 to Brittany Lee Ann Brown (born on 1 October 1990). Dustin attended and graduated from DeKalb County High School and worked at Nissan in Smyrna, Tennessee, in 2015. He and Brittany, who worked as a receptionist for a doctor in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, resided in Alexandria, Tennessee, in 2015. Together they had one child, McCullan Jozar Bogle, born on 20 June 2012.
   2. Pamela Gail Keaton (called “Pam”) was born on 9 August 1957 at McFarland Hospital in Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee. She attended and graduated from DeKalb County High School in 1972. She married Randy D. Curtis on 26 December 1975 in DeKalb County, Tennessee.⁹Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002, accessed 27 January 2015 via Ancestry.com. Pam worked at Federal Mogul Corporation in Smithville, Tennessee, from 4 October 1984 through June 2013. She graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University in 1995. Pam and Randy divorced on 10 October 1992. Pam received legal custody of Jodi Grace Curtis in October 2001 and began parenting her. Pam resided in Smithville, Tennessee, in 2015.
      1. Jodi Grace Curtis was born on 10 April 1992 at Baptist-DeKalb Hospital in Smithville, Tennessee. She attended and graduated from DeKalb County High School in 2010. She married on 23 June 2012 to Nicholas Jordan Lester (called “Nick”) (born 23 July 1991) in DeKalb County, Tennessee. Jodi worked at Sam’s Club and Nick worked at Nissan in Smyrna, Tennessee. They resided in Smithville, Tennessee, in 2015. Together they had one child, Jonah Lee Lester, born on 15 December 2013.
   3. Carolyn Ann Keaton (called “Carol”) was born on 21 September 1958 at McFarland Hospital in Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee. She attended DeKalb County High School. The self-described “Tom Boy” of the five Keaton daughters, she was the first female drummer to play the bass drum in the DeKalb County High School Marching Band in the early 1970s. The instructor nicknamed her “Tiny” and the nickname continued throughout high school. Carol married Robert E. Rader on 4 August 1975 with her mother, Doris Clayborn Keaton, signing for her to get married one month before she turned sixteen.¹⁰Ibid. This marriage ended in divorce after four years. She returned home to Alexandria, Tennessee, to work on her father’s farm. This resulted in Carol becoming involved in the construction industry. She “blazed the trail for women” doing many skilled laborer jobs in that industry in which females had never worked before.¹¹Oral Interview with William Freddy Curtis on 11 January 2015. She married on 14 June 1985 to Leonard Loyd Holloway (born 18 July 1946) in Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Tennessee.¹²Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002, accessed 27 January 2015 via Ancestry.com. Carol and Loyd resided in Kingston, Tennessee, in 2015.
   4. Vickie Lynn Keaton was born on 31 March 1960 at McFarland Hospital in Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee. She attended and graduated from DeKalb County High School playing basketball all four years. Vickie married on 1 July 1977 to James Delton Woods (called “Jimmy”) (born 25 July 1957 in Ypsilanti, Michigan) in DeKalb County, Tennessee.¹³Ibid. She worked at DeKalb County Bank in the bookkeeping department for over seventeen years. The bank was bought out by Union Planters Bank and afterward she began working for DTC Communications and was doing so in 2015. She was a participant in the Leadership DeKalb County program. Jimmy worked in construction for many years, but he left that industry to go to work at Nissan in Smyrna, Tennessee, where he has worked for over twenty years and worked there in 2015. They resided in Alexandria, Tennessee, in 2015. Together Vickie and Jimmy had two children, listed below.
      1. Brandi Danielle Woods was born on 31 July 1983 in Donelson, Davidson County, Tennessee. She attended and graduated from DeKalb County High School. Brandi worked at Lifeway in Lebanon, Tennessee, until she married on 4 October 2008 to William Heath Womack (called “Heath”) (born 30 May 1983) and became a full-time mom when her children were born.
         1. Kaylee Danielle Womack was born on 1 February 2011 at University Medical Center, Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee.
         2. Kensley Brooke Womack was born on 11 June 2013 at University Medical Center, Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee.
      2. Tyler James Woods was born on 28 November 1989 in Donelson, Davidson County, Tennessee. He attended and graduated from DeKalb County High School in 2008 where he excelled as a soccer and football player. “He was named the Tennessee Region 4-3A top punter for 2007. Woods averaged 37.9 yards per punt . . . for the DeKalb County High School Tigers, and he put 18 of his 39 punts inside the 20 yard line.”¹⁴WJLE Radio Station, “FOUR TIGER FOOTBALL PLAYERS NAMED TO ALL-REGION TEAM,” 10 December 2007. Tyler attended and graduated from Tennessee Technological University in 2012. While there he was involved in campus ministry outreach for four years, and after he graduated Tyler went on staff full-time with the ministry for about a year. In 2015, Tyler was employed at 84 Lumber in the sales department in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He married on 9 March 2013 to Ashley Tarah Jaeger (born 05 June 1990). Ashley worked as an engineer for a company in Lewisburg, Tennessee. The couple resided in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in 2015.
   5. Rosanna Renee Keaton (called “Renee”) was born on 24 July 1964 at McFarland Hospital in Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee. She attended and graduated from DeKalb County High School. She married Bobby Layne Hale (born 25 June 1960) on 07 July 1984 in DeKalb County, Tennessee.¹⁵Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002, accessed 27 January 2015 via Ancestry.com. Renee worked at F.Z. Webb Drug Store in Alexandria, Tennessee, for several years and continued to do so in 2015. They resided in Alexandria, Tennessee, in 2015. Renee and Bobby had two sons, listed below.
      1. Bobby Lee Hale was born on 8 March 1986 in Donelson, Davidson County, Tennessee. He attended and graduated from DeKalb County High School in 2004. Furthering his education, he attended and graduated from Tennessee Technology Center at Livingston, Tennessee, majoring in carpentry in 2005. He also attended and graduated from Nashville Auction School, LLC in 2009. He was an auction coordinator for Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the largest equipment auction company in the world, selling heavy equipment in 2015. Bobby accepted the call of God on his life and became a minister following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, Howard E. Clayborn. He married on 6 August 2011 to Alisha Ciara Farr (born 20 April 1988). They resided in Watertown, Tennessee, in 2015. Together Bobby and Ciara had one child, Harper Jade Hale, born on 7 April 2014.
      2. Thomas Layne Hale was born on 11 July 1989 in Donelson, Davidson County, Tennessee. He attended and graduated from DeKalb County High School in 2007 and attended Nashville Auto Diesel College. Thomas worked as a mechanic at Thompson Caterpillar in LaVergne, Tennessee, in 2015. Thomas accepted the call of God on his life and became a minister following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, Howard E. Clayborn. He married on 30 August 2008 to Keshia Mechealle Byford (born 17 July 1989). They resided in Liberty, Tennessee, in 2015. Together they had three children.
         1. Layne T. Hale born on 18 June 2010 was born at Summit Medical Center in Donelson, Davidson County, Tennessee.
         2. Leighton Tinsley Hale born on 1 October 2012 was born at Stonecrest Medical Center in Smyrna, Rutherford County, Tennessee.
         3. Landry Thomas Hale born on 12 January 2014 at Stonecrest Medical Center in Smyrna, Rutherford County, Tennessee.

Footnotes

• 1
  W.H. Nixon, History of Indian Creek Baptist Church (Nixon, 1965), 261-264. The date also tallies with his listing in the Social Security Death Index (Number: 411-34-9504; Issue State: Tennessee).
• 2
  Irene Malone was born on 25 January 1917.
• 3
  World War II Army Enlistment Records, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64.
• 4
  Nixon, History of Indian Creek Baptist Church.
• 5
  Social Security Death Index (Number: 411-34-9504; Issue State: Tennessee).
• 6
  James Keaton was born on 24 January 1934. For marriage records see Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002, accessed 27 January 2015 via Ancestry.com.
• 7
  Unless otherwise noted, research on the Doris Clayborn Keaton family was conducted by William Freddy Curtis with vital information from Vickie Lynn Keaton Woods in January 2015.
• 8
  James Bogle was born on 2 March 1961. For marriage records see Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002, accessed 27 January 2015 via Ancestry.com.
• 9
  Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002, accessed 27 January 2015 via Ancestry.com.
• 10
  Ibid.
• 11
  Oral Interview with William Freddy Curtis on 11 January 2015.
• 12
  Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002, accessed 27 January 2015 via Ancestry.com.
• 13
  Ibid.
• 14
  WJLE Radio Station, “FOUR TIGER FOOTBALL PLAYERS NAMED TO ALL-REGION TEAM,” 10 December 2007.
• 15
  Tennessee, State Marriage Index, 1780-2002, accessed 27 January 2015 via Ancestry.com.