John Holden Hunter Family
Story furnished by Clarence Crocker
The John H. Hunter family was a very well known and prominent family of the Glendale community. Born in Madison County, N. C., on February 14. 1870, John was the son of Mr. Thomas and Myra Louisa Hunter. Coming to the Glendale area around 1908, he was employed in the carpenter shop by Glendale Mills where he worked for some 30 years, becoming carpenter shop foreman before his retirement due to declining health in 1940.
Mr. Hunter was married three times, becoming the father of 14 children. His first marriage was to Miss Sue Emma Edwards, a native of Madison County, N. C. They were the parents of six children; Lockie, Ellis, Roy, Custer and Hobart Hunter along with one unnamed infant that died at birth.
Mrs. Sue Emma Hunter died in 1901 following childbirth and was buried with her child in a cemetery in Madison County, N. C. She was survived by her husband and five children.
Following the death of his wife, John, with his surviving children moved to Glendale and began to work in the carpenter shop of Glendale Mills. He later married Miss Carrie R. Reaves of Glendale. She was born in May of 1877 and died in February of 1913 during childbirth. The child did not survive and was buried with its mother in the Reaves square in the Glendale Community Cemetery. She was survived by her husband and five stepchildren.
Mr. Hunter’s third marriage was to Miss Stella Bradley. A native of Rutherford County, N.C., she was born January 27, 1893 and was the daughter of General Witt and Mamie E. Sanders Bradley. They became the parents of seven children. Four daughters; Louise, Myrtle, Christine and Anne Hunter. Three sons; John B., William L. and George H. Hunter. At the time of Mr. Hunter’s death, they were living on the outskirts of the village on an acreage of land on which Mr. Hunter had built a nice two story home. Their daughter Christine and her husband, Dewey Nichols, moved into the house following the death of her parents.
Mr. Hunter and his family were wonderful Christian people, members of the Glendale Baptist Church. Mr. Hunter was a deacon for some 20 years and Sunday School teacher for a number of years. Others of the family were S.S. teachers, B.Y.P.U. leaders, choir members or active in other areas of the Church work. He was also a member of the Glendale Masonic Lodge. Living just a hop and a skip from our home, the Hunters were wonderful neighbors of this writers family.
The obituary for John Holden Hunter published in the Spartanburg Journal on Tuesday April 20, 1943 stated that he had died at his home on Monday morning April 19, 1943. His funeral services were held in the Glendale Baptist Church where he had been an active member for many years with interment following in the upper Glendale Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Stella Bradley Hunter. Five daughters; Lockie, Louise, Myrtle, Christine and Anne. Five sons; Ellis, Roy, John, William, and George. Two brothers; Jessie Paul and James “Jim” Willie Hunter of Marshall, N.C.; Four grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
The obituary for Mrs. Stella Bradley Hunter published in the Spartanburg Journal on Wednesday April 29, 1964, stated that she had died at her home on Tuesday night April 28 after a brief illness. Funeral services were held at the Glendale Baptist Church where she had been an active member for many years. Interment followed in the Hunter Square in the Glendale Cemetery. She was survived by her four daughters; Mrs. D. C. (Louise) Ussery of Alexander, Va., Mrs. David (Myrtle) Larson of Philomath, Ore., Mrs. Dewey (Christine) Nichols of Spartanburg and Miss Martha Ann Hunter of Glendale. Her three sons; John B. and William L. Hunter, both of Spartanburg and George H. Hunter of Aiken, S.C.; Two stepsons; Ellis and Roy Hunter of Glendale. She was also survived by two sisters; Mrs. Edith Cohn of Atlanta and Mrs. Mary Parker of Spartanburg. Two brothers; Sam and Dewitt Bradley of Spartanburg, S.C. She had 13 grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Ellis Hunter married Onita Steadman of Inman, S.C. They had no children. Ellis died January 13, 1988 and was buried in the Hunter Square in the Glendale Community cemetery.
Custer Hunter, a veteran of WW1, was wounded in France. He had returned home when he was killed in an automobile wreck on August 1, 1920. He was a Mason and was never married. Custer was buried in the Hunter Square in the Glendale Community Cemetery.
Hobart Hunter was a veteran of WW1 and was never married. Hobart died on December 23, 1934 and was buried in the Hunter Square in the Glendale Community Cemetery..
Roy Hunter was a veteran of WW2 and was never married. Roy died October 18, 1977 and was buried in the Hunter Square in the Glendale Community Cemetery.
Lockie Hunter married Elbert L. Moore of Glendale S.C. They had six children. Lockie died June 29,1959 and was buried in the Moore Square in the Glendale Community Cemetery.
Louise Hunter married Donald Clyde Ussery of Rockingham, N. C. They had no children. Louise died December 29, 2008 and was buried in the Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Spartanburg, S. C.
Myrtle Hunter married Rev. David Larson of Silver Springs, Md. They had two children. Myrtle died December 4, 1999 and was buried in Philomath, Ore.
Anne Hunter died August 29, 2010 and was buried in the Hunter Square in the Glendale Community Cemetery. (Editor's Note: We have recently been informed that Anne had a daughter, Cynthia Lynn Hunter.)
William L. Hunter was a Mason/Shriner, a Marine veteran of WW2 and a Air Force veteran of the Korean war. He married Sue McIntyre of Arcadia, S. C. They had no children. William died September 9, 1972 and was buried in the Masonic section of Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Spartanburg.
John B. Hunter was a Mason/Shriner, a navy veteran of WW2. He married Helen Petty Chadwick of Spartanburg S.C. They had two children. John and his wife are members of the Ben Avon Methodist Church and live on South Church Street, Spartanburg, S. C.
Christine Hunter married Dewey Nichols of Glendale, S.C. They had three children. Christine is a member of the First Baptist Church of Spartanburg and continues to live in the family home on Pecan Drive following the death of her husband on June 21, 2010.
George H. Hunter, a veteran of the Korean war, married Nellene Sams of Glendale and they had two children. George and his wife live in their lovely home on Pecan Drive, Spartanburg, S.C. They are members of the Crocker Memorial Pentecostal Church in Glendale where George teaches the adult Men and Women’s Sunday School Class, George is also serving as a Truck Driver’s Chaplin and meets with the drivers at the truck stop in Duncan S. C. every Wednesday. He also serves in a prison ministry when needed.
The John H. Hunter family and the Albert E. Crocker family, (this writer’s father) were good friends and neighbors for as long as I can remember. My brothers and I attended the Glendale and Spartanburg High schools together with most of the Hunter children. We romped the woods and played together with the Hunter boys all the days of our boyhood. The Hunters were the type people all would delight to have as neighbors.
My deep appreciation to Mr. George Hunter for helping me get this story together and supplying the pictures.
This web site has been started as a public service to share the story of Glendale. See more information about Mary and her Glendale connection at Mary McKinney Teaster.