Glendale Police

Basically, the village of Glendale was made up of law abiding, church going and peace loving people. Every one knew and helped their neighbor when needed. Seldom was there a major crime committed in the community. Unfortunately, like other villages, occasionally there was a robbery, a domestic problem, a drunkard or some teenagers that required the attention of the law. When this happened, Glendale was fortunate to have two efficient Law Enforcement Agents to handle the problem - a policeman and a magistrate.

Mr. William H. Quinn, born in Switzer S.C. on January 11, 1889. He came to Glendale at an early age and was employed by the D. E. Converse Mill Company in the early 1900s, as a carpenter. He was later given the added responsibility of Mill and village policeman. Though I have been unable to establish the exact date he became the village policeman, obviously it was in the mid to late 1920s. This writer was born in 1924 and Mr. Quinn had been Glendale’s policeman as long as I can remember. Old timers have told and written how they remembered the showing of old western movies in the Glendale Community building on Saturday nights back in the twenties and thirties. Mr. Quinn, as village policeman, was in charge of arrangements and the collection of admission fees. The amount of one whole dime. He was later promoted to full time police duty. During this time his authority was limited to the immediate area of the mill and village.

On January 11, 1941 Mr. S. J. Dupre, who at that time was treasurer of the D.E. Converse Co., made application with Spartanburg County Sheriff Sam M. Henry requesting that Mr. Quinn be appointed as a Deputy Sheriff. He was to reside in the community of Glendale, with his salary being paid by the Mill Company. Sheriff Henry certified the appointment that day. Though his responsibility was still limited to the mill and village, this expanded Mr. Quinn’s authority from that of a village policeman, to that of a County Sheriff’s Deputy.

When the company sold the village houses in the 1950s, Mr. Quinn bought the house at 133 Church street, where he and his family had lived for a number of years. Mr. Quinn retired shortly after the mill was merged with Indian Head Mills in 1957, having served as Glendale’s policeman for some 30 years.

He was a big sportsman, loving to hunt rabbits and squirrels on the land and in the woods of Glendale Mills. He fished at times in the waters of Lawson’s Fork, but his real treat was to be carried to Buzzard Roost (Lake Greenwood) by his son in-law Tommy Rothrock and Crip Malone, where he really enjoyed fishing. Sometimes he carried his sons, Kenneth and Gerald, along .

Mr. Quinn was a fine man, a real Christian gentleman. A man of integrity. His word was his bond. I was proud to have him as a genuine friend and co-worker with the company. His intent in every arrest he made was to help the person straighten out his or her life. I remember well, the occasion when he caught some teenage boys down on the river in unlawful behavior. Knowing that it would devastate their parents, they were prominent families in the community, perhaps marking the boys for life, he asked this writer if I would talk to them with him. He brought them into my office and we talked to them, warning them of the ultimate cost of the path they were treading. They agreed to sign a statement of their guilt with the promise that nothing would ever be said or done about their unlawful acts provided they would clean up their lives and not get into trouble again. The statements were sealed before their eyes and locked in this writer’s office safe. Before I left the mill company, Mr. Quinn and I destroyed the signed statements. The boys were then young men, some had married. All had become responsible citizens of their community.

Mr. Quinn was twice married. He was first married to Nettie Mae Turner Quinn. They were the parents of six children. Ella Mae, Margaret, Elmer and Frank. Also Reba, who was born June 24, 1925 and died Sept 27, 1926, an infant stillborn son, July 20,1927 and an infant stillborn daughter, February 22,1931, two days before her mother’s death.

Mrs. Nettie Mae Quinn’s obituary, published in the Journal/Carolina Spartan, February 25th,page 12 and February 26, 1931, page 5, stated that she had died on Tuesday night, February 24, 1931, at her home in Glendale after a short illness. Her funeral was held at the Glendale Baptist Church, where she was a member, She was 37 years of age and was buried in the Quinn Square in the Glendale Cemetery where her three children had been buried.

She was survived by her husband, two daughters, Ella Mae and Margaret, two sons, Elmer and Frank, five brothers and three sisters. She was loved and appreciated greatly by the people of the community. A side article listed as Glendale news, printed in the paper the day after her death, stated, "the people of this place and community were saddened by her death".

Next, he married Alice Gossett Quinn on September 19, 1931. They were the parents of three children, Maxine, Kenneth and Gerald. Her obituary published Thursday May 3,1962, Spartanburg Herald page 33, stated that Mrs. Alice Gossett Quinn died on Tuesday, May 1, 1962, 8;30 P.M. at the Spartanburg General Hospital following a long illness. Her funeral service was held at the Glendale Baptist Church where she was a member, with interment following in the Quinn Square in the Glendale Cemetery.

Mrs. Quinn was a kind loving lady who was known, loved, and appreciated by everyone in the community. She was survived by her husband of almost 31 years, three daughters, Ella Mae, Margaret and Maxine, four sons, Elmer, Frank, Kenneth and Gerald. This writer had the distinct honor of assisting in the funeral services of this dear lady. Mrs. Quinn had a fine family. Each of her seven living children grew up to become outstanding successful men and women in their own right, They were loved and appreciated by everyone in the community.

Mr. Quinn was a member of the Glendale Baptist Church and the Senior Men’s Sunday school class of which I had the pleasure of teaching for a number of years. His obituary published February 15,1963 in the Spartanburg Herald and Journal, page 16, stated that Mr. Quinn died in a Spartanburg Nursing Home on February 13, 1963 at about 1;30 PM. Unfortunately, I was out of town at the time. Funeral services were held at the Glendale Baptist Church with interment following in the Quinn Square in the Glendale Cemetery. He was 74 years of age and was survived by seven children. (names listed above).

My thanks to Gerald Quinn for supplying pictures and some details of the Quinn family.

Mr. John C. LeMaster was the village Magistrate for a number of years. He was born June 28, 1876 and married Ila Revels in 1896.

Spending most of his life in Glendale, Mr. LeMaster had operated a grocery store in the community for many years before retiring and selling out to Spot Hopper in 1941. (See map of store location.) He was a member of the Glendale Methodist Church where he served as a Steward for 25 years and was for many years superintendent of the Sunday School. He was also a member of the Woodman of the World and the Knights of the Pythias.

The office of the magistrate was part time and his office was first located on the second floor of the Mill store. We found and destroyed, numerous old warrants which had not been served in the old office when we started renovating the store in 1949. The office was later moved across the street to the first floor of the Community building. Judge LeMaster later moved the Magistrate office across the river from the village, into his store warehouse. County rural police, as well as State Highway patrol, oft times scheduled persons they had arrested in the area to appear before Judge LeMaster.

He and his family lived in a large two story colonial style house located just off the Bethesda Road, along side the river shoals which he had bought back in December 1911.

His obituary, appearing in the Spartanburg Journal, November 11, 1953 page 5 stated that Judge LeMaster died on Tuesday, November 10, at his home following an illness of some two years. He was 77 years of age. He was survived by his wife, Ila Revels Lemaster of 57 years and three daughters, Mrs. T. DeWitt Murph, Mrs. H. Forney Gault and Mrs. S.H. Browne and four sisters, 4 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Funeral services were held on Thursday of that week at the Glendale Methodist Church with interment following in the Glendale Cemetery. Judge LeMaster was the second cousin of this writer.

Ida Revels LeMaster’s obituary was published in the Spartanburg Herald, April,14, 1962, page 6. She was 84 years of age.

Editors Note: I have been contacted by Dr. Geoffrey H. Browne. Dr. Brown is a descendant of John Compton LeMaster. He offered to share some family information he has with the Glendale website. His information is as follows:

My paternal grandmother grew up in Glendale. She was one daughter of Mr. John Compton LeMaster. Her name was Ila Irene LeMaster Browne. LeMaster’s Grocery was one of the cluster of moderate size wood frame store buildings/businesses located at the west end of the Glendale Bridge. The building and business was owned and operated by John C. LeMaster. It was stocked with a good variety of groceries along with a limited supply of fresh meats. Having a storage room adjoining the building, a good variety of feeds for animals and pets were also stocked. Limited delivery was made when requested, Mr. LeMaster operated the store for many years before his retirement in 1941 at which time the business was sold to Elbert C. Hopper. John had married Ila Revels and they spent most of their lives in the Glendale community. They were the parents of three daughters; Helen, Maude and Irene LeMaster. Their home was a large two story frame house with wrap around porches, located behind the store, just across the river from Glendale Mills. They had been married 57 years at the time of John’s death. John was a member of the Glendale Ruritan Club. Both were members of the Glendale Methodist Church.

John died on Tuesday, November 10, 1953 at the age of 77.

Ila LeMaster died in a local rest home on Friday, April 13, 1962 at the age of 84. Her obituary listed her survivors as three daughters; Mrs. H. L.(Maude) Gault of Mobil, Ala., Mrs. DeWitt (Helen) Murph of Spartanburg, Mrs. S. H. (Irene) Brown of Greenville, S.C.; a half brother, Rufas Allen of Greenwood, S. C.; four grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. Funeral services were held at the M.W. Bobo Funeral Chapel with interment following in the Glendale Cemetery alongside of her late husband.

I would like to thank Dr. Brown for furnishing this information to our website.

Another Glendale Magistrate was Mr. Joe J. Fowler. You can read his story at Joe Fowler.

Walter l. Gregory became village Magistrate following the resignation of Judge LeMaster and served until the office at Glendale was closed. Born February 21,1884, he was the son of the late James and Tina Hawkins Gregory. Mr. Gregory was overseer of weave room #1 for a number of years back in the late 1800s and early 1900s when the Mill was known as the D.E. Converse Co. and A. H. Twitchell and W. E. Lindsey, respectfully, served as President of the company.

He had been a member of the Glendale Methodist Church for many years and a member of the Glendale Masonic Lodge #271 over 60 years, being a Past Master of the Lodge. He lived for a while in the Glendale Mill village, later moving to his home on the Glendale/Whitestone road, just above the bridge.

Judge Gregory was twice married, first to the late Emma Gilmer Gregory, born February 19,1876 and died August 20,1923. They were the parents of two infant sons who are buried in the Gregory square at the Glendale Cemetery with their parents. His second marriage was to Susie Lockman Gregory. born December 20,1883 and died December 18,1964. I have found no record showing that they had any children.

According to his obituary published in the Spartanburg Herald November 24,1967-page 20, Mr. Gregory died Nov.22, 1967 in the Marion General Hospital after a brief illness. He was 83 years of age. His funeral was held at J. F. Floyd Mortuary with interment following in the Glendale Cemetery with full Masonic rites. Mr. Gregory was survived by only a half sister who lived in New York City

Jesse L. Murph Sr. served as a Spartanburg County Rural Policeman/Detective including the Glendale area for many years before retiring from the police force.

Glendale's Law Enforcement Agents