Hattie Ophelia (Ethridge) Kemper (1870 - 1959)

book.http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=99257779

http://fbccenterville.org/history/ " Records show Mitchell Etheridge owned a store here as early as 1885. He wanted a post office for this community, but was told that there already was a Centerville, Georgia in Gwinnett County. He changed the name of the community to Hattie for his oldest daughter, Hattie Etheridge Kemper. At first mail came once a week by horseback but later was delivered daily. That post office eventually closed. A school system was started in a one-room schoolhouse named Hattie School, sometime before 1896. W. C. Monk was principal in 1896. A new, larger, two-room community schoolhouse, Centerville School, was built next to the old school in 1900. It had one classroom and a large auditorium used as a classroom. Six classrooms were added sometime in the 1920’s. 1900: Church services were held once a month in the smaller Hattie School. Rev. Geiger, Field Secretary for the Rehoboth Baptist Association, preached in those services. A tent was soon erected to house the services. 1901: Our church was first organized as Hattie Baptist Church. Rev. W. L. Cutts served as the first pastor. It was helped by Byron Baptist Church. Mr. Mitchell F. Etheridge donated a half an acre for a church and the men of the community built a “one-room church” across from where the Educational Building (B Building) is today. Walker Kenyser, Sr., was the overseer of the building project. Lumber was hauled on a two-horse wagon from Wellston (what is now Warner Robins). W. L. Cutts was Pastor and Dr. S. D. Smith and L. F. Willingham were Deacons. 1906: Land was donated by Mr. Etheridge for a large cemetery. The first burial was that of the infant daughter of Oscar Huff and Stembridge and Lena Etheridge Stembridge in 1907. She was Mitchell Etheridge’s granddaughter. ​"