LAINE Matthew Augustus Reynolds

Other Events and Attributes:

• Reference Number: 1344
• Occupation: 1930, Isle of Wight County, VA; Sawman with the "(Old) Surry Lumber Co."
• Living In: Aft 1930, Newport News, VA; 1144 Hampton Avenue

Notes:

This is based on his wife being buried there.

Notes for MATHEW AUGUSTUS REYNOLDS LAINE:
The census taken in April of 1930 indicates that the Mathew Laine family lived in Isle of Wight County, Virginia.Mathew Laine's occupation was listed as a sawman in the logging business. Ashton Laine who was 22 years old at that time was living at home and was a bookkeeper for a general store (W. J. Joyner's). "(Old) Surry Lumber Company Camp" was written in the border of the census sheet. Some of the houses in Central Hill were built by the Surry Lumber Company for their employees.
The census recorder spelled the family name "Lain" and listed Aston (Ashton), Catherine, and Eveline(Evelyn) incorrectly.
See the scrapbook for a picture of the house that the Laine's lived in until mid-year 1930. Catherine Laine lived in this house until she was 18 years old.

The life of the Mathew Laine/Susie Horne family is closely tied to the Surry Lumber Company. The Surry Lumber Company was incorporated on January 3, 1885 by R. T. Waters and Son from Baltimore, Maryland. The Waters purchased the properly and unnamed lumber business from David Steele, a New Jersey native. Steele came to Surry County in 1873 to take advantage of the after effects of the Civil War and the break up of the plantation economy. He had good ideas but lacked the finances to bring his ideas to fruition. His primary creditor was R. T. Waters and Son. The Waters grew the Surry Lumber Company into the largest producer of yellow pine lumber in eastern United States.
In 1886 the Surry Lumber Company obtained a charter for a common carrier railroad - the Surry, Sussex and Southampton Railway. The Company built a large sawmill at Mussel Fork Plantation. Houses and a commissary were constructed for the workers and the town of Dendron (derived from the Greek word for trees) grew around the operation. By June of 1889 the Company expanded its operation and extended its rail line to various places in the region. They began buying land and standing timber in Surry, Sussex, Southampton, Isle of Wight and Prince George counties. The Company built housing for the logging and railroad workers at various locations. Around 1900 the rail line was extended further to a new camp called Straw Hill on the Jerusalem Plank Road (now route 35) at the Sussex/Prince George county line. Straw Hill camp closed in 1907. In 1904 a new camp was built in
Upson, Sussex County on the Jerusalem Plank Road. Upson had a company store where workers could buy on credit. The Upson site was used until 1915. Note that Catherine Laine was born in Upson in October of 1912. The Surry Lumber Company did not provide any type of reforestation. They cut and moved on. By 1915 they exhausted the timber supply west of the Nottoway River, gave up in that area and purchased large tracts of land and standing timber in Surry and Isle of Wight Counties. The Company built another logging town on a new rail line about two miles west of Isle of Wight Courthouse called Central Hill. Most of the equipment and employees from Upson were moved to Central Hill. Note that Evelyn Ruth Laine was born at Central Hill in June of 1921. In the mid 1920s Central Hill had a population of about 300. The end of World War I, depletion of the supply of cuttable timber, and competition all negatively impacted the Surry Lumber Company. In October 1927 the Dendron mill closed permanently. The closing of that mill then caused the collapse of the local economy and there was an exodus from Dendron, Sedley, Vicksville and Central Hill. The Company began scrapping the mill machinery in early 1928. The Company sold it holdings and sold the Company owned housing to the occupants and moved or tore down the remaining houses. The SS&S Railway ceased operations in July of 1930 and all the tracks were taken up by the end of the year. Sedley and Central Hill still exist today as residential communities. Dory, Vicksville and Newtown are place names with nothing left that would suggest their past, and Straw Hill and Upson have vanished.

Sometime after April of 1930 the Laine family moved from Central Hill to Newport News, Virginia. They moved to a house on Hampton Avenue. While at this location, Ashton found a job at Nachman's Department Store, Catherine began nursing school at Buxton Hospital, Evelyn was in elementary school, Mathew Laine started work at Waterfront Lumber Company, and Susie Horne Laine maintained the household until she became infirm and was sent to the Catawba Sanatorium in May of 1933.

Information about the Surry Lumber Company was extracted from an article in "Virginia Forests", "The Surry
Lumber Company - Logs, Locomotives and Lumber", by Jack Huber.

After the Surry Lumber Company failed Mattew Laine was out of work. Ashton Laine had a job working at Nachman's Department Store on Washington Avenue in Newport News, Virginia. Since Ashton was the only one working the family, including Matthew, Susie, Ashton, Catherine, and Evelyn moved to Newport News, Virginia to a house at 1144 Hampton Avenue. Evelyn enrolled in Walter Reed School into the forth grade. Macgruder school was first to third grades only. Shortly after moving to 1144 Hampton Avenue, they moved to the twelve hundred block to a house with a lower rent. This house was also of a lesser quality, poorly insulated making it rather cold in the winter. Later Ashton, Matthew and Evelyn moved to rent an upstairs apartment with the Gray's on 22nd Street. Mr. Gray had died and Mrs. Gray rented the apartment. Shortly after this, Evelyn went to live with Pearl Dunn and her family in Emporia, Virginia. Evelyn was supposed to go into the seventh grade high (the grades used to be designated as low and high, i.e., seventh low or seventh high, indicating whether one was in the first or second half). Evelyn was instead place in high school - the eight grade. After about a year she returned to Newport News. Catherine and Charles were married and moved to a house at 222 Cherry Avenue.

Mathew Laine went to work for the Waterfront Lumber Company. Ashton married Louise and moved into the Shipyard apartments. Evelyn move in with them. Matthew moved into the apartment above the Waterfront Lumber Company Office in the twelve hundred block of Jefferson Avenue. Ashton and Louise moved to Durham, North Carolina. Evelyn went to live with the Love family. Mr. Love was owner or one of the owners of Waterfront Lumber Company and lived on Chesapeake Avenue. Evelyn stayed with this family until Mr. Love's daughter became ill. He asked Mr. Smith if he would board Evelyn, which he did. Prior to Evelyn leaving the Love's , she was taking a knitting class a Nachman's and met one of the Smith family. She met Jean Smith and became good friends. Evelyn was invited to Jeans birthday party at the Chamberlin Hotel at Old Point Comfort,(Fort Monroe) in Hampton, Virginia.

Occupation:
The census taken in April of 1930 indicates that the Mathew Laine family lived in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Mathew Laine's occupation was listed as a sawman in the logging business. Ashton Laine who was 22 years old at that time was living at home and was a bookkeeper for a general store (W. J. Joyner's). "(Old) Surry Lumber
Company Camp" was written in the border of the census sheet. Some of the houses in Central Hill were built by the Surry Lumber Company for their employees.

Matthew married HORNE Susie on 16 Feb 1908. Susie (daughter of HORNE John Leonardis and JOHNSON Adney) was born on 16 Mar 1892 in Greensville County, Virginia; died on 14 Feb 1934 in Roanoke, VA (Catawba Sanitorium); was buried on 17 Feb 1934 in Newport News, VA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
Marriage Notes for SUSIE HORNE and MATHEW LAINE:
Susie Horne must have been sixteen years old when she married Mathew Laine (and he would have been 28 years old). She was borne in March of 1892 and Ashton, her first child was born on December 6, 1908.

1. LAINE Ashton Calhoun was born on 6 Dec 1908 in Homeville, Sussex, Virginia, USA; died on 27 Feb 1968 in Hampton, VA (VA Hosp); was buried in Hampton, VA.
2. LAINE Adnie Catherine was born on 15 Oct 1912 in Sussex County, Va (Upson); died on 2 Apr 1999 in Hampton, VA; was buried in Hampton, VA.
3. LAINE Evelyn Ruth was born on 29 Jun 1921 in Isle of Wight County, VA.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Reference Number: 1361

James married WILLS Susanah. Susanah and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Reference Number: 1362