This week in Canton history...

CANTON HERALD, Jan. 19, 1950:

Van Zandt County Pioneer, Historian, EX-Official Dies:  Funeral services were held Wednesday Jan. 18, for W. S. Mills, Van Zandt County pioneer, in the Canton Baptist Church.  Mr. Mills passed away in a Dallas hospital Monday Jan. 10, at 3:55 a.m. at the age of 81 years and 14 days. Rev. James V. Gray, pastor, conducted the service.

Mr. Mills retired from public life to write a history of Van Zandt County, which is now in the hands of the publisher.  He acquired many of the fact during his 41 years as a teacher and 16 years as a public official in Van Zandt County.  He taught two years before coming to Van Zandt County.  He left the teaching profession in 1931 and served four years as district clerk and twelve years as county surveyor.  Since retiring from the last office and he has devoted full time to writing the history.

W. S. Mills was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Mills.  He was born in Alabama May 2, 1869 and came to Texas at the age of seven years and later settled in this county where he had been a resident for 75 years.  He served as deacon of the Baptist Church for more than 50 years.

With only 13 days away from the deadline, county poll tax payments continue to drift into the county assessor-collectors office at a slow rate of speed.  According the Mrs. Paul T. Mann’s office, approximately 2,300 receipts had been issued through Wednesday.  Unless political races stimulate the issuance of poll tax receipts during the next two weeks the county will register on of the smallest number of poll tax holders in recent years.

Washington--The first checks were mailed to World War II veterans Monday in distribution fund of a $2,800,000.00 insurance refund.  From then on the treasurer will be turning out 1,000,000 checks a week hoping to have the payments in the hands of 16,000,000 veterans by June 30.  The checks will average about $125 but some will be as low as $90 and some as high as $158.  They represent an accumulation of cash from premiums on government insurance in excess in the amount needed to carry the program.   The first day’s checks have gone out to post offices all over the country in bundles. As the program grinds on veterans will be aid generally in the order of the last three digits in their services serial numbers.  A veteran whose serial number ends 000   34256000 for example will be included in the early mailings.  One whose number end in 900 will be among the last.  The idea was to make things as non-discriminatory as possible.

To read the full article, subscribe to the Canton Herald or pick up a copy from one of our vendors.