COUNTY TENNESSEE
Willie Norine Pinkley b. 4-20-1905,
daughter of William A. (Bill) and Clara Wall Pinkley of Yuma, m. Freamon Harrison Taylor b. 7-2-1902, d. 7-13-1979 on 12-28-1927. He was the son of Thomas Nealy and Lovie Haywood Taylor of Yuma. To this union was bom two children, Aubrey Earl b. 6-28-1931 and Wilma Orvaline b. 7-14-1935.
April 10, 1952 Aubrey m. Sylvia Anida Felts b. 10-23-1932, daughter of the late Howard and Georgia Goldsby Felts of McKenzie. To this union was born two children, Karen Ann b. 10-31-1958 and Laurinda Sue b. 9-22-1963. In 1982, Karen m. Marty Steele, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gene Steele of Lexington.
May 27, 1954, Orvaline m. Charles Hilliard Mann b. 9-30-1932, son of Clifford Mann and the late Eva DePriest Mann of Trezevant. To this union was b. three children, Charlotte Felicia b. 4-7-1956; Judith Darlene b.d. 12-20-1958; and Gregory Alan b. 6-18-1966. In 1977, Felicia m. Sammy S. Bush, son of Mildred Bush Townsend and the late Lendon Bush.
In 1929, Freamon and Norine bought about half of the farm that had belonged to William Wall, grandfather of Norine. On this farm they built their home and struggled through the great depression to pay for it and rear their family.
In 1945, due to the illness and death of Bill Pinkley, Norine was appointed by the County Court to finish the unexpired term of Tax Assessor left by her father. At the end of this term in 1946, she was elected for her first four year term, with Freamon serving as Deputy Assessor. For the next twenty years, she was elected every four years for another term either by the County Court or by the people of the
county. Each time she ran for office she had at least one and usually several opponents, Freamon was always by her side helping her in every way he could. It was a joint venture from the start. While she stayed in the office and made out the tax books, Freamon would travel over the county and make sure each tax payer was taxed as fairly as he knew how. He made many friends in his travels and not long before his death, he wished he could go over the county again to see his many friends.
In 1966, Norine ran for the office of County Judge. Again she had more than one opponent. In 8-1966 she was elected to that office with a good majority. When she was elected County Judge, Freamon retired to the farm still willing to help her in any way he could.
For the next eight years, she served that office well. Not only did she have the duties of the County Executive, she also was Juvenile Judge, Probate Officer, Chairman of the Electrical Board, performed over four hundred weddings and many other duties that I know nothing about.
In 1974, she too retired to the farm. She just wanted to spend the remainder of her days on the farm with Freamon, although she had numerous people asking and begging her to run for Judge again. Then in 1979, eleven days after his 77th birthday, Freamon died. To this day, Norine, now 81 years of age, still lives on the farm that once belonged to her grandfather and in the house that she and Freamon built so many years before.
Ladies, Norine has several firsts to her credit in Carroll Co. She was the first and only woman elected to the office of Tax Assessor. The first and only woman elected to the office of County Judge. The first person to receive the Medalion given by the County Court. The first woman to be sworn in as deputy sheriff. She served as deputy sheriff to escort the first women jurors to eat lunch or to the rest rooms, only serving during Circxlft Court. Submitted by Orvaline Taylor Mann
Excerpt from Carroll County TN Vol. 1 1987
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