Paul Redfern JENNINGS, Sr.

1927 - 2017  (90 years)

• Name	Paul Redfern JENNINGS  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]
  Suffix	Sr.
  Birth	3 Oct 1927	Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina   [7]
  Gender	Male
  Education	he graduated from Edmunds High School and attended Hargrave Military Academy and the University of South Carolina
  HIST	of Sumter, South Carolina On 4 Apr 1928 he as 25 1/2 inches long and weighed 15 pounds and 4 ounces Boll weevil topic at genealogical society meeting ovided Posted: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 6:00 am | Updated: 10:31 am, Wed May 12, 2010. By IVY MOORE ivym@theitem.com   Now, the first time I seen the boll weevil, He was settin' on the square, The next time I seen the boll weevil, Had his whole family there, Just a-lookin' for a home ... - unattributed folk song   When cotton was king in South Carolina, the nefarious boll weevil was constantly trying to take over the throne. An immigrant from Mexico, Anthonomous grandis was the scourge of cotton farmers from Texas to Virginia, the area formerly known as the old cotton belt. Paul Redfern Jennings, who will speak on the boll weevil at the May 17 meeting of the Sumter Genealogical Society, notes that the weevil infestation virtually ended the cultivation of cotton in S.C., but that it also had a positive effect in that it forced farmers to diversify their crops. Timber and pasture for livestock took over many former cotton fields, and all the while Jennings and his co-workers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture were fighting the boll weevil. Jennings started his career with USDA as a trapper with the eradication program and was later promoted to field unit supervisor. He will provide a history of the department's fight against the pest and how it affected not just farmers, but life in S.C. in general. During Jennings' talk, he will demonstrate the actual trapping process and the hardships trappers and other field workers went through to help ensure success in the eradication attempts. A Sumter native, Jennings was educated in Sumter County schools, attended Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., and the University of South Carolina. During his military service, he played trumpet in the U.S. Army band. As a businessman, he was the office manager for Ruvelle Inc. for 20 years. He has been a resident of Sumter and Clarendon counties for many years. Following his presentation on the boll weevil, Jennings will preview the society's fall meeting on his uncle, Paul Redfern, a celebrated pilot who was lost in an attempted flight from Brunswick, Ga., to Rio de Janeiro in 1927. The public is invited to the 7:30 p.m. meeting of the Sumter County Genealogical Society at the Swan Lake Presbyterian Church, located on the corner of Haynsworth Street and Bland Avenue. For more information, call Johnny Raffield at (803) 775-4985. Posted in Panorama, Lifestyles on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 PAUL R. JENNINGS Posted Tuesday, December 12, 2017 6:00 am Paul R. Jennings, age 90, died on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, at his residence. Born in Sumter, he was a son of the late Robert Bradford Jennings and Ruth Redfren Jennings Sanders. He attended Sumter city schools and graduated from Hargrave Military Academy, Chatham, Virginia, and went on to attend the University of South Carolina. He served in the U.S. Army, where he received special training in mountain and winter warfare. He was also in the U.S. Army band, where he played the trumpet. Mr. Jennings was the secretary and treasurer for RuVelle for many years. He later worked for more than 18 years as a field unit supervisor with the USDA in the Southeastern Boll Weevil Eradication Program. Paul was very instrumental in the eradication of the boll weevil in South Carolina and Alabama. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. He was a member of the Sumter County Veterans Association, American Legion Post 15 and Sumter Elks Club. He served on the board of directors at the Shepherd Center and also on the board of the Sumter Cemetery Association. He was Presbyterian by faith and played the trumpet in many local churches. He first married Norma Marshall Jennings, having three children, Ruth M. Jennings, Paul R. Jennings Jr. and Sally J. Kinsley; one grandchild, Christa Kinsley; and three great-grandchildren. He was later married to Barbara Jones Jennings. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at the Bullock Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Steve Shumake officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service on Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. at Bullock Funeral Home. You may go to www.bullockfuneralhome.com and sign the family's guest book. The family has chosen Bullock Funeral Home for the arrangements.  [1, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14]
  MILI	Pfc. in Company D, 38th Infantry, R.C.T. - serial # 44 187 865 - (as of 6 Jan 1947) - he served in the United States Army in World War II He served in the U.S. Army, where he received special training in mountain and winter warfare. He was also in the U.S. Army band, where he played the trumpet.  [10, 13, 14]
  Occupation	he is connected in business with the RuVelle (Clothing Store)  [10]
  _UID	C422A2AE37134015B6DA37A9C7D1B0D56293
  Death	10 Dec 2017	at his residence, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina
  Burial	13 Dec 2017	a memorial service was held at Bullock Funeral Home Chapel, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina   [14]
  	Bullock Funeral Home & Crematorium, Sumter, South Carolina
  Person ID	I74663	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	18 Dec 2017

  
  

  Father	Robert Bradford JENNINGS,   b. 13 Nov 1895, South Carolina d. 12 Aug 1934 (Age 38 years)
  Mother	Ruth Dorothia REDFERN,   b. 9 Mar 1900, Rochester, New York d. 3 Dec 1998, Covenant Place on Carter Road, Sumter, South Carolina (Age 98 years)
  Marriage	16 Feb	Trinity Methodist Church, Sumter, South Carolina   [10]
  	The Reverend Francis T. Cunningham The Reverend Francis T. Cunningham
  _UID	47C8788F4D80436C866C56240B2F79B869C0
  _UID	47C8788F4D80436C866C56240B2F79B869C0
  Family ID	F13943	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Norma Moore MARSHALL,   b. 20 Dec 1928, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina d. 7 Jan 2010, Tuomey Regional Medical Center, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina (Age 81 years)
  _UID	7F94E930BBE44FD9A8C426AC66A5D463737F
  _UID	7F94E930BBE44FD9A8C426AC66A5D463737F
  Children	1. Living   2. Living   3. Living
  Family ID	F100678	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Mar 2026

  
  

  Family 2	Barbara “Bobbie” JONES,   b. 10 May 1929, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina d. 20 Mar 2004, Tuomey Regional Medical Center, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina (Age 74 years)
  _UID	1557370F88EB4CAEB2775FBB05CE1A63B284
  _UID	1557370F88EB4CAEB2775FBB05CE1A63B284
  Family ID	F51883	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Mar 2026

  
  

• Sources

  [S1278] Ruth R. Sanders. [S1698] John Bailey TIndal, Jr. [S361] Marriages. [S6854] Barrett-Tindal. [S8012] Barrett-Tindal. [S1138] William M. Jones, Sr. [S11173] Interview with Paul and his daughter, Ruth, Jennings. [S4029] . [S11183] Marshall Rites Held Today - J. Styles Marshall. [S11301] Miss Norma Marshall Wed To Paul Jennings. [S14226] Boll weevil topic at genealogical society meeting. [S1433] Rufus Jennings. [S11182] . [S25616] Paul R. Jennings.