COUNCILMAN, Leola Catherine ⁴³⁷⁶

   Other names for Leola were Lee, COUNCELMAN, Leola K.,⁴⁰⁶⁸ COUNCILMAN, Leola,^49,4378 COUNCILMAN, Leola C.,⁴⁰⁶⁷ COUNCILMAN, Leola Catherene,⁴³⁷⁴ HAUGHT, Leola,⁴³⁷¹ HAUGHT, Leola C.,^{4370,4371,4375,4378} HAUGHT, Leola Catherine,⁴³⁷⁶ HAUGHT, Leola Councilman,⁴³⁷⁸ TURNER, Leola C. ⁴³⁷⁷ and TURNER, Leola Councilman.⁴³⁷⁸

  Birth Notes:

Born 29 Jul 1913 in Bear Creek, NC according to Funeral service bulletin.

  Death Notes:

Died 26 May 1991 in Sea Level, NC, according to Funeral service bulletin.

She died in her sleep in a nursing home in Sea Level, NC.

  Burial Notes:

Buried on 29 May 1991 in National Cemetery in New Bern, NC, according to Funeral service bulletin.

  Noted events in her life were:

1. Alt. Birth, 29 Jul 1912, Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. ⁴³⁷⁸

2. Appearance in Document: NC Birth Index, 29 Jul 1913, Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. ⁴³⁷⁴ Jul 29 1913, Councilman, Leola Catherene, no parent listed, book 6 page 103.

3. Census, 4 Feb 1920, Bear Creek Twp, Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. ⁴⁰⁶⁷
1) Councilman, John M., head of household, owns his farm free, age 38, married, can read and write, born NC, parents born NC, general farmer
2) Councilman, Oppie J., wife, age 32, married, can read and write, born NC, parents born NC
3) Councilman, Charlie M., son, age 14, attends school, born NC, parents born NC
4) Councilman, Milo M., son, age 12, attends school, born NC, parents born NC
5) Councilman, Caleb W., son, age 11, attends school, born NC, parents born NC
6) Councilman, Herbert N., son, age 9, attends school, born NC, parents born NC
7) Councilman, Leola C., daughter, age 7, attends school, born NC, parents born NC
8) Councilman, Odell J., son, age 3 8/12, born NC, parents born NC
9) Councilman, Sarah M., daughter, age 9/12, born NC, parents born NC.

4. Census, 17 Apr 1930, Bear Creek Twp, Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. ⁴⁰⁶⁸
1) Councelman, John, head of household, owns his home on Anson Road in Bonlee town, home value $3000, has a radio, not on a farm, age 48, married at age 24, born NC, parents born NC, salesman at hardware store, not a veteran
2) Councelman, Oppie, wife, age 42, married at age 17, born NC, parents born NC
3) Councelman, Leola K., daughter, age 17, attends school, born NC, parents born NC
4) Councelman, Odell J., son, age 14, attends school, born NC, parents born NC
5) Councelman, Marie S., daughter, age 11, attends school, born NC, parents born NC;
6) Councelman, Ledford J., son, age 9, attends school, born NC, parents born NC
7) Councelman, Howard L., son, age 8, attends school, born NC, parents born NC
8) Councelman, Osborn, son, age 6, attends school, born NC, parents born NC
9) Councelman, Martha J., daughter, age 4 6/12, born NC, parents born NC
10) Councelman, Lester D., son, age 3 1/12, born NC, parents born NC.

5. Story, 1933. ⁴³⁷⁹ Leola was Miss North Carolina at 1933 pageant at Wrightsville Beach. The entire story about whether or not she attended the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City is unclear. See the newspaper article for the controversy and more details about the pageant.

6. Residence, 1935, Sanford, Lee County, North Carolina, United States. ⁴³⁷⁷

7. Occupation: Telephone Operator, 1940. ⁴³⁷⁷ Leola worked as a telephone operator for Carolina Telephone for nine years.

8. Census, 20 Apr 1940, Sanford, Lee County, North Carolina, United States. ⁴³⁷⁷
1) Oliver, Bessie, head of household, 42, single, born NC, rents her home for $65, manager of boarding house
2) Oliver, Margaret, sister, 40, single, born NC, manager of jewelry shop
3) Turner, Leola C., lodger, 26, divorced, completed 3 years of high school, born NC, lived in same place in 1935, telephone operator, worked 52 weeks, income $575.
8 other lodgers.

9. Residence, 1950, Washington, District of Columbia, United States. ³⁵⁹⁴ Mrs. Harold Haught was resident of Washington, D.C. when her mother Oppie died on Feb 22 1950.

10. Story, Cir 1953. According to her brother Odell Councilman, Leola suffered her first stroke at age 40. She lost control of her right hand, so she learned to play golf left handed. According to her neice Shirley Lindley, after that first stroke, Leola recovered well enough to continue to play golf and even won at least one base tournament. She and Uncle Harold had a boat at Havelock and enjoyed fishing.

11. Residence: 745 Mayfield Avenue, 1954, Norfolk, Virginia, United States. ⁴³⁷¹

12. Story, 1987, Sea Level, Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. I have photo of Harold and Leola in 1987, with other family members at Sea Level nursing home.

13. Story. According to article in Sun Journal, New Bern, NC, 31 May 1991, Harold Haught said Leola waited until a year after they were married before she told him she'd been crowned the first Miss North Carolina in 1933, and then only after her sisters had spilled the story.

14. Story. She had a stroke, then lived in a nursing home for several years.

15. Story. The April 2007 issue of OUR STATE magazine [a North Carolina magazine] clarified one point about Leola's trip to Atlantic City. Although the Miss America organization in Atlantic City has stated that there was no contestant from North Carolina, the Atlantic City Public Library keeps Miss America records also. They show that Leola was indeed there and placed fifth, just as she told us.

The magazine mention came about in the same way as the Bledsoe article - their January issue stated that the first Miss North Carolina pageant was held in 1937, and a relative of Aunt Lee [actually Larry Councilman] wrote a letter to the editor to correct the misinformation (in a nice way). The magazine followed up with a phone call to Larry, then contacted the people in Atlantic City. As a result, Larry's letter to the editor was published, along with the information in the first paragraph above and a picture of Aunt Lee's loving cup.
Back copies of OUR STATE are available; in the 2007 issue, the price is stated as $6. I'll get the address if that is needed.

The immediate family has never been secretive about Leola's beauty title, though we try not to boast. In a Councilman family scrapbook that is passed around at the reunions, there are clippings and pictures. However, that might not have been available three years ago at the first one. I have seen a photo of her on the parade float in Atlantic City, but I don't know who has that now.

16. Story. A website at http://haygenealogy.com/missamerica/missamerica.html presents information about the 1933 Miss America pageant, and includes mention of Leola Councilman as Miss North Carolina. However, it states that she was not one of the 12 semi-finalists, and so could not have placed fifth.

17. Religion: Presbyterian.

Leola married Unknown TURNER.⁴³⁷⁷ The marriage ended in divorce before 1940.

  Noted events in their marriage were:

1. Story. Leola had a brief early marriage (Howard?) then divorce before marrying Harold.

Leola next married Harold Eugene HAUGHT, son of Clinton Ulrich HAUGHT and Bertha Ellen PYLES, on 2 Mar 1946 in Camp LeJeune, Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. (Harold Eugene HAUGHT was born on 7 Aug 1915 in Wetzel County, West Virginia, United States,^{4366,4367,4368,4369} died on 9 Oct 1994 in Osceola County, Florida, United States ^{4366,4367,4368,4369} and was buried on 14 Oct 1994 in National Cemetery, New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina ^4366,4367.). The cause of his death was Died of cancer, according to Shirley Lindley.

  Noted events in their marriage were:

1. Story, 2 Mar 1946, Camp LeJeune, Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. Harold Eugene Haught married Leola Catherine Councilman on 2 Mar 1946 at Camp LeJeune, NC, according to Leola's Funeral service bulletin, and according to family sheet provided by Harold Haught.