Liberty County was fortunate in 1920 to have a young doctor come to work at Dunlevie Lumber Company in Allenhurst. Dr. Terry Winston Welborn set up his private medical practice in Hinesville. He was born in 1887 in Fountain Inn, S.C. He had two brothers and two sisters. He graduated in 1915 from the University of Alabama and in 1919 from the Charleston Medical College. He married Mary Elizabeth Sullivan from Charleston. They had six children — two boys and four girls — all born in Liberty County.
One of those sons, Julius “Jule” Warren Welborn, married Myrtie Long Smith. She was my mother’s school teacher in Tattnall County. They had a daughter, Ann Mims, who was my fourth-grade teacher at the beginning of one school year. She resigned to get married. Her mother was still teaching at Ludowici High School at the time.
Dr. Welborn was a family doctor for more than 40 years. He treated hundreds of families and delivered countless babies in Liberty County and the surrounding counties. The doctor also established the first hospital in Liberty County during World War II on the second floor of a building constructed by Peyton Way on Courthouse Square in Hinesville.
Dr. Welborn dedicated the first Liberty County Health Center. He was instrumental in starting Hill-Burton Hospital, which became Liberty Memorial Hospital. He also was a businessman. Dr. Welborn and Jesse G. Ryon co-owned the first drugstore in Hinesville. Young people loved to gather there, sip 5 cent soft drinks and loaf around. They were allowed to stay as long as they liked in the store without buying anything. The owners installed a radio on a high shelf and played it all day. Young people listened to the latest recordings on Savannah’s WTOC radio station.
Dr. Welborn was elected to the Hinesville City Council in 1934 and he served as mayor from 1937-1942. He gave the welcoming address at the centennial celebration on the first day of the Liberty County Fair, Oct. 28, 1937.
Dr. Welborn was very active in the community. He was kind and compassionate; he often went out of his way to help those in need. In 1938 there were many poor people in Liberty and the surrounding rural counties. A few poverty-stricken families found themselves in terrible situations.
One man, his wife and their five children became homeless when the farm they sharecropped was sold for taxes. The man searched feverishly for employment while his family camped out in the woods. He had to sell his mule and wagon for a few dollars. When that money was gone, they nearly starved to death during the winter of 1937-38. Dr. Welborn heard about the family and went to investigate.
He appealed to the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce for help. The doctor said he was appalled at what he saw. All members of the family were suffering from malnutrition, exposure to the cold weather and other illnesses. They desperately needed a house to live in, food and medical attention. He gave them food and medicine and helped them search for a house.
D.S. Owen, president of the chamber, immediately appointed a committee to find food and shelter for the family. Mary Rogers, director of the county welfare office, took food and clothing to the family. John McCallar donated land on which a dwelling could be built. Joseph B. Fraser Jr., B.T. Slade and J.H. Salter donated lumber to build the house. The county commissioners donated a truck and labor to haul the lumber to the property donated by McCallar. Volunteer carpenters built the home. In a very short time, the family had a nice home in which to live and recuperate.
Dr. Welborn practiced medicine until his death in 1962. He was one of the most beloved doctors in Liberty County and many still cherish his memory today. What a wonderful and compassionate public servant — we need more like him!
Love is a history buff and writes Liberty lore periodically for the Courier.
One of those sons, Julius “Jule” Warren Welborn, married Myrtie Long Smith. She was my mother’s school teacher in Tattnall County. They had a daughter, Ann Mims, who was my fourth-grade teacher at the beginning of one school year. She resigned to get married. Her mother was still teaching at Ludowici High School at the time.
Dr. Welborn was a family doctor for more than 40 years. He treated hundreds of families and delivered countless babies in Liberty County and the surrounding counties. The doctor also established the first hospital in Liberty County during World War II on the second floor of a building constructed by Peyton Way on Courthouse Square in Hinesville.
Dr. Welborn dedicated the first Liberty County Health Center. He was instrumental in starting Hill-Burton Hospital, which became Liberty Memorial Hospital. He also was a businessman. Dr. Welborn and Jesse G. Ryon co-owned the first drugstore in Hinesville. Young people loved to gather there, sip 5 cent soft drinks and loaf around. They were allowed to stay as long as they liked in the store without buying anything. The owners installed a radio on a high shelf and played it all day. Young people listened to the latest recordings on Savannah’s WTOC radio station.
Dr. Welborn was elected to the Hinesville City Council in 1934 and he served as mayor from 1937-1942. He gave the welcoming address at the centennial celebration on the first day of the Liberty County Fair, Oct. 28, 1937.
Dr. Welborn was very active in the community. He was kind and compassionate; he often went out of his way to help those in need. In 1938 there were many poor people in Liberty and the surrounding rural counties. A few poverty-stricken families found themselves in terrible situations.
One man, his wife and their five children became homeless when the farm they sharecropped was sold for taxes. The man searched feverishly for employment while his family camped out in the woods. He had to sell his mule and wagon for a few dollars. When that money was gone, they nearly starved to death during the winter of 1937-38. Dr. Welborn heard about the family and went to investigate.
He appealed to the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce for help. The doctor said he was appalled at what he saw. All members of the family were suffering from malnutrition, exposure to the cold weather and other illnesses. They desperately needed a house to live in, food and medical attention. He gave them food and medicine and helped them search for a house.
D.S. Owen, president of the chamber, immediately appointed a committee to find food and shelter for the family. Mary Rogers, director of the county welfare office, took food and clothing to the family. John McCallar donated land on which a dwelling could be built. Joseph B. Fraser Jr., B.T. Slade and J.H. Salter donated lumber to build the house. The county commissioners donated a truck and labor to haul the lumber to the property donated by McCallar. Volunteer carpenters built the home. In a very short time, the family had a nice home in which to live and recuperate.
Dr. Welborn practiced medicine until his death in 1962. He was one of the most beloved doctors in Liberty County and many still cherish his memory today. What a wonderful and compassionate public servant — we need more like him!
Love is a history buff and writes Liberty lore periodically for the Courier.