Hazel A. Shields

Hazel A. Shields was born September 12, 1926, in Georgia, the daughter of Walter C. B. Shields and Virginia “Gennie” Maria Craig. She was one of eight children born to the Shields family. Her siblings included Ralph Shields, Vernon “Doc” Lee Shields, Josephine Shields, W. C. “Dub” Shields, Betty Jean Shields, and Buddy Shields. The family had experienced tragedy before Hazel’s birth with the loss of her older brother, Melburn, who died at approximately age three.

Hazel is my 1st cousin 2x removed, with our nearest common ancestors being Samuel Cas Shields and Martha Ann Ogle—my 2nd great-grandparents and Hazel’s grandparents.

The Shields family’s movements in the 1930s can be traced through various records, though Hazel’s whereabouts in the 1930 census have yet to be found. By 1935, the family had established themselves in the Hall District of Pickens County, Georgia, presumably in Jasper.

The Pickens County Progress provides glimpses into Hazel’s early education. In December 1938, the paper reported that Hazel entered first grade alongside her siblings Ralph, Vernon, and Josephine. Just two months later, in February 1939, Hazel demonstrated academic promise when she, Ralph, and Josephine were placed on the first-grade honor roll.

The 1940 census, taken on May 13, paints a challenging picture of the family’s circumstances. Despite being 13 years old, Hazel had only completed the third grade, and none of the Shields children had attended school since March of that year. The census reveals her father working as a farmer and her brother serving as a farm laborer.

Hazel’s marriage to Ulysses “Ulis or Eulis” Carter, son of Lander A. and Mary L. Carter, occurred sometime between the May 1940 census and 1949. This timeline is established through two key records: the 1940 census, where Hazel was still single, and the 1949 Bradley County, Tennessee city directory, which documented the couple living in Cleveland. The directory also noted Ulis’ employment as a laborer at Stivers Lumber Company.

Though Ulis fulfilled his patriotic duty by registering for the World War II draft, records do not indicate any military service during the war.

The 1950 census, taken on May 10, provides a detailed snapshot of Hazel and Ulis’ life in Bradley County’s enumeration district 6-6. At the time, Hazel was 23 and Ulis was 36. The census reveals Ulis’ employment as a ripsaw helper at a lumber company, though he was between jobs that week and searching for work. Hazel’s status was listed as “unable to work.”

Ulis’ mother lived nearby with her second husband, William Sprayberry, and their son Earl, just a few houses down the same street.

Hazel’s life came to an untimely end on September 6, 1951, just six days shy of her 25th birthday. She died at her home near Straw Hill, a residential area in Cleveland, after a battle with pulmonary tuberculosis. Her struggle with the disease had begun nearly three years earlier, on November 13, 1948.

The Straw Hill Baptist Church hosted her funeral service on September 7, after which she was laid to rest in Cleveland’s Red Hill Cemetery. Hazel left behind her husband Ulis; sisters Josephine and Betty; brothers Ralph, Vernon, Dub, and Buddy; and her parents.

Photo by Laurie Wilson, Find A Grave member 47098859

References

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/107992768/hazel-carter: accessed April 7, 2025), memorial page for Hazel Shields Carter (12 Sep 1926–6 Sep 1951), Find a Grave Memorial ID 107992768, citing Red Hill Cemetery, Cleveland, Bradley County, Tennessee, USA; maintained by Laurie Wilson (contributor 47098859).
• Hazel A. Carter, Certificate of Death no. 51-19748, State of Tennessee, Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics, 1951.
• Hazel Carter, U.S., City Directories, 1949.
• Mrs. Eulis Carter, Cleveland Daily Banner, p. 3, September 6, 1951.
• Pickens Hi-Lights: Grade Honor Roll, Pickens County Progress, Jasper, Georgia, February 2, 1939.
• Pickens Hi-Lights: P.C.H.S. Still Growing, County Progress, Jasper, Georgia, December 8, 1938.
• U.S. Federal Census, E.D. 6-6, Bradley County, Tennessee, 1950.
• U.S. Federal Census, Hill District, Pickens County, Georgia, 1940.
• Ulis Carter, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947.