Murder Mystery Topic of CVHS Meeting
One of the Chattahoochee Valley’s most notorious murders will be the topic of the quarterly meeting of the Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society on April 17th. Local historian and author Ron Williams will speak on the 1959 double homicide of Jefferson Chambers and his daughter, Nella Jean. The unsolved murders took place on their family farm three miles south of the Fairfax community in Valley, Alabama.
The horrific slaying was investigated at the time but no arrest was ever made. “Their death marked an end to an innocence that the Valley area enjoyed,” says Williams. “Doors that had previously never been locked were bolted shut and gun sales sky-rocketed in the days following the murders.” Williams will share insights into the case, based on his research and interviews with former neighbors and co-workers of the Chambers’ family.
A native of Valley, Williams is well-known to area residents as a former contributor to the Valley Times-News. His column on local history, “Past Times”, appeared in the VT-N for five years and was based on factual stories, legends and lore, and reminisces of long ago. Williams has compiled two histories of pioneer families in Chambers County. In addition, he has authored “Mongoose Tales: Front Porch Stories of the Williams’ Family,” and “When the Dinner Bell Rang: A History of the Hopewell Community”.
This is Williams’ second visit to the CVHS podium. His former subject was John Wallace, who was executed for murder in Coweta County over fifty years ago. “Ron is an excellent story-teller,” comments CVHS President Horace (Mac) Holderfield. “We expect a record crowd at our upcoming meeting, given the long-term interest in the topic.”
The meeting will be held thirty minutes later than usual, at 3:30 pm EDT, at the Bradshaw Library in Valley. The public is invited to attend. For more information, contact Malinda Powers, VP/Programs, (706) 645-6702 or malindacpowers@yahoo.com
