Lovick Schoolfield & Bernard Pritchett, Danville, Virginia 1903 (Colorized)
William Lovick Schoolfield (1890-1922) relates to the notable Schoolfield family of Danville, Virginia. He lived with his father, Rev. J. E. Schoolfield, in a grand home at 750 Main Street. The building was demolished in the 1970’s, but a historic marker is dedicated to its memory. At their home, six men met and organized the founding of Riverside Cotton Mills in 1882. Among the founders were three brothers: James Edward Schoolfield (1850-1902), Robert Addison Schoolfield (1853-1931), and John Harrell Schoolfield (1838-1920). Lovick’s father, J. E., passed away in 1902, so his teenage years were spent being raised by his mother, Lucy Dillard France Schoolfield (1850-1937).
Down the road, Charles Bernard Pritchett (1889-1955) also lived on Main Street at house number 644. His father, Dr. Charles Wesley Pritchett, Jr. (1864-1950) was a prominent medical physician renowned across the state of Virginia. He also had a sister, Eunice Clay Pritchett Squire (1894-1949) who became a renowned Southern artist known for portraits, still lifes, and other realistic scenes painted with oil on canvas. Through their mother, Clay Keesee, they descend from Congressman Matthew Clay (1754-1815). Bernard likely met Lovick while attending the Danville Preparatory School.
In their portrait together, they wore similar fashioned wool winter coats. Since Lovick is seated, his knee britches (or “knickerbockers”) are also visible. The original image has some residue, scratches, and other blemishes across the surface. Without the correct lighting, it is difficult to tell, but both of their names are written across the front of the portrait. Colors have been added manually using Photoshop.
Several years later, Bernard graduated from Fishburne Military School and then trained like his father and became a physician in the city of Danville. In April of 1918 he married Effie Shepherd Leak (1894-1984) of Anson County, North Carolina. Bernard enlisted in the military the following September with the rank of Lieutenant, but the Great War ended just two months later. He was discharged the day after Christmas in 1918 and was able to return home safely and continue his medical practice.
Lovick Schoolfield moved to the U.S. capital following the war. There he explored several business opportunities including the distribution of crude rubber to New York. However, by 1920 he returned to Danville and lived with his mother. During the winter of 1922, Lovick traveled back to Washington D.C. and attended a silent film at the Knickerbocker Theatre. A severe blizzard had caused snow to pile high upon the roof of the building for two days. During the showing of the movie, the ceiling collapsed and came down onto a room with hundreds of guests inside. Lovick was among the ninety-eight deaths of the disaster. He was only thirty-one years old and was unmarried.
Less than a month after losing his old friend, Bernard Pritchett was subjected to another tragedy. By this time, Bernard was a father to a three-year old son named C. B., Jr. When the child was at home one day, momentarily unattended, when an electric heater caused his clothing to ignite. Effie attempted to extinguish the flames and suffered several burns in the process, but the child did not survive. An article in the 1922 newspaper recounts the situation in vivid detail, which was entitled “Danville Child Burned to Death.” Read the full article here:
Some time afterward, Bernard and Shepherd were divorced and each returned to live with their parents. Bernard remarried around 1930 to Maude Viola Moore (1901-1990). Together, they had a daughter, Martha Clay Pritchett (1930-1960). Bernard and his father Dr. C. W. Pritchett worked as medical doctors in Danville until the end of their lives. His sister Eunice was diagnosed with Leukemia, which consumed her at the age of fifty-five. His father lived until the age of eighty-five, and Bernard passed away just five years later at the age of sixty-five.
In summary, the lives of Lovick Schoolfield and Bernard Pritchett, both from Danville, Virginia, are closely connected with the city’s history. Their stories intertwined, and the surviving resources provide narratives that shed light on the lives of individuals who left a lasting impact on Danville.