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Charles Franklin Bivens

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Charles Franklin Bivens

Birth	:	9 Dec 1923 Union County, North Carolina, USA
Death	:	31 Jan 2014 Union County, North Carolina, USA
Burial	:	Lakeland Memorial Park, Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate	:	34.9668999, -80.5669022
Description	:	s/o Edmond and Rilla Griffin Bivens h/o Betty Jo Helms Bivens Born in Monroe, North Carolina, Dr. J. W. Neal was paid $32.00 by Charles' father four days after the birth – it will be assumed this was for the delivery of the child. His parents have been listed in his obituary as Edmond O. and Rilla Griffin Bivens. (1930 Union County, NC census has his father's name as Ellis O. and mother as Rilla; siblings Ercel, Edmond, John; birth index has his father as "Ed" and 1940 census has his father as Edmond) Growing up, Charles attended... Read More	s/o Edmond and Rilla Griffin Bivens h/o Betty Jo Helms Bivens Born in Monroe, North Carolina, Dr. J. W. Neal was paid $32.00 by Charles' father four days after the birth – it will be assumed this was for the delivery of the child. His parents have been listed in his obituary as Edmond O. and Rilla Griffin Bivens. (1930 Union County, NC census has his father's name as Ellis O. and mother as Rilla; siblings Ercel, Edmond, John; birth index has his father as "Ed" and 1940 census has his father as Edmond) Growing up, Charles attended the Monroe Graded School and later the Monroe High School (called Walter Bickett) both on Lancaster Avenue. He was a member of the 1942 football team and had fond memories of long-time principal (and bandleader), Ray House. Charles assembled a scrapbook of those who attended the school reunions for the classes of 1943 and 44. He collected and copied obituaries of some teachers and any newspaper articles about the school (misc. years) for the compilation. Though not always cited properly (missing dates of articles, etc.) a photocopy can be seen in the Dickerson Room of the Union County Public Library. Most valuable would be the information sheets that former classmates filled out for the reunions. Charles loved to assemble these types of resources – he did them out of the pure joy of sharing. Charles was a member of First Baptist Church (of Monroe) all of his life. He once shared that his father would have to fire up the furnace when the church was on Main Street and he would sometimes tag along. He was most proud of his service in the Army during WWII. Charles was with the 672nd Amphibious Tractor (Amtrac) Battalion. He was 19 when he entered the service and had already been doing odd jobs at Monroe's temporary army camp by helping build the tent floors during the first phase of building the camp. (Camp Sutton soldiers were housed in tents that had wooden floors and also half-wood walls built up on four sides) He would become a driver in his unit and would drive one of the amphibious tractors during the Feb. 23, 1945 "Raid at Los Banos" in the Philippines. This was a secret mission to rescue the prisoners being held by the Japanese -- the tractors traveled across a lake under the cover of darkness and arrived just after dawn. "They [the prisoners] were scheduled to be killed the morning of the raid," Bivens recalls. "They already had the trenches dug that they were to be buried in. They had to dig their own." (from "Saving wartime memories" by Jane Duckwall, Neighbors, Charlotte Observer, 11-9-2008, p. 5U) He worked for Griffin Implement & Milling Company and would retire as a manager at Producer's Coop Feed Mill. He used to joke that he married his beautiful Betty so that there would be "one less Helms in the county". Charles was the ‘go to' guy for scoping out hidden, local cemeteries. He worked tirelessly on his own time to fill out the North Carolina Survey Forms for our local cemeteries, citing the proper coordinates and noting how many graves, approximate directions (sometimes very approximate!) and whether it was accessible or not. These surveys have been copied and are referred to frequently by genealogy researchers of the county. In 2011, the Department of the [U.S.] Army awarded a presidential unit citation to members (widows, spouse, children) of the 672nd Anphibian Tractor Battalion "for its heroic participation in the Los Banos Rescue on 23 February 1945". (Anphibian spelled like it is on the citation) He was extremely happy over this recognition. The local genealogy and history researchers have lost a true friend. More about his WWII service from his obituary that was in The Enquirer Journal, Feb. 2, 2014: He served in the U.S. Army and was awarded the Asiatic Pacific Theater Campaign Medal with three Bronze Service Stars, Good Conduct Medal AR 600-68, Victory Medal and Bronze Arrowhead.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Charles Franklin Bivens's memorial?
Charles Franklin Bivens's memorial is located at: Lakeland Memorial Park, Monroe, Union County, USA.
When did Charles Franklin Bivens death?
Charles Franklin Bivens death on 31 Jan 2014 in Union County, North Carolina, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Charles Franklin Bivens's memorial?
Latitude: 34.9668999
Longitude: -80.5669022

Family Members:

Parent

Edmond Oscar Bivens

(1871 - 1940)

Marilla Jane “Rilla” Griffin Bivens

(1877 - 1965)

Spouse

Betty Helms Bivens

(1930 - 2014)

Siblings

Glennie Bivens

(1896 - 1896)

James Fred Bivens

(1897 - 1959)

Infant Son Bivens

(1899 - 1899)

Ruby Helen Bivens Howie

(1902 - 2000)

Robert Bruce Bivens

(1905 - 1977)

Ercel Lee Bivens Melton

(1907 - 1941)

Infant Daughter Bivens

(1910 - 1910)

Edmond Oscar Bivens Jr.

(1912 - 1994)

John Neal Bivens

(1915 - 1998)

Children

Wanda Denease Bivens Arant

(1957 - 2021)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Lakeland Memorial Park
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9668999, -80.5669022

2. Suncrest Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9756012, -80.5516968

3. Helms Family Cemetery
Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9503000, -80.5813000

4. Saint Pauls Episcopal Church Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9803360, -80.5480150

5. Hiram Broom Family Cemetery
Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9409447, -80.5533676

6. County Home Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9754230, -80.6005830

7. Hillcrest Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9890800, -80.5432400

8. Billy Woods Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9958300, -80.5366600

9. Belmont Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9454308, -80.5241776

10. Crook Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 35.0080757, -80.5565567

11. Corinth Baptist Church Cemetery
Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9431686, -80.6150284

12. Secrest Family Cemetery
Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9945755, -80.6122055

13. High Hill Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 35.0112000, -80.5483017

14. Hebron United Methodist Church Cemetery
Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9665909, -80.6276321

15. Red Level Baptist Church Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9475000, -80.6236000

16. New Salem Baptist Church Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 35.0080338, -80.6026917

17. New Hope United Methodist Church Cemetery
Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9142570, -80.5773773

18. Macedonia Baptist Church Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9214783, -80.5234680

19. Old High Hill Cemetery New
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 35.0255585, -80.5575027

20. Hill Cemetery
Union County, USA
Coordinate: 35.0059586, -80.5103836

21. Hinson Cemetery
Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9904289, -80.4971390

22. Secrest Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 34.9967200, -80.6388330

23. Grace United Methodist Church Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 35.0358162, -80.5633316

24. Love Baptist Church Cemetery
Monroe, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 35.0256577, -80.5218658