In April, America declared war. In June, Lincoln Countymarched.

It was Tuesday, June 5, 1917, when the people of Brookhaven andLincoln County pushed into the streets in great numbers, answeringthe call of President Woodrow Wilson’s declaration of NationalRegistration Day. Men who registered for service were given a placeof honor in the procession, and men ready to register shared theglory right behind them.

The Lincoln County Times reported on the order of the parade,which included the Brister Band, Confederate Veterans, Camp FireGirls, Board of Trade, Woodmen of the World, Odd Fellows and manymore groups. Black citizens marched in parade as part of thePickwick Band, Evening Star and “colored fraternalorganizations.”

It was a time of great fervor, said local historian andgenealogist John Paul Smith.

“It was the first time the boys in Lincoln County had beencalled away to fight in a war since the Civil War,” said Smith, 80.”What struck me was the involvement of the citizens in thecounty.”

Lincoln County citizens’ response to the Great War and theirhandling of everyday life and death is detailed in Smith’s newestand final book, “Brookhaven and Lincoln County: The Later TeenYears, 1916 through 1919,” a 352-page compilation of the stories ofold-time Lincoln County.

Approximately 250 copies of the book were published and may bepurchased for $35 at the Lincoln County Public Library. Smith willhold a book-signing at the library Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 4p.m.

The work is built entirely of excerpts from the local newspapersof the day, presenting the stories – some comical, some sad andsome bizarre – as they were, without alteration. The volume isfilled with genealogical information, including numerous births,deaths and marriages and roll calls for churches and clubs.

Smith also included vanity news printed in the teens about whowent out of town for a vacation and who received a visit from afriend or relative.

For the genealogist, the book covers the first homecoming atBrookhaven Baptist Church and lists the names of church elders. Italso covers a sermon of St. James Church and a list of membersattending, a history of the Brookhaven Methodist Church and afour-years-later report on Brookhaven High School’s Class of 1911,listing their names and occupations.

As far as local news, the book recounts events like theestablishment of the library, the city’s first Mardi Grascelebration, the fate of Turnbough and Sons stable and many, manydeaths by train.

Perhaps the most interesting and revealing stories in “The LaterTeen Years” are those that unashamedly show the attitude of thetime.

A story about the city’s Christmas Eve celebration in 1916claims the mood was festive and cheerful, and any drinking orcussing must have been “done in a corner.” The story claims, “therewas no evidence of this ancient and condemned method of celebratingChristmas.”

In another story about an altercation that resulting in astabbing, the newspaper surmises “whiskey or whiskey substitutesseem to play a part in almost every difficulty even if not theunderlying cause.”

One week after reporting on the city’s National Registration Dayparade, the Times published the names of 1,685 men who enlisted, aroll that would “make it easier to discover the slackers, if any.”Likewise the paper declares, “the shirker ought to be made to dohis share” when reporting on labor laws enacted in accordance withthe war.

Such glimpses into the old community’s sentiment make localhistory books like “The Later Teen Years” valuable assets, saidlibrary director Henry Ledet.

“You can read so much of what life was like then by readingbetween the lines,” said Ledet, who indexed the book. “What strikesme is how much life was like it is just today. We think we’re sodifferent with all our technology, but they basically lived thesame lives we do today.”

“The Later Teen Years” is a continuation of an early LincolnCounty history series begun years ago by Yvonne McGlothing, a localgenealogist who published several works before her death in 2004.Her first two volumes covered the county’s history from 1875 to1912.

Smith assisted McGlothing in her work and picked up “The LaterTeen Years” where she left off. He actually finished compiling thebook the year of her death and it lingered in his notebooks for thelast six years until William Crawford – a retired trustee of thelibrary who served almost 40 years – called on him to finish thework.

“I thought it should be preserved and published, and that wasthe reason the library undertook it,” Crawford said. “I wanted tosee him finish it up, and I’m glad John Paul lived to see itpublished. He’s good at what he does.”

The book is dedicated to Crawford. Geri Jinks proofread themanuscript.

If sales of “The Later Teen Years” are adequate, the library maypublish a companion book of period photographs. But with Smithdeclaring the book his last, no one knows who will be the nextlocal historian to compile the old stories.

“We’re going to have to find someone to take up the banner,”Crawford said. “The information is there on microfilm – it’s just amatter of sitting down and reading it to get a manuscript.”