McAlister, Thelbert Lewis
1872 - 1924 (51 years)-
Name McAlister, Thelbert Lewis [1] Birth 26 Jun 1872 Madison, Virginia 
[1] Gender Male Death 7 Mar 1924 Robertson District, Madison, Virginia [1, 2] Person ID I31219 European Descendants Last Modified 20 May 2026
Father McAlister, James Nelson, b. 2 Dec 1849, Madison, Virginia d. 28 Jan 1925 (Age 75 years)Mother Hurt, Frances V., b. 25 Apr 1883, Virginia d. 17 Apr 1928, Etlan, Madison, Virginia (Age 44 years)Marriage 22 Dec 1870 Madison, Virginia Family ID F10648 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family 
Utz, Clara Tarter, b. 9 Jul 1875, Madison, Virginia d. 15 Apr 1959 (Age 83 years)Marriage 14 Feb 1900 Madison, Virginia Family ID F13000 Group Sheet | Family Chart Last Modified 20 May 2026
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Event Map 
Death - 7 Mar 1924 - Robertson District, Madison, Virginia 
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Notes - Thelbert Lewis "Dick" McAllister was a hardworking sawmill owner and farmer from the Etlan area of Madison County, Virginia. Known as a generous and kindly neighbor, Dick also managed a local Case threshing machine operation to serving local farmers in harvesting their grain.
In March 1924, an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Thomas, tragically lost her daughter. Stepping up to help, Dick arranged to move his family into her home to care for her. On March 7, 1924, after walking over to Mrs. Thomas's place to tend to her livestock, Dick suffered some unknown accident and fell into a small branch of water and accidentally drowned at 51 years old.
Dick left behind a widow, four children, his father Nelson, and several siblings. His sudden, tragic death deeply moved the community. His funeral at the Etlan Methodist Church drew a crowd so large that the building could not hold all the neighbors who came to pay their respects. He was buried in the Etlan Cemetery on March 9, 1924.
See also: Elizabeth A. Thomas (Blake)
- Thelbert Lewis "Dick" McAllister was a hardworking sawmill owner and farmer from the Etlan area of Madison County, Virginia. Known as a generous and kindly neighbor, Dick also managed a local Case threshing machine operation to serving local farmers in harvesting their grain.
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Sources - [S965] Virginia Department of Health, Virginia Death Certificates 1912-1987, death certificate 6587 (1924), Thelbert Lewis McAlister (Reliability: 3).
- [S797] Virginia Star, Virginia Star, ((https://www.virginiachronicle.com/)), accessed 20 May 2026), Dick McAlister Obituary, 13 Mar 1924, Page 5; https://www.virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=TVS19240313.1.5. (Reliability: 3).
Dick McAlister, of Etlan, fell dead Friday afternoon, March 7, and was buried Sunday, March 9, in the cemetery at Etlan. He is survived by his wife and four children and his father, Nelson McAlister.
Virginia Star, Volume 5, Number 38, 13 March 1924, Page 5
- [S965] Virginia Department of Health, Virginia Death Certificates 1912-1987, death certificate 6587 (1924), Thelbert Lewis McAlister (Reliability: 3).