Hahn, Ora Geneva “Neva”

 

 

Class of 1928

Birth: 1908, North Carolina
Death: 16 Feb 1975

Parents:
John Albern Sides (1885-1912)
Daisy “Janie” Brown Hahn Eudy (1886-1981)

Half-Siblings:
Hazel Vester Eudy (1914-1983)
Marvin Luther Eudy (1919-1980)
Ralph Franklin Eudy (1921-1975)
Billie Anderson Eudy (1923-1988)
Ray Houston Eudy (1924-2001)
Jane Frances Eudy Harwood Adkins Sherman (1927-1981)

Spouse: Milton Llewellyn Phillips (1896-1976)
Marriage: Sep 1969, Broward County, Florida

Burial: Mount Gilead Lutheran Church Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, USA
Source: www.findagrave.com, #13016637.

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Attended Mount Pleasant School.

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The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), January 24, 1929, p. 5.

TWO N. C. BOYS CITED, GIVEN MEDALS FOR HEROISM
Carnegie Commission Recognizes Bravery of Durham and Albemarle Youths

…”Patterson [Hubert C. Patterson, Jr., 219 North Street, Albemarle], aged 14, school boy, saved O. Geneva Hahn, aged 17, from drowning, Richfield, aged 17, from drowning, Richfield, N. C., July 12, 1927. While a man was swimming with Miss Hahn in Lake Ritchie, she became frightened and grabbed him around the neck. As they struggled Patterson dived and swam 20 feet to them from a diving platform and forcibly separated them. After Miss Hahn, who was much heavier than Patterson had tried repeatedly to get hold of Patterson, he held her at arm’s length and swam with her to the diving platform. Her companion was assisted to the bank by others.”

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The Charlotte Observer, 23 Feb 1975, p. 2B.

MOUNT PLEASANT – Mrs. Geneva Hahn Phillips, 66, retired practical nurse, died Sunday. Funeral is 2 p.m. Wednesday at Mount Gilead Lutheran Church.

Survivors are husband, Milton; brothers, Marvin Eudy of Concord, Ralph F. Eudy of Rockwell, Hazel Eudy, Billy A. Eudy, Ray H. Eudy; sister, Mrs. Janie Sherman of Oak Grove, La.

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Memories of Mont Amoena Facebook Group Page posting by Denise Steward McLain, 8 Aug 2025.

While researching the Hahn family, I came across one of the unidentified photos listed on the Mont Amoena website – except this had a name attached! The photo below is of Ora “Geneva” Hahn, who completed the Mont Amoena music course in 1928. Although the school officially closed in 1927, some programs continued for students who wished to finish their studies at M.P.C.I.

Information on Geneva was hard to find. I came to believe she was the out-of-wedlock daughter of Daisy “Janie” Brown Hahn and a man with the last name Sides. Ben Callahan confirmed my suspicions. Geneva’s father was John Alburn Sides, the son of Green and Josie Lyerly Sides. In early records, Geneva was somewhat hidden, but I found her in later records living with her grandparents, William and Sophia Barrier Hahn.
Her mother, Daisy, had another child in 1914, Hazel Vester Eudy, with James Luther Eudy, whom she married in 1918. The Eudys went on to have five more children. As far as I can tell, Daisy never publicly acknowledged Geneva, nor did John Sides.

It appears Geneva faced challenges in her life. She survived a near-drowning incident in 1929 and battled health issues in the 1930s. She became a practical nurse and spent time in Washington, D.C. and Florida, where she married Milton Phillips in 1969.