Sharing Cousins

Sisters Mauvilla Williams and Mary Williams, shown here, were daughters of Randolph Henry Williams and Mittie Ann Johnson. Randolph and Mittie had five daughters in all: not pictured are Ora, Cora and Mauveline. Mauvilla and Mary were the youngest two.

Terry Wilemon recently shared some wonderful photographs of his mother Coster Johnson's family. Although Terry could identify most of the people in the photographs, he directed Don to Mary Williams Dulaney who is the little girl pictured in the above photograph. Mary is now 88 years old but she very quickly and easily identified the remaining photos. When she got to this one, she exclaimed "why that's me!" Wasn't she cute with her necklace and boots?

Mary is the widow of Clastel Dulaney, the son of Charlie C. Dulaney and Zora Hood. Because the Johnson, Dulaney and Hood families are involved, there is a three-point connection between my husband and Mary. Mary's mother and my husband's great-grandfather James Nathan Johnson were first cousins, both descendants of Itawamba settlers Stephen Johnson and his wife, Harriet Caroline Pierce. Mary's mother-in-law, Zora Hood, was a first cousin to my husband's great-grandmother, Alma Hood. Mary's husband, Clastel Dulaney, was third cousin to my husband's great-grandfather, Jim Dulaney.

Don't you just love Itawamba connections?