Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Janie Williams



Mrs. Mary Williams Dulaney shared this photograph with Cousin Don Dulaney of her great-aunt Malinda Janie Williams, daughter of James A. "Jim" Williams and Milley Patton. This is a wonderful photograph, full of details. Notice the pine limbs that have been stood up against the house for a backdrop as well as the small branch held in the hand. Tree limbs or branches were a popular item for photographers to use; you may have noticed them on other photographs posted here. The window appears to be boarded up - is the house abandoned? Look at the stones used for the foundation of the house. And what about that umbrella or parasol?!

Janie's siblings were Thomas, John Alexander "Alec", Victoria Catherine, James Eli, and Randolph Henry Williams. Randolph was Mrs. Mary's grandfather.

Janie was born in July 1884, according to the 1900 census. Unfortunately, I don't know who she married - or if she even did - or when she died. Maybe someone else can fill in these blanks.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Mona, do you think someone may have been planning to build a new fireplace for that room? Although those rocks could have been in a fireplace prior, the side wall of the house doesn't show where one had been there originally; besides, these stacked rocks don't appear to have any form of mortar on them, implying they have most recently been in the ground somewhere.

I enlarged the photo to study the dress Ms. Williams is wearing. I'm led to believe it to be a wedding dress. The lower half of the long skirt is made of several layers of lace ruffling as is the upper part of the bodice. Ms. Williams' hat would be an appropriate type for an early 1900's wedding.

If my thinking is correct, then all the pine tree branches placed along the wall and scattered on the ground around the lovely lady could be made to represent an outdoor wedding in the summertime. Maybe the unbrella or parasol was used to keep the sun off the blushing bride's tender face.

Then again, Ms. Williams could have come visiting and came upon someone trimming the pine tree to get it off the house and was photographed. bettye