The Elusive Elise D.A

Unidentified young lady,
taken by H.Y. Darnell 
Dyersburg & Ripley TN
Maybe Elise Deberry Arnold?

In a previous blog entry dated Nov 10, 2014, title The "Hoops" Letter from Elise to Brud Moran, January 1898, I talked about an elusive letter writer who signed herself as "Elise D.A." I ended that entry with the hope of someday discovering who Elise had been. 

Today, while looking at an article about the wedding of Ida Moran to William Gilmer Timberlake in the Nov. 27 1902 Memphis Commercial Appeal, the name Elise Arnold of Dyersburg popped out at me. Elise was one of Ida's bridesmaids.  My spidey senses started tingling.  Even though it's been 9 years since I had thought about Elise and her letters, I felt this was the day Elise had revealed herself to me.

The Commercial Appeal June 14 1902 detailed the "Grisham-Gentry Wedding" in which Elise appeared as a bridesmaid again. This bride and groom were Benjamin F. Grisham and Martha Blaine Gentry of Newbern, TN.  Martha Gentry was the daughter of Joseph Collins Gentry and Belle Shumate.  Belle Shumate was an aunt of Virginia Shumate who, in 1911, would marry James H Moran III.  After the death of Virginia's parents, she and her sisters moved to Newbern from Kentucky to live with their uncle Quincy Shumate and his wife Louise McLean.

Elise Deberry Arnold was born Aug 21 1880 in Jackson TN to Dr. Willis Johns Arnold and Susan Rebecca Meriwether. Elise married Henry Adam Klyce in 1904. They had five children: Henry Arnold Klyce, Walter Brigham Klyce, Willis Rice Klyce, John Meriweather Klyce and David Jere Klyce.

Here is another chatty letter from Elise to Brud dated Dec 30 1898.

Dear Brud, Don't I get terribly mixed up about my presents from you? You see the trouble is that as I never hear from you in between times I naturally conclude you have forgotten all about me and tis such a pleasant surprise to find that you haven't. 

The stationary is as dainty and sweet and pretty as it can be and I can't wait to tell you how much I appreciate it.  Please accept my sincere thanks.  I am so glad that you instead of Ide (this would be Ida Moran who married Will Timberlake and is Brud's sister), who sent it because I know she thinks of me often and you--well if it were not for your sweet Christmas remembrance, I might doubt that you ever do.

Every Christmas is always my happiest, and this one is no exception to the rule. We had our house full of company and all enjoyed the fine weather and numerous entertainments we have attended.  D.B. (Dyersburg) has certainly been gay and I have been so naughty.  I danced until four o'clock (Wednesday morning and until two last night.  I mean this morning. Tell Ide I met Mr. Roy Martin Tuesday night. Please don't think I'm so perfectly terrible because that is the first ball I ever went to and I suppose will be my last.  There is another entertainment tonight which I suppose will wind up one holiday amusement (?) anyway for my mother has laid down the law that this is the last week I shall go out more than twice and I'm going to settle down and be good ever afterwards.

I was so sorry I couldn't spend the holidays with Ide, but I'm looking forward to a visit to her soon. I'd rather see her than any  body else on earth and I think its awful we can't be together more.  Why don't you all come to D.B. to live? Wouldn't that be lots of fun? Well I must thank you again for your nice present and say Goodbye.With many wishes for a happy New Year.

Sincerely your friend

Elise D.A.

Dec. 30th 98

Receipt for Drunkness

I've spent the past few days scanning receipts from a box belonging to Uncle Brud. His compassion and generosity never ceases to amaze me.  It extended beyond his family and into the community as can be seen by this particular receipt.

A fellow named Will Milner had been fined $5.00 for  drunkenness and Uncle Brud paid his fine.  The receipt, signed by T.A. Lewis, court recorder, was on a plain piece of paper which had obviously been torn from the look of it. 

I was able to locate two Will Milner's.  According to the first Will Milner's findagrave memorial, he was born in 1869 and died Jan 8 1956 in Martin, Tennessee.  He's buried in Parham Cemetery and was married to Ida Vincent Haynes.  He and Ida had two daughters: Jessie Milner Boyd (married Mathew Boyd) and Bessie Berry Milner Irvine (married Egbert Irvine).

The second Will Milner was interred in Sunrise Cemetery and also has a findagrave memorial.  He was born in 1882 and died Feb 22 1949 in Dresden Tennessee.  He married Nora Gardner.

Tolbert Alvin Lewis, in addition to being the court recorder was an insurance agent.  He married Lena Belle Elliott, daughter of Isaac Davis Elliott and Paralee Jolley of Martin, Tennessee.  According to his obituary, he was a "retired Dresden, Tenn., banker" associated with the Weakley County Bank at Dresden. He was also credited with helping get the bank back on it's feet after the Depression. He and his wife were also members of the First Methodist Church of Dresden.  They lived in Dresden up until 1940 but moved to Knoxville prior to 1950.  So Tolbert had a connection to the Moran's through his time at the bank.

We will never know for sure the connection between Uncle Brud and Will Milner but we theorize it was a connection and bond to the names and families that permeated the community.  The Moran family, like the Milner family, intermarried with Gardner's and Irvine's.  People knew each other and knew the intricate connection's of the local families.  Brud cared for everyone, black or white, and this is just one instance in which he helped out.

#genealogy #MoranPlace #WestTennessee #Tennessee #History #DresdenTN #WeakleyCoTN

Ria, Nathan and Kent

Today I thought I'd share a couple of pictures from a more recent generation of the Moran Family.

These first two pictures were just negatives.  I really like how they turned out simply by inverting the scanned image.

This is Ria with her son Kent.  The family was living in Japan because that's where Nathan Moran was stationed at the time.  It's also where Kent was born!

By the time the next picture was taken the family had moved back to the states, first living in Kansas City, and then moving back to the family home in Dresden after the deaths of James, Virginia and Uncle Brud.  

It looks to me as if this picture was taken when Kent became an Eagle Scout.  Ria has a nice smile but Kent and his Dad share that same tight lipped, no nonsense look!