Young Lady, Off the Shoulder Evening Dress by Thuss

This lovely young woman is unknown to us.  The photograph was taken at Thuss Studios, 230 Cherry Street, in Nashville, Tennessee. I liked her so much I've included a closeup of her lovely face.

Ida Morehead Moran 1898, Boston Mass., by Elmer Chickering

We know from correspondence with her brother Brud Moran, that Ida took a trip to Boston in the first part of 1898.   Most likely she was visiting some of the Gunn relatives.  Lyman Taft Gunn, her grandfather, was from Massachusetts but had moved to Tennessee about 1840.  His first wife, Caroline Matilda Morehead died in Nashville in 1855.  His second wife, Mary Anne Hall, was born in Germany but her family migrated to Boston.  Lyman Taft Gunn died at the original Moran home in Dresden in 1890 and  Mary Anne moved back to Boston a few years after his death.  We have some correspondence from Mary Anne which tells us she and the Moran's kept in touch.  I think it's safe to assume Ida spent time and perhaps even stayed with Mary Anne during the visit.

The photograph was taken by Boston's premier photographer of the Gilded Age, Elmer Chickering.

Ida married William G. Timberlake in 1902, they lived in Jackson, Tennessee.  They had one daughter, Louise, who died at the young age of 4 in  1910.  Ida died of lumbar pneumonia with contributing factors being multiple sclerosis in 1936.

Fashionable Unknown Lady, Little Rock Ark, 1897/98

We don't know who the woman is with the wonderful hat but the stamp on the photograph tells us it was taken in Little Rock, Arkansas by Kimsey & Roberts.  Little Rock City Directories show that John C. Kimsey and T.H. Roberts had a studio at 612 Scott in 1897/98 so we know when the photo was taken.  It's annotated on the back "A Merry Xmas for all."

Better Sox Knitting Mills, 1921

In 1921, if you wanted to purchase special products such as socks made from "Pure Japan Thread Silk" you probably didn't buy them in Dresden, TN.  You wrote to the company and they would send you thread samples and pricing information.  And that's just what Charles H. Moran did.  He liked the company so much he kept the envelope, thread sample and order form.  Interestingly enough the thread samples look brand new! 

Louise Moran Formal Attire, ca 1940

Louise Moran was the youngest child and only daughter of Jim and Virginia Moran.  She was born in 1923.  One of Louise's legs is a bit shorter than the other, a condition that shows up in the Moran family from time to time.  

Louise attended University and majored in Nursing.  She moved to New York to pursue her career and met her future husband, Dr. Robert Atkins, at work. She and Bob didn't marry until 1961 and they had no children.

The photograph was taken by Linton Godown, a professional photographer living in Memphis.  He was married to Carolyn Cobb, Louise's cousin.

The dress on the right was still packed away in a trunk in Louise's bedroom at Moran Place.  It's definitely seen better days with some staining and small tears in the fabric but it survived and so does Louise.  She is the last surviving member of the "older" generation of Morans. 

Frank & Co., Nashville TN ca. 1900

Dresden was a small town with limited shopping opportunities.  Many clothes were home made but if you wanted something that couldn't be found in town or couldn't be made you had to either make the trip to Nashville or you could place a mail order and get items that way.  We don't know what this empty envelope from Frank & Co. held but it's a sure bet it was something for Charles or Jim Moran.

John Philip Frank was the son of Morris Frank and W. Harris.  Morris Frank was born in Germany.  His wife was from Marshall County, Tennessee, which is where John P. Frank was born.  Searching ancestry.com I found John P. Frank in Nashville City Directories from the time he was just a clerk to when he owned Frank & Co.  I don't know if Martin S. Loventhal was his partner but he had to have played a prominent role in the company for him to appear on the package with John Frank.

Frank & Co. operated from the late 1800's through the early 1900's.  They made shirts to order, offered a variety of hats including Stetsons.  Before there was the Men's Warehouse or Urban Outfitters there was Frank & Co. Men's Outfitters located at 234 and 236 North Cherry Street, Nashville Tennessee.

The Shumate Sisters, ca. 1905

I think this is one of the pictures ever.  The poses are playful, the dresses, hats, furs, and gloves are charming.  I can't imagine having to wear all of these things everyday.

We feel certain these young ladies are Virginia, Maibelle, and Louise Shumate.  They were all born in Kentucky, probably in Garrard or Rockcastle County, but were orphaned.  Their mother, Maggie Adams Shumate, died in 1896 and their father Nathan McClary Shumate died in 1899.  In 1900 they moved to Newbern Tennessee to live with their uncle Quincy Shumate and his family.

Virginia married James Henderson Moran III in Dresden TN in 1911.  Maibelle married Newton Temple Harris about 1907 in Tarrant County Texas.  Louise married Joseph Clay Durway. They also lived in Tarrant County Texas.

Reticule past and present

Vintage items for the lady.

This sweet little reticule belonged to one of the Moran ladies as did the glove, the marcasite arrow pin and the hairpin on the far left..  There's something about the delicate purse and other items that makes me believe that they were the property of Sophia Riley Gunn Moran.

I was struck by the resemblance of the Moran purse and the one which is currently for sale on Amazon and is billed as an "antique beaded handbag."  Surely they should say it's "in the style of" or is a remake of an antique handbag?

Sophia Riley Gunn Moran

Available on Amazon.com

Bunny Jumper, circa 1920

Happy Easter!

This cute little jumper was worn by Nathan Harrell Moran (Bub) as a youngun.  I wish we had a picture of him wearing it but if such a thing existed he probably got rid of the "evidence" long ago!

Would also like to mention that it's Bub's birthday today.  If he were alive we would be celebrating his 94th!

Carolyn Elizabeth Cobb, circa 1914

This little girl with the enormous bow in her hair is Carolyn Elizabeth Cobb, my husband's cousin once removed.

She was the daughter of Marion Moran of Dresden Tennessee and Charles Henry Cobb of Union City.

She married Joseph Linton Godown of Memphis in 1938.

I love her sideways glance, the absurdly oversized bow and the tassle hanging from her sock. Even though she's dressed so prim and proper her eyes scream imp!

Carolyn was born in 1907 and passed away in 1997.

A New Year, A New Look

Just a small sample of the many hats the Moran women owned.

I started the Moran blog May 29, 2011.  Since that time I've posted 149 entries, with this one being the 150th!  The vast amount of information is overwhelming at times.  Sometimes too much information is a curse and not a blessing!

With 2012 just a few days away I decided to change the background and spruce it up a bit with some font color changes.  The new background picture was snapped in the attic of the Moran house in Dresden.  Every box is a surprise package and this one contained a lot of women's hats.

Charles H. Moran's Stetson.

Today hats are worn for special occasions such as weddings and funerals but at one time it was considered disgraceful for people to appear in public without a hat and gloves.  Only the lowest of people went bareheaded.  We found hats in the attic and boxes of hats in several closets.  There were drawers filled with gloves as well.  The hats date from the early 1900's to the 1950's.  Hats were not just an adornment for the Moran women as we also found many men's hats as well.

This Stetson and hatbox belonged to Charles Harrell Moran.  He wore size 6 and half.

Virginia Shumate Moran - La Belle Epoque, ca. 1910

Search for Shumate Family Genealogy at Amazon!

A beautiful moment in time captured forever.  In this picture Virginia S. Moran epitomizes the elegance, beauty, and fragility of La Belle Epoque, the Beautiful Age.

1888 - 1970