Ft. Worth Wedding Pictures ca. 1905

Fort Worth University Catalog 1909

We know this is one of Virginia Shumate Moran's sisters.  I'm leaning toward it being Maibelle.  She married Newton Temple Harris Sr about 1905.  Three of the pictures had been framed as a triptych and was hanging in Virginia's room at Moran Place.  Over the years the pictures faded till the bride had become a ghost.  I played around with it and have brought the images out, not back to their original state, but enough that we can see she was a beautiful bride.

The photographer was Frank Leffler of Ft. Worth Texas. 

William Shumate Harris of Ft Worth

Taken at Bryant Studio Inc
705 1/2 Main St
Fort Worth Tex.
William Shumate Harris

William Shumate Harris is our 1st cousin once removed.  His parents were Newton Temple Harris of Texas and Maibelle Shumate of Kentucky.  William was born May 24, 1911 in Texas.  According to the 1940 Census he was was a 28 year old attorney living at home with his mother and sister.  He died September 26 1973.  The death record indicates he was married but at this time I haven't been able to find a name or when he might have married or if they had any children.

If he has descendants or if anyone knew him we'd enjoy hearing from you.  It's always nice to be able to add more leaves to the family tree.

Fort Worth TX Landmarks ca. 1900

I know the Moran's took some trips out west and these pictures of Fort Worth TX landmarks could've been souvenir photo's of a trip. They also had family living in Fort Worth.  Maibelle Shumate of Newbern TN married Newton Temple Harris of Fort Worth TX  in 1906/1907.  So maybe these are from the Harris clan in Texas.  No matter what their origin they were important enough to someone in the Moran family to keep them.

I've included this image so you can see what they look without
any touchup.
Fort Worth City Hall

So far I've found five dark images of Forth Worth Texas Landmark buildings.  Each picture was annotated on the back which was very helpful.  Kudo's to whichever ancestor took the time to annotate the photographs: the Courthouse (Front and back view), Union Depot, the High School and City Hall.

They haven't been treated too kindly through the years and were in a trunk in the attic of Moran Place.  They are dark, water stained, and scratched. Plus the cardboard backings were warped which meant it was not easy to get a flat scan because I was worried the boards might break.

Fort Worth City Hall when I ran it through paint.net.
You can see barrels and trash from what we're assuming
is construction.

Fort Worth Courthouse from the back.

Fort Worth Courthouse from the front.

Fort Worth High School

Fort Worth Texas Union Depot.

The Last Shumate Sister, Louise Shumate Durway

Back of Louise Shumate Durway's headstone.

I am always on the lookout for the Shumate name as it relates to my husbands family.   Louise Shumate was the third and last daughter of Nathan McClary Shumate and Margaret (Maggie) Jane Adams of Rockcastle County Kentucky.






According to census records she was born about 1891.  Until a few days ago the last place I could track her was in 1900 in Newbern Tennessee.

Mrs. Newton Temple Harris (Maibelle Shumate)
Mrs James Henderson Moran (Virginia Shumate)
Mr. Joseph Clay Durway
Gratefully acknowledge your kind
expressions of sympathy in
their bereavement.

After the death of her parents Louise and her sisters, Virginia and Maibelle, lived with their uncle Quincy Shumate and his wife, Lou Porter, and their children: C. Porter Shumate, Hattie Mae Shumate, Pattie Shumate, Francis (Mackie) Shumate, and Martha Belle Shumate.  Many people even list Louise and her sisters as daughters of Quincy rather than being his nieces.

Front side of Louise Shumate Durway's headstone. According to the writing on the back, the numbers
correspond to the sender of each floral arrangement.  Joseph Clay Durway sent #1, Virginia Shumate Moran sent the astors marked #2, another Durway sent the flowers marked #3 and #4 is Becky's Bouquet.

I came across some photographs many months ago along with a calling card that said Mrs. Joseph Clay Durway.  The photographs were of a grave and headstone that said Durway.  Another photo showed the headstone but flowers were in front of it and I didn't pay much attention to it because I didn't know any Durways  and didn't know where they fit into the Moran genealogy puzzle.  In addition there were a few other pictures and a bereavement card with some names that I recognized and one I didn't.   I looked closer at one of the photo's two days ago and saw a partial name, Louise XXXmate, wife of Joseph Clay Durway.  Immediately I realized that had to be the lost Shumate sister and that she had married a Durway.

Louise Shumate Durway
calling card

Some quick searching confirmed what I suspected.  However, I am still at a loss as to when the couple was married and when she died.What I do know is that in 1900 she was living in Newbern Tennessee.  By 1910 she was married to and living with Joseph Clay Durway in Fort Worth Texas.  She appears again in the 1920 census with her husband.  She has been replaced in the 1930 as his wife by a woman named Mary Violet Parker.  A search of the Fort Worth City Directories shows Joseph C. Durway living with his wife Mary as early as 1924.  The logical conclusion based on the photographs is that Louise Shumate Durway died between 1920 and 1923.

I imagine that Louise met Joseph when she visited her sister Maibelle who married Newton Temple Harris of Fort Worth. Many of the Moran's extended family moved and settled in Texas including the Scott clan of Gainesville Texas.  One thing I do know is that Louise enjoyed drawing and painting because we also have a piece of her work signed by her. 

Art by Louise Durway.

Update- January 10, 2018

Joyce posted on another entry that Louise Shumate married Joseph Durway in Fort Worth, Texas in June 1909.