Mrs. M.E. Clark's Select School for Young Ladies, Nashville Tenn

Young ladies from well-to-do families were often sent away to boarding schools.  Miss Fannie L. Moran was no exception.  She attended Mrs. M.E. Clark's Select School for Young ladies in Nashville, TN and also Price's School in Nashville.  Today's find from the collection of Moran papers includes the front cover of Fannie's school tablet which she signed and dated Dec 17- 1888.  On the inside of the cover she listed the date as Dec 18-1888.  The inscription shows that she was attending Mrs. M.E. Clarke's School and she also listed the names of perhaps some of her classmates and where they were from as well.

Here is a letter dated Aug. 28, 1889 from Mrs. B.A. Johnson, Principal to Fannie Moran (b. Oct 23, 1872 - d. May 3, 1955) exhorting Fannie to become a "thoroughly cultured woman" and that Fannie might be "a sincere Christian, no woman's life is complete without full communion with the church, and of course I mean the Methodist Church".  Fannie was 16 when this letter was written.  

(full transcription is at the end of this post.

Here is the backside of the letter with an explanation 

as to why Mrs. Clark located her school one mile east of the Nashville city limits.  

Transcription of the letter dated Aug 28, 1889, Nashville, TN
From Miss B.A. Johnson, Principal, Select School for Young Ladies
To Miss Fannie Moran

My dear Fannie,
I have only time to acknowledge the receipt of your sweet letter, am fully repaid if my letter re-established pleasant and friendly relations between us.  I wish you abundant success in your pursuit of knowledge.  I know your mind and what you are capable of accomplishing and shall be disappointed if you do not make a thoroughly cultured woman.  Above all I trust you may be a sincere Christian, no woman's life is complete without full communion with the Church, and of course I mean the Methodist Church.  Write me some time Fannie of your efforts in this direction (corner torn off so a word or two are missing) to your mama.  I shall certainly expect to see (missing corner) when in Nashville, telephone me 993. (then on the left side written vertically she says) Ever read Emerson's Traits of Character?  Much love from your (corner missing)
Bessie Johnson

Fannie Moran went on to become the State's first Democratic national committeewoman after serving as Tennessee legislative chairman for the American Women's Suffrage Association.  She was also active in her church and various clubs.  I'm fairly certain that Fannie Moran exceeded the expectations that Bessie Johnson expressed in her letter to Fannie.

Dresden Dry Goods

After he served in the U.S. Civil War but before he was a bank president, J.W. Moran was busy selling goods to save up enough money to open his own business in Dresden, TN.  Going through the paperwork I've found purchase after purchase where he was buying goods to stock his store which was called Dresden Dry Goods.  He was purchasing from a variety of cities including Nashville, Cincinnati, Louisville, Philadelphia, and New York.  I'll be posting more of these documents but for now here are two I pulled at random from one of the boxes.

J. & S.B. Sachs were boot and shoe sellers out of Cincinnati, Ohio.  Per The Northeastern Reporter "the firm of J. & S.B. Sachs failed, and made a voluntary assignment of all their assets for the benefit of their creditors, and ceased to do business thereafter". 

In a book about Prominent Kentuckians author Benjamin LaBree has this to say about Josiah Baker Gathright: "In the Civil War (he) commanded company of cavalry under Gen. Morgan.  Was for a time on the Mall" and as quartermaster organized factories and re-quipped the command after the disastrous Ohio raid. After the Civil War, in 1866, Mr. Gathright founded the saddlery and harness business of J.B. Gathright in Louisville, and later took in John J. Harbison under firm name of Harbison & Gathright". Below is a receipt dated Oct 6, 1880 to J.W. Moran from Harbison & Gathright for payment received.

RMS Titanic - Dresden Enterprise dated April 26, 1912

On April 26, 1912, the big news story on the front page of the Dresden Enterprise was the death of John W. Moran who had passed away on April 12 and The Dresden Banks New President, James H. Moran III.  Buried on page six was an article about the sinking of the Titanic.

It's interesting to note that the reporter, in the midst of such a tragedy, felt it necessary to give a 

fashion report on Mrs. John Jacob Aster. "She was dressed in a black Astrakan coat, 

and walked with difficulty."