Friday's Photo: Willa Mae Bryan AKA Willie Mae

Willie Mae Bryan - 1928

Willie Mae Bryan - 1926

I never met my father's sister, Willa Mae Bryan Dudley. I know a little about her. You can click here to see a previous post with information about Willa Mae. When looking for her in family photos, newspapers, and at Ancestry.com. I was unable to learn where or if she went to high school.

Last week, I browsed the Seymour High School yearbooks at Ancestry.com, I found her as "Willie Mae." I had been searching for "Willa Mae."

Her high school years must have been sad and difficult. After an illness, her mother died in 1927.  I know her father, Redic Bryan, was having financial difficulties and I believe Willa Mae and my father, Whit, moved between homes of relatives. Eventually, she moved to Borger to live with her older sister, DeRay.

In 1926, Willa Mae was a sophomore. There was no 1927 yearbook, but I found her as a junior in 1928.  She wasn't in the 1929 yearbook for Seymour High School and the Borger 1929 year book was not available. 

I don't know if Willa Mae graduated, but do know she attended Seymour High School and now have two great photos. AND, while looking for Willa Mae in the Borger High School yearbooks, I found a new (to me) photo of her older sister, DeRay Bryan, a teacher in Borger. Thank you, Ancestry.com.

DeRay Bryan - 1930 Borger, Texas

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Diana

© 2017 

Sources 

Yearbooks | High School Yearbooks | Ancestry. Web. 30 Jul. 2017. <http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?indiv=try&h&dbid=1265>.