Palma Beckett, my Shirttail Cousin

Palma Beckett 1936-2023

Palma called me her shirttail cousin. This refers to a relative who is distantly related. Palma and I were fourth cousins once removed - both descendants of Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Regan, who migrated to Northwest Louisiana in 1838 and settled near Ringgold in Bienville Parish. 

This clipping was found in Palma's mother's 
collection. It was clipped from The
Shreveport Journal, 25 March 1936. A clear
copy can be found by clicking here.

Palma was never on my genealogical radar, but her mother, Marguerite Cook Clark, was at the top of my list. I had a letter written in 1977 to my father from Marguerite Cooke Clark responding to his questions about family. I had been researching my Dad's Bryan family since 1998, and early on, I amassed a collection of Marguerite Cook Clark's correspondence with at least seven different researchers. Marguerite Cook Clark of Bienville Parish, Louisiana, was the Bryan family expert.

Palma, her parents, and her cat

Mary "Cup," Palma's sister, contacted me via email after finding a letter written by her mother and transcribed on my website. Learning of my interest in Marguerite Cook Clark's research, she suggested I visit Palma in Alpine, Texas, to look at the research and family photos.  

Palma 2014

I met Palma, at her home, on April 28, 2014. She had her mother's files in crates on the dining room table. I spent the day photographing documents, newspaper clippings, her mother's notes, and a few photos. 

Palma was a great storyteller. She told family stories learned from her mother and grandmother, and she knew the stories so well it was as if she had lived them. She showed me the obituaries she had transcribed, family bibles, and her weaving. Nearing the end of my day in Alpine, she brought out some old photos. Seeing my interest, she opened an antique domed trunk filled to the top with very old family photos. 

I made two more trips to Alpine to photograph and scan the photos in the trunk and numerous photos that Palma shared from family albums. Her generosity has helped me learn much more about my family's history and allowed me to share with others interested in the families from the Bienville Parish area. 

Palma died on January 5th, 2023, in North Carolina. Her obituary can be found at this link. 

Palma made sure I saw this photo. She liked that three generations are pictured; Palma, 
her grandmother, Maggie Cook, and her mother, Marguerite Cook Clark. 

Palma and friends in Ringgold (1940s) - to see this photo enlarged, visit my post, 
Friday's Photo: Summer in Bienville Parish

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

.

Diana

© 2022 

Photos of Palma and the newspaper clipping about her birth, n.d.; digital images held by D. B. Quinn, from the privately held photo collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2021. Photos were accessed and scanned at the home of Marguerite Cook Clark's daughter in Alpine, Texas, on April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014, and November 9 to 11, 2016