Friday's Photo: Mary Marguerite "Maggie" Martin Cook - From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark

Mary Margurite “Maggie” Martin, mother of Marguerite Cook Clark, was born near Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, on 29 January 1887. She was the eighth child of Thomas Jefferson Martin and Laura Frances Bryan Martin. 

This photo of Maggie (right), her mother, and her brother
Charley appears to have been taken on the same day.

On 4 October 1905, Maggie married Edward Clifton Cook near Ringgold. Edward, born in Jasper County, Mississippi, was the son of Napoleon B. Cook and Pauline Porter Cook. He worked as a dentist in Ringgold, where he and Maggie made their home. The couple were Methodists and raised five children: E. Clifton, Paul, Marguerite, Charles L., and Virginia.

Maggie died on 17 November 1970 in Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana. She was buried beside Edward in Providence Cemetery in Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana

According to Maggie's granddaughter, Palma, the names written in green on all the photos in the Marguerite Cook Clark collection were written by Maggie. 

If you would like to learn more about the families I research, follow my Facebook page, where I share each post and other genealogical finds.

Diana

© 2026

Mary Marguerite "Maggie" Martin Cook, photographs, no date; digital images, 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. Used with permission. 

Vera Meeks Wimberly, Wimberly Family History, Ancestors, Relatives, and Descendants of William Wimberly, Pioneer from Georgia to Louisiana 1837 (Houston Texas: D. Anderson, 1979), page 320.

Friday's Photo: Eliza Catherine Wimberly Davis - From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark

Maggie Martin Cook and Alice Mae Davis Regan

This photograph of Eliza Catherine Wimberly Davis was identified by Maggie Martin Cook as Eliza Davis on the back. Maggie’s handwriting was later identified by her granddaughter.

Eliza Catherine Wimberly was born 20 July 1856 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, the daughter of William Wimberly and Mary Angelina Pittman Wimberly. She was the fifth child of William and Mary, and the fourteenth child of William. Eliza died 29 February 1928 in Bienville Parish and was buried in Wimberly Cemetery, where her grave is marked.

On 23 April 1874, Eliza married Henry Jefferson Davis, son of William Martin Davis and Emily Smith or Smythe Davis. Henry was born on 22 June 1852 in Bienville Parish and died there on 20 December 1884. He is also buried in Wimberly Cemetery.

Eliza and Henry had five children: Mary Louella, Emily Alberta, Willie Jane, Henry “Bud” Martin, and Alice Mae. According to the Wimberly book, as shared by Chester Regan Cummings, great-grandson of Eliza, Henry died of pneumonia just six months after Alice Mae’s birth. Eliza was left to raise five children without their father.

Although Eliza was not a descendant of any of my
Bienville Parish ancestors, two of her daughters
 married into my family. H. J. Giddens was a
descendant of my third-great-grandfather’s brother,
Jacob Giddens. J. B. Regan was a descendant of my
second-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Regan Bryan.

The same account describes Eliza as a determined and courageous mother who kept her family strong and secure. She maintained her home and raised her children until her son, Henry Martin Davis, married. Eliza then lived with Henry and his wife, Jeffer McGraw, until her death.

If you would like to learn more about the families I research, follow my Facebook page, where I share each post along with other genealogical finds.

Diana

© 2026

Eliza Davis, photograph, no date; digital image, 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. Used with permission. 

Maggie Martin Cook and Alice Mae Davis Regan, photograph, no date; digital image, 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. Used with permission. 

The Times, March 3, 1928, Page 22. via Newspapers.com  (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-eliza-c-wimberly-davis-obit/196748333/: accessed May 2, 2026), clip page for Eliza C. Wimberly Davis - obituary by user dewquinn

Vera Meeks Wimberly, Wimberly Family History, Ancestors, Relatives, and Descendants of William Wimberly, Pioneer from Georgia to Louisiana 1837, print (Houston Texas: D. Anderson, 1979), pages 587-630.

Friday's Photo: Wayne Wimberly Martin (1922–1954)

Wayne Wimberly Martin was born in Ringgold in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, on July 10, 1922. The son of Thomas Jefferson Martin, Jr., and Willie Bessie Murph Woodard, he was affectionately known as “Preacher” for his deep knowledge of the Bible. Wayne passed away on October 16, 1954, in a car accident. He is buried at Wimberly Cemetery in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

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

© 2024 

Photos of Wayne Wimberly Martin, photograph, n.d.; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of Mary V. Smith, Alaska, 2004; original images photographed between 1973 and 1993.

Vera Meeks Wimberly, Wimberly Family History, Ancestors, Relatives, and Descendants of William Wimberly, Pioneer from Georgia to Louisiana 1837 (Houston Texas: D. Anderson, 1979), page 320.

Friday's Photo: Frye's Store , Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana

This isn't a photo of the store itself, but I took this picture of this store flyer or sign while visiting the Frye family in California. I had it in my mind to write about and occasionally searched for new information, but I never found much. Charles Jefferson Frye, the store’s owner, was married to Allie Bell Trott, granddaughter of Josie Bryan. The obituary was part of Marguerite Cook Clark’s collection—she was a cousin of Allie Bell.

The only reference I’ve come across about the store was in a 1948 newspaper, leaving me uncertain about how long Mr. Frye owned and operated it. Despite my searches, much of its history remains a mystery—just one of many small, forgotten pieces of the past waiting to be rediscovered.

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

© 2025

“Frye's E. Side Gro Ringgold La,” The Bienville Democrat, 27 May 1948, p.6; database and images, The Digital Archives of The Bienville Parish Library (https://bienville.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=frye%27s%20store&i=f&by=1948&bdd=1940&d=01011850-12312022&m=between&ord=k1&fn=bienville_democrat_usa_louisiana_bienville_19480527_english_6&df=1&dt=10 : accessed 14 March 2025).

Frye's Store, signage, n.d.; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of the Frye Family, San Francisco, 2019.

"C. J. Frye Expires at Age of 70 [obituary]," digital image, newspaper clipping, n.d., unidentified newspaper, from the privately-held collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2025. Obituaries 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.

Friday's Photo: Joseph Brown Bryan of Bienville Parish, Louisiana

These photos of Joseph Brown Bryan were found in the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark, a descendant of Joseph and his wife, Sarah Margaret Wimberly. 

Born on September 19, 1824, in Georgia, likely in either Twiggs or Houston County, Joseph Brown Bryan was the son of Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Span Regan.

Joseph and Sarah, daughter of William Wimberly and Lucy Smith Lawson, married in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, and together, they had eight children: Laura Frances, William Walter, Augustus Reddick, Lucy Elizabeth, Joseph Sarah Catherine "Josie," James Anderson, John Terrell, and Alice Martha. Josie and John were adopted by their aunt and uncle, Alice Mary Wimberly Bryan, and James Bryan, a childless couple. 

Joseph, Sarah, and their children are buried in the Wimberly Cemetery in Bienville Parish. 

Joseph Bryan was identified on the back of this photo, but 
the tall man beside him was not. I suspect it might be one of 
his sons.

 

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

Unidentified photographs, n.d.; digital images, 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 28 April 2014, 14 September 2014, and 9-11 November 2016.

Friday's Photo: Women and Their Purses

I never considered that leather purses, similar to those we see today, were used in the 19th century. While I could easily imagine small fabric reticules embellished with beads and embroidery, the idea of leather purses being common hadn’t crossed my mind. However, leather purses were in use as early as the 1860s and grew in popularity during the 1880s and 1890s.

The first photograph is of my great-grandmother, Harriet Louisa Albritton, who married my great-grandfather, Terrell Bryan, in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Dating her clothing is challenging because she is draped in a crocheted wrap. If this photo had been taken around 1880 or slightly earlier, the Bryan family would have lived in Erath County, Texas.

The second photo features an unidentified woman dressed in a two-piece outfit with covered buttons and appliques, typical of fashion from the late 1870s to the 1880s. This photograph is part of the Marguerite Cook Clark collection, suggesting it originates from the Bienville Parish area.

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

© 2024 

"Harriet Louisa Albritton Bryan," photograph, about 1880; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of Jane Aebersold, CO, 2013.

Unidentified woman with a purse, n.d.; digital images 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. Used with permission. 

"Victorian Purses and Edwardian Handbags," Vintage Dancer (https://vintagedancer.com/victorian/victorian-purses-edwardian-handbags/ : accessed 1 November 2024).

Friday's Photo: An Unusual Photo From the Marguerite Cook Collection

This unusual photo from the Marguerite Cook Clark collection seems to be a kind of souvenir. On closer inspection, it appears that colored photographs of the faces were added to a painted or chalk-drawn background. Since Marguerite lived in Bienville Parish, the people in the photo were likely family or, at the very least, locals. Given that colored photos didn’t become widely used until the 1960s or 1970s, there’s a chance this could resemble someone reading this post. Does this look like you or a family member?

This was the only marking on the picture.

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

© 2024 

Unknown Couple, photograph, n.d.; digital images, 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.

Friday's Photo: Forgotten Faces Found in the Marguerite Cook Clark Collection - Part 2 Families, with Insights from AI

"Judging by their clothing, the photograph likely dates from the late 19th century to
the early 20th century, likely between 1890 and 1910."

I discovered long ago that the best way to identify old photos is to keep sharing them, hoping someone with the same image will recognize them. Over the next few Fridays, I will post unidentified photos from the Marguerite Cook Clark collection. 

Marguerite Cook Clark grew up surrounded by family in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, and was my third cousin. She descends from Joseph B. Bryan, the son of Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Regan, and Sarah Margaret Wimberly, the daughter of William Wimberly and Lucy Smith Lawson. As the family genealogist, she was the keeper of her family’s photos, documents, and letters, and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to view and scan her collection.

This post contains five unidentified photos of families found in Marguerite's collection. Under each photo is a quote generated by ChatGPT about the approximate time the photo was taken. I used Steve Little's genealogy bot, Genealogy Eyes, to learn more about the images. 

Please email me if you can identify any pictures or have the same or similar images. 

Click to send 

 "Based on the clothing and the setting, this photo likely dates from the early 1900s,
possibly between 1900 and 1915."

"The clothing and architectural details suggest it was taken in the late 19th century or
very early 20th century." 

"Based on the clothing and overall style of the portrait, this photo was
likely taken between 1890 and 1910. The high collars, puffed sleeves,
and formal attire are all characteristic of the turn of the century."

"This is a lovely and intimate family portrait, likely from the early 1900s based on the
style of clothing and the oval framing."

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

© 2024 

ChatGPT, "What can you tell me about this image," 10 October 2024, OpenAI (https://chatgpt.com : accessed 8 October 2024). 

"Genealogy Bots: Revolutionizing Research," AI Genealogy Insights (https://aigenealogyinsights.com/genealogy-bots/ : accessed 10 October 2024).

Unidentified photographs, n.d.; digital images, 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 28 April 2014, 14 September 2014, and 9-11 November 2016.