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: May Wright and Bella Along With Baby, Palma Jean Clark

This was one of those photos I thought would be easy to research, but not so much. 

The baby is Palma Jean Clark, daughter of Marguerite Cook and her husband, Albert Clark of Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Palma was born on 20 March 1936. I first met her [Palma C. Beckett] in 2014 when she graciously allowed me to go through her mother's genealogy files. After learning she had hundreds of old photos, I made the 1,800-mile trip to her home in Texas two more times. 

It appears that Marguerite Cook Clark wrote on the back of the photo. Note that the following is a transcription of a handwritten note from 1936. It includes terminology that was commonly used at the time but is now considered outdated and inappropriate. I’ve preserved the original wording for historical accuracy and context.

Palma Jean Clark
1936-2023

This is 2 mo. The colored friends are working for gramma. You should have seen the pink roses in the background . . . The rest is not legible as parts are torn away. Later, someone wrote the following:

Mae Wright 

Bella 

with Pal 

at 2 months.

 

In 1936, both of Marguerite’s grandmothers were living in Bienville Parish. Her paternal grandmother was Sophronia Pauline Porter Cook, and her maternal grandmother was Laura Frances Bryan Martin. 

Unfortunately, Mae Wright and Bella could not be identified. There were several Wright families in Bienville Parish and the surrounding areas, so I am hoping someone recognizes them as family when I post to the Bienville Parish Facebook groups. 

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

Diana Quinn, #1 Diana's Bryan-Quinn Family, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/45260559?cfpid=6334928766: accessed 6 July 2025).

May Wright and Bella, Along With Baby, Palma Jean Clark, photograph, 1936; digital images, from the privately held photo collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2025. 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: 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.

Who Are They? A Family Involved in a Peach Harvest in Northwest Louisiana

My title is more of an assumption than a fact. This seems to be a peach harvest, and the adults might belong to the same family. I’m not sure where this was taken, but it was probably in Northwest Louisiana, as these photos were found in the Marguerite Cook Clark Collection, most of which were from that area.

I thought that the people in the photo would be easy to find, but I have yet to positively identify any of them. 

Dating this was also difficult. The clothing might put this around 1910. 

The back of the photo has writing identifying all four persons. The man is identified as Kyle, the woman on the left is Checkie [maybe Chickie], the woman on the right is May, and the older woman sitting in the middle is Grandma Ha. . . - could be Harris, Hattie, Hallie, or any number of words beginning with Ha. 

I looked for Kyle as a given name in four years of census records in Bienville and surrounding counties. I came up with nothing but noted that Kyle could be his surname. I found this surname spelled as Kyle, Kyles, and Kiels.

Does this sound like your family? This post can be shared from my Moments in Time Facebook page.

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 

Harvesting Peaches, 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.

Friday's Photo: Forgotten Faces Found in the Marguerite Cook Clark Collection - Part 1

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 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, and was my third cousin. She descends from Joseph, the son of Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Regan. 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.

Below are the first six unidentified photos in Marguerite's collection. Please email me if you can identify any photos or have the same or similar images. 

Click to send 

 

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 

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 April 28, 2014, September 14, 2014, and November 9 to 11, 2016.

Friday's Photo: Anna Laura Martin and Joseph Linford Martin

Anna Laura Martin, born in 1902 in Bienville Parish, died 1998 in Alpine, Texas.
Joseph Linford Martin, born 1902 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, died 1990 in 
Ringgold, Louisiana. Both are buried in the Wimberly Cemetery in Bienville Parish. 

Last Friday, I posted some photos from the Mary Martin Smith collection of Anna Laura Martin. This week, I have photos of Anna Laura Martin and her husband, Joseph Linford Martin. 

Although Anna Laura, from Bienville Parish, and her husband, from Tennessee, shared the same surname, it does not appear that they are related. 

The top photo was from the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark and was taken of the couple when celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 1970. 

I love the photos of Anna Laura and Joseph Linford when they were young. The hairstyles and clothing in these photos suggest that they were taken around the early 1920s. 

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 

Anna Laura and Joseph Linford Martin, digital image held by D. B. Quinn, from the privately held collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2023. Photos and documents 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. 

Anna Laura Martin and Joseph Linford Martin photos, photographs, ca. 1904-1924; scanned images from the privately held photo collection of Mary V. Martin Smith, Alaska, 2004; original images photographed between 1973 and 1993.

Laura Decker, "Laura Ann Martin Decker," public tree, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/114525353/family/familyview?cfpid=350132377968&dtid=100 : accessed 9 February 2024). 

A Church Meeting Held at Liberty Chapel, Bienville Parish, Louisiana - April 11, 1875

The following description of the Liberty Chapel was found on a paper titled "Brief Statement of the History of the Grand Bayou Church. It appears to have been written by Marguerite Cook Clark. She sent this to E. Ragan Pruitt in 1982. He passed this on to me in 2003.

"Liberty Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church South, Bienville Parish was located some 6 or 7 miles SE of Ringgold on what was the Reddick Bryan place, near the Bryan cemetery was the founder of Methodism in this area.  As early as Oct. 1845 they were having Camp Meetings. Elizabeth S. Bryan reported there were only 4 tents, but they had a fine time. That had a good many hearers, and there were 13 who joined the church."

Along with this description, Ragan sent me a copy of this information about the Liberty Chapel and its members. However, when I visited Marguerite Cook Clark's daughter, Palma, I saw the actual document and scanned it along with the back of the document, which contained some notes and a few more names.

I have identified the individuals named in this document below. At least thirty-one of those named are connected to my Bryan/Regan family. There may be errors, and I would appreciate any corrections or additional information about the persons listed.

Mrs. Mary Manning 

May have been the mother of Mildred Manning Prothro Bryan, wife of Tillmon C. Bryan. In 1870, Mary Manning was living with the Tillmon C. Bryan family. 

Mrs. Eliza S. Bryan 

Born Elizabeth S. Regan in 1798, she was the daughter of Joseph and Dorothea Regan of Robeson County, NC. In 1875, she was the widow of Reddick Bryan.

Mrs. Sarah Bryan

"Absent" was written next to her name. Could this be Sarah Lawson Bryan, widow of Miles Bryan, who died in 1863? Miles is thought to be closely related to Reddick Bryan.

Mr. John Regan and Mrs. John Regan

"Moved" was found next to their names. John Regan was the son of Elizabeth Regan and her first husband, Joseph Regan. He married Martha Davis. All surviving children of John Regan and Martha Davis were on this list.  Three of the Regan's four sons were killed during the Civil War.

Mr. James Bryan

James Bryan, first son of Reddick Bryan and his first wife. James Bryan married Alice Mary Wimberly.

Mrs. A. M. Bryan

Alice Mary Bryan, daughter of William Wimberly and wife of James Bryan.

Mr. Kenneth Wardsworth and Ann Wardsworth

"Died" is written next to "Kenneth Wardsworth." No other information can be found about Kenneth or Ann Wardsworth. 

Mrs. Amanda Watts

Catharine Amanda Bryan, sometimes called "Manda."  She was the daughter of Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Regan and the widow of James C. Watts.

Mr. T. C. Bryan and Wife

Tillman C. Bryan, son of Reddick Bryan and Elizabeth Regan, was married to  Mildred Manning Prothro Bryan.

Mrs. Sarah M. Bryan 

Sarah Margaret Wimberly was married to Joseph B. Bryan. She was the daughter of William Wimberly.

Mrs. Laura F. Martin 

Laura Frances Bryan, the first child of Joseph B. Bryan and Sarah Margaret Wimberly. She was married to Thomas Jefferson Martin.

Friday's Photo: John Watts of Bienville Parish, Louisiana

This photo of John Lawson Watts was found in the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark. He matches the young man seen in the photo with his mother and two sisters in my last post, Tutorship of the minor children of James C. Watts and Catharine A. Bryan of Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

John was the fifth child of Edmund B. Watts and Martha Elizabeth Wimberly. He was born on 4 July 1879 and died on 28 May 1917. He married Willie J. Allums, and they had children Henry Edward, Frances Leon, Vera Mae, John L., and Jessie Nell.  John is buried in the Wimberly Cemetery. 

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

© 2023 

John Lawson Watts, photograph, n.d.; 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.

Vera Meeks Wimberly, Wimberly Family History, Ancestors, Relatives, and Descendants of William Wimberly, Pioneer from Georgia to Louisiana 1837 (Houston Texas: D. Anderson, 1979), 164-165.

Friday's Photo: Is this a family in Bienville Parish?

This unlabeled photo was found in the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark. Most, but not all, of her photos were taken in and around Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Does this house look familiar? 

These markings are seen at the bottom of the photo. Often these identify the photographer and/or location. 

The family's clothing shows styles that are indicative of those of the late 1880s and in the 1890s.  Photos of family members have been enlarged and can be seen below. 

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

© 2023 

Unknown family photograph, n.d.; 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.

Edward Zapletal, Publisher and Editor, More Dating Old Photographs 1840-1929 (Toronto: Moorshead Publishing, 2011).