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 It includes terminology that was commonly used at the time but is now considered outdated and inappropriate.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: 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: Alice Bryan Williams - Bienville Parish, Louisiana

These beautiful photos were found in Marguerite Cook Clark's collection where they were labeled with green ink by Marguerite's mother - Mary Marguerite "Maggie" Martin Cook.

Alice Bryan was the daughter of Augustus Reddick Bryan and Erie Ontario Nix, both of Bienville Parish, Louisiana. She had two older sisters - Tulette Bryan and Alma Bryan. Also living with her family was cousin, Albert Brown Bryan, whose parents died when he was very young. 

Alice married Clarence Emory Williams in 1920. They had three children; John Reddick, Aylmer Bryan, and Lorris Winston. Alice and Clarence are 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

© 2024 

Alice Bryan Williams photos, 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.

Vera Meeks Wimberly, Wimberly Family History, Ancestors, Relatives, and Descendants of William Wimberly, Pioneer from Georgia to Louisiana 1837 (Houston Texas: D. Anderson, 1979), 326.

James Bryan's Bible - Recorded Births, Deaths, and Marriages of Bryan and Wimberly Family Members in Northwest Louisiana.

This Bible is identified as James Bryan's Book. It is part of the Frye family's collection of family documents and photos. James and Alice Mary Wimberly did not have children but did adopt Joseph "Josie" Sarah Catherine Bryan and John Terrel (also seen as Terrell) Bryan, siblings and children of Sarah Margaret Wimberly (Alice's sister) and Joseph B. Bryan (James's half-brother). It appears that this Bible was passed down from James and Alice to Josie Bryan Cook then on to her grandson, William Trott and finally to the Frye family. In this post, I have included the scanned images of the pages in the Bible containing family information. 

On this page in the first column, marriages were recorded for James and Alice, for Josie and Joseph W. Cook, for Thomas H. Wimberly (Alice's brother) and Josephine A. Davis, and for Josie's brother, John T. Bryan and Sarah Elizabeth "Lizzie" McElroy. 

In the second column, the marriages of the children of Josie Bryan and Joe Cook are recorded; Lula L. Cook to William J. Trott, Alice Belle Cook to Thomas W. Neal, Mary Elizabeth Cook to Thomas Corley, and James Bryan Cook to Ollye Mae Reed. The death of S. E. McElroy, wife of John T. Bryan is found at the bottom of the column. 

On this second page are the births and deaths of James, Alice, Josie, and John. On the bottom of the page are the birth and death dates of the biological parents of Josie and John, Joseph B. Bryan and Sarah M. Wimberly. 

The second column also shows the deaths of James Anderson Bryan and Fannie Nix Bryan. James A. was Josie and John's brother (another son of Joseph and Sarah). James A. and Fannie died of influenza within only a few days of each other. 

This third page tells of births and deaths of several family members. 

Thomas Henry Wimberly, Alice's brother, died in 1871, just a few years after his wife, Josephine, and young daughter, Lula. 

Under Thomas Henry Wimberly's birth, John Lawson Senior's death on April 6th, 1888 can be seen in very faded handwriting. This may be Alice's uncle as her mother, Lucy Lawson Wimberly did have a brother, John, who lived in Louisiana. 

Sophanny Ann Frances Nix Wimberly was the first wife of John Lawson Wimberly who is named below her and died on April 13, 1888. John was Alice's brother. 

C. A. Martin was Charles Arthur Martin, son of Laura Frances Bryan Martin (Josie's biological sister) and Thomas Jefferson Martin. He died at age 27 on June 15, 1912. 

At the bottom of the second column find the deaths of Martha S. Caldwell and Alice M. Stewart sisters of Alice's mother, Lucy Lawson.

This final page names some birth and death dates of  Josie and Joe Cook's children. 

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 

 Posts Related to James Bryan and Alice Mary Wimberly

Friday's Photo: Alice Mary Wimberly and James Bryan

Correcting Mistakes in Bryan Family Trees And How You Can Help

Friday's Photo: Joseph B. Bryan or James Bryan?

James Bryan - No Middle Initial

Friday's Photo: James Bryan - He Died Happy

Friday's Photo: Alice Bryan and Albert Bryan of Bienville Parish, Louisiana

Friday's Photo: Alice Mary Wimberly Bryan of Bienville Parish, Louisiana

James Bryan's Bible, 1869; scanned images, from the privately held collection of the Frye Family, San Francisco, 2019. 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).

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). 

Friday's Photo: Anna Laura Martin - Family Photos

Anna Laura Martin and her cat - 1904

These are just a few of several photos of Anna Laura Martin and her family in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. All of these were found in the collection of Mary Martin Smith. Mary was the daughter of Anna Laura Martin and her husband Joseph Martin. There are a few more in Mary's collection, and others were found in Marguerite Cook Clark's collection. I will post those next Friday. 

Anna is pictured with her parents, Mary Ann Sledge Martin and Thomas Jefferson Martin II. The photo is badly marked. I've enlarged the family, and you can see Anna Laura's sweet face and her doll. 

Below, Anna Laura Martin is pictured with her sister, Emma Alice, and their father. 

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

Friday's Photo: A School Photo in Bienville Parish, Louisiana

This photo was found in the collection of Mary Virginia Martin Smith. Anna Laura Martin, the girl under the teacher with the square collar and flowers, was her mother. 

It appears that there are 44 students and only one teacher in this photo. Ages look as if they range from age 4 or 5 to high school. Based on the ages of Emma Alice Martin and Vance Woodard, I estimate that the year was around 1911 or 1912. 

Vance Woodard was born in 1906 and was the son of John M. Woodard and Carrie Lou Murph. Anna Laura Martin, born in 1902, and Emma Alice Martin, born in 1904, were the daughters of Thomas J. Martin Jr. and Mary Anna Sledge. 

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 

Ringgold School Photo, photograph, n.d.; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of Mary V. Smith, Alaska, 2004; original images photographed between 1973 and 1993.

YouDee20012001,"Marler Pate Corley McCoy Family Tree," private tree, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/973847/family/familyview? fpid=-626224692&fpid=-626224692&usePUBJs=true: accessed 24 April 2021). 

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: The Family of Marguerite Cook Clark - Bienville Parish, Louisiana - About 1914

Marguerite Cook is the youngest child pictured with her parents, Dr. Edward Clifton Cook, the son of Napoleon Bonaparte Cook and Pauline Porter Cook, and  Mary Marguerite "Maggie" Martin, daughter of Thomas Jefferson Martin and Laura Bryan, who are seen in this photo behind Marguerite's parents. Pictured are two of Marguerite's siblings, Paul Cook (born 1907) and Elizabeth Clifford Cook (born 1906). Marguerite was born in 1913, and her youngest sibling, Charles Laurie Cook, was born in 1915. 

Marguerite married Albert Clark in 1935. 

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 

Marguerite Cook Clark - family photos,  photographs, n.d.; digital images, from the privately held photo collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2022. 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.