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: 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). 

Friday's Photo: Mr. William Roger's Niece

This photo was found in the Frye family's collection of photos taken primarily in and near Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Photos in this collection were often people from Fryeburg, Heflin, Ringgold, and areas nearby. On the back of this photo is written "Mr Wm Rogers niece." This young woman's dress with a high neck is indicative of those worn around 1900. 

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 

Mr. Wm Rogers niece, photograph, abt. 1900; scanned image, from the privately held photo collection of the Frye Family, San Francisco, 2019. Used with permission. 

Friday's Photo: James Bryan Martin

James Bryan Martin, the son of Thomas Jefferson Martin I and Laura Frances Bryan, was born on 31 October 1875 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. He married Annie Cook, daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte Cook and Sophronia Pauline Porter.

These photos and the obituary are from the files of Marguerite Cook Clark. James Bryan Martin was her mother's brother. 

See additional photos of James and his family at these posts: 

From the Files of Marguerite Cook Clark: 60th Wedding Anniversary - James Bryan Martin and Anne Cook Martin 

Friday's Photo: The Family of Thomas Jefferson Martin and Laura Bryan Martin


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 

James Bryan Martin Photos and Obituary, digitals 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.

Mackey Lodge Centennial Program - Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana 1854 -1954

The following program, created for the 100th anniversary of Mackey Lodge in Ringgold, was found in Marguerite Cook Clark's family files. Find more at these links. 

The History of Mackey Lodge #122, Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana : 1854 to 1862  

The History of Mackey Lodge #122, Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana : 1866 -1911

The History of Mackey Lodge #122, Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana : 1912 - 1954

Photos of Mackey Lodge Members

Friday's Photo: Mackey Lodge Members?

Friday's Photo: Another Funeral for Mackey Lodge Members

Friday's Photo: Another Funeral for Mackey Lodge Members - Part II: A Work in Progress

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 

Mackey Lodge Centennial Program, 1954; digital images, 2016, from the privately held collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2021. Records 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 History of Mackey Lodge #122, Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana : 1912 - 1954

Undated photo of the bank building with the Mackey Lodge above the bank. 

This photo and the written history were found in Marguerite Cook Clark's family history files. Her father and grandfather and many others in her family were members of this lodge. These are the last pages of the typed history found in her files. Find more at The History of Mackey Lodge #122, Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana : 1854 to 1862 and The History of Mackey Lodge #122, Ringgold, Bienville Parish, Louisiana : 1866 -1911.

Photos of Mackey Lodge Members

Friday's Photo: Mackey Lodge Members?

Friday's Photo: Another Funeral for Mackey Lodge Members

Friday's Photo: Another Funeral for Mackey Lodge Members - Part II: A Work in Progress

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 

The History of the Mackey Lodge #122, 1954; digital images, 2016, from the privately held collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2021. Records 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.

Photo of the Mackey Lodge #122, digital images, 2016, from the privately held collection of Marguerite Cook Clark (1913-1989), Waynesville, North Carolina, 2021. Records 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.

Friday's Photo: Another Funeral for Mackey Lodge Members - Part II: A Work in Progress

A funeral in Bienville Parish, Louisiana

Last week, I posted this photo of the lodge members at a funeral. I assumed these men were members of Ringgold's Mackey Lodge. With input from some descendants of Mackey Lodge members, some reading about Freemasonry, and time spent looking at photos on Ancestry.com, I have identified a few more persons in the photo and have more questions. 

What I Have Learned

I learned that this photo was taken much earlier than my prediction of 1928. The Worshipful Master in this photo was William T. Stevens. He is the tall man (#7) holding the gavel. William T. Stevens was Worshipful Master between 1901 and 1906. He died in 1915, and exactly matches a photo seen of him at Ancestry.com. 

Other possible matches are below. If any of these are your family members, tell me what you think. 

• #3 Hiram Harper
• #4 F. N. Harper
• #5 Carey Allen Thomas
• # 9 Daniel Hicks
• #10 Joseph Cook 
• #14 Uriah Page
• #15 Barzillia H. Evans
• #17 Henry Martin Davis
• #22 James Bryan Martin
• #24 Charles Martin

Below are lodge members in approximately 1901. Do you see your family? If so, do you or another family member have photos to share? 

What I Want to Know

There are men identified that do not show up on this membership list or any lists dating to 1907. How long can men participate within the lodge before they are Initiated? 

I still have questions about the following items and symbols:

The first man (left) and the second man (Joseph W. Cook) are holding rods in the photo to
form an arch (maybe a compass). The third and fourth men in this row are holding tall rods. What is the significance of these rods? 

What is the significance of the man's white sash and the open book? What meaning can I attach to these items - One man was holding a gavel, and another holding a closed book. The two symbols were each worn on a ribbon. 

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  

Bonnie Sims, The Charles Elman Butcher and Dorothea Alison Bode Family Tree - Photo of William Thomas Stevens, public tree, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/profile/04f43133-0006-0000-0000-000000000000?: accessed 26 May 2023). 

Masons at a Funeral, 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.

Proceedings of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Louisiana at the Ninetieth Annual Grand Communication, February 10th, 11th, and 12th, 1902. (New Orleans: A.W. Hyatt Stationery Manufacturing, 1902);  PDF download, Louisiana Masonic Library/Museum (https://library.la-mason.com/PastProceedings/1900/1902.pdf: downloaded 21 ‎March ‎2020).

Friday's Photo: Another Funeral for Mackey Lodge Members

The above photo is another found in Marguerite Cook Clark's collection. I scanned these at her sister's home in Texas several years ago. Palma suggested that this might be a photo taken at the funeral of her great-grandfather, Rev. Thomas Jefferson Martin (left). Thomas Jefferson Martin died on 10 April 1928. I suspect Palma was correct. She knew so much about her mother's photos and files. And her family had the photo. 

This photo is not dated - written in pencil under the photo is simply"Masonic Gathering." Joseph W. Cook, who died in 1934, is in this photo, and Thomas J. Martin is not in the photo, so the date could very well be sometime between 10 April 1928 and 3 August 1934. 

I can identify two men in this photo as I have spent so much time looking at photos from the Martin, Bryan, and Cook families - Joseph W. Cook is # 10, and James Bryan Martin is #22. I hope that other readers can match family to the men in this photo, so I have numbered them and enlarged portions so the men could easily be seen. 

I have also found identifying masonic symbols and other items in the photo. I expect that someone more familiar with Freemasonry might be able to help identify these symbols. 

This is a work in progress, and I will post it again when I can identify more of the men. I have looked at the rolls for the time period suspected and can identify the names of the officers. If you can give names to any of these men or know information about the symbols and items below, please comment below this post, comment on my Facebook page, or send me an email (go to the "About Me" tab at the top of this page). 

The first man (left) and the second man (Joseph W. Cook) are holding rods in the photo to
form an arch (maybe a compass). The third and fourth men in this row are holding tall rods. 

What is the significance of the man's white sash and the open book? One man was holding a gavel, and another holding a closed book. The two symbols were each worn on a ribbon. 

1, 2, 3

4, 5, 6

7, 8, 9

10 Joseph W. Cook, husband of Sarah Catherine "Josie" Bryan, 11, 12

13, 14, 15

16, 17, 18, 19

20, 21, 22 James Bryan Martin

23, 24 (looks like a Martin)

25, 26

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 

Masons at a Funeral, 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.