10 Years Ago Today . . .

Ten years ago today, I posted my first blog post. Thank you to Thomas MacEntee for the inspiration. In June of 2011, at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, Thomas MacEntee described blogs as "cousin bait."[1] My website was "cousin bait" so I knew this might even be better as I could write regularly without the difficult task of constantly updating my website, AND find even more cousins. [2]

My first post was about the photo of my grandfather at a Woodsmen of the World Conference. [3]  Comparisons of other photos lead me to believe Redic E. Bryan (left) was in his twenties dating this photo sometime in the 1890s. 

The next two posts were also about the 

Woodmen of the World organization. 

My grandmother, Myrtie Hairston Bryan, belonged to a Woodmen Circle in Seymour, Texas and apparently, there was a Woodmen Circle for young girls as well. The photo at the top of this page was most likely taken in Seymour sometime in the 1910s.  More about the photo can be seen here. [4]

Terrell Bryan, my great-grandfather, was buried in the West End Cemetery in Stephenville, Erath County Texas. His Woodsmen of the World cemetery stone (right) is a tree trunk with vines. You can read more about his stone here. [5]

Thank you to all who read my blog. Some of you actually found the "cousin bait" and I am so grateful. 

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

© 2021 

    1. Amy Coffin, Lisa Louise Cook, Pat Richley-Erickson, Nancy Loe, Thomas MacEntee, Randy Seaver, "Blogger Summit I - Beginner to Blogger in 60 Minutes" (presentation, Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, Burbank, CA, October 10-12, 2011).

    2. "Researching Bryan, Hairston, Criswell, Davis, Glynn, Giddens, Murray, Driscoll, Staubach, and Quinn" (http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~bryanquinn/genealogy/index.htm : accessed 2 July 2021). 

    3. Diana B. Quinn, "W.O.W.," blog entry, 3 July 2011, Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog,  (https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html : accessed 2 July 2021).

    4. Diana B. Quinn, "W.O.W. Women," blog entry, 13 July 2011, Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog,  (https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/wow-women_08.html : accessed 2 July 2021).

    5. Diana B. Quinn, "More W.O.W.," blog entry, 6 July 2011, Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog,  (https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/more-wow.html : accessed 2 July 2021).

Friday's Photo: Masons Attended Terrell Bryan's Funeral in Stephenville, Erath County, Texas

Terrell Bryan

I could have titled this post Terrell Bryan had a Masonic Funeral Service, but wanted to attract the attention of Erath County researchers. I received a copy of a copy of this photo 14 years ago; however, didn't know who had the original.  In September, I visited a second cousin once removed who showed me the original and allowed me to scan it at high resolution so that most of the faces could be easily seen.  

This photo was taken in West End Cemetery, Stephenville, Erath County, Texas at the funeral for my great-grandfather, Terrell Bryan. There are no markings on the photo, but when enlarged, the stone already in place reveals that it was the cemetery marker for Terrell's wife, Harriet Louisa Albritton Bryan. 

Terrell Bryan died in Bronte, Texas in Coke County at the home of his daughter, Dorothy Elizabeth Harriet "Dollie" Bryan Wylie.  His funeral took place on May 18 at West End Cemetery.

Terrell's son, Redic E. Bryan was not a Mason so is not pictured in the photos. It is unknown if any son-in-laws, grandchildren, or other relatives are in the photos. 

Terrell was a Master Mason and he belonged to Stephenville Lodge No. 267 in Texas.  I would think that most or all of these men pictured were from that lodge. 

I know very little about Masonic history or procedures, but did find information about Masonic Burial Services that detailed the expected dress of Masons at a service. Each Mason was expected to wear his apron, a suit, hat, white gloves, and a piece of evergreen should be pinned on the left lapel of his suit jacket. The Master of the Lodge stands at the head of the casket. The Holy Bible, Square and Compasses should be covered with crepe.

Terrell Bryan belonged to a Woodmen of the World Lodge, also referred to as a Woodmen Camp, in Stephenville, Texas.   His cemetery marker resembles a tree trunk and encircled on the emblem are the words Woodmen of the World.

Note: On the cemetery marker, the funeral notice, and obituary, Terrell's birth year is 1837. His death certificate also gave the birth year of 1837. The informant was a grandson, McNeil Wylie. However, both Terrell Bryan's family bible and his father's family bible give Terrell a birth year of 1836. 

Card of Thanks found in Terrell Bryan's Bible

Diana

© 2015

Sources

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn.

Funeral photo from the collection of Richard Warner. Used with permission. 

"Masonic Burial Servic." Masonic Official Monitor Texas: Masonic Burial Service. Web. 28 Mar. 2015.

W.O.W. Women

Women also participated in Woodmen of the World (W.O.W.). In the on-line article WOW: On the Search of Graves, Steve Johnson wrote that W.O.W. women’s auxiliary groups were known as the Supreme Forest Woodmen Circle, the Woodmen Circle, and Neighbors of Woodcraft. My aunt, Marie Bryan, was a young girl when she belonged to a Woodmen Circle in Seymour, Texas.  In the picture above, Marie is the girl directly in front of the tallest girl in the group. The tallest girl may be her cousin, Millard Ray Latta.

  

Myrtie Hairston Bryan, my grandmother, had a Woodmen of the World headstone.  This picture of my father, Whit Bryan, next to his mother’s headstone at Woodmen of the World Cemetery in Seymour, Texas.  Written around the emblem is In Memoriam Supreme Forest Woodmen Circle.

  

This clipping indicates that my grandmother was a member of the Daphine Grove No. 323, Woodmen Circle. 

W.O.W. will not be the topic of my next post; however, if anyone reading this blog has information about the Stephenville or Seymour, Texas Woodmen of the World Lodges or Circles, I would welcome the information. 

 Diana

© 2011, copyright Diana Quinn

More W.O.W.

My great-grandfather, Terrell Bryan, belonged to a Woodmen of the World Lodge, also referred to as a Woodmen Camp, in Stephenville, Texas. This is his grave marker in West End Cemetery, Stephenville, Erath County, Texas.  It resembles a tree trunk and encircled on the emblem are the words Woodmen of the World.  According to Woodmen.com, grave markers were one of the benefits of belonging to W.O.W until the 1920s when it was discontinued due to cost. Grave markers were originally intended to be uniform tree stump type designs, but not all cutters followed the designs; many created very elaborate renditions of the tree trunk.  These grave markers or monuments were often dedicated and unveiled in formal ceremonies.

Visit this web site, Graveyards & Gravestones to see many beautiful Woodmen of the World gave markers. 

Diana

© 2011, copyright Diana Quinn

W.O.W.

Woodmen of the World (W.O.W.) is not the topic that I planned to choose for my first blog entry, but I have spent the better part of my research time this week searching historical Texas newspapers for information about Woodmen of the World.

According to the Woodmen of the World website, the fraternal organization was founded in 1890 by Joseph Cullen Root. Root believed that members of the W.O.W lodges should be active in helping those in need. During the early years of the organization, member’s benefits included life insurance and grave markers. Today the organization has approximately 2,000 community-based Woodmen of the World lodges with about 800,000 members.

My reason for researching the W.O.W. is this photograph of my grandfather, Redic E. Bryan. I always wondered about the ribbon but didn’t think to search for it until I attended Maureen Taylor’s* Photography, The Civil War and Your Family Pictures at Southern California Genealogy Jamboree in June. She discussed veteran’s organizations and showed a similar picture of a man wearing ribbons with a hat on the table beside him. When I returned from my trip, I rescanned this photo at 600dpi so that I could better see the ribbon and compare it to those found through searches at Google and eBay. Although the writing was partially covered and not legible, Redic Bryan’s ribbon easily matched Woodmen of the World convention ribbons.

When and where was this convention? Google and historical newspaper searches for Woodmen of the World and the photographer, Harper & Co. did not answer this question. However, I did learn from the Dallas Morning News at GenealogyBank.com, that my great-grandfather, Terrell Bryan, was voted banker of the Stephenville Woodmen of the World Lodge in both 1894 and 1904.

For more information about W.O.W., click on the links below. I hope that you enjoyed my first blog entry.

Diana

Woodmen.com, the official site

Visit the Masonic Museum at PhoenixMasonry.org to view an actual beneficiary certificate.

Woodmen of the World and the Tree Stone Grave Markers

*I purchased Maureen Taylor’s book, Finding the Civil War in your Family Album which has lead me to re-examine many of my family pictures.

© 2011, copyright Diana Quinn