Friday's Photo: Cemetery Photos - Ellen Agnes Murray

Mount Calvary Cemetery, Columbus, Franklin County,Ohio, USA - Plot: HC-D-141-1

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I like cemeteries and Find A Grave.com is the best. I can virtually visit many cemeteries while still in my pajamas (and I don't have to worry about snakes). At Find A Grave.com, cemetery lovers visit cemeteries, take photos, record information, and post their finds at Find A Grave.com. I really appreciate contributors such as Nancy Ann Mull Buchanan who posted these photos and allows me and other viewers to share the photos. 

Ellen Agnes Murray was born on January 09, 1888  in the villiage of Burren, in the old Parish of Abby, now New-Quay, County Clare, Ireland.  She was the daughter of James Murray and Cecilia Linane.  Her name is listed as Helena on the Register of Baptismal, her Record of Apostolic Services gives her name as Ellen Murray and her obituary gives her name as Ellen Agnes Murray.  As a nun, she took the name Sister Mary Columbkill.

Sister Columbkill was visiting her sister, Julia Murray Moylan, in Ireland when she fell ill and returned to the United States by plane.  She died several weeks later on June 18, 1955 at Mount Carmel Hospital.  Her funeral was attended by many.  Honorary pallbearers included the Governor of Ohio and the Mayor of Columbus.  Burial was in Mount Calvary Cemetery. For more about Ellen Agnes Murray click here. 

Search for your family at Find A Grave. 

Diana

© 2016

Sources

"Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog: Sunday's Obituary: Ellen Agnes Murray - Sister Mary Columbkill." Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog: Sunday's Obituary: Ellen Agnes Murray - Sister Mary Columbkill. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2016. <http://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/sundays-obituary-ellen-agnes-murray.html>.

"Sr Ellen "Mary Columbkill" Murray (1888 - 1955) - Find A Grave Memorial." Sr Ellen "Mary Columbkill" Murray (1888 - 1955) - Find A Grave Memorial. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. <http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=murray&GSiman=1&GScid=42241&GRid=100817726&>.

Friday's Photo: Could this be a Murray Family Photo?

I will be going to Ireland soon so will be posting Irish family photos before and after my trip. This photo was an old photo that belonged to my husband's grandparents, William Quinn and Susan Murray. The tape on the top leads me to believe that it came out of the same album as two others that had tape at the top. Both were Murray family photos. Susan's family lived in New Quay (the village of the Burren). Could this be a Murray family photo? 

Diana

© 2016

Friday's Photo: The Criswell School

The Criswell School, Falls County, Texas
I took this photo when visiting the Criswell Cemetery. To learn more, visit the Criswell Cemetery page. 

I've mentioned very little about my Criswell ancestors on this blog. My father, Whit Criswell Bryan, was named for his mother's favorite uncle, Thomas Leroy "Whit" Criswell. Dad's mother was Myrtie Hairston, daughter of Lodema Walker Criswell and Phillip Hairston who met and married in Falls County, Texas.

Lodema was the 6th born of the 13 children of William Moore Criswell and Mary Ann "Polly" Evans who settled in Falls County prior to the Civil War.

I visited the Criswell Cemetery in 2005 where I saw the schoolhouse and burial site of many of my Criswell family members.

While researching the Criswell School, I learned that the original school was built in the Criswell community, a farming community consisting of several hundred residents in the late 1800s and early 1900s. According to an article found at Newspapers.com, the original was rebuilt sometime in the 1920s and that newer building burned on January 28, 1927. The building pictured was said to have been erected soon after the fire.

I don't know the date the original Criswell School was built, but did find mention of Criswell's school house in the adjacent 1874 clipping found at Newspapers.com. 

A little about the clipping - The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, is a fraternal organization in the United States that encourages the promotion of community and agriculture. Many of these persons listed were children or spouses of the children of William and Mary Ann Criswell. 

Diana

© 2016

Sources

"Criswell Community School Pictures." Criswell Community School Pictures. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. <http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txfalls/School_Photo/School_Pictures_Webpages/CriswellCommunitySchoolPics.htm>.

"Patrons of Husbandry legal definition of Patrons of Husbandry." Patrons of Husbandry legal definition of Patrons of Husbandry. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. <http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Patrons+of+Husbandry>.

Friday's Photo: Marie and Friends

 

I titled this post "Marie and Friends" but really don't know if the women are friends or relatives. Is this in Seymour, Texas? Borger? Or, another place in Texas? Is this before or after 1920? 

My father's sister, Marie Bryan is the girl to the far left. If these girls are her cousins, maybe someone has a matching photo. 

Marie Bryan 1921

I thought that these girls could be classmates so looked at Marie's high school yearbook, the Jackrabbit, at Ancestry.com. Marie graduated from Seymour High School in 1921. There were eleven graduates in the class of 1921. Two young men, Adolph Wirz and Roscoe Caldwell, and the remaining were young women; Marie, Cecilia Cooper, Jo Lee Dickson, Lucille Gray, Lois McMurray, Lyddia Patterson, Laura Bess Rogers, Bill Smith, and Bernice Sanders.  Comparisons of the photos were inconclusive. 

This is one of many of my problematic photos. If you have suggestions or a similar photo, please contact me! 

Diana

© 2016

Sources

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

"U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 for." U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 for. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2016. <http://interactive.ancestry.com/1265/43134_b207594-00043/328323589>.

Friday's Photo: Who Is This Pretty Young Woman?

This photo was passed to me by my cousin, Jackie. I assume that it originally belonged to my father's parents. The hairstyle is indicative of those of the 1890s.There are no markings on the back of this delicate paper photo.


Could she be a family friend? If family, is she related to my grandmother's Hairstons or my grandfather's Bryans? 

Surnames include Bryan, Hairston, Criswell, Evans, Selman, Albritton, Biggs, Chisum, Gilbert, Gresham, Hammett, Keith, Latta, Noah, Pitman, Regan, Thompson, Watts, Wimberly, Wylie, and many more. 

Diana

© 2016

Friday's Photo: Arlington Cemetery in December

We visited Arlington National Cemetery last week. There were wreaths on most of the headstones that I could see. A few of the older headstones, where military fathers and sons were buried together, had two wreaths and gravestones, marked with the Star of David, had no wreath out of respect for the Jewish tradition of not placing floral decorations on graves.

 

The wreaths are placed on the graves by Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organization that coordinates wreath laying ceremonies at Arlington as well as other cemeteries in all 50 states and other locations throughout the world. Click here to read more about the history of this organization. 

For my Quinn family -  Photos of my husband and his parent's graves - William Joseph and Doris Staubach Quinn. 

Diana

© 2016

Remembering Dad and Pearl Harbor: Naval Mobile Hospital # 2

Under construction - Naval Mobile Hospital #2 

Whit Criswell Bryan standing next to
buildings at the Naval Mobile Hospital #2

In late November 1941, the Pearl Harbor Naval Hospital was over capacity and a mobile hospital was being constructed with prefabricated building segments.

My father, Whit Criswell Bryan, was transferred from the U.S. Naval Hospital in Pearl Harbor to the Naval Mobile Hospital #2 on December 1. However, he had been working at the site of the hospital since at least mid November of 1941. He, along with other enlisted personal, and officers (including doctors), was assigned to quickly complete the hospital. Pearl Harbor was bombed before the hospital was completed. 

According to Bob Brunner, a fellow pharmacist mate, the location of the hospital allowed a view of the bombing. Dad told me that the beds in the hospital were given to the patients while the Navy personal slept in trenches. 

The following commendation was found in his military record.

January 9, 1942
Commended for zeal and initiative displayed during long and arduous hours working continuously without liberty from 19 November 1941 to 6 December 1941 in order to establish this hospital and for diligently assisting in completing preparations for the care of 110 casualties following an enemy air attack on Pearl Harbor, T.H. on 7 December 1941.

Dad saved this wonderful article about the Naval Mobile Hospital #2. The date of the article is unknown, but from ads on the back, I know that it is a newspaper published in Hawaii. Author, Bob Trumbull, worked at the Honolulu Advertiser. 

Diana

© 2015

Sources

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

Mobile Hospital #2, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Navy Medicine Historical Files Collection - Facilities - Mobile Hospitals 12-0270-001. "12-0270-001 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!." 12-0270-001 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.  <https://www.flickr.com/photos/navymedicine/8253012532/in/album-72157628320849325/>.

"Last witnesses | Memories of Pearl Harbor attack | Military | pilotonline.com." Last witnesses | Memories of Pearl Harbor attack | Military | pilotonline.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2015. <http://www.pilotonline.com/news/military/last-witnesses-memories-of-pearl-harbor-attack/article_ef2088e6-b8a8-5c9e-aab7-8663dbe8dd03.html>.

Friday's Photo: Thankful!

That's me with Mom!

Yesterday was a quiet Thanksgiving at my home. Several of the regulars were missing. Mom, a key player in our Thanksgiving feasts, was one of those missing as she is recovering from a major surgical procedure. 

I am so thankful for my wonderful mother and thankful that she is recovering beautifully. I look forward to our feast on Christmas Eve when she will again be a key player!

Diana

© 2015

Honoring Our Veterans - 2015

Veterans Day Poster Gallery - 2015 Poster

Today is Veterans Day, a day that we honor our veterans. Veterans Day, originally Armistice Day,  began after WWI to honor those who fought in "The Great War." In 1954, November 11th became Veterans Day, an official United States holiday, honoring all armed service veterans. 

Today, I am posting a list veterans from the various branches of my family tree; many who did not serve in traditional U. S. armed forces. Most served during wars and some volunteered while others did not.  I add to this list as I find more ancestors and post the list every year. If you know of others, please comment below or send me an e-mail. 

Whit Criswell Bryan, USN - WWII, Korea, Vietnam

Elizabeth Bryan, USN

William Joseph Quinn III, USA - Korea, Vietnam

James G. Richardson II, USA

John Joseph Quinn, USA - WWI

Charles Giddens, USA and USN - WWI, WWII

Mitchell Giddens, USA - WWI, WWII

Joseph Oscar Noah, USA - WWI

Terrell Bryan, CSA - Civil War*

Tilman Capers Bryan, CSA - Civil War*

Joseph B. Bryan, CSA - Civil War*

George Luellen Giddens, CSA - Civil War*

David Crockett Giddens, CSA (POW) - Civil War*

James Thomas Giddens, CSA - Civil War*

Henry Clay Giddens, CSA - Civil War*

John William Giddens, CSA - Civil War*

Seth H. Davis USA, Civil War

Simon Baker Bryan, Georgia Militia - Second Seminole War

James Bryan, Georgia Militia - Second Seminole War

John Regan, Georgia Militia - Second Seminole War

John Giddens, NC Minutemen - American Revolutionary War

Ralph Regan, NC Militia - American Revolutionary War


*I didn't know if I should include my ancestors who fought in the Confederate States Army, but found the following at the Sons of the Confederacy website: 

"First, and most significant is the fact that by Public Law 85-425, May 23, 1958 (H.R. 358) 72 Statute 133 states –“(3) (e) for the purpose of this section, and section 433, the term ‘veteran’includes a person who served in the military or naval forces of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, and the term ‘active, military or naval service’ includes active service in such forces.”

"As a result of this law the last surviving Confederate Veteran received a U.S. Military pension until his death in 1959, and from that day until present, descendants of Confederate veterans have been able to receive military monuments to place on graves from the Veteran’s Administration for their ancestors. A Confederate Veteran should therefore be treated with the same honor and dignity of any other American veteran."

Diana

© 2015

Friday's Photo: James Anderson Bryan, 1858 - 1885

James Anderson Bryan 1858 - 1885

James Bryan, 1815 - 1881

To many, this above tintype copy has been known as James Bryan, born to Reddick Bryan and his first wife in 1815.  I was very pleased to know that I had a photo of James as a young man.  This copy was sent to me by distant cousin and labeled “Jim Bryan, Aunt Josie Cook's adopted father.”  James and his wife, Alice Mary Wimberly, did not have any children of their own, but adopted two of the children of Joseph Bryan and Sarah Margaret Wimberly.

When I sent this to Maureen Taylor, photo expert, to compare with the men in a Civil War picture, she stated that due to the clothing style, the tintype was taken in the late 1860s or sometime in the 1870s; the man looked much too young to have been born in 1815.

During my second visit to see Marguerite Cook Clark's collection, I looked specifically for this photo and found the photo below. 

Albert Bryan 1883 - 1975

So, who was Uncle Jim? And, what about Albert? Marguerite Cook Clark's collection contained a photo of Albert Bryan. According to The Wimberly Family History, James Anderson Bryan and his wife, Sarah Frances Nix, were the parents of Albert Brown Bryan.  They lived in Bienville Parish and James was a son of Joseph Bryan and Sarah Margaret Wimberly. James Anderson Bryan would have been 20 years old in 1878 and could easily be the person in the above picture. 

Albert was only two years old when his parents died of influenza. His only sibling died - unnamed as an infant. Albert was raised by James' brother, Augustus Reddick Bryan, and his wife, Erie Ontario Nix. 

This, as most other photos in the collection, were labeled by Marguerite's mother, Maggie Martin Cook. As she was just a year younger than Albert, she wouldn't have known her Uncle Jim Bryan, but definitely knew her cousin, Albert, and his adopted family. 

Diana

© 2015

Sources

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Marguerite Cook Clark. Accessed April 28, 2014 and September 14, 2014. Used with permission.

Photographs from the the collection of Mary Smith. Accessed December 2004. Used with permission. 

Wimberly, Vera. Wimberly Family History: Ancestors, Relatives, and Descendants of William Wimberly, Pioneer from Georgia to Louisiana, 1837. Houston, Tex.: D. Armstrong, 1979. Print.