Porch Swings, Fireflies, and Jelly Jars: July 2017

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Louise (Davis) Dendy Family Tree

This is the family tree for my great-grandmother, Louise (Davis) Dendy. I do not believe that Joshua Davis and his wife belong on this tree.

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And there are the children of her great-grandfather, John Renfro who died in Gibson County, Tennessee:

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Davis, Dendy, Yarberry Photographs

It's a rainy day, and good time to scan and add some family photographs. These will also be added to FamilySearch and Findagrave.

First up is a photograph of my great-grandmother Louise (Davis) Dendy. This photograph is a tintype. Notice that at some point the corners were clipped off. Tintypes were taken over wide period of time, so I will have to use clues in her hairstyle and clothes to date this at another time. She has very dark eyes, which my great aunt Arleen (Dendy) Deaton referred to as "snapping black eyes."

Lousie (Davis) Dendy

Louise Davis was born in Texas in September of 1880.

Next is a photograph of Louise's mother, Mary A. Lavaney or Lavinia (Yarberry) Bittick Davis. She was born in 1843 in probably Gibson County, Tennessee. These photographs were taken on the same day. Notice the similarity in the clothes and the floral corsages. Mary is well into middle age although her hair is still dark. She has the same dark eyes as Louise. Also, they share the same set of the mouth and similar noses. This photograph is also a tintype with the corners clipped.

Mary A. L. (Yarberry) Bittick Davis

This photograph is of Louise's father, Eli Van Buren Davis. He was born in 1844 in Tennessee. He and Mary married in Hempstead County, Arkansas in 1867. This is also a tintype with clipped corners. No doubt this was taken on the same day as the others. I wonder who else in the family had their picture taken that day? Yet another prominent nose. Eli's hair is also starting to recede. I have a cousin who bears a very strong resemblance to him.

Eli Van Buren Davis

The next picture has received a lot of wear, but fortunately their faces are all still visible. The three Davises are older here. This picture was taken when Louise Davis was in her late teens. She married at the age of about 22 in 1902, so this photo is older than that. This photograph was made by a studio in Clarksville, Red River County, Texas. Not only can the clothes be used to help this date this photograph, but the style of the card it is mounted to can be used to date it. If I can find information about the photography studio, that will also help me to date the photograph.

Left to right: Eli Van Buren Davis, Louise Davis, Mary A. L. (Yarberry) Davis

At one time my grandmother told me that this was a picture of her parents, Louise Davis and Buford W. Dendy. That would suggest that it is picture that was taken when they married. At another time she said that it was a picture of Louise Davis and her brother, William Thomas Davis. I do not have another picture to compare with "Uncle Bill Davis," but I think that this fellow more closely resembles my great-grandfather Buford W. Dendy. If this is their wedding picture, it was taken in 1902.

Louise Davis and Probably Buford W. Dendy

This is photograph of Reba Louise Davis, the first born child of Louise (Davis) and Buford W. Dendy. This is also a "hidden mother" photograph. You can see Louise's arms (on the right) as she holds Reba steady, suggesting a baby that cannot quite sit upright on her own yet. Reba died a few months after her third birthday and was forever afterward referred to as "Baby Reba." To my knowledge, this is the only baby picture taken of any of the Dendy children. It was probably taken in late 1903 or early 1904. Notice that the plain, dark card stock does not have a photographer's mark.

Rebe Louise Dendy

After 1910, Eli Van Buren and Mary (Yarberry) Davis joined their daughter Mary Elizabeth (Davis) Hardy in west Texas. At that time, they all lived in Hedley, Donley County, Texas. This a photograph of Louise's sister Mary Elizabeth (Davis) Hardy and family.

William James and Mary Elizabeth (Davis) Hardy and Children

Seated on the left is father, William James Hardy. Standing to the right is Charlie James Hardy. Standing behind him is William Thomas Hardy. Seated is mother, Mary Elizabeth (Davis) Hardy. In her lap is baby Dollie May Hardy. The girl standing on the far right is Myrtie (Hardy) Bain.

Meanwhile, Louise (Davis) and Buford W. Dendy's family was also growing.

Buford W. and Louise (Davis) Dendy and Children

The boy on the far left is Burl C. Dendy. Seated is father, Buford Watts Dendy and wife Louise (Davis) Dendy. In her lap is baby Arleen (Dendy) Deaton. The boy on the far right is Orval Van Dendy. This is the last photograph of my great-grandmother that I have seen. This photograph would have been taken some time around 1910 or 1911. My great-grandmother had three more children before she died of the flu in 1918.

Her sisters grew old without her, and as they aged, they looked more like their mother. On the left is elder half-sister Laura Ann (Bittick) Smith and on the right is sister Mary Elizabeth (Davis) Hardy.

Laura Ann (Bittick) Smith
and Mary Elizabeth (Davis) Hardy

About Me:

My favorite memories from childhood include visits to my grandparents in East Texas. At dusk we'd run around my grandparent's yard, catching fireflies and putting them in jelly jars. When darkness descended, we'd return to the porch. It was a special treat to sit in the porch swing. Inevitably, the adults would launch into family stories of Pink Kelley's brush with Sherman's troops, of Great Uncle Hood Brown's tragic death, and of the Kelley family's wagon trip to Texas, among many others. The stars on those nights were magical.

I began my genealogy research in the summer of 1975, less than a month after my high school graduation. When I married in 1983, I started researching my husband's family as well. I was fortunate to start this hobby as a youngster because it gave me an opportunity to correspond with researchers who are long gone; to ask questions of family members -although not enough, never enough; and travel a bit. The result is a lot of information. I've come to the realization that I will probably never be able to afford to publish, so this is my publication.

This blog contains a mixture of information on my husband's family and mine. I've expanded into a second blog called Flimsies and Frippery with the intention of focusing on quilts and dolls, but I have several historical research entries there with more planned, which is why I don't get more quilting done.

Ultimately, genealogy is my passion. This is where I plan to record family stories, research adventures and misadventures, and those serendipitous moments that happen out of the blue. You should be warned that I have a bad habit of going back and adding information and links to individual entries, so it is beneficial to check back often if there is a family of particular interest to you. If you wander in and discover that you are a cousin, please contact me.

Since many younger family members who are new to genealogy are starting to contact me about their ancestors, I've started adding family trees to help them see how everyone is connected. The trees are divided between my family and my husband's. You will find them below under the label's Family Trees - My Husband's Side and Family Trees - My Family's Side.

For better or worse, this blog reflects the research, thinking, and writing of a human.