Porch Swings, Fireflies, and Jelly Jars: Ophelia and Lilyann Selph From the Harding/Dabbs Collection

Saturday, October 24, 2020

Ophelia and Lilyann Selph From the Harding/Dabbs Collection

Ophelia and Lilyann Selph were the daughters of John Williams and Annie Walker (Hardin) Selph.

The inscription on this photograph dates it to November 18, 1897. In that year Lilyann was three years old and her older sister Ophelia was five. In the photograph, Lilyann is standing. Her baby cheeks reveal her to be younger than her slim faced sister who is seated. On this photograph like many of the others, the penciled inscription has been inked over. It was inscribed to "Big Mamy." Based on other pieces of information in the collection, Big Mamy or Big Mammy was the nickname for Lavinia "Lilly" Emily (Burton) Selph, the girls' grandmother, who was still living in 1897.

Ophelia is clutching a bouquet of flowers.

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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.