Mystery woman, Part 1

My Armstrong-Davis photograph album contains several unidentified photos, but two that are labeled contain a mystery I have yet to solve.

I have two photos I’m pretty sure are of the same woman:

 

The handwritten label for the first photo appears to say "Maggie Davis."  It's possible it could be a different last name.  I'm pretty sure my mother wrote "Maggie Davis" on the second photo (a paper print on a cabinet card) as I recognize her handwriting.  There is nothing on the back except for the photographers engraving, so she probably labeled the photo based on the subject's resemblance to the lady in the ferrotype.  Even if the name is correct, I have no idea if she is related or how she fits into the family tree.

I’m pretty sure the first photograph, a tinted ferrotype (tintype), was taken around 1871 for two reasons:  the clothing and the photographer.

Maggie’s dress and hair are very similar to a girl in a photo from 1870 that appears in Joan Severa’s book Dressed for the Photographer.

Maggie’s dress has very similar sleeve style and ruffles.  Also, the young ladies’ hair styles have almost identical “temple rolls” drawn up from a center part, along with ribbon bows that are “arranged to lay flat on the crown.”

In Maureen Taylor’s Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs, she lists some style details from 1869-1874 women's fashions that show up in this photo of Maggie:

“Black velvet neck ribbon with brooch or charm…earrings and necklace matched.”

“Armhole over shoulder.”

The photographer's name shows up on the back of the paper sleeve:

J.U.P. Burnham shows up in the 1870 Savannah City directory on Bull Street and then in the 1871 Savannah directory at 158 St. Julian, the same address on the back of the photo sleeve.  He doesn't appear in the 1874-75 directory, but shows up listed in Richmond, Virginia's city directory.  From a search of city directories from the 1860s-1870s, he seemed to be based out of Portland, Maine, but lived in southern cities at various times.  

So the combination of the dress style and photographer's clues lead me to believe that 1871-1873 could be the most likely time range for the first photo.  Unfortunately, Ancestry didn't have Savannah city directories for 1872-1873, so I couldn't check for Burnham in those directories.

In the first photo Maggie appears to be in her twenties.  In the second photo she is obviously older.  Look at the ears of each lady.  Along with the facial resemblance, the ears help in concluding that these are probably photographs of the same person.

  

I’m guessing the second photo is from the 1890s or early 1900s.  Using hairstyle, costume clues and the photographers’ names (Launey and Goebel) I might be able to narrow the time period.  I’ll save that and discussing the possible relation to Annie Graham for next week’s blog.

The Graham Women Finally Get Some Attention

As soon as I think I don’t know any more about Annie Rebecca Graham Davis, I then rediscover information that’s been sitting under my nose.  I knew I had census records showing her living with younger son Bart in Louisville, Kentucky in 1900 and then living with her older son Will in Montgomery, Alabama in 1910.  

But, I FORGOT that I had photographs of Annie’s mother and sister! Again, it pays to just go back and review photos and records, especially as one continues to learn more from other research.

Here is one photo from the Armstrong-Davis photo album that appears to be of Annie’s mother. 

The oldest writing on the photo says “Grandmother Graham, Grandmother of W.A. Davis.”  

The caption that looks to be in my mother’s handwriting states:  “Mother of Rose Graham Davis who is mother of William Albert Davis and Bart Davis.” 

My mom may have gotten the name “Rose” from a copy of Annie's photo.  I’m guessing my grandfather (George L. A. Davis) may have made this error.  Another copy of Annie's photo is labeled in a different hand (I’m guessing by my great-grandfather W. A. Davis):

Annie R. Davis

Mrs. Wm. Hunter Davis

The Mother of W A Davis

Born Annie Rebecca Graham

Many records (Marriage certificate, census records, city directories) support that her name was Annie.

The other find is of Annie’s sister.  It doesn’t indicate the name. 

On that back is written

“A Merry Christmas to my dear sister and all” in rather distinctive back-slanted handwriting.

Underneath, another hand labeled it: 
Sister of Annie R. Davis

Aunt of W.A Davis

(of NY)

Annie was born in New York.  The incorrect use of the name “Rose” could be a clue to another name in her family, possibly her sister or her mother.  This could be useful in census searches.  If the sister never married she could turn up, and possibly lead us to a hometown in New York.

So many research leads!  So little time!

I also thought there was a bit of a family resemblance between mother and daughter:

 

I see it in the nose and possibly the eyes and mouth.

Annie Rebecca Graham Davis

This is the only photograph I have of Annie Rebecca Graham Davis, my great-great grandmother.  I have so little information on this woman who, as a bride, saw her husband join the Confederate cavalry only four days after their marriage. She later gave birth to their son and took care of him, all while her husband was off at war.  I know from census records that she was from New York, she was born in 1832 and was four years older than her husband, W. Hunter Davis, and that her father was from New York.  Her death certificate indicates her father’s name was “Albert.”  Apparently she thought well enough of Albert to include him in her son’s name, William Albert Davis, who then passed it on to his youngest son, Albert Davis (who our family knows as Unk).  The name skips a generation to appear with my brother, Albert Thom Eves, who died as a toddler, before I was born.

Annie had to have been a strong woman (but possibly had help from others), to live through the Civil War with an infant and toddler. Her strength would be challenged again when her husband died in 1879 at the age of 41, leaving her with a nine-year-old son, John Bart Davis, to raise along with her older son, Will.  Fortunately, as we saw from the city directories in last week’s post (Annie appears…finally), Will was already working as a clerk for the Central Rail Road and Annie was taking in boarders at their Zubly street house in Savannah.

I am not sure when the photograph was taken, but with some sleuthing through city directories for the photographer’s name and by examining her dress and hairstyle, I might be able to pinpoint a decade.  I’m guessing 1880s by her gray hair and the fitted, non-puffed sleeves.  I’ll save that detective work for another post.

Annie appears...finally.

Looking through the Savannah City Directories year by year from 1866 through 1882, I see several patterns.  One is that the publishers changed almost year to year until 1879, when Sholes’ took over and published the directory for at least four straight years.

The other is that in a city directory a wife doesn’t seem to exist until her husband dies and she assumes the title of “wid” or widow.  A son who works will show up.  In this case as you see below, William A. Davis, starts showing up as a boarder at “Zubly, se cor Ann” in 1879 when he was 17.  Annie shows up in 1880 after W. Hunter’s (W. H.) death in 1879.  (See earlier posts for family bible and census mortality schedule evidence.)

So sometime in 1870 William H. Davis moved from Broughton to West Broad.  Then by 1874-75 he moves his family to Zubly at the corner of Ann, where he lives until he dies in 1879.  Note that in the 1879 directory no occupation is listed for William H.  He was probably suffering from “consumption” (tuberculosis) which was listed as the cause of his death in the 1880 mortality index. 

I don’t know if he owned the residence at Zubly.  That’s another item for the “to do” list – look up potential real estate purchase records.

Below the table you’ll see some screenshot “snippets” of directory entries for my Davis ancestors.  City directories can be addictive – between looking at the advertisements and wanting to continue my year-to-year inventory for my target ancestors, I missed the Saturday deadline for the blog.  See below the table and the entry snippets for some choice quotes from the directory publishers.

Year	Name listed	Location	Occupation
1866	Davis, W. H.	N e corner Broughton and Montgomery streets	Merchant
1867	Davis, W. H.	B’ds, cor Broughton & Montg’y	Bookkeeper, CRR
There is another W H Davis  listed as butcher in the 1866 and 1867 directories, but considering our W. Hunter’s later employment with the CRR, I think the one listed above is more likely “my” W H Davis.
1870	Davis, W. H.	204 Broughton	Nothing listed
Not sure if this is “my” W H Davis, could check map to see if it’s near Montgomery.
1871	Includes excellent map of Savannah city streets.
1871	Davis, Wm. H.	R 53 W Broad	Clerk, C.R.R.
	Above jives with 1870 census where he lived down the street from Mary Marshall, who lived at 43 W Broad
1875	Davis, William H	r Zubly se cor of Ann	Down freight ag’t CRR
1877	Davis, William H	r Zubly cor Ann	Freight agent CRR
1879	William, H.,	r Zubly, se cor Ann	None listed
1879	Davis, William A.	Bds Zubly, se cor Ann	Clk C. R. R.
1880	Davis, Annie Mrs	r zubly, se cor Ann	Boarding
1880	Davis, William A	Bds Zubly, se cor Ann	Clk C. R. R.
1882	Davis, Annie	Wid W.H., r Zubly, se cor Ann
1882	Davis, William A	Bds Zubly, se cor ann	clk C. R. R.

On the title page of the Rogers City Directory of Savannah from July 1877 the publisher admonishes “To find a name you must know how to spell it.”

In the 1882 Sholes’ Directory, the title page exclaims “Don’t lend your directory!  Your neighbor is as well able to Purchase One as you are.”

Sources:

City Directory, 1867. N. J. Darrell and Co., Publishers.  Savannah, Georgia, City Directory, 1867.  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Accessed 1 June 2013.

Directory of the City of Savannah for 1870.  Compiled by Alex. Abrams & Co. J. H. Estill, Publisher and Printer. Savannah, Georgia, City Directory, 1870.  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Accessed 1 June 2013.

Estill’s Savannah directory for 1874-75.  Savannah, Georgia, City Directory, 1874.  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Accessed 9 June 2013.

Purse’s Directory of the City of Savannah. Savannah: Purse & Son, 1866.  Savannah, Georgia, City Directory, 1866.  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Accessed 1 June 2013.

Rogers City Directory of Savannah.  Savannah, Georgia, City Directory, 1877.  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Accessed 9 June 2013.

Haddock’s Savannah, Georgia directory.  Savannah, J. H. Estill, 1871.  Savannah, Georgia, City Directory, 1871.  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Accessed 1 June 2013.

Sholes’ Savannah Directory. Volume I. – 1879. Savannah, Georgia, City Directory, 1879.  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Accessed 9 June 2013.

Sholes’ Savannah Directory. Volume II. – 1880. Savannah, Georgia, City Directory, 1879.  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Accessed 9 June 2013.

Sholes’ Savannah Directory. Volume III. – 1881. Savannah, Georgia, City Directory, 1879.  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Accessed 12 June 2013.

Sholes’ Directory of the City of Savannah. Volume IV. – 1882. Savannah, Georgia, City Directory, 1879.  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Accessed 12 June 2013.