Week 33 (Aug. 13-19): Strength

 A repost of an interesting blog!

Notes:52 Weeks 52 Ancestors gives a suggested meme of Strength.  As I often do, I spent some research time on family ancestors (some of whom were still alive when I was younger...and now I'm turning into an ancestor!) The Attaway sisters were my first cousins three times removed.
This blog includes the comments made by 4 readers...a couple of whom would read and contribute to Sepia Saturday.  The most interesting story is in a comment by Gail, about how she got in touch with her husband-to-be in a town in California, and she noticed the town's name in the obituary of my cousin! Good reading there Gail!  Original posting:Friday, September 23, 2016 Shared with Sepia Saturday then and again this week, since I was a school girl in the following photo. I know the rest of this post isn't about me or school days...but it fits into the Ancestry theme of Strength (Strong women) so well!

Cousins called Aunt Alice and Gertie

I'm going to start from the following picture in front of our home in Houston.  I mentioned our blouses had been hand embroidered by the first woman dentist in El Paso, TX, who I never met, and her sister.




OK,  my maternal grandmother was Mozelle Booth Miller Webb Munhall. (1897-1960)

Her mother was Eugenia Almeda Booth Miller (1873-1936), and her mother was ...
Eugenia Almeda Whitty Booth (1852-1875) She married Richard R. Booth.

Richard's sister was Annie Booth, who married H.F. Attaway.  And with my searching today I found out H. F. stood for Henry Franklin.  So Annie and H. F. had three children, all girls, same generation as my great-grandmother Eugenia A. Booth Miller, or perhaps closer in age to my grandmother, within 10 years)

These girls were
Alice Fredonia Attaway, (1881-1964)
Ethel Booth Attaway (1885-1966)
Gertrude Attaway (1891-1979)

So they were some level of cousins of my grandmother. Did she know them as a young lady? I think she must. How else would she and they do our beautiful clothes? We were the ages their grandchildren might have been.  But Alice and Gertie didn't have children.  Though Ethel did have children, she had married and moved to California, so we had no contact with them.

But was Aunt Alice really the first female dentist in Texas?  Oh yes!

I guess she didn't make much of a splash, like most dentists don't. Her death certificate 31 Aug 1964, give cause as Senility, without any other causes.

She had the same office in downtown El Paso from 1913 till 1948.
It was in the famous Mills Building.  Suite 212.

Mills Building Directory (Alice Attaway, suite 212)

The Anson Mills Building today

The caption says,
"Most Significant Achievement of El Paso's pioneering architectural firm, Trost and Trost, was the 12- story 138,000 square foot Anson Mills Building that dominated the downtown landscape for many years following its construction in 1911-1912.

"At the time of its completion, the Mills building was the largest "monolithic" concrete structure in the world.  Every part -columns, walls,  ceilings, floors -  was made from poured concrete reinforced with steel rods, a more economical approach than importing steel beams from Pennsylvania. The original cost was $1.80 a square foot, and General Anson Mills was pleased that the building would have no need for repairs and no deterioration.  El Paso was a town of 15,000 at that time, with no paved streets when the building was completed."

So Dr. Alice Attaway was one of the original occupants of the famous building.

Inside the entrance to the Mills Building.

I have another distant cousin, of about my generation, who had the same ggg grandfather with a different mother.  She posted in Ancestry back in 2010, a copy of the Booth Family Bible.

Alice and Gertrude Attaway are on the right column

Both Aunts Alice and Gertie were listed in the El Paso business directory in the years 1935, 38, 45 and 48. They lived at the same home address throughout their lives, first with their mother Anna Booth Attaway, with her listed as head of the household, then after she turned 70, Gertrude became the head of the household.  I wrote my thank you notes to this address as they sent us pretty hand embroidered or smocked clothing. (probably from when I first could write in 1948 till 1958 or so)

Recent photo of the Attaway home in El Paso

The 1900 census has an intact family with father H.F. as a painter, wife and 3 daughters, living in Hillsboro, Texas (where the two younger daughters were born, and even where the Booth families were headquartered.)  Oldest daughter, Alice was born in Waco.

H. F. Attaway moved with the family to Houston, where he died in 1906.

In 1910 mother Anna Booth Attaway and the three daughters lived in Houston, where they took in 6  boarders and Anna  called herself a masseur.  Youngest sister Gertrude (19) was still a student, but Ethel said she was an artist, and Alice had no occupation at that census.

Gertrude Attaway may have married after she retired from being a draftsman for the Bureau of Reclamation, and before she died in 1979.  Someone added Ellis to her name on her death certificate. She died of cerebral hemmorrhage and deep thrombosis with gangrene in her left leg, according to that record. Who was this fellow Ellis? He was not the informer for the certificate, who was a man named Philip Jacobs.  I'm guessing the informant was someone in a nursing home or hospital, since Gertie had outlived her other relatives that I know of in El Paso. 

I have enough questions to continue to search for more days and weeks.

How did the Attaway girls come in contact with the Miller girls (4 sisters, daughters of their cousins who lived in San Antonio? I think the grandmother sisters, Eugenia Booth Miller and Anna Booth Attaway must have corresponded between San Antonio and El Paso. And maybe they visited each other by train at that time. Eugenia's husband was a conductor on passenger trains at that time.

What is/was the Bureau of Reclamation anyway? It was neat to see the early feminism in my family when Gertrude gave her occupation as a drafts-woman at that Bureau for the 1950 census. By that time she was declared the head of household with just her older sister Alice living at home, retired from dentistry.

---------------------------------------------------

Following the Civil War, a cousin's letter

52 Ancestors, 52 Weeks, - Week 2 (Jan. 8-14): Challenge
 #52Ancestors

The big challenge I've faced here is the penmanship of my ancestors, and  trying to figure out the geography as places were named in mid nineteenth century.

Nowhere else is this woman, nor her mother mentioned in my genealogical research.  I don't know if anyone answered this letter, but it did survive until the 1970s, so someone must have thought it of enough value to hold onto it. (scanned photos of it are at the end of my transcription)

My great grandmother was Ada Philips, and her older sister was Zulieka Phillips.  Their mother died around 1860, and their father died while fighting the Civil War, sometime around 1862. Their father's older brother, Uncle Marion was helpful in getting the orphaned girls care in the homes of their aunts in Galveston.
-----------------------------

Plaha tehi(s) Mifps (?) (Slip?)  June 19, 1891

Misfps Zulieka & Ada Phillips

                        Dear Cousins

                                    I have thought of writing to you for some time but have postponed it from time to time.  I have finally decided to make an attempt this evening. If I fail, I hope you will be so generous as to overlook my awkwardness as I am not much accustomed to letter writing.  Tis quite a task, tho in bygone days it was a pleasure.  I once kept up a correspondence with Uncle Marion, but _?__ from negligence have ceased entirely.

Where (?) is that I by some accident have not the last letters & do not know where his office is, he wrote me you were back in Galveston going to school, you must not think me impertinent  for I am going to ask you some questions relative to yourselves.

(next sheet, was folded and written first on left side, then right)

I feel that I would like so much to know my dear little unknown cousins. Uncle Marion was kind enough to send me your photographs, & really I fear that he thinks that I am but too com…s? & negligent.  I am much afraid I haven’t thanked him for them, sist assumd if I have not. Twas not because they were not appreciated, I prize them much., (now to the questions) Where and who are you living with, are you boarding or do you live with relatives, and are you going to school? Why I ask you is that I am anticipating a trip to Galveston this fall or winter.  I feel so broken up and think a trip would reinstate me to former feelings.  I have been married but now am a widow have been for a long time.  I have no children of my own, have one little adopted girl, she will soon be three years old  she is quite a comfort to me.  I fear I am too poor to do this justice.  But as the old adage says Hope on Hope ever.  I hope to be able to give her a thorough

(right side of sheet)

education, she is a beautiful child and very precocious, very smart indeed.  I am just lying on my “arse” here at Pa’s home; not accumulating anything whatever.  I feel very much disrupted sometimes.  I know I should be making something for this dear little charger. Pa is old and infirm, has a large family, four girls yet to educate, the youngest 10 years old, & we all have been so broken up by the war.  I feel that I could support myself if I did sewing if I had a good situation in some town where I could git (sic) sewing.  I think I should try this in bygone days I would have considered that I was downing myself somewhat in such a situation, to b---?--- we all have to work or do something. I don’t feel ashamed to do anything that is --?--  I would go to work in good faith with my needle if I could get work. I am very well versed in the system of --?ing and quilting(?) and think I could succeed very well. I am living in the country and

(next sheet, half of the page)

4^th pg

It would be perfect folly to make an attempt here.  My dear little Cousin you will begin to think I am poverty struck in situation.  I must say my circumstances are not as they have been, tho I get plenty to eat drink and even go & come whenever I please, yet I would be better satisfied to have something accumulating for the future. What would be the probability of my securing a place there?  I prefer living with some nice private family to do sewing.  I don’t like teaching school, could not well now, on account of this little girl, she is too small.

How much is board per month there

Write me all about your “city” generally

(unclear) I should like Galveston very much.  I have heard it so highly spoken of

Please answer all my inquirings dear Cousins

One more question, (what was Aunt Mollie’s name before Uncle Willie married her?_

Ma sends much love to you and Uncle Marion

I would share a (potion?) of your relative regards by remembering me kindly to them.

With much love, I hope to be honored with a reply to this poor scroll very soon

Please write to me dear Cousins for I assure you nothing would be more gratifying or afford me more real pleasure than receiving letters from those to whom I am bound by the sacred ties of relationship

Excuse all errors I have written this very hurridly.

Affectionately yours with love,

Mrs. Laura Spann

A.B.

I hope Uncle Marion has spoken of me to you at least I have written thinking he had.  I am the daughter of Ghidora Phillips, sister of your Father (the only one living) now.  Mrs. Spann, I too married a distant relative by the same name.  Lovingly your Cozn Laura

(Pelahatetic ?) is my office