'Twas Electrifying!

Date Unknown, most likely during the Depression, by C.W. Witbeck, then a WPA photographer,
 from MDAH Archives

"Then let us cultivate patriotic sentiment in the children of this country and build for the future welfare of the nation." -- The Lincoln County Times, Nov. 16, 1915.

Between 1885 and 1915, the Liberty Bell made seven trips by rail to various World's Fairs and big city expositions, and along the way, visited some 400 towns across the U.S.  A visit from the Liberty Bell was a great occasion, and towns would put on their patriotic best, with parades, marching bands and flag-waving festivities. (For more, see this link.) 

In 1915, the Great War was in its second year.  The Liberty Bell was making its way home to Philadelphia via railways, after its much heralded display at the San Francisco World's Fair. 

It would be the last time the bell would be visible anywhere but its permanent home.

Brookhaven was one of the scheduled stops, and the town leaders saw an opportunity to combine patriotism with good old-fashioned marketing.  Where a Masonry welcome sign once stood, an iron and electric light sign bearing the slogan, "Brookhaven A Home Seekers Paradise" was erected over Cherokee Street, facing the ICRR tracks.

The train carrying the bell was scheduled to arrive at 6:25 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19, 1915.  As with all towns on the scheduled 10-minute stops, there was great enthusiasm on the part of the locals.

That the train was due after nightfall did not dampen the excitement for this "opportunity of a lifetime."  The town promised to provide extra lighting so that the Liberty Bell would be "brilliantly illuminated." 

School children in particular were involved, with patriotic programs at 3:30 p.m. at the High School.  At 6 p.m., the high school and Whitworth College students were to gather at City Hall and then march one block to Union Station to await the arrival of the train. 

A program at the Cherokee Street crossing "beginning promptly at 6:10 p.m." included the reading of the Prize-Winning compositions, a rendition of the song "America," and a solo of "The Flag" by Mrs. R. B. Willoughby.

Next came College Yells; the illumination of the sign and Brookhaven's slogan; a salute of Bells; salute of company H, 3rd Regiment of the Mississippi National Guard; and finally, a rendition of "Dixie." 

Based on what I've read, I think it's safe to say that the illumination of this electric sign was nothing short of stupefying.  (Note: electric lights were NOT a novelty -- the town established telephone service in 1894 and the first electric light and water plant in 1898.) 

According to Lincoln County, Mississippi, A Pictorial History, by Durr Walker:

"As the first sound of the train's steam whistle cut through the noise of the crowd, the lights came on." 

All sound stopped.  "It was if the people were awe-stricken."

Just how many people were on hand to witness this historical moment is unclear.  Also unclear is when exactly the train carrying the bell arrived. I am told that long-time town historian Matthews Ard stated in one account that the train was hopelessly late and that it did not arrive in Brookhaven until after midnight. 

Regardless, the iconic sign welcomed every ICRR train for the next 28 years.  Born in a patriotic vein, it met its demise in a similar act of patriotism: it was dismantled during World War II and the iron donated for the war effort.  

The sign, however, lived on in nostalgia.  Post-War II, parents and grandparents often told Baby Boomers about the amazing electric sign that spanned Cherokee Street from the Storm Building to the Brookhaven Bank.

 In November of 1996, the town erected a duplicate sign in the same location. Today, it is perhaps one of the most photographed structures in downtown proper.

~

Bottom photos are from the Daily Leader Bicentennial edition (1976) from the Mary Becker Hatcher archives, courtesy of Bettie Hatcher Cox; scanned by Deenie Tallant

Post Script: A special thank you to Marti Parker for going to the library for me and finding the micro film accounts of the preparations in the Lincoln County Times, consolidation of the Brookhaven News and the Brookhaven Progress,  Nov. 16, 1915, No. 51.

For those of you curious as to the makeup of the Reception Committee, here is a list of names: Aldermen E.M. Bee, L.H. Baggett, F.H. Moodie, E. McCormick, S. Abrams; Mayor Charles Heuck.  On behalf of the Board of Trade were Messrs. C.S. Butterfield, J.W. McGrath, W.H. Seavey, W.D. Davis, H.C. Greenwood and C.B. Perkins. 

Play Ball!

Boy's Baseball Team, Undated, from the John Holly Williams Collection

Here is the caption verbatim from the library's files: 

"Kees Mother Team. Identified as: left to right - front: unknown, Jerry Case, unknown, Wade Thornhill, unknown, Julian Cameron, unknown, unknown. Back: Dicky Morgan, unknown, Coach, Jimmy Foster, Warren Estes, Sherman Swalm, Coach, unknown, unknown, ? Feduccia. (Brookhaven)

"On back of picture: 'Witbeck Photo Service, Portrait & Commercial Photography, Phones 739 - 1195 W, Brookhaven, Mississippi'" (C.W. Witbeck operated his studio in Brookhaven between 1948 and 1955.)  

This photos was taken at the Little League Ball Park. Jerry Case recalls it being in 1954. 

To my earlier question, What's a Mother team? a friend on Facebook politely pointed out that that's a typo and should read Motors. Doh! 

Oaklawn ... The F. F. Becker Residence

From the Cooper Postcard Collection at MDAH

Earlier postings here featured turn-of-the-century black and white photographs of the F.F. Becker family. At least two of those photos was taken here, at the family home on West Chippewa Street. 

Many Brookhavenites -- myself included -- have only seen this magnificent home from the vantage point of  a car traveling on much lower street level.  While the home is not easily seen as one zooms by, a stately Live Oak tree, which frames the view of the home from the east, immediately grabs one's attention and, in the same blink, admiration.

This home, according to Bettie Hatcher Cox, the great granddaughter of F.F. Becker, was built by Major Reuben Webster Millsaps in the mid 1800s. (Click on embedded link for more information.)  Whether it was constructed before the Civil War broke out or erected after his return, is unclear.  Further research needed.

The Major went on to found Millsaps College in Jackson, MS.  Enter the Beckers, who came to Brookhaven from New Orleans.  They were involved in numerous successful businesses in town, including the Commercial Bank.

As their businesses flourished and their family grew, the Beckers acquired the spacious home in the 1890s.  According to Bettie, they were responsible for the current look, including the round tower and columns.  By 1910 or so, when hard economic times hit and there was a run on the bank, the family opted to sign over the home, but proudly paid 100 cents on the dollar, plus an additional 4 cents in interest.  

To learn more about this entrepreneurial family and the home itself, please see this link.  It includes a contemporary photograph of the mansion and the Live Oak that gave rise to its name.

Way Down Upon the Suwanee River ...

 Date unknown, photographer unknown. Photo from the Whitworth College collection at LLF Library.

A Whitworth College student, identified as Susanna Aymerich of Camaguery, Cuba, with her toes in water at Suwanee River, Florida.

I don't know -- I have been guilty before of connecting dots when there are no dots.  But I seem to think this lady looks a whole lot like the woman in the front row, left, in the picture posted earlier regarding the (Almost) Manless Dance at Whitworth in 1949.  

What do you think? 

Whitworth College (Almost) Manless Dance September 1949

I don't know what they were thinking, but the looks on their faces are priceless.

Both photographs are from the local library's digital Whitworth College archives. The first photo's description reads, "Eight women in formal dress; on back several names marked out, and '1949 manless dance, Whitworth College' in pencil." For the second photo, the description reads, "Three younger women in formal dress, slightly older couple, all at table with punch bowl; on back, 'Clearance (sic) Jenkins at Whitworth College dance, Sept. 1949, Brookhaven, Miss. Photo by Bobby Coke' in ink with 'Bobby Coke, 110 W. Cherokee Street, Brookhaven, Miss. Photo by Bobby Coke' in ink with 'Bobby Coke, 110 W. Cherokee St. Brookhaven, Miss. 39604' (sic) stamped on bottom; in pencil, 'manless dance, Whitworth College, Brookhaven, Ms.'"

Town Leaders, As Defined in 1903

From the 1976 Bicentennial Edition of the Daily Leader, from the Mary Becker Hatcher archives.  Supplied by Bettie Hatcher Cox and scanned in by Deenie Tallant.

From The Leader, February 19, 1903.  Noticeably absent from these photos of "past and present" leaders of Brookhaven is Milton J .  Whitworth, founder of Whitworth College. Also, former Mayor Lewinthal has been credited with building the first public school on the site where the present elementary school stands. 

Perplexing: was it an oversight or deliberate?  Does anyone have any idea why these two men might have been omitted from this list? (Besides the obvious, "There was no more room on the page.") 

McGraths and Beckers?

Both photos are from the John Holly Williams Collection at LLF

The library has this as an "unidentified family group." At first I suspected it was of the Moretons, but on closer look, I think I see John McGrath in profile and perhaps a Becker or two.

See the woman and child are standing in the second row, far right, in the above photograph -- could they be the same folks as in this second picture?

I think I am going to need Bettie Hatcher Cox's help with this one. 

And help she did:  Here is Bettie's comment below, for those of you who cannot read the comments:
O my......I thought this photo might pop up one day. The info I have on this is from a statement made by Thomas S.J. McGrath in 1947. He had copies made of the photo and provided identification though it is hard to always determine who is "seen" as being on certain "rows." Ellen Flood McGrath and her husband, John , are seated in the chairs (which my sister, Laurie, and I have!) Their eight children and families are around them. The place is the porch of their home on Cherokee St. just south of "Teen Tavern." The year is 1900 or 1901 and the time is after second Mass one summer Sunday. Photographer is said to be named Fosby. My grandfather, Ferdinand V. Becker, is top left in the middle of window. He would have been 19 or 20. His father, F.F. Becker is just below him to the right holding child #11, Jasper/Jappie Becker. I am trying to determine if his mother, Mary McGrath Becker is correctly identified. This photo was replicated during a McGrath reunion in the early 1950's. Sister Laurie potrayed one of the blonde girls in the front center. The woman in the couple photo does look like the woman in upper right of group photo...will study the men with moustaches and the family tree! Thanks.

UPDATE: Re the couple with child photo:  After reading Bettie's comments below, the more I looked, and the more I compared the man's facial features with that of known photos of Dr. John Harvey Johnson, I no longer believe that it is this couple in the large family picture. Although, I will stubbornly insist that the woman certainly does look like the woman I initially latched onto as resembling a woman Bettie identified as Katie McGrath Johnson. 

According to Bettie, Katie McGrath Johnson and Dr. J.H. Johnson were the paternal grandparents of Phyllis Johnson Spearman, who grew up to be a respected educator and high school Spanish teacher extraordinaire.

The Grand Lodge Welcomes YOU

Photo Courtesy of Terry Pappas 

This 1906 photo of Cherokee Street looking west from the railroad tracks shows a greeting sign of a different kind where the Homeseekers' Paradise structure now stands.

The placard on the left appears to read: Erected by the Citizen of Brookhaven (?Complimentary to?) the Grand Lodge.  The right hand placard is a bit more difficult to make out.  The top lines read: McCormick and Thompson Contractors.  Underneath are last names and initials that are hard to discern. I think I see the name Perkins, but I could be mistaken.  

For those who may not be familiar with the symbols on the upper portion of the sign -- to the left is the Freemasonry compass and square; in the middle is the Shriners' symbol composed of a scimitar, crescent and five-pointed star,  and to the far right is the cross and crown of Knights Templar.

Note the Storm and Sons on the building to the left, which was designed by Capt. A.E. Moreton and built by contractors Moreton and Swan in 1867.  The A.C. Seavey & Sons building was later home to the old Woolworth's five and dime.  Further down the block on the left side is the old three-story Masonic Hall, also designed by A.E. Moreton.

On the right side is the Bank of Brookhaven (est. Dec. 21, 1900) building. Today there stands a mid-1970s orange brick box that is Trustmark National Bank.  Next to it is the Brady Building (pronounced Braddy), which many of us knew as Mr. John Williams' Art Studio.

It is worth noting that Capt. Moreton, an architect who hailed from Baltimore, was "very active in Masonic circles," according to Moreton's descendant, Mr. William F. Crawford, in an interview on file at the local library.

"When he left to go to war in 1861, he joined the Masonic Lodge by special dispensation on the eve of his enlistment in the army.  At the time of his death, he was the oldest active Mason in the State of Mississippi in point of membership.  He occupied at various times various chairs in the lodge and was a member of higher Masonic bodies like the Shrine and the Knights Templar.

"In his 90th year he was presented with the Past Master's Jewel, suitably commemorating his 64th year as a member of the order.  At that time, it was a record.  He was also a member of the Methodist Church and was a trustee of the local church for many years."

More about Capt. Moreton, who left an indelible mark on the town and the region, in a subsequent post.

This masonry sign was replaced by the iron and electric lights of the Homeseekers' Paradise sign in 1915.  That greeting was erected to salute the Liberty Bell as it made its way from the San Francisco World's Fair back home to Philadelphia via the railroad.

(A special thank you to Terry Pappas for granting permission to use this photo, and additional thanks go to Marti Parker for acting as liaison.)

Office Appliance Company -- Crew and Cars --UPDATED

From the John Holly Williams Collection at the LLF Library.  Notice Mr. Williams' shadow on the street.

The date is suspected to be the late 1940s.  The location is unclear.  The shadow would indicate either an eastern OR a western exposure of the store front.
I will say this -- the dapper man in the suit and cocked fedora looks a lot like Barney Gregg to me.  Mr. Gregg and his bride Neline ran Gregg Office Machine and Supply Co. at 103 S. Jackson Street, for many, many years.

BUT, I have to admit that I have been guilty of seeing familiar faces when there are none before.

Another clue: Notice, also, the sign over the awning on the right that says Bake... Hmmm. Would this be Janie's before it was Janies?

Comments/corrections/speculation welcome!

UPDATE: That IS Mr. Barney Gregg in the stylish suit and hat.  According to his daughter Marsha Gregg Pitman, "This is my father standing in front of W.T. May's store.  He worked for Mr. May when he and my mother moved to Brookhaven.  If memory serves me correctly, Mr. May's store was across the railroad tracks in the block next to the State Bank building, but I may be wrong." 

Additional UPDATE: The man in the suit and kerchief in his breast pocket is W. T. May.  The woman to the right of Barney Gregg (in the suit and hat) is Helen Knox. The man next to last on the far right is Smylie Smith, who went to work for Mr. and Mrs. Gregg at their office appliance store after Mr. May moved his store to Jackson. 

Photo Courtesy of Marsha Gregg Pittman

From this vantage point, this latest photo, kindly supplied by Marsha Gregg Pittman, makes me believe that this business was located in part of McGrath's building, to the south.  Please note the distinctive second floor circle head windows of the adjacent building, just to the right of the awning/sign.  

Marsha was been able to pick out some signage in this photo.  (I must say, her eyesight is much better than mine!)  She sees Thompson's Bakery and Redd & Smith Food Mart (Millard Smith, perhaps?) Further to the right is the Brookhaven Feed Store with the unmistakable Full-o-Pep trademark paint job. She also points out Cotton's dentist office between the Office Appliance Company and Thompson's Bakery. 

If you care to take a quick drive on Google Street View, (traveling south on South Railroad Avenue) these old store fronts line up beautifully!

Thank you, Marsha! 

Another One Bites the Dust

From 1976 Bicentennial Edition of the Daily Leader, from the archive of Mary Becker Hatcher via Bettie Hatcher Cox;  scanned by Deenie Tallant

Construction of the Telephone Company headquarters, circa 1959.  Don Jackson photo via LLF Library.

If you look closely at the Entrican Motors posting from two days ago, the first photo shows, on the far right, a glimpse of a front porch of a two-story home with a metal outdoor chair is visible.  That, I do believe, was a snippet of the above home before it was sold to what was then a Baby Bell and torn down.  

777 Service Station and Much, Much MORE ...

Notice all the cross hatching of the skies with electrical lines in this photo.

Note Dino the Sinclair dinosaur sign. The slogans were "Drive with care and buy Sinclair," and "Sinclair ... we're about as American as it gets."

All photos from John Holly Williams collection.  The top photo was taken in post-war 1940s, based on the car models.

Using the same rule of thumb, the bottom two were taken in the 1950s.

Notice that a metal awning business  and Brookhaven Glass replaced the Brookhaven Motor Sales.

I included this last photo, which many of my Facebook friends have already seen, because if you look closely, the building to the left is the same building as above.  The awning is missing, but I am not sure which photo is the newest.  

More interesting, if you look to the far right of this photo, you can get a glimpse of Nation's Motor Court and, everyone's favorite, the Purity Ice Cream Parlor.  Also of note, is the grass median in the middle of Monticello, which is long gone.  (Look right behind the Cadillac for a glimpse.)

To enlarge the photo, hold down the cntl and the + key.  Mac users: use the command key and the + key.  To return the screen view to the original size, use the contl or command key and the - key. 

And yes, for those of you who have NOT seen this particular photo, that IS Lois Dalton in the dark outfit and sunglasses at the front of the Horsemen of Brookhaven parade line.

Today, at the northeast corner of Monticello and N. Railroad, I do believe is a Trustmark branch bank.  The structures to the east, at as best I can tell from Google Maps, have been razed.  If I am mistaken about that, can someone please leave a comment here or on my Facebook page.

Entrican Motors and Gas, Oil and Tires

From the John Holly Williams Collection

The above photos -- dated 1/21/1954 -- are in a collection marked Entrican Motors.  The library staffer seemed to be questioning the inclusion of the service station photo with the Entrican Motors shots.  After this was posted, relatives of the late Louie Entrican report that the service station was indeed part of his automobile dealership.

This photo was taken by Mr. Williams in 1948.

The Entrican Motors building, at E. Monticello and N. First Street, is now home to an insurance agency and a hair salon, among other businesess.  Directly across the street, is Foster's Chevron service station and food mart where the above old Standard Oil service station once stood.

 

A Ton or Two of Bricks

Brookhaven Pressed Brick brick yard on old Highway 51, no date, by John Holly Williams

Tracks in a Brookhaven brick kiln, date and photographer unknown.  

Ridin' on the City of New Orleans to Meet the BEATLES!

It was an opportunity of a young lifetime.

Forty-eight years ago today, Sept. 16, 1964, four of us pre-teen girls from Brookhaven climbed aboard this City of New Orleans train (or one just like it) and rumbled our way down to the Big Easy, to see the Beatles at City Park Stadium.

We had tickets on the 50-yard line, down by the railing.  How we got them?  Leta Batson, on hearing the announcement the Beatles were coming, and, after conferring with friends and getting permission from parents, called WNOE, the radio station responsible for bringing the Beatles to the area.

Per plan, Leta procured five $5 tickets -- one each for Stacy Godbold, Janet Pigford, me, herself, AND her white-haired paternal grandmother, Aline Batson. (The NOLA ticket prices, by the way, were lower than other venues the Beatles played during their 1964 tour.)

The four of us were 11 years old -- all going on 16.

The show was on a Wednesday night.  Stacy and Leta were Junior High cheerleaders, and they were warned by our principal if they cut school mid-week, they would not be allowed to cheer at Friday night's game.  Not cheering at a football game? That was a Big Deal in the Football-Loving South.

They weighed the consequences and replied, "We are going to New Orleans to see the Beatles."

And so, our odyssey began.  Our parents put us on the southbound train at Brookhaven.  We were unsupervised by anyone or anything other than stern admonitions to behave ourselves and act like ladies or good Girl Scouts, whichever came first.

We were met at the southern-most terminus by Leta's grandmother, who lived in the French Quarter at the time. (The sainted woman deserved a medal for doing what she did for us, and I regret to this day not thanking her properly for putting up with our mania.)

We piled into her car and got to the stadium and soon realized the opening acts had been advised to "stretch it." The Fab Four had been delayed in arrival, and the squealing and impatience had risen to a proverbial fevered pitch by the time they finally rolled in, in a stretch limo.

Once the first chord was struck, we really didn't hear much, the screaming, shrieking and crying was so loud, it was difficult to catch anything our idols were saying or singing.

It really didn't matter.  It was all about the happening.

At the height of the show, I think it was Janet, who was a touch older and a size or two larger than the rest of us, wanted to vault the railing and dash onto the field, but Allie, bless her heart, kept a firm hand on whatever clothing she needed to grasp onto to keep Janet in her seat.

At the show's close, I can remember seeing the limo slowly edging out of the stadium with delirious and frenzied girls surrounding and climbing onto the car.  I can still see Paul looking out and smiling and waving at the scene.  That alone was worth the price of admission.

After the concert, we returned to Allie's house and spent the rest of the night talking in the dim light of her living room and calling the hotel where we thought the Beatles were staying.  We had some crazy idea that if the switchboard answered and we asked for John, Paul, George or Ringo, that they would somehow put us straight through.

The phone rang and rang and rang and rang and rang, until finally a sleepy-headed clerk answered and advised us in polite Southern tones that the Beatles were not there.

The following day, Dr. Batson drove his Buick down to New Orleans to pick us up and deliver us back home.  We were exhausted from a night of not sleeping, but we surely did not allow that to put a damper our enthusiasm.

It was a heady experience that, I imagine when my life finally flashes before mine eyes, will be chief among the scenes.

In researching this story, I found this link from NOLA.com, replete with photos of teen girls who actually wore their hair in curlers to "Meet the Beatles" on their arrival.  My word.  What WERE they thinkin'?

For further reading, including how Frogman Henry came to be a headliner opening act, please see this link.  For anyone interested in the "inside Beatles story," this is a story well worth taking the time to read.

Hold Your Calls Folks, We Have a Winner!

Believed to be Guy Harris.  Photo taken at a local radio station on April 5, 1951 by John Holly Williams.

Let It SNOW!!

It's 1948 in Downtown Brookhaven and it's snowing, a rare sight and a rare treat in the tropical South. Unidentified young ladies at Cherokee and Whitworth -- State Bank and McGrath's in the background

Taken from what most of us would know as East's Pharmacy location, looking toward the Inez Hotel.  Note the bike's kickstand and basket in the front.  I suspect they belong to the old Jitney Jungle, which today is a Billard's parlor. 

Unidentified woman and man, standing in front of Art Studio on Cherokee Street,

with Gulley's Men's Store and Staffler's Jeweler's  in the background.

Still snowing ... Two women, identities unknown, standing in front of Art Studio, with Staffler's Jewelers and

Gulley's Men's Store in the background.

Snowball fight anyone?  One guy looks like he's about to get smashed in the face!

Cherokee at Whitworth, looking south, cars parallel to the railroad tracks.  Note the sign "Buddy's" on the overhang of the area most of us knew as Hodge's Men's Shop.  

Unidentified woman, standing in front of Art Studio on Cherokee, with the Storm Building in the background.  

Note the Snack Bar sign over her right shoulder.

Note the McGrath building in the far left background.

The photographer himself, John Holly Williams,  presumably heading in to work at Art Studio on a rare snowy day in the Piney Woods.  The presumption is one of his employees took this shot and the rest were taken by JHW.  All photos from the Lincoln, Lawrence, Franklin Library.

1951 ... Cherokee Street, Day After the Masonic Temple Fire

From the C.W. Witbeck Collection, MDAH Archives 

I confused some folks with these shots.  The fire happened on the other side of the street, down the block, across from the Post Office.  I posted these photos as a kind of snapshot of the businesses that were occupying certain buildings at the time.

In time, I hope to post a "photo essay" of the Masonic fire as it happened.  Stay tuned.

Before Kindles and Nooks ...

From the MDAH online archives, C.W. Witbeck Collection.  Date: January 12, 1952.

1958 Kids with At-ti-Tude!

The date of this photo is 8/1/1958.  Caption is Copy for Mrs. F. M. Brian, from the John Holly Williams Collection at the LLF Library.

If you look closely at this photo, you will notice the children are making funny faces, striking any number of poses, and/or offering up all kinds of hand gestures! Unfortunately, the picture is not in sharp focus and suffers from the hot sunlight of a Mississippi August, making it difficult to recognize faces.

To get a closer look, use Ctrl or Cmd and the Plus Key on your keyboard to enlarge the photo.

The young lady on the first row, on the far right, looks very familiar, and if it is who I think it is, I've reconnected with her on Facebook, and I'm so hoping she will see this and post a comment.

My overall impression? I am thinking this is a Sunday School Class of the old First Presbyterian Church or, perhaps a kindergarten class.  What is throwing me is the building column in the background.  I am not placing it, at all.

Please leave a comment here or on my FB as to the name of anyone you may recognize.

UPDATE:  Not many people recognize any of the kids in the photo.  One lady agrees that the little girl on the far right on the front row has a striking resemblance to herself at that age, but she reports that no one else looks familiar. Oh well, it's still a cute photo!

NGI -- We Need NGI

All photos from the Lincoln, Lawrence, Franklin Library Archives

The top photo is of Mr. and Mrs. Milton J. Whitworth; Milton J. being the founder of Whitworth College for women in downtown Brookhaven.

The second photo, also on file at the local library, is of an unidentified couple and their son.  To my eye, they look like they could be the Whitworths at a younger time in their lives. 

The bottom photo is found among the college archives, but the woman is unidentified.  I see a resemblance to Mrs. Whitworth, especially about the eyes.

Of course, I could be wrong about these two pictures -- it wouldn't be the first time. I would be curious to hear others' take on what I have presented here.  Am I on to something, or am I getting a little crazy with myself?

There are folks who read this blog who are much better at facial recognition than I am.  I welcome comments, opinions, either here or on my Facebook page.