Coot Buckels Celebrates His Birthday

From the John Holly Williams Collection -- LLF Library

"Blowing Out the Candles, Undated. Coot Buckels leans over to blow out the candles. A young boy and girl stand on each side." -- Library caption.

This is another one of those fun photos from the library collection about which I wish knew more.  First, there's the man's name -- Coot Buckels brings to mind a sidekick to a 1950s cowboy movie star.  Even the cake draws the imagination further in that direction with the likeness of a horse.

While it's hard to make out, my best guess is the candles signify his 90th birthday, given his cane and the concern that the woman seems to have in steadying his balance over the cake. If my guess is correct, then this photo is likely from the fall of 1973.  

A quick Google search of his nickname revealed a genealogy site that shows his given name to be Charles Houston Buckels, born on Halloween 1883. He married Catherine Luvenia (Katie) Calcote. 

If the information on the web is accurate, they had at least two daughters, Ethel Buckels Lee, 1903-1979, and Vincie Viola Buckels Norton, who was born Feb. 28, 1907, in Franklin County and died October 4, 1993, in Brookhaven.  

A search of FindaGrave reveals that after this photo was taken, Coot lived another 10 years, dying just shy of his 101st birthday on Aug. 7, 1984.   

I would love to know more about this man with the memorable name.  As always, if anyone out there can tell us more, please pipe up here or on my Facebook page.

The L.O. Crosby Family and Their Legacy ...

 "L. O. Crosby and wife and Brother & wife. The group sit on a couch in front of a lace curtained window." -- Library caption. 

The date is most likely from the 1930s, possibly 1940s, although the date range is far greater in the 
Lincoln, Lawrence, Franklin Library records regarding this John Holly Williams photo.

-----

Today's presentation is a tie-in to yesterday's posting of Cody Batch-who?   

The L.O. Crosby family was the second lumber mill family to occupy the erstwhile Batchelder mansion overlooking the Illinois Central Railroad tracks in the northern part of town. (Please see yesterday's post for a picture postcard of that once magnificent home.)

It is not clear if this picture was made inside the Batchelder home or elsewhere.  Wherever the photo was taken, I find the walls quite interesting.  At first I thought they might be sitting on a porch, but the curtains and the pictures on the wall quickly knocked down that theory.

As far as Brookhaven native Lucius Olen (L.O.) Crosby (Feb. 22, 1869 -- Nov. 24, 1948), it is not clear from the caption whether he is on the left or the right, although I suspect that he is on the left.  

This link gives more information about the man and his role in the lumber business with Miles Goodyear and Lamont Rowlands.  Interestingly, the company was on the verge of liquidation but was saved by the outbreak of World War II.  It diversified its offerings and changed its name to Crosby Forest Products Company in 1950.

Further Googling and the story just kept on getting even more interesting:  

An arboretum in Picayune, MS, was built by the family and named in honor of L.O. Crosby Jr. (1907-1978).  Please see this link for more information on that jewel, the narrative of which also drops the name of Frank Lloyd Wright.   

To see photographs of the arboretum, please click on this link, and to read more about how the arboretum came to be, please see this link.

This link provides details of the son who grew up to be a nature lover and philanthropist.  He served as mayor of Picayune, and a hospital was named after him.  

My favorite of all the links I have bombarded you with is this last one, featuring a narrative and a photograph of a rare Shay locomotive purchased by L.O. Jr. and donated to the city of Picayune. If you had to click on only one link provided herein, this would be the one I would recommend, just because I love old trains.

As always, if anyone has other information on these folks or the Batchelder home that they lived in, please leave a comment here or on my Facebook page.

UPDATE:  This photo was taken in February 1948 in a home in Norfield, where a 50th wedding anniversary was being celebrated, according to a friend on Facebook. She identified the people, L-R, as L.O., Margaret, Mary and N.L. Crosby.  Just nine months later, L.O. would pass away.  

Cody Batch-Who?

From the John Holly Williams Collection

"This man is wearing a white shirt with the top button open. His hair is slicked back. His name may be Cody Batchelus. The last few letters of the last name are questionable. No date is noted." -- Library caption.

Hmmm, there was a prominent lumber family in town -- by the name Batchelder, alternately spelled Bachelder.  I have to wonder if the handwriting on this photo's envelope might have missed the mark, and that Cody might have been a member of that family.  

The Batchelders lived in a magnificent old mansion built roughly 100 years ago during the height of the lumber boom, but, sadly, it was among those many large luxury homes lost to bulldozers in their later years. 

The second occupants of the home were the L.O. Crosbys, yet another family associated with big lumber. 

(The above picture postcard was gleaned from the Cooper Postcard Collection at the MDAH site, with caption information based on Durr Walker's history book about Lincoln County.)  

I realize I may be committing yet another "stretch" of information/imagination by linking this man's last name with this home, SO ... if anyone recognizes this man and knows what his last name may have been, please leave a note here or on my Facebook page, and I will update and correct any mis-impressions as soon as information to the contrary is presented.  Of course, if he WAS related to the lumber family, I will post that information as well. 

Let the comments begin!

Trick Photography

Mrs. Louise Ruby and Baby

A young lady has her photo taken without her baby.   Her name is Louise Ruby ...  Jayess (MS) and she is wearing a plaid suit with a white sweater under the jacket. 
----
The baby is sitting alone. -- Library captions, consolidated.
------

As I mentioned in yesterday's post,  John Holly Williams' children's studio portraits can be captivating.  I have noticed that  with very youngest children, the background is often black, whereas most of his other studio work features a pale, unadorned backdrop such as the one of the mother, Louise Ruby, in the photograph to the left.

Just why this difference was a lingering question in the back of my mind.

The aha moment came today when I noticed the slivers of black under the infant Ruby's sweater in the second photograph.  A closer look and the shadow revealed the outline of the mother's left hand under the baby's arm.

Evidently, Mr. Williams employed an old photographer's trick that dates back to Victorian times -- mothers would stand behind dark drapes and hold a wobbly, fidgety infant steady while the photographer worked to capture the perfect picture.  

My guess is Mr. Williams had his touch-up artist work the photo to remove all lingering evidence of a shrouded mother in the background.  

As always, if anyone knows more about Mrs. Louise Ruby and/or the name of her baby, please leave a note here or on my Facebook page.

Say Cheese, Boys and Girls!

Mother and daughter photos taken separately. Name of mother Mrs Bertha Bethea. Little girl has dotted swiss dress and her hair is plaited on top with a ribbon. -- Library caption.

Single pose of little boy. Son of J L Calcote. Mother and father's picture taken separately. Little girl's photo also taken separately. No date. -- Library caption.

Single pose of little girl. Daughter of J L Calcote. Mother and father's picture taken separately. Little boy's photo also taken separately. No date. -- Library caption.

Three small children. The two oldest are together and the baby is by herself. Mother is Luberta Brown. No date. -- Library caption.

I have been nosing around the Library's Flickr feed almost daily for about a year now, and certain photographs stand out in my mind, especially those of children who were brought to John Holly Williams' studio by their parents and made to sit in front of the camera without Momma or Daddy at their sides.

Some of them look bewildered or afraid, some, confident and happy, and still others have that "Can we go home now?" look.  Today's offering is of four of those pictures that I stop on every time I pass them in the feed.

I marvel at these kids and wonder what came of their lives and where they are now.  Though we don't have first names, their surnames are in the accompanying captions.

Comments welcome here or on my Facebook page.

Water Carnival -- 1948

Photos by John Holly Williams -- LLF Library

I like these photos as much for the glimpses of the old city pool as the bathing beauties and their swimsuits, shoes and hairstyles from July 1948.  This series of photos is not the best work I have seen by Mr. Williams.  There are exposure, framing and what appears to be dark room issues, and even a few shots in which the top of the little girl's head is cut off.  I suspect he forgot his step ladder that day, or perhaps he was simply distracted by all the pretty girls. He wasn't the only one -- note the young man sneaking a peek in the first photograph.  

There are no names accompanying these photos, so if anyone out there recognizes any of these three lasses, please leave a comment here or on my Facebook page.

UPDATE: From a Facebook Friend: For the record, the Lions Club Beauty Pageant is still going strong and well attended in Brookhaven.  When the City Pool was removed, the name was changed to the Beauty Pageant and it was moved to the BHS Auditorium.  Now they hold it every year, about a week or two before school starts, at the Lincoln County Civic Center.  There are grandmothers who were in it in their day and their granddaughters enter now.  Still a big deal for residents of the county.

My reply: There's just something about a night canopy over a shimmering aqua pool, lights dancing underwater, the smell of chlorine, the summer air, a small orchestra playing live tunes, and the sound of high heels clicking on the concrete and plywood runways.

Double Take

From John Holly Williams Collection -- LLF Library

No date is noted.  Several photographs of these ladies show up on the LLF Flickr feed, both individually and together. I am still having trouble telling which one is which.  Their names are not certain, but based on the sketchy clues on the various photos of these ladies, they are most likely Gladys and Winnie Britt, but which one is which is anyone's guess.

UPDATE: Based on the jewelry, it appears that Gladys is the one on the right, Winnie on the left.