Tag: Busbey

Busbey, Deal, Owen, Chadock, McCabe, Wolfe???

A cousin in Shreveport just sent me some unidentified photos that his mother had saved. While I am sending these around to other relatives seeking info, I thought I would post them here on the  chance someone recognizes any of them.

The cousin’s mother Edwina (Butler) Owen was the only daughter of Effie (Busbey) Butler, the sister of my grandmother Julia (Busbey) Chadock. Their parents were Thomas Jefferson Busbey and Virginia Deal, and there were seven other siblings! I am guessing that the photos are of people in that extended family.

Obviously a chart is in order to see the possible surnames –

    • Thomas Jefferson Busbey (1852-1925) m Virginia Deal (1859-1898)
      • Charles Busbey (1877-1889) never married
      • Jennie Vivian Busbey (1879-1919) m Clarence Wolfe
      • Annie Syble Busbey (1882-1946) m Joseph King McCabe
      • Mamie Deal Busbey (1884-1950) never married
      • Effie Busbey (1886-1976) m Edwin Butler
      • Carrie Louise Busbey (1889-1933) never married
      • Thomas Jefferson Busbey Jr (1891-1954)
      • Julia Evelyn Busbey (1894-1981) m 1) Carl Chadock, 2) Maurice Schoof
      • Arthur Bresnehan Busbey (1897-1971) m Mollie Sandefur

The first is of a young girl. If from this group, she would be a grandchild. Written on back of the picture in cursive in ink is the following:

1945         8 ½ yrs.        From Claire

I hope someone recognizes her.

She has a little bit of a devilish smile.

Might have been a handful as a child.

 

 

Next up is a handsome young man. No writing on the back of the photo.

Last are studio portraits of two women. The first taken at Dickeson Studio, Shreveport, Louisiana. I found Dickeson Studio in the 1922 Shreveport City Directory.

The second is from Evans Studio, Shreveport, Louisiana. I have not yet located Evans Studio.

Well, that’s it. Would love to hear if anyone has thoughts about these good looking people.

Good Hunting,

Gary Willis

It’s a Small World, Indeed

On February 6th, I sent a message to relatives on a text string where we share birthday and anniversary wishes. My text noted that 6 Feb 1887 was the birthdate of Maurice Francois Schoof, my mother’s step-father who we knew growing up as Papa. He was a noted photographer in Shreveport, Louisiana with a long standing exhibit of his work at the Caddo Parish Fairgrounds Museum. Louisiana State University – Shreveport has archived some of his work, available for viewing at the university’s library.[1] Some of his steady work was taking student pictures for annual yearbooks.

Kenneth Noble Ash, my sister Pat’s elder son, responded to the text. He informed us that some years ago during a business call to Homer High School in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, he ran across some of Papa Schoof ’s work. One hallway in the school displays photos of seniors graduated each year. Ken found the 1939 group and located the portrait of his grandmother Christelle Smith. “Schoof Photography” appeared in the bottom right hand corner of the picture! Christelle later married Ben Lewis Ash. Their son Ben Ellis Ash and my sister Pat (Carole Patricia Willis Ash) are Ken’s parents.

Upon returning to Shreveport, Ken called his other grandmother, Charlotte (Chadock) Willis, and asked if she knew anything about Papa taking student photos in Homer. “Of course,” she replied. “I was his assistant!” Ken was astounded. One grandmother and his (step) great grandfather took the senior portrait of his other grandmother! A small world.

This was all news to me. Mom (Charlotte) once told me that Papa hoped she would take over his photography business one day. She already helped develop and retouch portraits. However, I never knew she worked with him in anything other than a casual capacity. She was 16 or 17 at the time. Having skipped a grade, she had graduated high school so was available to work full time. For whatever reason, she did not pursue photography but went to business school and worked as an administrative assistant for a bank in Shreveport.

BUT WAIT, as they used to say in the Ginzu knives commercials. THERE IS MORE. Not only did one grandmother help photograph the other when they were teenagers, the two young women were unknowingly related by marriage!

Back in 1812 in Davidson County, Tennessee, Christelle Smith’s GGG Aunt Elizabeth McCasland married Charlotte Chadock’s GGG Uncle Jonas Shivers. Elizabeth was the sister of Christelle’s GG Grandfather John McCasland Jr., and Jonas was the brother of Charlotte’s GG Grandmother Lydia (Shivers) Cole.

Christelle’s and Charlotte’s children Ben Ash and Pat Willis were, therefore, already related by marriage before they wed in 1963. What a small world, indeed!

The following chart illustrates this surprising relationship:

 

[1] LSUS Collection 656 – Photographer Maurice Schoof ’s Negatives and Photographs