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Size | 117 items. |
Abstract | The marriage in June 1905 of African Americans Jessie Early and Thomas A. Wylie united the Early family of Peoria, Ill., and the Wylie family of Coulterville, Ill. The collection consists chiefly of family photographs taken in Illinois and Kentucky between 1893 and 1982, with most dating between 1900 and 1940. Early photographs document members of Jessie Early Wylie's family in Peoria, Ill., and the family of her husband, Thomas A. Wylie, of Coulterville, Ill. Thomas's sister, Mary Wylie Blakeley, is the most frequent subject. There are also many images of Jessie Early Wylie and Thomas A. Wylie's children, especially Minnie Wylie Graves. Other extended family represented include Payne and Reed cousins. Some photographs are formal portraits; others are casual snapshots. Notable images depict Everett Wylie in his World War II uniform; Mary Wylie Blakeley's restaurant in Paducah, Ky.; E. Payne Wylie, a Cherokee Indian who was Thomas A. Wylie's cousin; and Bernice Wylie as a bridesmaid in a 1933 wedding party. Also included are copies of newspaper obituaries, an 1890 prayer card, a photocopy of an 1896 marriage license, and a postcard from the Union Depot in Coulterville, Ill. |
Creator | Wylie (Family : Coulterville, Ill.) |
Curatorial Unit | Southern Historical Collection |
Language | English. |
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
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The marriage in June 1905 of Jessie Early and Thomas A. Wylie united the Early and Wylie families. Jessie Early was the daughter of Joshua Early (1857-1915) of Nashville, Tenn., and Mattie Washington Early (1864-1935) of Farmville, Va. Joshua and Mattie Early were married in 1880 in Springfield, Ill., and moved in 1884 to Peoria, Ill. They had four daughters: Minnie, Elizabeth, Pinkie, and Jessie. Pinkie Early married Arthur Stewart in 1900 and had two daughters: Verlie (b. 1902) and Thelma (b. 1904). She became seriously ill with strep throat and died in 1908.
Thomas Wylie (1855-1890) and Emmaline Reed of Coulterville, Ill., had three children who lived to adulthood: Mary, Millie, and Thomas A. Mary Wylie married William Blakeley and owned a restaurant in Paducah, Ky. The extended Wylie family included cousins Marvin and Herbert King; J. Finley Wilson; and Elizabeth Gillis, who lived to be 114 years old. It also included E. Payne Wylie, a Cherokee Indian who was Thomas A. Wylie's cousin.
Jessie Early Wylie (b. 1887) and Thomas A. Wylie (b. 1884) had several children of their own, including Minnie Wylie Graves (d. 1994), Bernice Wylie, Irma Wylie McGavock, Everett Wylie (1921-1944), and Albert Wylie. Everett Wylie served in World War II and was killed at Guadalcanal on 20 July 1944. Albert Wylie died of pneumonia and liver failure in 1930.
Biographical information was provided by Albert Wylie III.
Back to TopThe Wylie family papers consist chiefly of family photographs taken between 1893 and 1982, with most dating between 1900 and 1940. The majority depict the African American family in Illinois and Kentucky in the first half of the 20th century. Early photographs document members of Jessie Early Wylie's family in Peoria, Ill., and the family of her husband, Thomas A. Wylie, of Coulterville, Ill. Thomas's sister, Mary Wylie Blakeley (sometimes spelled Blakely; also identified as Mary Wylie Cannon Blakeley), is the most frequent subject. There are also many images of Jessie Early Wylie and Thomas A. Wylie's children, especially Minnie Wylie Graves. Other extended family represented include Payne and Reed cousins. Some photographs are formal portraits; others are casual snapshots.
Notable images depict Everett Wylie in his World War II uniform; Mary Wylie Blakeley's restaurant in Paducah, Ky.; E. Payne Wylie, a Cherokee Indian; and Bernice Wylie as a bridesmaid in a 1933 wedding party. Also included in the collection are copies of newspaper obituaries of Everett Wylie and Elizabeth Gillis, an 1890 prayer card for Alice Bell Wylie, a photocopy of the 1896 marriage license of Emmaline Wylie and Milton Beauford, and a postcard from the Union Depot in Coulterville, Ill.
Back to TopThe Wylie family papers consist chiefly of family photographs taken between 1893 and 1982, with most dating between 1900 and 1940. The majority depict the African American family in Illinois and Kentucky in the first half of the 20th century. Early photographs document members of Jessie Early Wylie's family in Peoria, Ill., and the family of her husband, Thomas A. Wylie, of Coulterville, Ill. Thomas's sister, Mary Wylie Blakeley, is the most frequent subject. There are also many images of Jessie Early Wylie and Thomas A. Wylie's children. Some photographs are formal portraits; others are casual snapshots.
Notable images depict Everett Wylie in his World War II uniform; Mary Wylie Blakeley's restaurant in Paducah, Ky.; and E. Payne Wylie, a Cherokee Indian. Also included in the collection are copies of newspaper obituaries of Everett Wylie and Elizabeth Gillis and an 1890 prayer card for Alice Bell Wylie.
The addition consists of more photographs of the Early and Wylie families, a photocopy of the 1896 marriage license of Emmaline Wylie and Milton Beauford, and a postcard from the Union Depot in Coulterville, Ill. Many of the photographs are of Mary Wylie Blakeley (sometimes spelled Blakely; also identified as Mary Wylie Cannon Blakeley), and of the children of Jessie Early and Thomas A. Wylie, especially Minnie Wylie Graves. Other extended family represented include Payne and Reed cousins. Some photographs are formal portraits; others are casual snapshots. Of note is a photograph of Bernice Wylie as a bridesmaid in a 1933 wedding party.
Items separated include image folders PF-5082/1-13.
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