Moran Place

I will no longer be posting Moran ephemera on the Victorian Hoarders page.  To view future Victorian Hoarder goodies we invite you to visit us at Moran Place.

Bransford Lumber Co, Union City TN ca 1900

Compliments of Bransford Lumber Co.
Union City, Tenn.
Tel. 285

I found this piece of advertising ephemera among the MORAN paperwork.  It's an old advertising fob, circa 1900, with a pretty woman wearing a saucy hat for the Bransford Lumber Co. in Union City Tennessee.  I can't tell you much about the Bransford Lumber Co. but I did find a couple of  articles that I've included here in regards to John BRANSFORD and William Albert DODDS:

The Paducah Evening Sun 

Monday, February 22, 1909

AT MEMPHIS

Western Kentucky and Tennessee lumber Dealers Will Meet.

E.A. Enochs, of Jackson and C.H. Sherrill of Paducah, Elected President and Vice President.

At the conclusion of the convention of the Western Kentucky and Tennessee Retail Lumber Dealers' association Saturday evening Memphis was chosen as the place for the 1910 convention and following officers were elected:  President, E.A. Enochs, of Jackson Tenn; vice-president, C.H. Sherrill, of Paducah; secretary and treasurer, John Bransford, of Union City, Tenn.

It's possible that the Bransford Lumber Co. was founded by Benjamin H. BRANSFORD.  Benjamin BRANSFORD was born in Smith County Tennessee April 14, 1840.  His family moved to Obion County in  1844 when he was but 4 years old.  He was part of the Beck, Bransford & Ekdahl furniture and lumber company. During the Civil War he joined the First Mississippi Cavalry in 1861 and was also a special scout for General Nathan Bedford FORREST.  After the war he began a manufacturing company which burned in 1886 and was rebuilt.  One of his sons was named John, perhaps it is the very same John Bransford that is mentioned in the Hickman Courier Journal mentioned above.  For more information you can read the complete Goodspeed article here.

The Hickman Courier 

January 4 1912

BUYS ANOTHER YARD

 W.A. DODDS Now Owns Union City Lumber Yard.

W.A. Dodds closed the deal yesterday for the purchase of the business of the Bransford Lumber Co. at Union City, including their stock of lumber, buildings and grounds.  This is said to be the leading lumber concern of the city in which it is located.  The deal involves upwards of $20,000.

Mr. Dodds will continue to look after his lumber interests in Hickman, and for the present John BRANSFORD, who has been connected with the Bransford Lumber Co., will look after the Union city yards for Mr. Dodds.  The home office of both yards, of course, will be Hickman.

I did locate W.A. Dodds, the man who purchased the Branford Lumber Co., in the 1920 Census.  William and his wife Fannie and two daughters Anita R. and Martha E were living on Alleghany Street in Hickman Kentucky.  He was 57 years old making him born about 1863 and his profession is lumber dealer.  According to Kentucky Death Records William Albert Dodds died in 1928 in Hickman Kentucky.  His parents were J.H. Dodds and Martha Freeman.

Sibley's, The Store of the Century

Sibley's was a New York department store chain based in Rochester but with other locations exclusively in the state of New York.  The founders of the store were Rufus Sibley, Alexander Lindsay & John Curr.  These three had worked at Hogg, Brown and Taylor in Boston however like many people they wanted to go into business for themselves.  Thus the Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company was born in 1868.  Over the years Sibley's was acquired by other company's until 2006 when it was absorbed into the collective that is known as Macy's.

Louise Moran, who was from Dresden, TN, had moved to Rochester in the 1950's to attend Nursing school.  She liked New York so much she married a doctor and has been living in the area ever since.  It's fairly certain we can credit her with making the purchase from Sibley's that led to this particular box being hoarded at the family home in Tennessee.  :)

Here is a closeup of the Sibley Logo:

1868 - Sibley's - 1968
Upstate New York's Store of the Century

1950 Vintage Monkey Wine Bottle - Germany

This interesting wine bottle is another example of the unique things that the Moran family held onto over the years.  The label reads "1950 Affentaler Spatburgunder BeerWein Baden."  Other than that I can't tell you a thing about the bottle except it's been in the possession of the Moran family since it was purchased back in the 1950's.

The color of the bottle is a beautiful emerald green and is in perfect condition.

Tintype, Group of Six Women

Unknown Women
Original Scan

Unknown Women
Enhanced with Paint.net

Tintype found at the Moran Family Home.  No case, women unknown.

Miss Frances Bruce Taylor to Wed Naval Officer

This clipping was found among the papers of James Henderson Moran IV.  He attended the Naval Academy at Annapolis and had relatives in Carroll County Tennessee as well as friends.  It's hard to know where George Fonville Freeman fits in, friend or relative, but regardless of the relationship James Moran felt it important enough to keep the wedding announcement.  However, after doing some research it is quite possible that this wedding never took place, even the announcement indicates the wedding date will be announced later.  What I have found is that George Fonville Freeman was born either in 1908 (according to the History of Carroll County) or Nov. 25 1910 (according to the North Carolina Death Certificate) in Carroll County Tennessee.  According to the History of Carroll County he married Marilyn Plummer in Dallas Texas and that they had one son named John Freeman.  George's parents were Eugene Freeman and Nona Barksdale.  He died in Mecklenburg, North Carolina April 18, 1972.               "MISS FRANCES BRUCE TAYLOR Announcement has been made of the engagement of Miss Frances Bruce Taylor of San Francisco to Ensign George Fonville Freeman of Huntingdon, Tenn.  The marriage date will be announced later.  The bride-to-be is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. Taylor of San Francisco.  The bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Freeman of Huntingdon and brother of James Freeman of Nashville.  Mr Freeman was a student at Vanderbilt University for two years and a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.  He was a member of the graduating class of 1931 of the Naval Academy at Annapolis, business manager of the Log and an honor man of the class.  He is at present Ensign on board the United States Steamer Arkansas.

Seeing St. Louis, Turn of the Century

Souvenir ticket from a trip to Saint Louis found among the Moran personal possessions.