Sepia Saturday: Suits and Lawsuits

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family history through old photographs.

This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt is a photo of two well-dressed young men. Several family photos passed down to me show that my great-grandparents and their sisters and brothers valued formal portraits. Oh, I understand why they wanted pictures of their children, but some groupings just seem odd.

For example, here is my grandfather Orvin Davis with his cousin Raymond Clift. Both had brothers and sisters, yet it’s just the two of them. Why were the others not included? I want to know.

Orvin standing

Orvin Davis and Raymond Clift

Here is another of my grandfather with someone whose identity is unknown. Judging by the fullness of his lips, this young man could be Raymond’s brother Leonard but he does not look enough like earlier photos of Leonard for me to say conclusively. Possibly it is a cousin from “the other side of the family,” who left few photos behind. Again I ask why THESE 2 sat for a portrait.

One duo that I find particularly interesting is my grandfather’s brother Millard Davis with the HUSBAND of their cousin Pearl Sullivan: Clyde Strole. If they were together in a candid photo, I would think nothing of it, but a FORMAL portrait begs the question “Why?” Apparently they were very good friends.

L to R: Clyde Strole and Millard Davis

For this blog, I realized I needed more information on Clyde beyond the birth-marriage-death dates, so I entered his name in the Search box at NewspaperArchive. I was shocked to read this:

 

from Harrisonburg Daily News Record 11 Jan 1933

Wow - here is a story I never heard! Could it be true? Or was he falsely accused?

There was no follow-up. Or at least I thought there was none. Surely the newspaper and readers wanted to know the outcome. After all, Clyde had married into a well-known, well-connected and much-loved family in Shenandoah.

I then tried searching just the word “assault” with the date range of January 1, 1933-February 28, 1933. I found an article. The quality is so poor that I can understand why the name was not recognizable in the Search.

from Harrisonburg Daily News Record 10 Feb 1933

PAGE JURY DEADLOCKED IN STROLE ASSAULT CASE

Luray, Feb 9 (AP) - After two hours’ deliberation the jury trying Clyde Strole, Norfolk and Western railroad conductor, on a charge of criminally assaulting a young Shenandoah girl, reported to the court it could not agree on a verdict.

     Strole based his defense on an alibi.

     The prosecution contended that the alleged crime was committed at the girl’s home near the Norfolk and Western yards.

     Although the evidence was given behind closed doors, the public was admitted for the argument. 

So there it is – a hung jury. I still do not know whether there was another trial that exonerated him or sent him to jail.

If you want to see more old photos, please visit the well-dressed bloggers at Sepia Saturday.

Wendy

© 2020, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved. 

James Franklin Jollett's Kids: Sallie Clift

As part of my “Genealogy Do-Over” efforts AND to force myself to get crackin’ on my James Franklin Jollett book, Jollett Reunion, I will be researching and writing brief biographies of James Franklin, his wives, and his children.

Sallie Jollett

In May 11, 1872, James Franklin and Lucy Ann Jollett welcomed their sixth child, another girl, and named her Sallie Catherine. She attended school near Swift Run and learned to read and write.

At age 19, she married George Thomas Clift of Page County and moved to Shenandoah where George worked for the Norfolk & Western Railroad. They started a family right away. Within two years, they were the perfect American family with a little boy and a little girl. In five years, though, their perfect life was no more. Their two precious children died due to injuries from a house fire. Little Vernon died just 2 weeks after his 5^th birthday, and Daisey followed a week later.

George and Sallie Clift
Vernon and Daisey
about 1894 or 1895

Although Sallie and George had 3 more children, their marriage was never the same. George’s work with the railroad required quite a bit of travel allowing him to explore a number of relationships with other women over a period of many years. In 1913, Sallie discovered love letters hidden in various places around their house and property.

There was no reason for Sallie to whimper and beg George to remain faithful. There was no reason to profess her love anymore. His treatment of her had become abusive over time, both verbally and physically. When Sallie found the letters, she also found some inner strength to take action.

Sallie tracked down the latest girlfriend and knocked on her door. Sallie demanded she hand over George’s love letters or she would tell the girl’s parents.

Over 35 letters and postcards were entered into evidence in the divorce case of Sallie C. Clift vs. George T. Clift. All Sallie wanted was sole custody of their three children and money to help take care of them. Although George tried to blame Sallie, claiming SHE was the abusive one, SHE was the one who lost interest in their marriage, SHE was the one who abandoned him by refusing to cook his meals, the Court sided with her, granted a divorce, and awarded her $7 in monthly alimony.

The two younger children had nothing to do with George Clift after that, but the oldest son and his wife kept in contact, perhaps out of pity or obligation.

 

Sallie Clift about 1942 or 1943
used by permission of great-grandchildren

The children obviously understood what their mother had endured for so many years, and they sympathized with her plight. They appreciated all she had done to take care of them. After she died, her daughter Alda and Alda’s daughters wrote poems for the newspaper in memory of Sallie.

Sallie Catherine JOLLETT (11 May 1872 Greene Co, VA – 7 Jul 1944 Washington D.C.) and George Thomas CLIFT (Sep 1865 Page Co, VA - ?) married 30 Mar 1891 Luray, Page Co, VA

1. Vernon F. CLIFT (15 Mar 1892 Shenandoah, VA – 30 Mar 1897 Shenandoah, VA)
2. Daisey L. CLIFT (8 Aug 1893 Shenandoah, VA – 8 Apr 1897 Shenandoah, VA)
3. Leonard Jennings CLIFT (29 May 1899 Shenandoah, VA – 18 Dec 1977 Calvert Co, MD) and Lena Mae SECRIST (8 Mar 1900 Roanoke, VA – 3 Jan 1980 Prince Georges, MD) married 31 Aug 1918 Hagerstown, MD
4. Raymond Bertram CLIFT (27 Sep 1900 Shenandoah, VA – 14 Jun 1985 Arlington, VA) and Jessie Rebecca Oliver LLOYD (26 Aug 1908 Augusta Co, VA – 19 Mar 1991 Alexandria, VA) married 21 May 1927 Baltimore, MD
5. Alda Beatrice CLIFT (5 Jun 1905 Shenandoah, VA – Jun 1982 Prince Georges, MD) and 1) Leon Dewey Monger (25 Jul 1899 Page Co, VA – 15 Apr 1953 Norfolk, VA) married 15 Jan 1920 Hagerstown, MD; 2) Wilson SUITE (1905 St Marys Co, MD – Jul 1960 Washington D. C.)  married after 1930

Wendy

© 2016, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.