But that quest sent me looking at the family of Woodford Hector Dulaney and trying to find any living descendants. It has been an interesting hunt, but I think I will have to move on soon.
Of the 10 children of Woodford and Margaret Dulaney, only four married and had children. They are where I've focused my research, since I was hoping to find the current location of those photographs.
I will do a series of posts about what I've discovered about the Dulaneys and hope that someday their descendants find my research and contact me.
I want to again thank Donna Russell of the Pewee Valley Historical Society for her help with this research.
I will start with Woodford and Margaret's oldest daughter, Florence. I will include information on her descendants here, too.
Florence Braden Dulaney was born 17 November 1851 in Louisville, Kentucky, the first child of Woodford and Margaret (Cawthon) Dulaney. On numerous documents, Florence gave her birth date as Nov. 17, 1852. Her tombstone, however, gives her birth date as Nov. 17, 1851, as does her consulate registration completed while she was traveling overseas. Her middle name comes from her paternal grandmother's maiden name (Mary Eleanor Braden).
In Sept. 1857, Woodford applied for a passport for himself and family. He stated that he was 35 years old and that he would be traveling with his wife, Margaret Josephine Dulaney, aged 25 years; his sister, Elizabeth A. Dulaney, aged 36 years, and his daughter, Florence Braden Dulaney, aged 5 years. The family traveled in Europe for almost a year, returning to Louisville in August 1858.
On June 9, 1877, Florence Braden Dulaney applied for a U.S. Passport in Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Unfortunately, there was no photo on this application and I have not yet found any photos of Florence. However, the application does have a description of her: age 25 years, 5 feet 3 inches tall, low forehead, black eyes, short nose, small mouth, short chin, black hair, brunette complexion, and long face. The passport application does not indicate where she was going or for how long she was to be traveling. I have not found any passenger lists or indication of who she was traveling with, though in 1877, I don't think a young, unmarried woman would have been traveling overseas alone. This is one mystery I'd love to solve.
The next item I've found for Florence is her marriage in Louisville on 20 November 1878 to Albert Shelby Willis, the Louisville representative in the U.S. Congress. A news item dated 26 November 1878 in the Philadelphia (PA) Times, noted: "Congressman Albert Willis, the scholarly Representative from Louisville, Ky., is expected in Washington this week with his bride, late Miss Florence Dulaney."
Albert S. Willis was born 22 January 1843 in Shelbyville, Shelby Co., Kentucky, to Dr. Shelby and Harriet (Button) Willis. He studied law in Louisville and was the Jefferson Co. Prosecuting Attorney from 1874 - 1877. He was elected to Congress in 1877 and served five terms (ten years) until 1887.
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| Albert S. Willis (photo found on Wikipedia) |
On the 1880 census (taken June 1880), Florence and Albert are shown living with Florence's parents in Louisville. He is listed as a Congressman. Florence must have been staying with her parents during her later months of pregnancy, since on 6 July 1880, a son was born to Albert and Florence; they named him Albert Shelby Willis II.
After Albert's term in Congress ended (1887), the family returned to Louisville. In April 1891, a news story indicates that the Willis's had recently moved into a new home on Florence Place in Louisville.
In 1893, Albert was appointed Minister to Hawaii by President Grover Cleveland. I will not recount the details of his time in Hawaii; there are numerous articles available on line about his work there.
So Florence, Albert, and their son, Albert traveled to Hawaii and lived there for several years. In April 1896, Albert, Florence, and their son, traveled from to Hawaii to Louisville, Kentucky to visit family back home. On the family's journey to return to Hawaii, Albert was taken ill. He died in Honolulu, Hawaii on 6 January 1897. He was 53. His body was brought back to Louisville and he was buried in Cave Hill Cemetery in the Dulaney family plot on 26 January 1897.
His will was probated 2 February 1897 in Louisville. He left almost everything to his wife, Florence, and she was named executrix.
After her husband's death, Florence (who was 45 years old) apparently returned with her son, Albert, to her parents' home in Louisville. According to the1898 city directory, Albert Jr. was a clerk at the Bank of Kentucky (he was 18). Florence was listed as the widow of Albert S. They were both boarding at 720 W. Broadway, which was the home of Florence's parents, Woodford H. and Margaret Dulaney. On most records from this point forward, Florence used the name "Mrs. Albert S. Willis" rather than her given name.
Florence and Albert Jr. were still in her parents' home on the 1900 census. On 30 January 1901, Florence's mother, Margaret (Cawthon) Dulaney, died at the family home in Louisville. Her father, Woodford H. Dulaney, died at the family home on 17 December 1902. Florence was name executrix of his will.
From about 1900 - 1904, Albert Jr. was studying finance at Yale University. He traveled to Europe about this time, since he sailed from La Havre, France on 16 July 1904 aboard the S.S. La Bretagne. The ship arrived in New York on 24 July 1904. He was listed as 24 years old, no occupation, final destination of New York.
Florence also did a lot of traveling. By early 1904, she was in Europe with her youngest sister, May. Albert may have also been with them. Florence and May sailed on the S.S. Canopic from Naples, Italy, on June 15, 1904 and arrived at the Port of Boston on June 27, 1904.
On 7 September 1906, Florence inherited all the property of her aunt, Elizabeth Ann Dulaney, who never married.
On 20 October 1906, Florence left the United States to again travel abroad. On 5 June 1907, Mrs. Albert Shelby Willis (Florence Dulaney) applied for a passport from the American Embassy in Constantinople. Her sister, May Dulaney, was with her and also applied for a passport at the Embassy.
By 1911, both Florence and May were using Pewee Valley, Kentucky as their primary residence. It seems they often wintered in Florida. A notice in the Tampa Tribune in January 1911 lists the two sisters as well as Albert, Jr. as visiting from Kentucky. In the Miami Herald for 1 February 1913, is found "Social Life in the Hotels. ... Mrs. Albert Willis and Albert S. Willis, of Kentucky, are at the Royal Palm...."
Albert left the United States on July 1, 1914 and traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, arriving on July 30, 1914. He registered with the American Consul in Geneva, Switzerland on Aug. 25, 1915 and stated that he was staying at the Hotel d'Angleterre in Geneva. He listed J. C. Clements, Interstate Commerce Commissioner, Washington DC, as the person to contact in case of emergency. Albert arrived in Florence, Italy, in October 1914 and was there in order to 'study.' He was staying at the Anglo-American Hotel in Florence. In October 1914, his mother Florence again left the U.S. and arrived on October 30 in Florence, Italy.
On 24 January 1915, the following item appeared in the Washington, D.C. Evening Star: "Engagements. - The engagement is announced of Miss Dorothy Heath, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Heath of Chicago, and Mr. Albert S. Willis, son of the late Albert S. Willis, minister to Honolulu, and grandson of the late Mr. H.H. Dulaney of Louisville, Ky. Both families are stopping in Florence, Italy, for the winter."
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| Albert Shelby Willis II - 1915 passport photo |
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| Dorothy Margaret (Heath) Willis - 1915 passport photo |
Dorothy Margaret Heath was born 8 June 1893 in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents were Edward G. and Carolyn Price (Fuller) Heath. The family had been living in Florence since about 1911.
Florence sailed from Naples, Italy aboard the S. S. Patria on 19 April 1915. The ship arrived in New York City on 2 May 1915. She was apparently traveling alone.
After their marriage, Albert and Dorothy went back to Louisville for a honeymoon trip. They sailed from Genoa on June 26, 1915 aboard the S.S. Cretic and arrived at the port of Boston on July 13, 1915. An article in the Boston Herald dated 14 July 1915, regarding passengers on the Cretic that had just arrived in Boston "... Other Passengers. Among other passengers were Mr. and Mrs. Albert S. Willis, both Americans, who came across on a honeymoon trip. Mr. Willis met his bride in Italy about a year ago. She was formerly Miss Hatch of Chicago, and was living in Italy with her mother. Their marriage took place a few weeks ago. They are to return on the Cretic, which sails in 10 days."
The rumblings of war had begun ,and by 2 July 1916, the couple was back in the Louisville area when Dorothy gave birth to their son, Albert Shelby Willis III.
In June 1917, Albert II applied for a commission in officer's training camp, but was refused due to a disability. I have not discovered what that disability was. In October 1917, he enlisted in the Marines. He was sent to Quantico and attached to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Regiment. In February 1918, he sailed with his regiment to Europe.
Albert fought in the Battle of Belleau Wood in France, June 1 through 26, 1918. A letter he wrote home to his mother, was reprinted in the Marines' Bulletin in November 1918. He wrote: "France, June 29. I do hope that within a few days I may be able to cable you that I am and have been all right, as I know from what you have been reading in the papers that you must have been terribly uneasy. We are told that the daily prints have carried full reports of the doings of the Marines in this new sector. You will understand that the delay of a month that will necessarily ensue between letters. You may be sure if there had been any way to cable or even write a note or a line or two I would have done it, but we have been actually in the front line of this biggest of battles for almost a month now, and you may know that in little skirmishes like this one we do not take our typewriters along nor is there any way to post a letter.
Let me say first what I know will make you happy, that for the last three or four days I have been in very delightful circumstances indeed, and am now perfectly all right. When the battalion went back on the line, for various reasons which need not be gone into I was left in a most delightful little village, which sprawls all over. The major left me here a few kilometers back in a perfectly lovely valley and up both sides of the surrounding hillsides. I have been getting the most heavenly rest, good eats, good sleeps - found a mattress even, nothing to do but enjoy the sunshine and read letters and papers. My chief joy was to draw at least thirty letters from you and D., and I have read and reread them I don't know how many times. It's got to be a joke; some of the men come upon me in a quite sunny spot reading letters and are highly indignant that they did not get mail when I did, until I explain. You can't know what a joy your letters have been.
It really seemed as if le Bon Dieu had arranged that these sweet missives of cheer should be here in the quiet haven to greet me and cure a soul that, now that the strain is somewhat over, I realize was pretty sick. For indeed I have seen very dreadful and tremendous things since I last wrote from that quiet delightful little town so far back, both in distance and environments. Of course I have known for a long time that we were destined for this big front; that the Marines were to stem the tide - and we did - but any faint notion, much as I have read and heard and indeed seen, of what it would be like, was - well, faint, very faint, indeed, compared to the reality. The sector we have been in were in very truth just what they are called - 'quiet' ones. You see up there around V, the lines had been laid for a long time, and while there was more or less danger from shell and raids - in one place the latter particularly - yet it really was more 'less' than 'more,' as there were trenches and dugouts and all the paraphernalia of trench warfare, and here it is all in the open. When we move into a new bit of woods it's a question of din in and do it fast before one of the big fellows land near enough to do the harm. And, believe me, I never realized what shelling really was or could be. On two occasions in particular the gunfire was tremendous and indescribable. In fact, this letter cannot show you what the whole thing really was, for I feel myself overwhelmed when I think of some of the things I have seen and words fail me.
These two barrages showed me what was meant by - drumfire. I never before realized what the name implied, and yet it did not remind me so much of the beating of a drum as it did of a heavy loaded truck rolling continuously over a cobblestone street or rather several heavily loaded trucks, just a never ending series of never ending bump-bump-bump-bump. The explosions were dull, as we were then in the very first line, and naturally the guns were back of us. The last month has been a series of tramping back and forth from one position to another. Incidentally I may mention the fact that the germans (no more capitals, you know) have been continuously on the move also - but always in one direction - and as we went along the road it was sufficiently startling, until we got used to it, to have a roar and a flash come all of a sudden from the most innocent of clumps of brushes.
The road itself is a sight never to be forgotten - one of the national highways in wonderful condition, crowded with carts and all sorts of country chaises with household effects, all going one way, and guns, caissons and trucks loaded with troops, stores and material all going mostly in another.
I can understand now the mystery of the attitude of the French toward the war - that of a necessary evil almost, which they were quite resigned to and which might end some time, but possibly might just flow on like the brook forever, for I believe if anyone were to try to keep on the quivive and live as tremendously as I have for the last month, well it seems to me it would take a tolerably stolid personage to stand up under it. I can't say that it is anything in particular, but just the whole terrible tout en semble. For instance, the shells, the chief menace. The shells did not worry me a great deal. I just couldn't seem to be able to convince myself that I was going to be hit, and I just wasn't.
I was always glad when the various positions we held in the woods had a few holes strewn around into which we could crawl when necessary, but there were days in the first woods we went to especially, when M. and myself, he being of the same mind, lay under the stars with nothing but a blanket, while the others had gone from four to six feet under ground, which was not as foolish as it sounds, as the shells were really going over us, and besides there was a perfectly splendid ditch along the side of the road. I really did start to dig, but it just naturally tired me all to little bits and I quit with nothing to show for it but some elegant blisters. It seems really unbelievable, but there were hours at a time at that place and others when we would lie perdu, while a steady stream of missiles would be going sweetly over our heads, just a continuous humming whir-r-r that can't be described.
Most of the big ones do give notice of their approach most politely, and one generally has time to duck or take cover. The latest papers I have received here were May 27, and I am very anxious to see the home papers of the dates when we made the attack and those after, as we were told that we had made a name for ourselves. As one officer put it as we passed that night - he was on the staff and I hope he knew where-of he spoke - 'they are talking about the Marines from New York to Paris.' I say continually 'we' because I am indeed proud to be of the same battalion, regiment and Corps, the good, old Marines, as those brave boys who did it all, but it is quite an 'editorial we' as my part was very small and inglorious, a trifle of responsibility sometimes, and perhaps a good deal of danger at all times, but no glory, no ribbons to show my loved ones.
I should have been glad, if I had an opportunity to try for one, but ill luck pursued me and the best that I can do is to wear the fourgon which will show my regiment was cited."
In August 1918, Albert was sent to Paris for duty in the Chief Paymaster's Office. In December, he was ordered back to the U.S. due to poor health. He sailed for home in February 1919 from Bordeaux, France aboard the Pocahantas. He was discharged from the Marines in October 1919 in Washington, D.C.
Albert, Dorothy and Albert III appear on the 1920 census in Bethesda, Montgomery Co., Maryland. The family was living on Raymond St. The census image is difficult to read, but it is certainly Albert, Dorothy, and Albert 3rd. In April 1920, Albert gave his residence as Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Florence and May are found on the 1920 census in Oldham Co., Kentucky (Pewee Valley). The household consisted of: Florence Willis, head, f, w, 64, widowed, born Kentucky; and Miss May Dulaney, sister, f,w,45, single, born Kentucky. But they didn't stay there much. In November 1920, they were in Washington, D.C., according to the Evening Star, "Mrs. Albert S. Willis and her sister, Miss Dulaney of Pewee Valley, Ky., have taken an apartment at the Cordova for the season, where their sister, Mrs. Judson C. Clements, also has an apartment. Mr. Albert S. Willis, the son of Mrs. Willis, has gone to Italy to join his wife and little son, who are guests of her parents at their villa near Florence." Another story dated Dec. 20, 1920, appeared in the Lexington Leader (Lexington, KY) and said the same thing.
Dorothy had been in the United States, but in May 1920 she traveled to Florence, Italy, arriving in June 1920 with her son, Albert III, to visit her parents.
Albert II headed back to Europe in November 1920. According to his passport application, Albert planned to leave from the port of New York on Nov. 30, 1920 on board the Corona and travel to Italy to visit relatives and to France for travel. On 18 November 1921, Albert sailed on the S.S. Paris from LeHavre, France for New York City. He was traveling alone. He was listed as married.
Dorothy and Albert III were living in Florence with her parents for at least two years from June 1920 to July 1922. On July 25, 1922, Dorothy applied to the U.S. Embassy in Rome for an emergency passport for herself and her son, Albert. She stated that her husband, Albert, was living in Louisville, Kentucky and that she was in Florence living with her father.
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| 1922 passport photo for Albert S. Willis III and his mother, Dorothy (Heath) Willis |
The Lexington Herald of August 19, 1923, noted: "Motor Trip Through Central Kentucky. Mrs. Albert Willis and Miss May Dulaney, of Pewee Valley, will give a motor car party this week for a trip through the Blue Grass country in honor of their guests, Mrs. J. C. Clements and the Misses Clements, of Washington, D.C." Mrs. Clements was their sister, Lizzie, and the Misses Clements were her three daughters.
Apparently, Dorothy and her son did not stay in the U.S. On December 11, 1925, Albert III left Naples, Italy on the ship Conte Rosso to travel to New York. He was traveling with a female named Edward Heath; I suspect that this was either one of his grandparents or his uncle or his uncle's wife, but I have not sorted this out yet. If it was his mother, she did not give her married name. They arrived in New York City on 21 December 1925. Albert and his companion's residence was given as 33 E. 9th St., New York, New York. Perhaps it was his mother, Dorothy, but this is not clear.
I have not been able to find any more on Albert III for a number of years.
Sometime before 1927, Dorothy and Albert II divorced. Dorothy remarried to Matthias Hayes Connell and they had two children: Caroline born 1928 and Matthias Hayes, Jr. born 1931. Matthias was a stockbroker in New York City; he and Dorothy seem to have lived apart a great deal. I cannot tell for sure if they divorced or not. Matthias died 29 December 1944 in New York City and is buried in Calvary Cemetery. I find Dorothy on the 1940 census with Caroline and Matthias Jr. in Great Neck, New York. She said she was divorced. She died 10 December 1946 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her death certificate listed her as widowed. At this point, I lose track of Albert and Dorothy's son, Albert III. He is not listed on the census with Dorothy and her other two children.
The Evening Star in Washington, D.C. reported on 27 April 1930: "Mrs. Judson C. Clements has as her guests for several days her sisters, Mrs. Albert Willis and Miss May Dulaney, who are on their way to their homes in Kentucky after spending the Winter in Sanibel, Fla."
On 2 March 1931, Albert II married Mary Isabelle LaViolle Isert in St. Luke's Parish House, Fort Myers, Florida. A story in the Tampa Tribune from 8 March 1931 said: "Miss Isabelle Isert and Albert S. Willis, of Louisville, Ky., and Sanibel Island, were married Monday afternoon at St. Luke's parish house with the Rev. F.A. Shore officiating. They were attended by Mrs. Charles Bauer and George Ulrich. Mrs. Willis wore an ensemble of ping and carried a bouquet of orange blossoms. Guests were Mrs. Sam Burns, Mrs Carl Chandler, Miss Winifred Parkinson and Miss Charlotte Matthews."
Mary was born 17 October 1882 in Louisville, the daughter of Joseph LaVielle and Isabella Ray. About 1905, she married John H. Isert, and they had three children: Joseph, born about 1906; Isabelle, born about 1908; and John H., Jr., born about 1911. Sometime before 1929, Mary and John divorced. She is found on the 1930 census in Louisville listed as divorced and living with the two younger children.
The Daily Herald of Biloxi, Mississippi reported on 7 December 1934 that "Mrs. Albert S. Willis and sister, Miss May Dulaney of Louisville, have taken an apartment at the Tivoli for the winter."
Albert and Mary are found both in Louisville (1294 Willow Ave.) and on Sanibel Island from 1935 to 1946. The 1940 census shows the household as just the two of them living on Sanibel Island.
Albert Shelby Willis III stated on the 1940 census that in April 1935, he was living in New York City. Sometime between 1935 and the 1940 census, Albert III (who was going by "Shelby Willis") married a woman named Marie. They are married on the 1940 census and living in Oakland, California. Marie was living in Los Angeles in 1935, so they were not together then. The household was: Shelby Willis, head, m, w, 23, married, born Kentucky, lived in 1935 in New York, New York, furniture designer; Maria, wife, f, w, 20, married, born Texas, lived in 1935 in Los Angeles, California, furniture designer.
On 9 July 1942, Florence's housemate and sister, May, died at their apartment in Louisville.
Two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, on 9 December 1942, Shelby Willis enlisted in the Army.
By June 1944, Florence was back at Tuliphurst in Pewee Valley. She died there on 5 June 1944 of cerebral apoplexy, generalized arteriosclerosis, and arthritis. She was 92. She was buried in the Dulaney plot next to her husband, Albert, in Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.
The 1946 city directory for Huntington Park, California, shows Shelby and Marie at 2429 Live Oak. According to the city directory, Albert was in the U.S. Army. He was released from the Army on 5 February 1946.
Shelby's mother, Dorothy Margaret (Heath) Willis Connell died on 10 December 1946 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was buried in Salt Lake City Cemetery.
Albert Shelby Willis II died 24 March 1947 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Louisville. He was 66. Cause of death was pulmonary tuberculosis, bilateral, with tuberculosis pneumonia. His death certificate says he was hospitalized for 127 days starting 17 November 1946. He was buried in the Dulaney plot in Cave Hill Cemetery.
Sometime before December 1949, Shelby and Marie divorced. On 29 December 1949, Shelby married Dorothy Mary Shovlin in Beverly Hills, California. Dorothy was born about 1912 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Joseph and Teresa (Whalen) Shovlin. Her brother, Joseph K. Shovelin, was an actor who went by the name, "Michael Whalen." Dorothy gave her occupation on the marriage license as "actress." I have not found a picture of Dorothy, but her brother was in several films, including one with Shirley Temple.
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| Michael Whalen (born Joseph K. Shovlin) |
Shelby and Dorothy divorced sometime before 1966. Divorce records seem to be really hard to find. On 2 April 1966, Shelby married his third (that I know of) wife, Myriam Marcan, in Los Angeles, California.
Myriam was born 26 December 1927 in Abbazia, Fiume, Yugoslavia. She stated on her naturalization papers that her parents were Italian. On 18 July 1951, Myriam married Aristride Gelletti. In April 1956, Myriam and Aristride came to the U.S. aboard the S.S. Cristoforo Colombo. By July 1963, Myriam and Aristride were divorced. She changed her name on her naturalization application to Myriam Marcan.
Shelby and Myriam lived in California until about 1984, when they moved to Casa Grande, Arizona. Shelby restored furniture. They lived at 300 E. 8th St. in Casa Grande.
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| 300 E 8th St., Casa Grande, AZ - formerly Fisher Funeral Home |
Albert Shelby Willis III died 15 June 1984 in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Tucson, Arizona. He was cremated. His obituary appeared 18 June 1984 in the Casa Grande Dispatch: "Shelby Willis III Dies at 67. Shelby Willis III, an Arizona resident for 15 years, died June 15 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Tucson. He was 67. Mr. Willis was born July 2, 1916 in Pee Wee Valley, Ky. He was a retired furniture designer and moved to Arizona from California. He was a veteran of World War II. Mr. Willis is survived by his wife, Mia Willis of Arizona City. Private cremation was arranged by Cole & Maud Mortuary."
Myriam seems to have continued in Casa Grande for awhile at least. I have not been successful in finding recent information on her. She died 10 December 2005, but I do not have a place. No obituary or burial place have been found.
Albert Shelby Willis III apparently did not have any children, so the descendants of Florence Braden (Dulaney) and Albert S. Willis end with him.
Florence Braden Dulaney, b. 17 Nov 1851 at Jefferson Co., KY, d. 5 Jun 1944 at Oldham Co.,
KY
+Albert Shelby Willis, b. 22 Jan 1843 at Shelby
Co., KY, m. 20 Nov 1878 at Jefferson Co., KY, d. 6 Jan 1897 at Hawaii
└── Albert Shelby Willis II, b. 6 Jul 1880 at
Jefferson Co., KY, d. 24 Mar 1947 at Jefferson Co., KY
+Dorothy Margaret Heath, b. 8 Jun 1893 at Cook
Co., IL, m. 14 Apr 1915 at Italy, d. 10 Dec 1946 at Salt Lake Co., UT
└── Albert Shelby Willis III, b. 2 Jul 1916 at
Jefferson Co., KY, d. 15 Jun 1984 at AZ
+Marie (--?--), b. circa 1920 at TX, m.
between May 1935 and 1940
+Dorothy Mary Shovlin, b. circa 1912 at PA, m.
29 Dec 1949 at CA
+Myriam Marcan, b. 26 Dec 1927 at Fiume,
Yugoslavia, m. 2 Apr 1966 at Los Angeles, CA, d. 10 Dec 2005
+Mary Isabelle La Violle, b. 17 Oct 1882 at
Jefferson Co., KY, m. 2 Mar 1931 at Lee Co., FL, d. 21 Feb 1951 at Jefferson
Co., KY
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