Monday, February 20, 2017

The Ladies of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church

First Row: Ms. Pinkie Wilson, Mrs. Gladys Winston, Mrs. Addie Mae Cameron Tillman, Mrs. Edna Pinkney, Mrs. Durr (my paternal cousin's wife), Mrs. Frances Stanton, and Mrs. Beatrice Markham Johnson (my maternal grand aunt).

Second Row: Mrs. Lisann Durr Roundtree (my paternal cousin), Mrs. Beulah Ann Williams, Mrs. Lula Mae Thomas, Mrs. Annie Mae Manson, Mrs. Martina Barton, Mrs. Willie Mae Thomas, and Mrs. Emma Jane Winston.

Third Row: Ms. Cora Bell Benson and Mrs. Edith Lee Washington

"This is a photo of the Women's Missionary Society of Bethel AME Church. The photo was taken for a Souvenir Journal to host the 1968 Annual Conference of the Mississippi Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church." Dexter Holloway

The church is located in Brookhaven, Mississippi.

Photo Courtsey of Dexter Holloway

7 comments:

Beth said...

Your pictures are always so interesting and thought provoking! I wonder what the occasion was for the picture?

LindaRe said...

I am guessing just another Sunday morning. Maybe its a photo of the motherboard, ushers.

Suzassippi said...

Dexter Holloway's wife, Nikki, is profiled in a book about Alpha Kappa Alpha presence in Southwest Mississippi. Something about this photograph seemed so familiar so I looked up the church and found the book with the article about Mrs. Holloway, and they are members of the church. It is a similar photograph to one I found while researching Farish Street doing the Green Book research, of women dressed up and standing in what appears to be the choir loft, and I seem to recall one of the women in the Farish Street church also having on some type of sash, similar to the one the one in the front row is wearing.

LindaRe said...

Maybe, there is a special occasion for the photograph. I think I've seen the photograph you mentioned but don't remember the name of the church.

Suzassippi said...

Me either--I found several references to churches on Farish Street in searching the documents, including 2 different books. MDAH also has a collection of Farish Street photographs and I searched back through them but could not locate it in either.

LindaRe said...

Dexter Holloway shared there is no significance to the sash his great aunt Addie Tillman is wearing. The sash was a part of her dress.

Unknown said...

Beatrice markham johnson was the sister of my grand father samuel markham. We called her aunt B.