5 days agoOlga Worth’s Final BowCan a human body spontaneously combust; that is, can a person suddenly burst into flames without an outside source of ignition? Is that what happened to Olga Worth? A well-known stage actress during the Roaring Twenties, Olga caught fire while sitting alone in a parked car on East Grand Avenue…Theatre History6 min readTheatre History6 min read
Feb 23The Outlaw’s DaughterLying side by side at Oakland Cemetery are Houston Rhode, the 15-year-old child of German immigrant parents, and Delores “Lola” Scurlock Herrera, the 25-year-old daughter of a notorious outlaw. The boy died from a heart condition; his parents buried him October 21, 1916. …Cemetery5 min readCemetery5 min read
Feb 15John and BeadieOn a rare snowy day in Dallas, a beloved red-haired stray dubbed Rusty abandoned his usual perch on the grand Samuell monument in Dallas’ historic Oakland Cemetery to keep company the lesser-known markers for John Allen Hill (1837–1910) and wife Beadie (1853–1899) in section one. …Dallas History3 min readDallas History3 min read
Jan 29Beloved AuntieThe wind serves only those who have set their sails… Were these the inspirational words an elderly aunt repeated to a favorite niece or nephew? Or did one of them — there were at least 18 — recognize Auntie Nellie’s ability to bear life’s buffeting winds? …Cemetery History8 min readCemetery History8 min read
Jan 3WHAT REMAINS OF ROSACarbolic acid A very poisonous chemical substance made from tar and also found in some plants and essential oils…used to make plastics, nylon, epoxy, medicines, and to kill germs. Also called phenol. [Source: National Cancer Institute] In the 1860’s, British physician Joseph Lister, known as the “father of modern surgery,”…Suicide6 min readSuicide6 min read
Nov 14, 2022The Two Mrs. SmithsJennie Elizabeth Whitton fell in love with a traveling man, a circus showman who married her just after Christmas 1894 in McKinney, Texas. Ten months later, she died in a rented room on Ervay Street in Dallas. She was 28 years old. It was October — then as now, time…Womens History7 min readWomens History7 min read
Jun 10, 2022Nannie Roy(1844–1919) Nannie Roy worked for one of the most significant families in Dallas during the late-19th and early-20th centuries, yet she was all but invisible. She was not only a woman; she was an illiterate Black woman, apparently without family. And, she was a servant. She died Sunday morning, August…Cemetery9 min readCemetery9 min read
May 25, 2022The CenotaphIt’s hard to imagine a small boy having such a grand moniker, but Ephraim Geoffrey Peyton (1802–1876) lived up to its promise. Born in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, he married Artemisia “Ina” Patton, moved to Mississippi and switched from teaching school to practicing law. …Cemetery6 min readCemetery6 min read
Aug 11, 2021NOTE: I wrote this piece for the Dallas Times Herald in 1985.NOTE: I wrote this piece for the Dallas Times Herald in 1985. I was 31 years old. I’m now a healthy 67-year-old struggling to do all the right things during a worldwide pandemic. After reading this, you won’t be surprised to learn that I’m fully vaccinated and wear a mask. LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE …Healthy Lifestyle4 min readHealthy Lifestyle4 min read
Apr 1, 2021Callie Cantrell(1844–1914) — For all we know, Callie Cantrell told bawdy stories after sipping one cordial too many. Or, she spent hours in her church pew, wearing black bombazine and a dour expression. Perhaps she sang sweetly and baked delicious cakes. Because Callie was an exemplary Victorian woman, hers was a private life…Genealogy6 min readGenealogy6 min read
