Haywood County Drag

Click to Enlarge Caption from the “Brownsville States Graphic” NUPTIALS HEADLINERS – Playing top roles in the femaleless nupital ceremony performed at Holly Grove Consolidated School Friday night. left to right, were Carlyle Williams, bridesmaid; Abner “Bear” Mann, bride; Everett Wateridge, groom; Curtis Williams, ringbearer; “Sonny Boy” Williams best man; and Lloyd “Bo” Williams, officiating minister. (Photo by Charles Worley).

My cousin Sandra sent me this photo from “The Brownsville States Graphic” that features my grandfather, Bo Williams as a minister (looking a bit like Charlie Chaplain) and her grandfather, Bear Mann as a bride. While I don’t think my grandfather spent much time in a pulpit, I am pretty sure her grandfather spent even less time in a dress.

I guess this is what they did before they had the internet to keep them busy.

I actually have the large version of the photo and it’s interesting because, in addition to being a group of men dressed as women in a school lunchroom, it’s also the first photo of my mother and father together.

My father is the kid in the lower left of the photo wearing a black shirt and looking at the camera. My mother is sitting next to him. That was more than 62 years ago.

Click to Enlarge

Update on 2/16/12: More people identified thanks to Jan Outlaw whose mother had written as many names down as she could remember:

Click to Enlarge

But, I would like to get more of them identified so if you know any of the people in this photo, please let me know by email or facebook message me and I’ll add their name.

For more, visit my Blog Home Page or the Haywood County Line Genealogy Page.