Jack Puryear, Villanow, GA

      I love this picture. Have no idea of why these people were gathered together, special occasion, or just on a Sunday afternoon? They are in the yard of John (Jack) Puryear in Villanow. That is him sitting there. The young black girl, it says on the back of the photo is Bertie(Dollie was her mother). whom the family kept. Lucy Puryear Ballew(his daughter) is behind Bertie. Ponie Puryear Ware(his daughter) is behind Lucy. Nina Oxford Chastain is in the dark skirt with the watch pinned to her blouse. Pearl Puryear  in white is the granddaughter of Jack. 
     Carrie Oxford Wilson is the lady with the hat. Her husband, J.C. Wilson made the picture. 
     It is noted that the chain swing was made from a chain picked up at the site of a federal camp nearby. 
     In Mother's notes she says that Grandmother Morgan use to talk about Uncle Jack astride his horse galloping to the the post office for the mail before carriers. 
     The other notations about this branch of the Puryear family revolve around the three daughters who all married, but only one, Pallie, stayed with her husband for any length of time. The other girls returned to their father's home. Lucy went out West visiting, probably her brother Franklin Pierce Puryear. She had been keeping company with a Mr. Ballew. As she boarded the train to return home to Villanow, he persuaded her to marry him. He came to Georgia with her for a visit. When they were preparing to go back out West, Lucy wanted to take Dollie*, mother of Bertie, with her but her husband refused. Lucy refused to go without her; they separated then and there. (Mother said this was a quote from someone, but did not name the source.)
     *In the quoted material it says "the darkey Dollie."