Belt family - Brewer family cabinet card photos, 1888/1930

Containers:

Box 1, Folder 3

Scope and content:

The photos in this folder are as follows:

A circa 1910 cabinet card photo of Mary Myrtle Shaner Belt, by Murray, Staunton, Virginia.

A circa 1930 studio photo of children, a Berkley family sister and brother, cousins of the Beard family.

A circa 1899 cabinet card photo of Mrs. Bettie Bickle, by Blakemore, Staunton, Virginia.

A circa 1888 cabinet card photo of Miss Minnie Bickle.

A circa 1903 cabinet card photo of Cora Humphris, by McCown and Lackey, Lexington, Virginia.

A circa 1910 cabinet card photo of Margaret Brewer.

Biographical / historical:

Mary Myrtle Shaner Belt (1875–1953) was a long time resident of Staunton, Virginia, who spent her later years in Tennessee. She was born on December 9, 1875, in East Lexington, Virginia to Jacob Harner Shaner and Annie E. Shaner. Before moving to Tennessee, she lived on Loudon Avenue in Staunton and was a highly active member and church worker at the Central Methodist Church. She passed away on January 21, 1953, at her home in Bean Station, Tennessee. She and her husband, Thomas Belt are buried in the historic Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton.

Bettie Nevius Lockridge Bickle (1839–1916), was the daughter of James Lockridge and Amy Nevius, who married prominent Staunton, Virginia merchant John A. Bickle on July 25, 1866. Established in the early 20th century, after Bettie's death, the Bettie Bickle Home, was incorporated as a residential home in Staunton, Virginia, which opened its doors to provide a permanent home for local women who could not otherwise secure one. It operated for decades as a charitable home. In the mid-20th century, the home was legally and structurally merged into the Sunnyside Presbyterian Home.

Mary Elizabeth "Minnie" Bickle, (1871-1948) was a prominent figure in local society, education, and church leadership in Staunton, Virginia. She was the daughter of Yancey M. Bickle and Henrietta M. Parker Bickle of Staunton, Virginia. All three are buried in the Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton.

Cora Ann Humphris Brewer (1872-1958) was a lifelong resident of Rockbridge County, Virginia. She was the daughter of Llewellyn Merriwether Humphris, a well known regional miller who managed operations at Midway, Cedar Grove, and Brownsburg mills, and Marguerite Sewell McCormick. In January 1904, she married Oscar Cleveland Brewer. He was a prominent attorney, graduate of the Washington and Lee Law School, and a local judge who would later serve in public office, including the Virginia House of Delegates.

Margaret A. Brewer's (1909-2002) parents were Oscar Cleveland Brewer, who was was a prominent attorney, Washington and Lee Law School graduate, local judge, and member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and Cora Ann Humphries Brewer (1872–1958), whose parents were millers and merchants in Rockbridge County, Virginia. While her parents married and spent significant time in the Lexington and Rockbridge areas, Margaret moved to Pulaski City, Virginia, where her father practiced law. She remained unmarried, so because she had no direct heirs, her estate established the Margaret E. Brewer Scholarship, which continues to fund higher education for high school graduates in Pulaski County, Virginia today.

Access and use