This late 1800s found cabinet card photograph has a beautifully heartfelt inscription written on the bottom. It reads, simply: “Bee Alyea, a devoted friend passed away many years ago”.
On the back, in light pencil mark, it says “Little ‘B’ Benney Alyea”. It also shows the photographer as S.B. Hill of Austin, Texas at 818 Congress Ave.
I was drawn to this eBay find for what appeared to be the very old and melancholic inscription of someone clearly quite fond of Bee. Who was Bee and what was her story? Who was her friend? I wanted to know.
I was also drawn to the ornate and prominently displayed jewelry on her wrists.
There were several Ancestry trees online that showed a Bennie Alyea (born around 1870) married to a John Burton Maple. This mention of their marriage, issued as a correction, was published in 1887.
There is a John Burton “Bert” Maples (1867-1940) of Grayon County, Texas listed as a Find a Grave memorial. I believe this was Bee’s husband.
The children listed for this John B. Maples match the Ancestry family trees referenced above. They are:
Irkle Miller Maples
Francis Elmira Maples Lievsay
Mary Reba Maples Elam
Joseph Weldon Maples
John was married to an Ollie Joan Ramey (1881-1958) in 1901. The speculation is that this was John’s second wife, his first wife (Bee) having died a few years earlier.
There was a prominent dressmaker in in Austin, Mrs. F. A. Alyea. There are several mentions of her in the Austin newspapers like this one from 1875. Alyea is a rather unique surname. Thought not certain, it seems quite possible that this Mrs. F. A. Alyea was a relative of Bee’s. Perhaps her mother?
In my brief search I did not find any death information listed for Bee. The circumstantial evidence, however, coupled with the photo’s note that she passed away “many years ago” support the notion that she died quite young.
A brief note about the photographer, S.B. Hill: He seems to have been a prominent photographer at the time. Here is an article talking about his long career and retirement.
In searches like these there is always room for error. I feel about 80% confident in the analysis. What do you think? Can you help me find more of Bee’s story?
Is there a family story you want to find, tell, or share?
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Flo Muir and Mary Miller standing behind the oval glass of the door to Miller & Miller - The Woman’s Store in Logan, Kansas around 1914. Here is Flo’s story.