The Dudleys
Charles Brown Dudley and Mary Chandler Dudley, his wife, purchased Holly Grove from Alice Eugenia White and husband, George R. White in 1955, 1485 acres, $69,000. This included 18 acres, Sect. 14; 2 acres, Sect 24; 166.2 acres in 2 tracts, Sect. 34; 640 acres in Sect. 25 (this would be the homeplace); 289 acres in Sect. 26; 299.71 acres in Sect 27; and 180 acres in Sect. 31.[1]
Although they owned the land east of the house to the Centreville-Clinton Road the new highway #33 was run through the plantation at the section 24/25 line in the late 40’s, early 50’s. The Whites had sold land for a highway in 1948 and more land in 1955 and note on a deed in 1955, the right of way for the new highway #33. The plot plan of the plantation in 1877 shows a road from the mansion house east to the old Woodville-Clinton Road.[2] The present allée was possibly created at the time the new highway #33 was built. A child who visited the Dudley’s in the 1950’s remembers the allée and therefore it was probably planted some several years earlier so as to have an allée that was memorable in the 50’s.
There are oil and gas leases from the Dudleys and apparently they also had some cattle. When they sell the plantation January 16, 1962 to Roy Hodges of New Orleans for $121,250, 1500 acres, they also included 260 head mixed cattle, 2 horses, 5000 bales of hay, farm implements, and all rug and draperies in the house. They reserved the right to use the house and three servant houses for 8 months and the option to rent for a further 2 months at $100/mo. The house was to be insured for $35,000.[3] Roy Hodges never lived at Holly Grove and sold the property to Floyd Williamson.[4]
Joe and Ginn Brian noted that Mr. Dudley was in ill health. They do not think he made any improvements to the property. The house was altered at some point in the 50’s or 60’s with the old stairway being replaced with a more elegant curved one in the same location. Marble surrounds were added to the fireplaces and the fireboxes rebuilt with fire brick. A patio was created in the rear and a brick walkway added in the front.
Doug Lewis of Beech Grove, Amite County, (and a cousin of the Perkins of Richland Plantation) thinks the Dudley’s probably did make the changes to Holly Grove. He also noted Mary Dudley was a plants woman and may well have made the extensive plantings of bulbs, azaleas and camellias.
The Star Times of Baton Rouge, Monday, March 10, 1958 ran an article about the East Feliciana Pilgrimage on March 30. The article featured the Dudleys and Holly Grove. It was noted that the mantles, the locks and windowpanes were original. The Dudleys had bought Holly Grove two and one half years earlier and moved in just two years ago in March. They had sold Richland to Secretary of Defense, Charles E. Wilson. “We didn’t think we’d ever live in a big house again,’ said Mrs. Dudley, “but we came to look at Holly Grove and--well, here we are.” Mr. Dudley, a retired lumber man was now a part-time cattleman. “I try to make the place pay for itself.” He had a commercial herd, 400 head, of black Angus and white face cattle on his 1500 acres. The paper notes the name of Holly Grove came from the holly trees which once grew around the place but which were then gone. They noted it sat in a grove of live oaks and one tremendous ginko. Entering the house by the double doors to the entrance hall one found to the right a drawing room and to the left the master bedroom. Directly ahead beyond a second set of double doors was the sitting room or back hall. To the rear of the drawing room was the dining room and behind it the kitchen. To the rear of the master bedroom was Mrs. Dudley’s dressing room and the downstairs bath. The stairs were located to one side of the sitting room leading into an upstairs hall which the Dudleys carried out in an early American theme. Around the hall are three bedrooms, two dressing rooms and two upstairs baths. They noted the mantles on the south side of the house were simpler than the north. (That is not true today particularly in the lower front room.) They noted the Dudley’s did a great deal of thinking and planning in the restoration of the house. “It was much more of a job than that which faced us when we bought Richland,” said Mrs. Dudley. “As a matter of fact, we didn’t restore Richland. We just made it more livable.” They called in LW Eaton, Sr. of Baton Rouge, a contractor to do the work. In furnishing the house, Mrs. Dudley visited “every antique shop within 300 miles” to find just the right piece. The sitting room was a place for her valuable collection of American Indian prints. She also added shelves of books along one wall. “I’ve tried to keep it old fashioned.” The house had been purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Ripley White, who then made their home in Centreville. Mr. White inherited the property in 1936 from his father, Frank White who had bought it from the Fort family in 1914. Tickets for the tour were $3. There is a picture of Mrs. Dudley on the upstairs gallery and of Mr. Dudley sitting in one of the rooms.
Doug Lewis remembered a chaise lounge in the upstairs south bedroom when the Dudley’s were at Holly Grove. He thought that was Mary Dudley’s bedroom. Charles Dudley being in poor health probably slept downstairs.[5]
Lewis further noted that the Dudley’s had renovated Richland Plantation in East Feliciana during the 40’s.
Charles Dudley’s funeral was from St. Timothy’s, the Episcopal Mission Church in Centreville. Dudley died 21 May 1962 and was buried in Norwood on 22 May.[6] Dr. Lewis believed that Dudley was from Florida and his wife went back to Florida to live. Charles Dudley had sold Holly Grove in January before he died in May but had retained the right to live in the house for 10 months so was probably still in residence. This is further suggested by Bob Redhead’s remembrance of being at Holly Grove after the funeral. Wetlin Treppendahl remembers being an acolyte at the funeral with Fr. Kellner, burial in Norwood and a party afterward which was not something he had seen before.[7]
The plantation was sold by the Dudleys to Hodges Stock Yard Co. Inc. of New Orleans for $242,000. The Hodges’ company planned to use the plantation as a cattle ranch.[8]
Another friend of the Dudleys, Ann Jones of Clinton, La. remembers being in the home when the Dudleys lived here. Her parents were friends of the Dudleys. She also noted that the Dudleys lived at Richland Plantation and sold it to Charlie and Jessie Wilson who was CEO of General Motors and had lived in Grosse Point, Michigan. He was quoted as saying “What is good for General Motors is good for America.” He would serve as Secretary of Defense under Eisenhower and later died at Richland. Charles Dudley had a lumber business in Memphis and New Orleans and may have had a home in New Orleans. She thinks he may have been buried in one of those cities. Her remembrances of the house were the fine Federal woodwork but more of the Dudleys. Charlie smoked cigars and never used an ashtray. Mary was a beautiful woman with a stately presence. She said she could still see her sitting on a yellow silk sofa in the parlor. She could not remember if the Dudley’s made any changes to the house.[9]
Ann Newton of Grace Church grew up at Oakland in East Feliciana and her parents were friends of the Dudley’s. She remembered that when Dudley visited their home he would sit and his drinks would be brought to him. His wife was from Memphis and her father and maybe another relative were mayors of Memphis. Chandler was the name.[10]
Walter Cliff Chandler (1887-1967) was mayor of Memphis (1944-46) and again in 1955. Assist. District Attorney, 1916; TN house, 1917. He was in the army in WWI, State Senate 1921-23; city attorney Memphis 1928, US Representative, 9th district, 1935-40; then mayor of Memphis. He was a lawyer, graduate UT 1909, Episcopalian. His adopted son Wyeth (1930-2004) served as Mayor of Memphis (1972-1982); circuit judge TN 1982-1996. (Walter Chandler was actually the older brother of Mary Dudley.)
Charles B. Dudley was owner of the Dudley Lumber Co. of New Orleans and Memphis. CB Dudley was a member of the board of the Lumberman’s Club of Memphis in 1916.
George Newton, Anne’s husband remembers his first Christmas in St. Francisville in 1957 and he met the Dudley’s then. Oakland was not sold to the McClendon family until 1976.
Ann and George Newton visited us at Holly Grove 1 April 2011. She remembered the ponds were there. There was a question about the dinning room being on the south side and the parlor on the north side. George remembered Mr. Dudley sitting on the west gallery. He drank martinis by the pitcher but was never drunk. The Newtons cannot remember the stair and thinks it may have been later. Due to Mr. Dudley’s size they think he must have had his bedroom downstairs. Mrs. Dudley was a small woman but with a big bosom. Ann noted she didn’t remember much about the house. They were always here for parties and would be in the front of the house and never upstairs. She could not remember any outbuildings, but said the Dudleys had plenty of servants when I mentioned that the Dudleys mentioned 3 servant buildings when they sold the house in 1962.[11]
Bob Redhead, a decendent of the Redheads of Montrose, who lives in Woodville, goes to St. Paul’s said the only time he was ever at Holly Grove was after the funeral of Charles Dudley. The Dudleys were friends of Miss Julia Redhead.
A Life magazine article, May 9, 1965 re: Secretary of Defense, Charles Wilson who bought Richland Plantation from the Dudleys notes Dudley was a wealthy New Orleans lumberman. The Watchman of Clinton in an obituary of Charles Wilson in 1961 noted he bought Richland, a 4000 acre plantation, in 1954 after he came for a fall visit to hunt as a guest of Charles Dudley. Also on the hunt was the Governor of Louisiana, Robert F.Kennon.
The Dudleys had bought a home near Norwood or Wilson after they sold Holly Grove. Gayden Morrell[12] of Williamsburg, Virginia, thought Dudley was buried in Norwood.
2012, Anne Newton brought me a picture of the Dudleys at the field trials in Wilson dated 26 Feb 1950. The photo was in her mother’s things when she died in Jackson MS. Anne thought the field trials were held on Fire Tower Road. She used to ride horseback to them. There is a man in the photo that a family member thought was Russell Long. I tried to check that out through several people who might have known. The answer came several months later when Mary Dudley’s niece visited Holly Grove and noted immediately that the man was Graham Dudley, Charles’ son.
January 10, 2013: Dudley Weaver Davis[13] of Dyersbury, TN and her daughter, Elizabeth Laws of Oxford, MS drove up. Mrs. Davis remembered being at both Richland and Holly Grove when she was a child visiting her aunt Mary Dudley. (Mrs. Davis was Dudley Weaver, the daughter of Elizabeth Chandler, sister to Mary Chandler Ellett Dudley.) She noted Charlie had gout and that was a problem. Mary was a good cook. Dinners were served mid day, particularly at Richland, with the black butler serving in a suit. Mrs. Davis remembered riding horses on the plantations. To questioning she said the Dudleys probably did not add the marble surrounds to the fireplaces and she thought the stair was straight up. She slept in the south upstairs bedroom when she visited, her mother in the north bedroom. I knew already that the Dudley’s slept in the south front room downstairs that is now the living room. Mrs. Davis remembered they had twin beds to the right of the entrance from the hall. She remembered the upstairs back hall as a sitting room. She said the patio was not present. Mary could have planted the camellias. Mrs. Davis remembered them as floating in indoor arrangements. She also remembered a walk in freezer at Richland. (I have thought that the freezer at Holly Grove was added by the Williamsons.)
Charles Dudley was married (previous to his marriage to Mary Chandler Ellett), with 2 sons, Graham and CB. CB was an attorney in Memphis with 2 or 3 children. One of CB’s sons, Chip, owned the I Bank in Memphis, another I think she said owned a cotton bagging business in Memphis. Charles Brown Dudley III, “Chip” was born c. 1948, a native of Memphis, went to the Choate School, VU in civil engineering. Got an MBA from the Univ. of Memphis. He married Patricia “Tricia” Noojin (b. c. 1949). In 1998 Charles Dudley and Susan Stephenson were co-founders the Independent Bank which has been very successful in Memphis.
After Charles Dudley’s death Mary lived for awhile with Julia Redhead of Montrose Plantation who then lived in Centreville, then moved to Florida to be near her son John Ellett, and her 3 grandchildren. She died in Florida. John Ellett’s father was an eye surgeon. John Ellett (b. 1917, Houston to John Ellett II and Mary Dudley, d. 2009) m. Edith Owen Ellett, went to LSU, moved from Memphis to Gainesville, Fla. in 1946. Burried from Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Gainesville. Worked in insurance. Children: Ed m. Marcia, Gainesville; Laura m. Mike Fix, NH; Mary m. Chris Abbott, Atlanta.
Walter Chandler, mayor of Memphis and US Congressman was the oldest of seven children. The youngest was Mary. Walter was married to Dorothy Wyeth[14], a relative of the Wyeth painting family. Walter was a soldier in WWI and saw his wife from a train. She was a tall beautiful woman. He came back to court and then marry her. His adopted son Wyeth was also mayor of Memphis. He was a rounder, admitted to many affairs, but bright, charming. He was known as ‘Dutch.’
Elizabeth Laws’ husband works for Old Miss as a consultant. He was a graduate of the Univ. of MS and has a Phd. from Vanderbilt. His father is Dr. Albert Laws, opthamologist, of Columbus, MS. The younger Laws live in Oxford with their children. They are building a house and were in Baton Rouge to see their architect, Billie Brian, Joe’s daughter-in-law.
Chip Dudley emailed me 17 Jan 2013 of his recollections of Holly Grove. He spent every summer here from about age 6 until 13 when his grandfather died. (The Dudley’s were here from 1955-1962---7 years.) He noted Charles Dudley was in the lumber business and when he retired his hobby was finding old southern plantation houses and refurbishing them. Holly Grove was the last one. He had horses and cows. One cowboy was a black man by the name of Nelse who taught Chip how to ride and rope. Charles gave Chip his own cow pony. He remembered a round-up where they dipped and branded the calves. There was an old sailor on the place called Cap’n covered with nautical tattoos. Florida was the cook. Florida took him and his sister to ‘church’ which was nothing more than a big tree across the road with wooden planks set on top of stumps. 20 or so black families came. He fished in the pond south of the house. There was Granddaddy’s dog, who on two occasions kept Chip from getting bitten by a snake.
Chip thinks Charles was buried in Mississippi---‘down there.’
[1]
Abstracts, Vol III, p. 1098, 1114.
[2] Holly
Grove Deed Abstracts.
[3] Abstract
supplement. P. 45
[4] Mrs.
Walter Probst in Woodville Republican, Mar 14, 1975.
[5] Personal
communication, 2012.
[6] Official
register of St. Timothy’s
[7] Personal
communication 2019.
[8]
State-Times, Baton Rough, La., Thurs., May 17, 1962.
[9] Personal
communication at the Norwood’s Women’s Club luncheon at South of the Border,
April 1, 2010, Ann Reiley Jones, 4100 Bob Jones Rd., Clinton, La.
[10] Ann
Newton, personal communication, 2010.
[11] Ann
Newton, personal communication, 1 April 2011.
[12]
Personal communication, at Holly Grove, 2010.
[13]
Dudleydavis006@bellsouth.net
[14]
daughter of Marlbourough Churchill Wyeth and Lucia Ora Horted.
No comments:
Post a Comment