One of the things I love most about blogging is connecting with others who are interested in the people and places I write about. Ten years ago I posted about my Williams great-grandparents' home in Johnson City, Tennessee. The present owners of the house found the post and we exchanged information and photos. It gave me great joy to think the house was in the hands of a family that loved it.
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| 411 W. Maple, c. 1911 |
Last week I got a new email from them, sharing a recent find. With their permission I am posting it here. While working on a shared wall between the kitchen and dining room they found a penciled signature reading "Earl W". The rest of the name was painted over, but there is no doubt my great-uncle Earl Williams (1892-1915) left his name there. According to their research, the house had extensive work done in 1907, about the time my family moved there. Earl would have been 15, old enough to share in the work with his father, older brother, and uncle.
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| Uncle Earl's pencil signature on a door casing, found in 2021. |
I teared up when I saw this, and am most grateful to the lovely caretakers of this old house for recording and sharing it. The house looks better than ever today.
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| The house on Maple Street today. |
