Fearless Females Blog Post: March 18 – Shining Star

March 18 — Shining star: Did you have a female ancestor who had a special talent? Artist, singer, actress, athlete, seamstress, or other? Describe.

So many of my ancestors on my maternal side were talented.  I can’t just pick one.

Hannah Cully Brown: (Jazz Pianist, Poet)- My Great Aunt

Nora Ann Cully: (Jazz Singer, Pianist) My Great Aunt

Nora Ann Gilliam-Cully: (Singer and Pianist) My Great Grandmother

Zara Cully Brown: (Actress, pianist and Elocutionist) My Great Aunt

Zara Gale Buggs-Taylor: Singer (Operatic genre)  Could sing in all genre’s.  She sang for Marian Anderson as a youth. My 1st cousin 1x removed

Agnes Mae Cully-Peters: (Fashion Designer, Pianist) My Grandmother

Mary Gale Brown-Buggs (Dancer) My first cousin

Betty Mae Peters Porter (Singer, Dancer, Acting, and model) My mother

They all performed in church and at community events.  Most family members knew how to play the piano as it was a requirement.

 

not so Wordless Wednesday: Zara Gale Buggs Taylor

     This is a photo taken by my mother, Betty M Peters of our cousin Zara Gale Buggs when she was 9 months old in December of 1946.  I am unsure where it was taken but it is possible it was in New York or Florida as my mother did not move to Los Angeles until the 50’s.  My mother was 20 at the time she took this photo.  Betty put the apple in Zara’s hand as a to be a scale to the size of her hand.

     Zara Gale was born to Mary Gale Brown & John Allen Buggs on March 28, 1946.

     Zara Gale was the third generation of females in direct-line to be named Zara (documented).  Her  3G  Grandmother Zara Jones and her Grandmother Zara F Cully Brown  both carried the same given name as it skipped one generation at a time.  Zara Gale’s Grand-daughter was also named Zara.  Zara Gale Buggs Taylor passed away before the creation of Zara Taylor.

It is possible that there were other Zara’s between those generations…but as of yet I have to discover.  There are Sarah’s in-between those generations and it is very possible that they were called Zara as on Zara F Cully Brown’s Birth certificate had Sarah.

My Sweetheart Zara Gale 9 Months Old December 1946

(Naming of ZARA Maternal Line)

Zara Jones Humphrey & Benjamin Ellis-Nelson

Hannah Nelson & Daniel Gilliam

Nora Ann Gilliam & Ambrose E. Cully

Zara Frances Cully & James M Brown

Mary Gale Brown & John Allen Buggs

Zara Gale Buggs & William Roscoe Taylor II

William Roscoe Taylor III & Cherissa Acosta

Zara Taylor

Document Day: Alvaina Canady Cully Taylor

Alvania Canady Cully Taylor Ancestry.com

     Alvania “Canady” Cully Taylor was born on March 1, 1873 to Allen Canady and Silvia Orum.  Alvania married George William Cully (1869-1919) and through their union a son was born, William Allen Cully (1895).

     At the time of Alvania’s death she was married to Charles Taylor.  She died of Valvular Heart Disease on February 27, 1925.   Alvania was buried at the Little Witness Cemetery, Havelock NC.

     Alvania’s first husband George W. Cully was my Great Grand Uncle.  His parents were William Henry Cully and Nancy Harkley, My Great Great Grandparents.

  [side note]

     Alvania’s son William A. and daughter in-law Catharine named their daughter (Alvania Cully b. 1927)

*Alvania’s name was misspelled in death certificate document

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