Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-07-07
OUR SOCIAL WORLD


(All items of social interest will be gladly
noted in these columns If sent to Mrs.
George c. Ball, Nineteenth street, between
Tenth and Eleventh avenues, South High
lands. Telephone 1881
Miss Elizabeth Jane Gardner the tai
ented American woman who has just
married the celebrated French artist.
Bonguereau, an account of which l pub
llshed a few days ago. has lived abroad
for years, and though it was stated at
the time that she was still youthful, this
is a blunder, as she was born in 1912. She
was resident for many years of Worces-
ter. Mass, and was the junior member
of a firm of artists, the senior being Miss
M. Imogene Robinson. These two women
established a school OF design at Worces-
ter, but 1t proved an unsuccessful VEN
ture. After a short time Miss Gardner
went to Europe, where she has resided
ever since. She is described as having
been quite pretty in her youth, with at
tractiVe manners, but she was not con-
sidered especially gifted as an artist at
that period. Some of her paintings are
said to have excited the amusement of
the cultivated people among whom sne
lived She evidently improved the ex-
ceptional advantages which came TO her
after knowing Bonguereau, who was not
only her teacher, but friend as well. Miss
Gardner and the first wife of Bonguereau
were intimate friends, and after her
death Miss Gardner took entire charge
of Mile. Bongureau, had her TO i've
with her for years. Bonguereau has only
two children, the daughter referred to
and a son, who is in the French army.
4s5fpAr
The Philadelphia Press recently pub
lished long account of the Il. L. wilson
family of New York. This has been
copied by some of the prominent south
ern papers because of the concern felt
in the Wilson's (who are southerners) just
now by society at large, owing to the
matrimonial and rheumatic tendencies or
young Cornelius Vanderbilt. The fol-
lowing extracts from the Philadelphia
Press article will be of interest, as Mr..
and Mrs. R. T. Wilson have friends in
Alabama:
"Outside of a circumscribed sphere the
Wilson's, husband and wife, are compare
lively unknown. In the newspaper re-
ports of society functions they are spoken
of as the father and mother OF Mr.. ana
Mrs. Orme Wilson, or as the parents or
Mrs. Ogden Goelet, or as Mrs. M1chaei
Herbert's father and mother. Unless the
unforeseen happens, they Will also De
known as the parents of Mr.. and MRS.
Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr.
means it must be known that their chill
dren have married into four of the
Wealthiest Families the world over, yet,
forty years ago the father was clerk IN
a country grocery store in the obscure
town of Madison, Ga. This shows the
possibility of the American citizen and
the towering heights, both financially and
socially, which the most lowly can reach.
"Thus the Wilson's are connected with
the Vanderbilts, the Astors. the Goelets,
the three most influential families In New
York. What is of great interest to the
people of the swell set is a rumor to the
effect that the only unmarried child OF
the wilson's, Richard T. Wilson, Jr, Is
to marry Miss Gerry, daughter or
Elbridge T. Gerry. Commodore Gerry's
mother was a Miss Goelet and by mar
riage the Gerrys are already related to
the Wilson's. Young Dick Wilson, as he
Is called, Is mainly famous for his ability
to lead cotillions. He Is of medium height,
very slender and typical dude IN ap-
pearance. He speaks with fashionable
drawl, and is the exact opposite of his
father as far as externals go.
"Many people from the south who re-
member the Wilson's in ante-bellum times
wonder how they managed to accomplish
so much in New York. 1t can easily De
told in few words. Richard I. Wilson
was born in Tennessee, and when ne got
old enough to shift for himself he went
to Georgia. From a clerk he soon be-
came the owner of country store. He
supplied the planters with provender for
their slaves and received in exchange
portions of their crops. He was tre-
mendously shrewd young man, and to
this day stories can be heard in the mid
die Georgia district of the wonderfully
sharp bargains made by Dick Wilson
HE was a handsome man, perfect
giant in build, standing feet inches.
and with a breadth of shoulder that was
astonishing. Today he is one of the
handsomest men in New York He has
thick snow-white hair a full white
beard and his colossal frame shoulders
his 10 years with ease. He met and mar
ried Miss johnson of Macon, Ga.
when the war broke out the Confed-
crate states appointed him as one OF Its
agents to handle it's cotton abroad. He
and his work in behalf of the south dur
ing the war gave great satisfaction.
He was thrown into contact during his
stay abroad with many great English
merchants, and when the war ended he
had established connections which were
of great value to him in the future. He
came to New York, and with what capt.
tai he had and'with capital intrusted to
him from abroad began the work OF re-
constructing the southern railroads. He
also dealt in cotton and opened BANK
ing firm, of which he is still the head.
new 1OTk SOCiSty thOoC ooS WesS
not conducted on the organized system
which now prevails. From the first he
paid as much attention to his social ad-
vancement as to his business interests.
In a comparatively short time he be-
came one of the substantial powers OF
Wall street. and 1t became necessary to
a great many people to know Richard I.
Wilson. He controlled the American in
yestment of number of wealthy En-
glish people, and railroad corporations
found him to be a good man to cultivate.
Three years ago he stood ready with
500, 900, 900 behind him to build the I'M
foreground rapid transit system for the
city If he could obtain the kind Of char
ter he was after.
''Mr. Wilson's town house, No. 511
Fifth avenue, was built by Boss Tweed
thirty years ago, and its interior decora-
lions are marvels of artistic loneliness"
The death Sunday morning at 1880
o'clock at the home of Capt. and Mrs.
w. H. Graves of Mrs. Sallie Whiting
Rhea was a sad and crushing blow, not
only to her Immediate family, but to
very many devoted friends who had
or GA ri