Anna Chloe Mortimer

My Great-Great-Aunt Annie I only knew from stories told by my Grandmother and Great-Aunt, but she was always described to me as "strong-minded" - an independent woman who was one of the first in her community to drive a car. My Great-Aunt Carol fondly recalled her driving her Stanley Steamer, "sitting erect at the tiller." (The Stanley Steamer had no steering wheel.) My Grandmother and her two siblings spent at least one summer around WWI with their Aunt Annie Mortimer. She decided to teach them quilting, which went over fairly well with my Grandmother and her sister, but not as well with my Uncle Loren Hawks..His sisters completed their quilts, and Carol's is now in my possession. Alas, I'm not sure what became of Uncle's quilt, but when Auntie showed it to me in the late 20th century, it was still only partially completed.

Annie died when I was three, and I grew up with the large secretary/bookcase we inherited from her. We no longer have it, but I still retain the small key which locked the desk part and drawers below. It's my only contact with what sounds like an unforgettable woman. Paul Eric Street, Great-Great Nephew

The photo above depicts Annie's sister Mary, brother Charlie, and Annie herself on the right.