Family History

Shown here with her sister Bettie is Mary Boswell Webb. Mary was born on June 10, 1827 in Scott County, Kentucky to parents Mitchum Boswell and Susan Holmes Webb. She married Reuben Flourney Ford in 1843. When they married, her father built them a house in Scott County as a wedding present. The couple had four children together, but three died in childhood. This was not the only tragedy Mary faced though, as her husband died in 1856 at only 37 years old. This meant that by the time she was 30, Mary had lost three children and a husband. Despite this, Mary carried on, running a large farm in Scott County.

This picture was taken in the 1850s, and you can see the distinct difference between the dresses of the two women. Though Bettie, shown on the left, wears an elaborate ballgown, Mary is pictured in a simple, dark dress. This is likely a mourning dress. Grief was a highly organized process during the 19th century, and your clothing was a way to express this to the world without having to say a word. For women, the mourning period for a husband or child could last for years, going through stages of intensity, and the clothing you wore reflected these stages. Mary is probably not one of the early stages, deep mourning, as she does have a light collar and a small brooch and is not wearing a dark veil over her face. Though it is impossible to tell about the brooch Mary is wearing in this photo, mourning jewelry was a large industry, with pieces being made from dark stones such as onyx, and also more personal materials such as hair or tears of the deceased.

Mitchum Webb Offutt born on August 16, 1878 in Stamping Ground, Scott County, Kentucky. He was the grandson of Mary Boswell Webb Ford, and the son of William Nelson and Susan Ford Offutt. Mitchum did not marry and passed away on January 1, 1937 at the age of 58. He is buried in the Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky. 

Reuben Ford Offutt was born on November 21, 1868 in Stamping Ground, Scott County, Kentucky. He was the grandson of Mary Boswell Webb Ford and the son of William Nelson and Susan Ford Offutt. He died at the age of 60 in Georgetown, Kentucky on August 16, 1929 and is buried in Georgetown, Kentucky.