In June 1938, an in-depth article on Penniman appeared in the Richmond Times Dispatch. The article featured a long photo of Penniman’s residential area. And it’s a photo that I’ve never seen before (other than the grainy image in the RT Dispatch).
After doing a little poking around, we found that Augustus Drewery (sometimes spelled “Drewry”) left this mortal coil on April 8, 1977, and his obituary appeared in the Daily Press on April 10, 1977. His obit named only two nephews, one of whom has since died.
Mr. Jones’ surviving nephew, “Dr. John M. Pitman,” is a medical doctor in Williamsburg, and I’ve not heard back from him yet. And it’s been two letters and six months, so I’m starting to lose hope on that front.
The rest of his obit reads,
Augustus Drewery Jones of Williamsburg died Friday in a Williamsburg Community Hospital after a long illness.
A lifelong resident of Williamsburg, Mr. Jones was a graduate of the College of William and Mary. After a long career with the Peninsula Bank and Trust Company, he was appointed state treasurer of Williamsburg-James City County and retired from office in 1959.
He was past chairman of the board of deacons and ruling elder of Williamsburg Presbyterian Church, a member of the Association for the Preservation of Antiquities, the Pulaski Club, Sons of American Revolution, Williamsburg Rotary Club, and a former member of the Williamsburg Rotary Club.
Mr. Jones loved Penniman. In fact, in the early 1920s, he had two of the old Penniman houses moved to a lot on South England Street. He lived in one and apparently rented out the other. When the property was sold, someone built a massive addition between the two houses, making them one great-big Penniman house.
And he owned photo(s) of Penniman – that he shared with the Richmond Times Dispatch – which were taken from an angle that would be very helpful in my research.
I’d be so grateful if anyone could help me find out what happened to those photos.
For the intrepid researchers here, below is a list of where I have already checked for these photos.
1) Valentine Museum
2) York County Museum
3) William and Mary Swem Library
4) Virginia Historical Society
5) Preservation Virginia
6) Colonial Williamsburg ‘s “Rockefeller Library”
7) York County Library
8) Waterman’s Museum ( Yorktown )
9) Virginia Department of Historic Resources
10) Library of Virginia
11) Newport News War Museum
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Here's the original newspaper refrence to Drewry Jones of Williamsburg (RTD, June 2, 1938).
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This is the best reproduction I could glean from a grainy old microfilm image. It shoes the Penniman houses from the York River, whereas all the DuPont images show these houses from the rear (plant side).
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Drewery loved Penniman. He purchased this house (and one behind it) from DuPont's 37th munitions plant on the York River. Drewery lived in this house on South England for many years.
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After Mark Hardin first spotted this house, we traveled out to Williamsburg to see it "in the flesh." It's had some pretty substantial additions added onto it in the intervening 90 years.
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Drewery's house was a DuPont design, The Georgia.
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If you look closely at this photo of Penniman (1918), you can see two of the DuPont "Georgias" in the photo. As one historian said, "Penniman was not erased, it was dispersed." Photo is courtesy Hagley Museum and Library.
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