After that last blog, Milton, Mark and David (three faithful researchers that have been with me since the start of this project) went to work to find Alleyne’s last name.
This morning, I found an email from Mark Hardin, explaining that he’d found Alleyne. Her full name was Alleyne Litell Conn, born in 1886 in Virginia (see full information below). Was she a “canary” at Penniman? (Canary was the name given to women who worked on the shell-loading line, pouring molten TNT into 75mm and 155mm shells. The highly toxic TNT would turn their skin a bright yellow.)
These women sacrificed so much, and yet due to strict censorship laws, published accounts of their life at Penniman were vague and almost polyannish. There will be a day – hopefully – when I discover that one of these “Canaries” at Penniman left behind a written journal of her life at work, that tells what it was like to work at a WW1-era munitions plant.
And Mark explained here, he’s still trying to track down “Freckles.”
Below, you’ll see a few more of Steven Beauter’s wonderful photos. Steven – a sagacious and thorough historian – purchased these postcards and photos several years ago and shared them with me recently.
All vintage images below are courtesy of Steven Beauter. The newspaper clipping (about Alleyne) was found by Mark Hardin at newspapers.com. The death certificate for Alleyne was obtained by Milton Crum at ancestry.com.
Thanks to Steven Beauter for allowing me to use these images below.
To read the prior blog, click here.
Want to learn more about this fascinating “Ghost City”? Click here.
Learn more about the “Canaries”!
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Perhaps one day, we'll know more about the women who worked at Penniman. The workforce was overwhelmingly female. Twenty-four hours a day, women loaded TNT into 75mm and 155mm shells at Penniman. TNT poisoning was a persistent problem, with multitudinous side effects. Some women were rendered sterile by exposure to this toxin.
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The caption within the 100+ year old photo album tells us that this is "Edith" (last name unknown) at Penniman. I am more than a little curious about her watch. I've never seen a wrist watch on a woman in this time period. It almost looks like she's used a leather strap to put a man's watch on her wrist.
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The occasion is "Jean's birthday party" on August 2nd, 1918. These women are sitting by the York River at Penniman, Virginia.
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Hanging out at the beach (York River) was a frequent theme in all of these 100-year-old photos. The water was apparently very shallow for some distance. Those suits are delightful!
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From a postcard (also purchased by Steven Beauter), this is a view of "H Street" in Penniman. This model of house (covered in Ruberoid siding) is known as the "six-room bungalow." Yes, that's its given name!
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All we know is that this is Penniman. There were no captions within the photo album for this fellow.
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If you look behind this gent, you can see a couple posters.
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The poster on the left states "Kan the Kaiser."
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This seems to be an especially appropriate poster for Penniman.
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Thanks to Mark Hardin, we have a full name for Alleyne (Times Dispatch, March 1919).
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This photo, titled "Harvest," shows "Mrs. Haggarty, Jean and Alleyne." We now know that Jean's birthday was August 2nd (see photo at top of blog) and that Alleyne's last name was Conn.
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Alleyne Conn died in 1953.
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What a treasure to find a post card mailed from Penniman! The war had just ended five days prior. When researchers study our times (21st Century), there will be no more postcards.
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And the text is legible.
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Freckle's genealogical records remain elusive.
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To read the prior blog, click here.
Want to learn more about this fascinating “Ghost City”? Click here.
I think that’s Alleyne holding Freckles too.
That’s an interesting post card. It was sent by 18 year old Mencia Shaner to her mother Susan E. Shaner of Natural Bridge.
Harold must have been a friend or relative’s newborn son.
He was five days old when the card was postmarked. He was born November 11, 1918. The day the Armistice was signed.
Alleyne is buried at the Mount Olivet Cemetery, McGaheysville, Rockingham County, Virginia
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37784880/alleyne-l.-conn
There are a number of Conns buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, including a
Josephine “Littrell” Conn and Dr Wm Amos Conn….Parents?
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/51297/memorial-search?firstName=&lastName=Conn&page=1#sr-37784880