During Pewee Valley’s Annie Fellows Johnston era, Tuliphurst was
owned by Woodford H. Dulaney, a wealthy Louisville businessman
and “prominent capitalist” who purchased it from Noble Butler as
a summer residence.
At this point, we do not know if any
members of the Dulaney family served as models for characters in
the Little Colonel stories; however, in her memoirs, “Sunshine
and Shadow,” the Reverend Peyton Hoge’s
http://www.littlecolonel.com/Places/PeweeValley/Bernersyde.htm
daughter, Cary Hoge Mead, implies that Annie Fellows Johnston
included them in her books:
…I had been given a copy of
"The Giant Scissors" and one or two other books of hers two or
three years before we moved from Louisville, and as soon as we
moved to Pewee Valley, I began hearing about, and reading,
"The Little Colonel Books." These were about all the people
who lived there -- the Lawtons, Miss Fanny, the Dulaneys, the
Matthews with Hattie Cochran, the center of them all as "The
Little Colonel"…
Woodford H. Dulaney’s obituary, published December 20, 1902
in the “Courier-Journal” tells us much about the Dulaney family:
Woodford
Hector Dulaney, for many years one of Louisville’s foremost
capitalists, besides being president of the Kentucky
Commission for the World’s Columbian Exposition held at
Chicago in 1893, died yesterday (December 19, 1902) at 1:30
o’clock at his residence, 720 West Broadway. The illness to
which he finally succumbed dates back to a year ago this
month, when he contracted a severe case of grip, which was
prevalent at that time. Though at intervals he managed to
regain something of his former strength, he was frequently ill
and months ago the members of his family and his friends
realized that the end could not be far away. The immediate
cause of Mr. Dulaney’s death was inflammation of the bladder,
which developed about ten days ago. Mr. Dulaney was perfectly
conscious and able to converse with those about him until
shortly before the end. He sank as peacefully as if falling to
sleep and died to all appearances without suffering. With him
were two of his daughters, Mrs. Albert S. Willis and Miss May
Dulaney, and his son, W. Hector Dulaney. His third daughter,
Mrs. Judson Clements, of Rome, Ga., was unable to be here on
account of having an ill child.
Only Recently Retired
Mr. Dulaney was eighty-one
years of age, and of course the infirmities of old age told
heavily upon him when his health was broken by the first
attack a year ago. He bore up under his failing health with
great patience and almost to the last took a keen interest and
an active hand in the conduct of his affairs. It was not two
years ago when he severed his last connection with active
business life. This was his resignation from the directorate
of the National Bank of Kentucky, in which he had held a place
continuously for upward of twenty-five years. Until his
illness a year ago Mr. Dulaney had known but little ill health
throughout the whole course of his life. The members of his
family say that they cannot remember when he was ill before.
Always a temperate man, he build up a constitution of iron.
After rallying from the worst
of his last winter’s attack of the grip, he went to Palm Beach
in the hope of regaining his strength. The change, however,
did not appear to be of any special benefit to him, and he
continued to slowly lose his remaining strength. After
remaining at Palm Beach until shortly after March 1, he
returned home. A severe attack of rheumatism in the lower
limbs which he first sustained while in Florida continued to
develop after his arrival here. The return trip told heavily
upon him, and it was all he could do to get home. From that
time he was confined to his home steadily, with the exception
of a few short intervals, until about July 1. He and his
family then removed to their summer home in Pewee Valley, and
during August and September he began to show slight signs of
improvement. With the return of winter, he began to be
troubled once more with rheumatic attacks, and complications
followed. On account of his illness the family did not move
from the city from their country home until December 4. Since
then, Mr. Dulaney grew steadily worse until death finally came
to his relief.
Prominent
Business Man
Mr. Dulaney has been closely
identified with the city’s business interests, both financial
and mercantile for fully half a century. He made his first
fortune in the dry goods business before the war, and had
always held large interest in two or three of the city’s most
prominent banking institutions and bought a great deal of real
estate, much of which he improved and sold at a profit. At the
time of his death he was one of Louisville’s heaviest owners
of land and houses. His rent roll was probably one of the
largest in the city. He was a promoter and official of one
railroad. Besides these greater affairs he always had in hand
a number of smaller interests, and always gave every item of
his business that minute attention which marks the man with a
genius for business.
A Strong Democrat
Though possessing an unusually
wide circle of acquaintances he belonged to no club or
fraternity. Quiet and unassuming, he always made his own
fireside his club, though from the first was popular with all
classes of men in business. He took an active interest in both
city and national politics, being a strong Democrat. He was
especially interested in municipal affairs, and with his true
business instincts possessed many excellent ideas upon the
administration of civic affairs. Only once was he a candidate
for municipal office. It was when he was elected to the Board
of Aldermen a number of years ago.
Work
for Columbian Exposition
Mr. Dulaney probably attained
his greatest prominence in the world of affairs by his
administration of the Kentucky Commission to the World’s
Columbian Exposition. This board was appointed by former
Governor Brown in 1892, and Mr Dulaney was selected by his
associates as its chief officer. Associated with him on the
board were Commissioner of Internal Revenue John W. Yerkes,
former Congressman Clardy and Judge J.D. Black.
Notwithstanding many errors and delays of legislation,
Kentucky’s showing at the exposition was pronounced by all as
an unqualified success. This success was largely due to Mr.
Dulaney’s untiring work and his extraordinary ability to
conduct such an enterprise. On account of certain litigation,
the cause for which originated during the progress of the
exposition, the commission was long delayed making its final
report to the Governor. This report was presented about a year
ago and in a straightforward manner set forth the great work
that had been accomplished. It also turned over to the State
about $25,000 of the appropriation which the Legislature had
allowed it with which to carry on work. So well had the
affairs been conducted that Mr. Dulaney had been able to save
$25,000 of the State’s money and return it to the treasury.
This matter was commented upon by the press of the country,
and upon Mr. Dulaney was conferred all the praise his work so
well merited.
Surviving
Relatives
Mr. Dulaney leave four children
and a brother and sister, both older than himself. His wife
died several years ago. His living children are Mrs. Albert S.
Willis, the widow of the late Hon. Albert S. Willis, former
member of Congress and Minister to Hawaii; Mrs. Judson
Clements, wife of former Congressman Clements, of Georgia and
now a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission; W. Hector
Dulaney of this city; and Miss May Dulaney. His brother,
Robert L. Dulaney, makes his home at Marshall, Ill. His sister
is Miss Lizzie Dulaney, of this city. In all Mr. Dulaney had
ten children, six of whom are dead. They were Margaret
Josephine, who died in 1879; Robert L., who died in 1899;
Benjamin Cawthon, who died in 1899; and Charles Cawthon,
Maggie Woodford and Mary Maud, who died in infancy Mr. Dulaney
leaves six grandchildren. Albert Willis, Jr., now at Yale
University; Henrietta Dulaney, daughter of W. Hector Dulaney;
Woodford H. Dulaney, son of the late Robert Dulaney, and
Clementine Elizabeth, Margaret Dulaney and Mark Park Clements,
daughter of Mrs. Judson Clements. Aside from those now living,
Mr. Dulaney had another sister and a brother. They were Mary
E., wife of Dr. J.W. Martin, of Brookhaven, Miss., who died in
1880, and Charles F. Dulaney, who died more than thirty years
ago in California.
Virginian
By Birth
Mr. Dulaney was a Virginian by
birth, being born in Loudoun country, which is in the northern
part of that state. His parents were Zachariah and Mary
Eleanor Braden Dulaney, who came form families which had long
made their homes in the tide-water district of Virginia. They
were of Irish descent, their ancestors having come over to
Virginia in 1700 at the period of political agitation which
resulted in the immigration to America of a large number of
the best citizens of Ireland. They settled first at
Alexandria, near Washington, which was then the principal
seaport of the State. Mr. Dulaney received his early education
at the country schools in Loudoun County and commenced his
commercial career at the age of fourteen as a clerk at a dry
goods and grocery store in the village of Waterford, Va. He
soon attracted attention to himself by his ability and secured
not long afterward a better position in Leesburg, the county
city of Loudoun county. Later he went to Washington, D.C.,
continuing in commercial pursuits.
Came
To Louisville At Early Age
In the nineteenth year of his
age he came to Louisville and landed here in 1840 without a
friend and with no capital. Through letters he had with him he
succeeded in obtaining a clerkship in the dry goods house of
Sewell & Company, and shortly afterward won a still better
position in the house of J.L. Raphael, known as “Maison d’Or.”
It was then regarded as one of the largest and best
establishments of its kind in the city. At that time the store
was located on Main Street, between Fourth and Fifth. After
few years in this firm, Mr. Raphael sold out his interests to
Mr. Dulaney and two other clerks in his employ named Mark and
Downs. These three conducted the business for a number of
years under the firm name of Mark, Dulaney & Downs. In 1851
Mr. Dulaney married Miss Margaret Cawthon. For recreation from
his close application to business he took a trip to Europe,
remaining abroad for about eighteen months. He was accompanied
by his wife and daughter. He returned to the city in about
1859 and continued to address himself to his large private
interests. One of his principal enterprises was his management
of the estate of Benjamin Cawthon, his father-in-law, who had
died a few years before, naming him as executor of his will.
Mr. Cawthon was one of Louisville’s wealthiest citizens,
leaving large and varied interests, which required a number of
years to be properly settled.
Held Prominent Positions
In spite of the heavy demand
made upon his time by his many private affairs he was called
upon by his fellow citizens to take an active part in the city
government. However, he would only consent to run for the
General Council, and he represented that body in 1861 and
again in 1866 and 1867. During the progress of the Civil War
he was always regarded as a Southern sympathizer, though he
never took any active part in aiding the Confederacy and lived
without bitterness or friction with the Union sympathizers of
the city. Mr. Dulaney was a member of the first directorate of
the Elizabethtown and Paducah railroad, later a part of the
old Chesapeake and Ohio Southwestern and now owned by the
Illinois Central. In 1870, he became president of the road and
in 1874 he was elected president of the Cumberland and Ohio
Railway Company. Upward of twenty years ago he became one of
the board of managers of the Cave Hill Cemetery and held this
position at the time of his death. For a short period of time
he was president of the Bank of Commerce.
Many of Mr. Dulaney’s old
business associates are dead. Among those closest to him
during his long career were the late Thomas Barret, president
of the Bank of Kentucky, in which Mr. Dulaney was a director
for several years; the late S.S. Mark, who was his partner in
the dry goods business before the war; G.F. Downs, also of
that firm; John T. Moore, formerly of this city but now making
his home in Chicago; George W. Morris and a number of others.
His brother-in-law, Benjamin Cawthon, who died in 1899, was
always closely associated with Mr. Dulaney, both in business
and socially.
Mr. Dulaney has made his home
at the present family residence, 720 West Broadway, since
1872. Prior to that time for a number of years he occupied a
smaller residence in the same block on Broadway. Before that
he lived on Chestnut Street.
Mr. Dulaney has always been
regarded as one of the wealthiest of Louisville men for many
years. He leaves an estate, the value of which is estimated at
being considerably in excess of $1,000,000. Most of this
property is in houses and lots. He owned about 160 acres of
land near the end of Sixteenth street, besides many houses,
both residences and business blocks.
Member of St. Paul’s Church
Since shortly after his location in Louisville, Mr. Dulaney
was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. He was for many
years a regular attendant when the church was located at Sixth
and Walnut streets, and continued his active membership after
the removal of the church to Fourth Avenue and Victoria Place.
He was a liberal giver to charity.
Two of Woodford H. Dulaney’s children married and moved away,
although Mrs. Albert S. Willis, the widow of the late Hon.
Albert S. Willis, former Congressman and Minister to Hawaii,
returned to Louisville at some point. Two others, Miss May
Dulaney and W. Hector Dulaney, remained in Louisville. Miss May
Dulaney never married. She died on July 10, 1942:
Miss May Dulaney, 76, died at
2:50 a.m. Thursday at her home in The Puritan. She had been
ill two years. She was born in the residence built by her
father, the late W.H. Dulaney, Sr., at 8th & Broadway, now the
Weisworth Hotel. She had been active in St. James Episcopal
Church
http://www.littlecolonel.com/Places/Churches/Episcopal.htm
for many years. Survivors are her sisters, Mrs. Albert S.
Willis and Mrs. Judson C. Clements, Washington; nephews
Woodford H. Dulaney and Albert S. Willis, and nieces Miss
Claudine Clements, Miss Margaret Clements and Miss Mary Park
Clements, all of Washington, and Mrs. Allen Harvey. ..Burial
in Cave Hill Cemetery.
W.
Hector Dulaney died in 1903.
Pewee Valley Town Historian Gin Chadouin recalls that both
May Dulaney and her sister, Mrs. Willis, were living in
Tuliphurst during her childhood.
Another child, Robert Lee Dulaney, married a Pewee Valley
girl, Anna B. McAfee, who lived in a log
cabin off of what is now Forest Road.
Given the fact that the first Woodford H. Dulaney served on
the board of managers for
Cave Hill Cemetery
it is not surprising that most of the family is buried there, in
Section P, Lot E. Woodford H. Dulaney’s will included the
following provision:
I devise to Cave Hill
Investment company one thousand dollars ($1,000) the interest
on which shall be used for the perpetual care of my lot in
Cave Hill Cemetery.
Tuliphurst, early
photo by Kate Matthews
Tuliphurst, 1936
< The Noble Butler
Years 1854-1864
page by Donna Russell
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