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Description
Frances Miller Bray followed her husband, John Grandin Bray, to California during the westward expansion of the mid-19th century. John came by way of the Overland Trail in 1849; Frances with their young son, Francis, came around the Horn. They first settled in Sacramento but soon moved to Santa Clara, where they purchased 80 acres at the corner of El Camino Real and Scott Lane. They called their home "Roseland." Here the Brays raised a family of eleven children. Bray centered her community activities around her church. She was a founding member of the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Clara. She also supported the Mission School in Chaparito, New Mexico, with her own personal funds. Bray is pictured in a dress of dark-colored satin, with a full skirt and sleeves that extend from a dropped shoulder line. Covered buttons accent the shoulder line and wrist. A small white lace collar and white cuffs add interest. Her hairstyle, typical of the period, is worn pulled back over her ears to a knot at the back. (Description taken from "Pioneer Women of Santa Clara County: Selections from The Permanent Collection," by Helen Kuesel and Milita Rios-Samaniego, San Jose Historical Museum, 1991)
Type
image
Format
Black & White|Enhanced
Identifier
D8A55125-E9A9-4AC8-960E-374118378134 74-11007
Subject
Women Portrait photographs Pioneers--California (LCSH) Nineteenth century (LCSH) Bray family Bray, Frances Louisa Miller
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