Glen Echo, located about two miles north of Browntown, tends to get overlooked in many of the historical descriptions of Browntown and the Gooney Valley but in the late 1930s it was a prosperous village community, with its own post-office, a Community Church and school and an economy based on large prosperous farms, owned by businessmen who supported one another, shared knowledge, and exercised considerable influence on the politics and policies of Warren County.
STEPHEN LAWSON’S 8OTH BIRTHDAY PARTY, GLEN ECHO, OCTOBER 10, 1940
GLEN ECHO IN ITS HEYDAY – THE FARMERS AND BUSINESS MEN WHO HELPED TO MAKE GLEN ECHO A VIBRANT & PROSPEROUS COMMUNITY AFTER THE GREAT RECESSION OF THE 1930s
This unique photo brings together many of those key actors, all gathered together for one day to celebrate the 80thbirthday of Stephen Clifton Lawson, one of the most popular and successful farmers in Warren County.
WHO ARE THE PEOPLE IN THE PHOTO?
NOTE: The descriptions below are based on our best available information. The descriptions are written in order, working from left to right across the photo. We would welcome feedback from any reader of this article who can help us add to these descriptions or help us to correct any errors.
EARLIE FRANKLIN LAWSON, SR. (1895-1977)
This is Earle Franklin Lawson Sr. standing on the far left of the photo. He is holding his baby daughter, Shelby Jean Lawson, who was born in January, 1938. Earle was Stephen Lawson’s nephew. He was the son of James Milton Lawson (Stephen Lawson’s brother) and Sarah Margaret Miller Lawson.
Earle is listed in the 1950 census as a carpenter working in industrial construction and seems to have lived in different locations in Warren County during his lifetime. At the time this photo was taken he was living with his second wife, Elizabeth, in their cottage, overlooking the Shenandoah River, where the Front Royal Canoe Company is located today. He ran a business at this location renting Jon boats to people who wanted to go fishing on the river.
WILLIAM RUDACILLE, (1877-1951)
Standing on the immediate right of Earlie Lawson is William “Bill” Rudacille (the guy with the moustache and the grin). William was the father of Stephen Lawson’s son-in-law, Raymond Hodder Rudacille, and Mary “Mollie” Belle Manuel Rudacille. Jeff White, the owner of Glen Manor Vinyards, remembers him as a real jolly, funny guy, who was both outgoing and colorful.
He worked all of his life in Warren County doing different kinds of farmwork. The 1910 census lists his occupation as wagon driver/general home hauling. His obituary in the 10 March, 1951 edition of the Northern Virginia Daily describes him as “A prominent farmer and esteemed citizen of Warren County who had been manager of Gooney Run Orchard Farm, George C. Ramsey, owner, for thirty years.”
William and his family lived in Glen Echo in a house that in 1935 would become the Glen Echo Post Office when his wife, Mollie, was appointed postmaster. This house continued to be a post office until it closed in 1952, shortly after William’s death.
This photo, taken in 1930, shows Mollie and William Rudacille standing next to the house that later became the Glen Echo Post Office.
STEPHEN CLIFTON LAWSON (1860-1949)
Stephen Lawson, the man whose 80th birthday is being celebrated by the people in this photo, is standing on the immediate right of William Rudacille. The photo was taken in front of the farmhouse, located on the farmland that Stephen and his wife, Annie, bought in 1901. They and their family would continue to farm this land until Stephen died in 1949. Stephen and Annie had one child, Ruth Ardelia, who married Raymond Hodder Rudacille. Ruth and Raymond would become the second generation of Lawsons to work and live on this land. They renamed it “Glenway Farm”. Ruth gave birth to two children, a son (Stuart Lawson) and a daughter (Anna Rae). Upon the deaths of Ruth and Raymond, the farm passed to these two children. Anna Rae married Alpheus Lee White, and the portion of the farm that Anna Rae inherited is where Glen Manor Vineyards and winery are now established.
VERNON LEE MANUEL (1904-1974)
Vernon stands just behind Stephen Lawson in this photo and his face is partially hidden by Stephen Lawson’s head. He is the one wearing glasses. Vernon was William Rudacille’s son and Jeff White’s great-uncle. We don’t know very much about Vernon other than that he worked as a clerk and shopkeeper in retail stores in Front Royal for most of his life. He is remembered as having sold cured hams in a shop that later became the Royal Oak Bookshop.
STEPHEN DECATUR BOYD, JR. (1876-1957)
Stephen Boyd stands in front of Vernon Manuel and just to the right of Stephen Lawson in this photo. This is the only known photograph of Stephen D. Boyd. He remained single throughout his life and had no children so there are very few references to him in genealogical family records. Without doubt he would have been well known to his neighbors such as Stephen Lawson since he owned a 400-acre farm nearby at Boyd’s Mill and also served for 8 years on the Warren County Board of Supervisors, and served for several years as county secretary of the Warren County Farmers Union. He was also well known for the parties he gave quite frequently at his farmhouse. A local newspaper in 1909 reported that:
“S. D. Boyd, Jr. gave a turkey dinner to his friends and neighbors on New Year’s Day. Between sixty and seventy persons assembled at old Colonel John Boyd homestead, (Mount Echo) and our superb and admirable young host, young Mr. Boyd and his lovely widowed sister know exactly how to treat and entertain their guests. A smile, a bow here and a pleasant word ….. turkey, oysters, gravies, cranberry sauce, mince pies, creamed potatoes, all kinds of desserts, sweet wines and many other good things too tedious to mention.”
GEORGE LEWIS WALLAHAN (1878 –1967)
George Wallahan stands behind Stephen Boyd, just behind Boyd’s left shoulder. He is fifth man from the right in the photo. He appears to have white or grey hair and is wearing a broad smile. George was another important figure in Warren County since he was for many years one of the principal owners of the Front Royal Livestock Market and an acknowledged expert on all livestock matters. George lived with his family in Front Royal. Later, in 1957, he would buy and then operate for several years the farm in Boyd’s Mill previously owned by Stephen Decatur Boyd. During the summer months he would live on his farm for extended periods of time.
GEORGE CABELL RAMSEY (1882-1958)
George is standing in the front row in the photo and is the fourth man from the right, with his hands clasped together in front of him. Like many of the other men in this photo, George was known as a very good businessman and farmer.
He is probably best remembered today as the original owner of the Ramsey Hardware Store on Main Street in Front Royal (see 1936 advert on left).
He was also the owner for a number of years of the historic River Bend Farmhouse, located several miles south of Front Royal, where he employed William Rudacille to manage the Gooney Run Orchard Farm.
GARTH HAYDEN PAYNE SR. (1915-2001)
Garth is the comparatively young-looking man standing at the back in the photo. He is third from the right. We struggled for quite a while trying to figure out the connection between Garth and Stephen Lawson and eventually discovered that he was the husband of Margarette Virginia Sonner (Stephen Lawson’s niece and Earlie Franklin Lawson’s sister). He was born on 17 April 1915, in Manassas and married Margarette Sonner on 4 February 1934, in Hagerstown, Maryland. At the time this photo was taken Garth was living with his family in Front Royal where he would continue to live and work until he died in March 2001.
BAILEY RUST STICKLEY (1881-1964)
Bailey is the man 2nd from the right in the photo who is smiling broadly at the camera. We believe that he was a family friend/neighbor who worked for or with Stephen Lawton at some time but we have been unable to come up with any information to confirm this. We do know that he was born in Warren County and was the son of Philip Stickley and Henrietta Scroggin Stickley. The 1940 census describes him as living in Front Royal, married to Margaret Thompson Stickley, and as a “proprietor working on his own account”. His death certificate describes him as a farmer.
RAYMOND HODDER RUDACILLE (1902-1995)
Raymond is the man standing on the far right in the photo. He was Stephen Lawson’s son-in-law, married to his daughter, Ruth Ardelia Lawson. After Stephen Lawson died in 1949 Raymond and Ruth become the second generation of Lawsons to work and live on this farm which they renamed “Glenway Farm”. Jeff White, the current owner of Glen Manor Vineyards, is Raymond’s grandson.