Daisy Lee Holland, Beauty School Graduate

This past spring, I discovered a certificate my Granny, Daisy Lee Shields, received upon her graduation from the Mid-South Beauty College in Chattanooga, Tennessee. At the time, Granny was married to my Granddaddy, Samuel Jackson Holland, so her name was written as Daisy Lee Holland. The date on the certificate is June 19, 1941. 

We have always known Granny was a beautician. I remember visiting one of her beauty shops as a child so that wasn’t news to me, but the certificate does help with telling her story. I previously blogged the little I know of Granny’s career so won’t go into all that detail here but if interested, you can read about here: Daisy Lee Shields, the beautician. 

When researching Edward Finnus Steward, one of Granny’s many husband’s earlier this year, I discovered a couple of beauty shop ads in the Chattanooga Daily Times that were interesting to me. Because the story was about Edward, not Granny, I set them aside though. This certificate gave me a reason to take a second look at the ads. 

In 1938, Granny and Granddaddy rented a home at 1101-A East 14th Street in Chattanooga. She was listed as Daisy Lee S. Holland and he Saml. J. Holland, a truck driver. My guess is the “S” stood for Shields. By the time the 1941 city directory was printed, they had moved to a rental at 1408 Fagan Street in Chattanooga. Granny was listed twice this time—one with Granddaddy, again listed as Saml. J. Holland, a truck driver working at Smith’s Trans. Corp. Granny was listed a second time by herself, as Mrs. Daisy S. Holland, a student living at 1408 Fagan Street. I remember finding this record some time ago and wondering why she was listed as a student. After all, she had a young daughter at a time when women most likely stayed home keeping house. Thanks to the certificate, now I know she was attending the Mid-South Beauty College, taking the Beauty Culture course! 

My Granny, Daisy Lee Shields

Fast forward to November 25, 1941, and the Chattanooga Daily Times published an ad for a Daisy Holland advertising “Guaranteed Croquignole Waves, $2 to $7.50” for the Modern Midget Beauty Shop located at 1445 Central Avenue. Looking at Google Maps, both Fagan Street and East 14th Street are within walking distance of the Central Avenue address. 

On December 17, 1941, Daisy advertised cream oil waves. 

Another ad ran in the Chattanooga Daily Times on February 25, 1942, this one for an “Easter Special.” It listed Daisy as the manager of the Modern Midget Beauty Shoppe.

Granny filed for divorce in March 1942. Two years later, on February 2 and 6, 1944, ads appeared in the Chattanooga Daily Times for the Park Beauty Salon located on East Main Street, featuring Thelma Ridge Dillard and Daisy Holland Mowery. 

February 2, 1944 advertisement

February 6, 1944 advertisement

East Main Street was just blocks away from the other addresses mentioned earlier. Was this my Granny? She had multiple marriages—Holland, Steward (twice), Casbohm, Saylors, and Vest—but Mowery was never one I had heard of. Mama has told me Granny was out of her life for several years when she was a young girl. Was this a secret marriage Mama didn’t know about or is this a different woman. It’s hard to say without documentation to back anything up but certainly something to add to my list of things to watch for. I did find a record in the Chattanooga Daily Times of a Joe Mowery filing for divorce from Daisy H. Mowery in October 1945, but again, is this my Granny or another woman?

 Sometime between late 1947 and 1948, Granny married Edward Steward. On April 13, 1952, an ad “Introducing Daisy Holland Steward, formerly of Daisy’s Beauty Salon” ran in the Chattanooga Daily Times. 

The ads ended during this timeframe, as did Granny’s marriage to Edward in April 1953. Except for the ad referring to Daisy Holland Mowery, I’m fairly certain most of the ads are referring to my Granny. What do you think?

References

• Beauty Aids, Chattanooga Daily Times, Chattanooga, Tennessee, February 25, 1942.
• Chattanooga, Tennessee, City Directory, 1938, 1941.
• Cream Oil Waves, Chattanooga Daily Times, Chattanooga, Tennessee, December 17, 1941.
• Divorce Suits Filed, Chattanooga Daily Times, Chattanooga, Tennessee, February 20, 1947 and November 30, 1947.
• Divorce Suits Filed, Chattanooga Daily Times, March 20, 1942.
• Divorces Granted, Chattanooga Daily Times, Chattanooga, Tennessee, April 26, 1953.
• Guaranteed Croquignole Waves, Chattanooga Daily Times, Chattanooga, Tennessee, November 25, 1941.
• Introducing Daisy Holland Steward advertisement, Chattanooga Daily Times, Chattanooga, Tennessee, April 13, 1952.
• Park Beauty Salon, Chattanooga Daily Times, February 2, 1944.
• U.S. Federal Census, Blackstock, Catoosa County, Georgia, 1950.