Letter from Dorothy to Amy Walker, April 17, 1957, on the Drayton miniatures, the Edward Perry portrait, and the search for a Drayton coat of arms

April 17, 1957

Dear Amy:

Sallie and I were both very much disappointed that we didn’t see you when you were here, but transportation was her problem, and being a wage slave was mine. I don’t get off from work until 6, so I am cut off from a good many pleasures because of that. I hope for better luck next time.

The photograph of the miniature which you have is, I believe, one made at the time of an exhibition of miniatures at the Gibbes Art Gallery here several years ago, as the miniature which was owned by my father and is now owned by Joe, was lent and photographed at that time. It is of my great-great-grandfather Edward Perry who married Ann Drayton (daughter of John and Rebecca Drayton). He died June 2, 1800, aged 26. I am under the impression that either you, or another of Cousin Minnie’s children, have a miniature of his wife. I have a miniature of her sister, Susannah, and one of Susannah’s husband, Tobias Bowles. He was the third Edward Perry of whom we have a record, and I have a silhouette of his son Edward Perry.

The Drayton coat of arms is a little more difficult. My father had a great many family papers, including genealogies of Warings, Perry, Drayton, etc., but I do not know at the moment whether there is a Drayton coat of arms among them. I inquired at the S. C. Historical Society library here, and they found for me a small sketch which had been made by Mr. Mottie Alston Reid [sic — Motte Alston Read, the genealogist], which has the notation “Coat of Arms as Drayton Hall. The crest has been broken off.” I am enclosing a tracing of it, which is not very helpful, since there is no coloring indicated. However, if this was copied by him from something at Drayton Hall, I believe it would be the correct one.

I do not know anything about Mr. Fogarty. He may be an authority, but I just don’t know. He is not listed in the city directory and I don’t know who to ask about him. There have been one or two people here at times who claimed to be experts, but there was some doubt about their claims, and Mr. Fogarty might be all right. I think what he meant by “Drayton — 12 listed” is that there are indeed 12 different coats of arms described under the name Drayton in Burke’s General Armorial. The description which comes nearest to the sketch by Mr. Reid is as follows: “Gu. on a bend ar. 5 trefoils slipped vert.” This means in plain English: On a red shield, a silver bar slanting from left to right on which are five trefoils (3 leafed clovers) green. However, these are only three figures on the “bend” and they would appear to be “annulets,” so that doesn’t fit very well.

In Bolton’s American Armory there is this description: “Arg. a cross eng. gu. Crest: a bird. Motto: Hac Iter Elysium nobis. Engr. Portrait of William Henry Drayton, Drayton Hall, Ashley River, S. C.” This would mean a silver shield with a red cross, scalloped on the edge. So that doesn’t seem to fit.