Jennie Webster, Holley milliner, was creative hat-maker for 50 years
Photo from the Webster family scrapbook – This photograph of Jennie Webster at her millinery store in Holley is filled with fascinating details – the ladies’ clothing, the furnishings, the hats and hat paraphernalia.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminated Orleans” – Volume 6, No. 6
HOLLEY – At one time, hats were an essential component of women’s clothing. A lady would simply not appear in public hatless. Hats were indicative of social status and financial means. Styles ranged from everyday bonnets and berets to large, elaborate confections with flowers and feathers.
While clothing was often homemade, hats were a specialty item and were custom made by milliners. The term “milliner” to denote a person who makes hats, comes from Milan, Italy, noted for its hatmakers in the 16th century. By the nineteenth century, milliners were primarily female. Being a milliner was regarded as a respectable profession which could be sufficiently lucrative to provide an income and financial independence.
Jennie Webster was a milliner in Holley for over fifty years. Born on April 20, 1876, she was a daughter of Martin and Marietta Perry Webster. Her father was a farmer on Hurd Road.
She is listed as a milliner in the 1900 Census. She accepted a position in a millinery store in Canton, Ohio in 1909, presumably to hone her business skills. In Feb. 1912, she purchased Miss Jennie Cole’s millinery business in downtown.
Holley and leased Cole’s parlor on the second floor of the Newton block. She travelled to Buffalo, Cleveland and Detroit in August of that year to attend the fall shows of the millinery houses and purchase goods for her store.
Suitably be-hatted, Jennie loved to travel.
Jennie moved into her new millinery parlor in Sept. 1912. Competition was stiff.
Lena A. Church operated a millinery on White Street, while Ethel A. Wilson was on Geddes Street. At that time, hats were large and elaborate. Trimmings could include ribbons, lace, feathers and flowers. Each hat was unique and tailored to the customers’ wishes. Long hat pins were used to secure them to the ladies’ hair.
Jennie regularly attended millinery shows and fashion promenades in Buffalo and Rochester and was keenly attuned to changing trends. Smaller hats and more subdued designs were preferred in the 1920’s. The 1926 Orleans County Directory indicates that Jennie was the only milliner in Holley. By that time, she had moved her parlor to a building adjoining the family home on Geddes Street. It is interesting to note that the county was still well supplied with hatmakers.
Orleans County Directory, 1926
Hats adorned with veils, feathers and artificial flowers made a comeback after World War II. As the clothing industry became more industrialized, women were less inclined to purchase custom-made hats.
Jennie adapted to these changes by joining her brother’s tailoring business on Main Street where she expanded to selling ladies apparel as well as millinery. Having weathered seismic shifts in her chosen field, she retired in 1955, when the store was closed. It was purchased by Nixon’s Clothing.
Jennie was unmarried and apparently supported herself. She enjoyed a busy, independent life. Her activities and social engagements were frequently mentioned in the Holley Standard newspaper. She died on Monday, Jan 2, 1967, at the age of 91. The Webster family is buried in Hillside Cemetery, Holley.
