Brinson baby high chair.
Posted on by Gail

Brinson Baby High Chair

HENRY HECTOR BRINSON MADE THIS HIGH CHAIR FOR HIS FIRST BABY.

The baby’s name was Hazel Alva Brinson, and she was born on December 30, 1902.

Henry Hector Brinson, known as “H.H.” or “Hec”, was married to Edna Eudora Terrell, and they had six more children after Hazel. All seven of their children, all fourteen of their grandchildren, and many of their great-grandchildren sat in the high chair that H.H. made for his baby girl Hazel.

Before they were married, Edna told her father, Dr. Jasper DeKalb Terrell, that Hector Brinson was her favorite suitor, and that she loved his sense of humor.

The chair he made is fashioned of wood, with a cowhide seat attached using narrow strips of rawhide. At some point, the cowhide began to split in a couple of places, and Edna covered the seat and back with a heavy, fine quality purple paisley fabric. She placed newspaper for padding between the layers of purple fabric.

The chair was climbed on so many times by so many children for three generations that the front rungs are worn by all their little feet.

Brinson baby high chair photos

Brinson baby high chair
The high chair that H.H. Brinson made for his baby girl Hazel in 1903.
Brinson baby high chair.
In this photo, you can see a piece of cowhide wrapped around the front support, attaching the cowhide to the chair frame on that corner.
Brinson baby high chair.
Even though you can see a gap in the attachment of the arm, the chair is still, 120 years later, very sturdy.
Brinson baby high chair.
Look at the turned wood arms!
Brinson baby high chair
See the cowhide seat and how it is fastened on using narrow strips of rawhide. There is a strip of heavy coarse fabric nailed onto the back edge using tacks with very large heads. I can’t tell what, exactly, that is for. You can also see the strip of fabric holding the purple paisley seat pad in place.
Brinson baby high chair.
Here’s a better view of the underside of the cowhide seat. You can see where it split in a couple of places, and the purple paisley showing through the splits, and a fragment of the newspaper used for padding. The print on the newspaper is part of an ad, where something was “$4.98 each”.
Brinson baby high chair
These front rungs are worn almost flat by so many little feet climbing up into the chair!
Brinson baby high chair
Back of baby high chair made by H.H. Brinson. In this photo, you can see the wear on those front rungs.
Brinson baby high chair.
The total height of the chair is 33 inches to the top of the turned finial. The height of the seat is 20 inches.

I hope you enjoyed learning about and looking at photos of this Brinson heirloom!

If you want high resolution copies of these photos, let me know and I’ll be glad to email them to you.

Children of Hector and Edna:

  • Hazel Alva Brinson (born December 30, 1902 / died November 1990 )
  • Alton Clarence Brinson (born 1904 / died 1984)
  • Jasper Terrell Brinson (born 1906 / died 1990)
  • Earl Needham Brinson (born 1909 / died 1979)
  • Sarah Louise Brinson (born 1912 / died 2001)
  • Henry Orville Brinson (born June 2, 1913 / died January 2, 1968)
  • Ralph Cranford Brinson (born May 12, 1922 / died September 15, 1998)

Henry Hector Brinson information from Find-A-Grave:

Birth: 28 Mar 1877 Covington County, Mississippi, USA
Death: 26 Feb 1938 (aged 60) Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi, USA
Burial: Mount Zion Methodist Cemetery Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi

Henry Hector Brinson and Edna Terrell Brinson's gravestone

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *