When a parent died someone was appointed guardian of the children. This would usually be a male relative if the widow was not independant. In this case Howard Weeden's mother became her legal guardian.
  Maria Howard Weeden, was the daughter of Jane Eliza Brooks Urquhart and Dr. William Donaldson Weeden. She was born in a house (now the Weeden House Museum) at the corner of Gates and Green Streets in Huntsville, Alabama. An artist and a poet, Howard Weeden received instruction in art from William Frye, a prominent portrait painter who was widely recognized in the South.
  Ms. Weeden's love of flowers was reflected in her collection of paintings of 208 varieties of wildflowers. In her Book of Roses, she illustrated the many varieties in her mother's garden.
  Her skills with brush and pen were exhibited through hand-painted cards for special occasions, elaborate booklets for weddings, dinner cards, favors for parties, and illustrations for her books of poems and songs. She published four books: Shadows on the Wall (1898), Bandanna Ballads (1899), Songs of the Old South (1901), and Old Voices (1904). Her portraits of the Negro at the turn of the century are today being shown in traveling museum exhibitions.

  This guardian's voucher proves that southern landscape and portrait artist William Frye gave Howard Weeden painting lessons. He is remembered for his portrait of Henry Clay which hangs in Kentucky's Capitol building.

  This is Howard Weeden's accounts for a trip she made to Washington City (D. C.). Note the several different modes of transportation.