By today’s standards, this group of happy young couples seems rather proper and sedate. However, in the latter part of the nineteenth century such clubs where young, unmarried men and women would gather for socializing were thought by many to be indiscreet, if not downright improper. The image captures the warm and playful spirit of the Sausalito Flirtation Group. Notice the older chaperone to the right, Mrs. Q.T. Marian, keeping a close eye on her charges and the slightly older couple in the rear, the Rev. Frederick Reed and his lovely fiancé, Ellie Reed, who sponsored the group. Other members in the group are May Merry, Blanche Merry, Etta Barrett, Sallie Maynard, Robert Maynard, Charles Barrett, Kate Stone and Claude Hamilton. The photograph has a rare, whimsical spontaneity for the era that obviously reflects the spirit of the group.
Frederick and Ellie were leading citizens in the early days of Sausalito and southern Marin, mostly through their efforts to bring the Episcopal faith to Marin County. In 1882, Reverend Reed became the first rector of the Sausalito Anglican parish and was instrumental in the planning and building of Christ Episcopal Church that still stands today on the hillside overlooking Sausalito harbor and the Bay. Three years later, Frederick married Ellie Avery, the daughter of Francis Avery, a fellow parishioner and Secretary of the Sausalito Land & Ferry Company. During this time, Reverend Reed also performed monthly Episcopal services in family homes for the growing community of Tiburon until the formation of St. Stephen's parish. The couple also traveled north by buggy to establish the first Sunday school class for the children of Mill Valley. It was their shared vision to create an Episcopal parish there, but Reverend Reed would not live long enough to realize that dream. On a return trip from Europe in 1890, Reed died of tuberculosis in New York City, having suffered symptoms for the previous two years.
Ellie continued teaching the Sunday school class in Mill Valley and arranged for services to be performed in the “redwood-encircled spot” where the present Church of Our Savior is located. In 1892, Ellie married attorney and Sausalito developer Henry C. Campbell a partner in the influential Tamalpais Land & Water Company. As a memorial to her late husband, Frederick Reed, Ellie was instrumental in providing all the funding for the construction of Mill Valley’s Church of Our Savior on land donated by Campbell’s firm. This image not only documents Frederick and Ellie’s leadership in the religious communities of southern Marin but also their warmth and affection for each other and the young men and women of their parish.
(Originally appeared as History Watch article in the Marin Independent Journal)
Photo ID no. 1999.4021