Wordless Wednesday is a daily
prompt at Geneabloggers that asks family historians to create a post in which
the main focus is a photograph or image.
While I have seen several pictures of my great-great
grandfather James Franklin Jollett, I had never seen a picture of his first
wife, my great-great grandmother Lucy Ann Shiflett. Or so I thought.
For years I assumed since she died young that there were none.
But after studying how Teresa Wilson
Rogers of Forgotten Faces and Long Ago Places dates photos, I’m convinced that
I’ve been looking at my ancestor all along.
 |
| 1838 - 1930 |
 |
| 1843 - 1884 |
While the pink sleeves do not match, I think these
tintypes go together. Both are wearing
flowers, so I’m guessing these portraits were done to mark their wedding in
November of 1859. However, in comparing
these with similar pictures in pink sleeves on the Phototree.com website, I am
not as confident since most of those were produced in the 1870s.
©
2014, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.
It's so difficult to know who is who especially if there is no written evidence as to who people are.
ReplyDeleteMy mother started writing the names of people and their relationship to her on lots of her black and white photographs which will be a great help when I get passed the boxes (and boxes and boxes) of family photographs!
Can you do any dating by the fashions of the day?
I identified people on some of my photos, but I have drifted from that habit. I really need to do that though.
DeleteTeresa has popped in and commented about the fashions. Obviously I need to learn more.
Wendy, in looking at these photos, judging by the man's clothing, I believe his photo was probably taken around 1885 or so. The woman is wearing a bustled dress so it would have to be at least in the 1870's.
ReplyDeleteWell boo hiss. She looks so much like daughter Sallie that I thought for sure this had to be Lucy, my 2G grandmother. Two of her sisters married in the 70s so maybe it's one of them. I'm stuck on the idea that this is a wedding picture, but maybe that's not the case either.
Delete1885 was the year James Franklin married his second wife. But does he look 50 in this picture??? I can't tell. This would explain why the pictures don't match though.
Thanks for your help, Teresa.
How interesting, and wonderful that you made that connection. Of course they might not have all followed suit with their fashions. I say this from knowing how some of my relatives often used what they had on hand- (trunks and trunks of old clothes) which in many cases were handed down from other generations! Especially their hats. Gee I wish they were still around. As a little girl I thought that all those lovely items (stored away in my grand- mother's attic) would remain in the family. NOT the case, sadly.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good thought to keep in mind for any future detective work I might try with old photos.
DeleteI wouldn't know the first thing about dating photos. You're quite the detective!
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful that my mom writes dates and names on most of the older pictures. Her mother did this, too. Because of them, when I send family pictures out to relatives, I label them. Sometimes I feel kind of silly doing so; after all, Aunt So-and-So obviously knows who we are, but I try to remind myself that years from now, when that picture ends up in someone's old shoebox somewhere, at least he or she can know the names of the people in the picture.
Well, feel sillier and add your last name too. Among my grandmother's photos are Christmas photos and school pictures of kids with their ages but no last names.
DeleteGreat photos Wendy, even if Teresa may have burst your bubble about who these ancestors are. She really is an amazing resource for dating old photos.
ReplyDeleteI bet you could hear that bubble burst all the way across the country! And yes, she's a terrific resource. I'm so glad she wandered in today.
DeleteBeautiful photos - sorry they are not who you hoped :-(
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteI just love tintype photos! I have a few and of course I do not know who is in the photos. Some have a first name...but because my parents had me so much older and all except for one grandmother was dead...and I only saw her 3 times.
ReplyDeleteI make sure to write on all my photos...and I have made a CD of all my mom's photos and typed in who is in the photos and where the photo was taken.- That was my Christmas present to my sister and nieces.
Happy Wednesday!
That's an excellent gift! I might have to do that myself.
DeleteWendy,
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading your blog and hope all is going well. The pictures, regardless of who they may be, are great...they are my favorite part :)
Olen, Thanks so much for visiting and leaving a comment. Are you doing any more research? I have a few people I need to ask you about. Keep in touch!
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