Today snapping a photograph is as easy as using a cell phone to take a multitude of pictures that can be shared around the world in an instant. Quite a contrast to the first photograph in 1826 that took hours to be exposed and most likely had a limited audience. As photography evolved throughout the 19th century, more people sat to have their portraits taken by professional photographers, usually at a studio. Since this was not a frequent event—perhaps even a once in a lifetime occasion—duplicate prints were often made and distributed to family and friends. This is why some distant cousins have the identical portrait of their great-grandparents.
At the turn of the 20th century Kodak created an affordable camera that shortly thereafter became a household item. Although amateur photographers could take photos at their leisure, the quality of the snapshot was unknown until the prints were developed. With the increased convenience, individuals were more likely to have their images immortalized on film, as long as those prints were not damaged or discarded. It is especially fortunate for genealogists, when the descendants of those shutterbugs share the old pictures that have been passed down to them.
When old family photos are discovered it can be like meeting relatives for the first time. Their manner of dress, poses, expressions, and even the background of the old homestead or car, can enhance their life stories. It is fascinating to compare family pictures, especially from the olden days, and observe the traits that have been passed down through the generations. Occasionally, a photo reveals how much a grandchild is the spitting image of an ancestor. Going through these photos can be a wonderful experience, but it can also be frustrating when the subjects in the photographs cannot be identified.
This was the case on my paternal side. After my Aunt Silveretta died in 2006, hundreds of old photographs and negatives were found in her attic. Her oldest sibling, Susie, is thought to have snapped many of the pictures, with the majority of them estimated to be in the date range of 1920-1950s. My grandparents, father and his siblings are often easily identified, even when they are very young. A small number of photos were labeled with who appeared in the picture; some were my grandfather’s relatives whom we have never seen, making these photos a treasure to behold. However, a large portion of them had people whom no one was able to identify. I continually wonder how many of these photos include relatives we have heard about, but to our knowledge, have no image.
My Aunt Susie frequently visited her aunts, uncles and cousins in Lycoming County, Columbia County and in New York around Aurora and the Finger Lakes region; since a few photographs were clearly from her visits, so others could be as well. In some pictures I can identify one or two family members, and I suspect that some of the unidentified are also family. For instance, in some pictures I recognize my grandmother’s sister, Amelia and I suspect those were taken around Columbia County with other relatives posing with her. My grandparent’s houses in Indiana PA can sometimes be identified in the background; but other locations are not known. A few people appear in a several pictures on different occasions, suggesting they have some close connection to the family, but their identity remains a mystery.
I went through and scanned about half of the many pictures that were discovered. I first selected photos that had family members, next the older looking photos, of which some were in rather poor condition, and the rest I picked out on a hunch of whom I suspected might be a relative on the Swank, Reese, Brown, or Allen lines. I’ve asked a few cousins for their assistance, but to date no one has been able to help. If I knew who these people were staring into the camera, I could share the relevant images with family. My hope is that with this blog post, someone, somewhere will recognize a few faces and be able to fill in some of the blanks.
To that end I have created a gallery page of 60 photographs with unidentified people. Click the link at end of this article to visit the photo gallery. Click on a picture to enlarge it, scroll with arrows to the previous or next image, and even add a comment about the picture or its subjects. Instructions also appear on the photo gallery page. As I have mentioned, I have scanned many more photographs, so if you are interested in also viewing these, please contact me. I greatly appreciate whatever help anyone might be able to offer with identifying these nameless people.
Relatively Speaking Blog 