Recognize This House?

This photograph of a house was found among numerous Talbott family related photographs.  I do not know who lived in the house or what its significance is in our family history.

I  am hoping one of you might recognize it.  I suspect the house is located in Pittsylvania County or Halifax County, VA.  It may have significance to the Talbott, Richardson or Elliott families in these areas.

Or not.

I am open to suggestions or thoughts you might have.

Ancestors or Friends?

This is another unidentified photograph from my collection. This photograph was among my great grandmother Esther Lee (Richardson) Talbott's things and likely was taken in the early 1900's in the Pittsylvania County or Halifax County, Va area. (Don't you just love the women's dresses!) The woman on the left has been identified in other photographs as "Nannie".  The only problem is that I have another Nannie in my database.

Is this Nannie Lee Farson, best friend of Esther Lee's or Nannie Womack who becomes the sister-in-law of Esther Lee?  Who are the other two people? The eyes of the young man look so familiar. Could he be one of my Richardson family members?

As you can see, I need your help in identifying these individuals.

Wordless Wednesday - Cute Baby

This is one of my unknown photographs that I believe the cousins can help me identify.  I think I know who the child is, but I am not quite sure.  I also do not want to say quite yet, so I do not bias anyone with the answer.  The writing on the back of the photograph says: This was made at the age of one year and 18 days.  Nov 19, 1909  Further down written in pen (yikes!) and in a different handwriting: Not any of Silas and Winnie children.   That tells me this is a Haley child and not one of my grandmother's siblings.

Any one know the identity of this child?

Oops!  Again, I cannot seem to be "wordless" on Wordless Wednesdays.

Could These Be Photographs of Your Ancestors?

Like many genealogists and family historian, I have photographs of people I cannot identified.  When I first came into possession of them, I just assumed the photographs were of my ancestors. People in the family.

I may have made a wrong assumption.

Many of my unidentified photographs were among my great grandmother Eshter L Richardson's things. (I've written about Esther frequently here on my blog.)  As I have gotten to know her through her saved letters and postcards, I learned that she was very social and had a lot of friends with whom she kept in touch.  This was the early 1900's when photographs were becoming more popular and easy to share.

I had a lot of her correspondence with her friends (and beaus), why not photographs?  Below are some of those photographs I still cannot identify.  I believe the individuals to have been from Pittsylvania County, Halifax County or Mecklenburg County areas of south central Virginia.

Possible surnames might include: Farson, Clark, Satterfield, Meadows, or Roberts.  Some Elliotts might be there as well.

Take a look.  If you see anyone you might recognize, leave me a comment.  If you know anyone researching these surnames or this area of Virginia, forward them my link.  I am going to need help identifying these individuals.

Wordless Wednesday

Another unidentified individual from Halifax/Pittsylvania County, VA. He is probably a Richardson or Elliott relation.

Who Is She.....More Clues

I still don't know who she is, but I know more than I did when I first posted. (http://areyoumycousin-lisa.blogspot.com/2009/12/who-is-she.html)

What I've learned since the last post:

*I was able to find the photographer WGR Frayser (both Jr and Sr) in the Danville, VA directories. This photography studio was only in Danville, VA from 1888-1891. That narrowed down the age of the photo quite nicely.

*The woman's hairstyle should also have been a clue to her age. She is wearing bangs which apparently did not come into fashion until the 1880's.

*The card thickness was also another clue. I learned that the 1mm thickness placed this CDV in the 1880-1890's.

Today as I was studying this particular CDV, I decided to take another look at my collection of family photos and see if I had any other CDV's or cabinet cards by the same photographer. I found not one, but two! One of a young man and one of a young child:

Maybe a family group?

Stay tuned.....

Who Is She?

For Christmas I received Maureen Taylor's Uncovering your Ancestry Through Family Photographs. I've been reading and studying it in hopes of learning the techniques I need to identify my own "unknown" photographs.

The woman above is one of those unknowns in my collection. When I first looked at her photograph, I had no clue as to her identity. But after working through Maureen Taylor's book, I realized that is not actually true. While as of this writing, I still do not know her identity, I know more than when I started.

Where I got her photograph may be an important clue. This photograph was originally in a red flocked photo album that belonged to my great grandmother Esther Lee Richardson Talbott. Esther Lee died at a young age and the album remained in the possession of her husband Bossy Talbott. Upon his death, the album went to their only living daughter, Elma Talbott Solomon. All three lived in Halifax County, VA. Upon Elma's death, the album and pictures went to her niece, and eventually to me as the family historian. At the time, I received the album, the photos had been removed from their places in the album (due to the deterioration of the album), but kept together. Unfortunately, any family groupings/associations were lost.

This photograph is actually a carte de visite measuring 4 1/4 x 2 1/2 inches. On the back is the photographer's imprint: Frayser and Co Photographers, Danville, VA. The imprint is quite elaborate. A Danville, VA photographer makes sense in the family history as Esther Lee's family was from Pittsylvania County, VA. No other photograph in my collection has this photographer's stamp.

I next turned my attention to her clothing. She is wearing a fitted dress with raised buttons and narrow sleeves. The dress appears to be black with a large white collar and black lacy decoration. I've wondered if she is perhaps dressed in extended mourning clothes. Her hair is pulled back and her ears are exposed. Determining her costume time period was the next step and I admit to being quite unsure of myself in this area. My best estimate so far would put her in between 1866-1868 or the time period 1878-1888.

I then turned my attention to the use of props or in this case, the lack of props. She is sitting in a chair that is only slightly visible on the right side of the photograph.

So, who is she? My guess so far (and this is a guess) would have her being a Richardson or an Elliott. Both families are from the Pittsylvania and Halifax County areas of south central Virginia. I also have correspondence showing that Esther Lee kept in close contact with both her Elliott and Richardson Cousins.

What next? More research, of course. I need to find more information on the photographer and the time period in which he operated. I also need to study more on women's fashions and hair styles to identify her costume time period. Once these questions are answered, I'll attempt to match her to someone in my family tree.

I just love a good mystery!