Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Who, When, Where? - Wordless Wednesday

The only "who" I know in this photo is the young woman on the right. She is my grandmother, Emma Bickerstaff Meinzen.  She was born in 1893.  This photo was probably taken between 1910 and 1915.

It's a sad, blurry photo but it's interesting to me because of the little building, crude and either unfinished or in a state of disrepair.  Also interesting is the debris to the left of the building and the hill onto which it has fallen.

Where, oh where, was this taken?  And who are the other two women?
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8 comments:

  1. So I'm not the only one who gazes at photos considering the same things! The other thing that can torture me (especially in large family shots) is WHO is taking the picture?

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    1. Oh, yes, I wonder about who took some of the photos I have, too. Don't you wish family left detailed accounts of their photos, naming each person, the location, the event, the date, etc.? I sure do! Thanks for your comments, JoAnne.

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  2. I could be imagining it, but I feel like the two women on the left have a family resemblence...maybe sisters? Before I read your text my first thought of this photo was that it was taken after a storm. It looks like storm debris to me, but I can't imagine they would be smiling in that kind of photo.

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    1. The two on the left could be related. I think the one on the far left looks very much like the women who would become my grandmother's sisters-in-law. Because my grandmother looks so young (15, 16, 17?), though, and didn't marry till she was 21, it make me wonder if she knew her husband's family well before they married.

      Yes, I wondered about the smile on the face of the middle lady with so much disarray around. I also wondered about my grandmother in white in the midst of so much dirt. In fact, none of them look like they're about to do clean-up work. So why are they there?

      If I knew the date I could look at local newspapers for information about recent storms.

      My only hope of finding anything is that a descendant of either of the women on the left might find the photo, have a similar one, and have heard a story about it.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Heather. They give me a little more to think about.

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  3. My eyes were immediately drawn to how the woman in the dark outfit who had her hands clenched. She sure looks like she was under a lot of stress. I agree with Heather that it might be a picture of storm damage--but the white dress sure doesn't seem to suggest that they were doing any storm clean-up. It sure is an intriguing picture.

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    1. I agree, Sheryl, that the lady on the left looks uncomfortable or apprehensive or worried, perhaps - I don't know which. But the white dress.... Who knows! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.

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  4. Could this be the property of one of their ancestors? Perhaps the men-folk were in the process of tearing down some old buildings that "grandpa" had built and they stopped for a photo before dismantling it.

    Quite the interesting photo. I hope you find the answers about it you are looking for.

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    1. Jana, it could definitely have been property of one of the ancestors -- but I'll probably never know. Still, I can hope that someone appears from the shadows to claim one of the other women as an ancestor! Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.

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I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.

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