“Can you hear me now?”
It’s time for my annual reminder to keep a box of unidentified family photos and an acid-free pen or a pencil at hand for the quiet moments at family gatherings.
Any time you gather with your eldest relatives and friends is a good time to chat about the past. Family stories need to be passed down. (Bonus: you won’t have to talk politics….)
If you think you’ve heard all the stories before, consider that now that you are fully adult, seniors may be willing to tell you things they wouldn’t speak of when you were a child: failed marriages, lost loves, siblings who died young or were never mentioned for some other reason. (I certainly learned some surprising things when I asked as a adult!) Perhaps there is a terrific story behind one of those faces. Besides, sometimes the stories are funny — and just waiting to be told when the time is right.
Today’s photos come from a side of my family I never knew. My aunt Dorothy’s husband, Leonard H. Holt, died suddenly a short time before I was born.
Dorothy is dressed in hiking clothes, and Holt is wearing “civvies” although he served at nearby Camp Fremont, an Army training camp during the First World War.
Dorothy did tell me that Holt was very particular about his clothes, and had his army uniforms tailored to fit well. Look at his elegant shoes! After Dorothy died, I found some of Holt’s silk shirts (with white French cuffs and made for a detachable collar) stored in the cedar chest that once held her wedding linens — a “hope chest” as unmarried girls called them. Holt’s shirts were beautiful, in soft pastel colors or stripes that epitomized the Arrow Shirt man’s look.
I think they were married about 1925. In 1930, Holt was still in the Army, and the couple lived on the Presidio, a beautiful Army base in San Francisco.
Holt died of a heart attack not long after this happy family visit.
Dorothy was so grief-stricken that she had a sort of breakdown, and didn’t speak of him very often, but she kept up a correspondence with his large family, including the Garners (his mother’s family) in Tennessee. In 1975, someone sent her a photo of the old family home on the farm:
Mack was still alive, and his new home was much larger.
The great thing about photos exchanged by mail is that they are often labeled or signed, including long notes on the back — a treasure for genealogists.
This photo gave me the names of Nina and Gertrude’s husbands: (Oddly, there’s another Mahlon in the family, her uncle….)
Unfortunately, not all the pictures mailed from Tennessee are labeled.
Perhaps there are folks in Pulaski, Tennessee, who will recognize their ancestors in this large, undated picture. (It’s 7.5 x 9″) I’d be happy to send it to someone who’d treasure it.
The woman seated center in this photograph appears to be wearing a mourning hat and black veil.
Could the man seated in front, with a large mustache, possibly be this mystery man, photographed with both Holt and Dorothy, probably in the 1920s?
[For any genealogist interested in the large group picture — or in any of these people, I believe these are relatives of Leonard H. Holt, born in Pulaski, Giles County, Tennessee on February 2, 1893 or (probably) 1894. His parents were John Richard Holt (1868-1904) and Metta Ann Garner (1868-1939). Their other children included Gertrude “Mamie” Holt (1893-1986), Katrina “Nina” Holt (1897 – ?), and McCallum “Mack” Holt (1900-?) My Uncle Holt (his wife never spoke of him by any other name) died of a heart attack while serving in California in 1945. At the time of his death, according to his wife, he held the rank of captain. They were childless. I think he was a Freemason, and Dorothy belonged to the Eastern Star — for those who can search such records. I have many photos of Holt family relatives, and no one to give them to.] You can contact me through witness2fashion@gmail.com
my mom started taking family photos to the funerals of very old people
the funerals of those in their 80s and 90s, while sad, are not as heart wrenching, and the old folks that come frequently knew everyone in the snap shots. mom was also often able to give pictures to dependents 9n the spot, as second cousins. etc would come from out of state, people she remembered from childhood but had long last track of.
I’ve taken better care, now tonlable photos with name, age place, and son of….in case any one in the future cares
Great idea — my family always gathered for food and drinks after a funeral; wish I’d had a few photos in my purse!
We had a suitcase of photos and my Dad didnt know who they were – I managed to get some names on them from one older aunty – but when to another aunty to check the blanks she did contradict a few!! ultimately, it was so well worth it, as fragments of stories did come out.
Photos that came from the US (I am in Ireland) were always helpful as they would be dated and named in a similar elegant hand to your handwritten one above.
The one thing about black and whites is they feel (naturally) quite distant, which is why I was especially entranced by Peter Jackson Film – they shall not grow old, it was amazing how immediate the film became once they dubbed and coloured it. Have a lovely christmas.
Thank you. Last year I attended a going away party for my cousin, who was moving out of state — I was the oldest female relative and the Photo Identifier! And I saw a few I had never seen before, which was fascinating. Nice to learn new things…. Happy New Year.