My Sporadic Journal

         Like all of you, I’ve inherited a box of old photos of people, places, and events which I am either a little foggy on or of which I totally draw a blank. They have been passed down from family members who thought at sometime someone would want to have the photos of great-great aunt Sally. The only thing is that no one living today knows who the hell great-great aunt Sally is. They certainly don’t recognize the subject in the photos. This is a pet-peeve of mine. Lord, if you’re gonna take a photo, then, by all means, identify the person, place, and event (with dates) of whoever or whatever is the subject.
         I inherited a massive cardboard box just like that when my father died. One night I began shuffling through the myriad photos and loose pages. I was amazed at the number of strangers I encountered. I recognized a good many, but the stack of questionable was substantial, and the stack of “who the hell is that?” was even more substantial. It was downright depressing that a significant part of my heritage and that which I would pass to my children and grandchildren were unidentified.
         For the last twenty years I have methodically been working through the stack of questionable and even knocked a chunk out of the “who the hell is that?” stack. It’s been time consuming as I have copied and shared the mystery photos with dozens of distant cousins—most of whom have been discovered through my genealogy efforts. I’ve happily been enlightened with identities and stories which I have documented. The likelihood is I will pass to my children the dreaded box of photos. However, there will be far fewer which are unidentified or totally clueless. I’ve made a dent. They can continue to pound the bushes to enlighten family to come of their ancestors.
         So, for those of you who love to take photographs and who receive photos from friends and relatives, take a little time to check the backs of the photos. Make sure there are names and dates. Be aware that a note which says, “Jim’s dad, after his 70th birthday,” is not sufficient by any means. First of all, whoever receives the box of photos years later may not know who he hell Jim is, much less who Jim’s dad is or when he was born. An example is a photo of my Uncle Buddy, which I inherited from my mom. On the back is says, “This is Buddy with mom.” My children haven’t a clue who Buddy is or who his mother is. In fact, it is their Great Uncle Eldon Jackson with his mother Stella Elizabeth Denson Jackson. Buddy was a nickname that does not turn up in any official record. So, get a pen and begin going through that box of photos, marking those you are sure of and sorting the questionable and the “who the hell is that?’ into groups.

         Now, one last thing. When you do that you will likely find a few photos that intrigue you for some reason. I have a photo of a mystery girl which has been of great interest to me for years. Each new cousin I find is questioned regarding her identity. No one, as of yet, has shed any light on her. The detail of the photo provides some clues but are inconclusive and only serves to increase her prominence in my mystery stack of photos. I’ve spent hours with a magnifying glass picking details from the photo. I will probably never, ever know her story….although, I have imagined several scenarios.