Please e-mail me if you have details about these photos.

“The unidentified photograph is the bane of the otherwise cheerful genealogy hobbyist. Who could it be? Who is there left to ask? Why didn’t the blooming dunderheads write down the identity, or identities, and the date, for God’s sake, on the back? How could they have been so stupid? But wait a blithering minute here. Would you like to check the pictures you yourself have taken of your own little family and friends, meticulously snapped ever since you’ve been old enough to learn to operate a camera? Are they all identified? Of course not, you say, that’s silly. I know who all the people are in my pictures. Uh, huh. You see how it happens?”
Further Undertakings of a Dead Relative Collector by Laverne Galeener-Moore, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, Md., 1989. Page 59-60.


Unidentified photos from West Virginia and Kentucky albums

Submitted by David: Unidentified Kentucky photos from William Ruben Hager's estate (1899-1980). More than likely they are of his family or possibly his wife Hallie Reed's (1899-1967) family.  The Hager and Reed families were originally from Jessamine County, Kentucky, and later moved to Franklin, Shelby, Owen and Jefferson counties in Kentucky. Couple 1 - studio  Couple 2 - studio  Couple on porch  Man and baby   Woman  Three women  Couple outside  Man  Men and boys on porch  Couple next to car

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Submitted by Russell: Does anyone know the people in this Raleigh County, W.Va., family group picture? The only one identified is Catherine Plumley, born 16 March 1948, a daughter of George Washington Plumley and Catherine Bennett Plumley. She died 28 Feb1922. Catherine married Jackson Bennett, 06 July 1865; William Ballard Smith, 05 April 1906; and John Rufus Bennett, 04 March 1908, all in Raleigh County.

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Submitted by Robert: Unidentified photographs from the album of Estaline Redden (1877-1948) of Raleigh County, W.Va., daughter of Michael Redden and Marion Plumley. She was the wife of Warner Redden (1873 in Raleigh Co./1952, Summers County), son of Harrison Redden and Mary Polly Kidwell.

Catherine Plumley? Estaline and brother? Couple  Couple-tintype.  Family-tintype.  Man and dog.  Unknown man.  Warner Redden?  Warner Redden and unknown man.  Young woman.  Young woman-tintype.

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From my family pictures: The following photographs belonged to either Verna Vest Bennett (1908-80) or Golda Vest Smith (1911-91), daughters of Leonard Haliburton Vest and his wife Emma Stella Gadd. The Vest family lived on White Oak Mountain, Raleigh County, West Virginia. The sisters, both teachers, married two men from Abraham, Richmond District, Raleigh County. Verna was the wife of Fred Bennett and Golda the wife of Earl George Smith. I have no information on some photos. Others were labeled by Mrs. Smith but I'm not sure who the people are or how they fit into my family tree.

  • Three young men ( photo closeup ) -- Real photo postcard* of young men at a table with drinks. One has a gun. Somewhere I read that a tableau of the "seven deadly sins" was a popular pose. I've seen a couple with similar scenes. This photo was taken at a Columbus, Ohio, studio. But I believe it may be of West Virginians.
  • Album page -- This has several photos. The woman in the top left may be Avenell Fink. The woman, bottom row, third from left, looks a lot like Leonard Vest. If you need a close-up of any of these people, let me know.
  • Two WWI soldiers -- This a real photo postcard of two men in a car, in the background there is a studio backdrop.
  • Bride and groom. Both have flowers so I am guessing this is a newly married couple. Notice the face in the window.
  • Girl from Raleigh. Golda Vest Smith wrote, "An old friend when we lived in Raleigh." Meaning the community of Raleigh, Raleigh County, W.Va. The stampbox marking indicates the photo was taken 1904-18.

* Note about real photo postcards: “Real photo postcards are actual photographs that have been developed onto photographic paper.” Stampbox markings on the back help determine the time period. For more information, go to http://www.the2buds.com/rp.htm or  http://www.postcard-city.com/real-photo.html