This post is part of a series. To read previous posts, go here.
I have come to accept that I may never know the identities of the individuals in these pictures. But I would love to give you my best guess.
This man spent some time in my 'Gregory' family pile. I assumed, due to the dating of the type of photograph (1850's - 1870) and his apron that I felt suggested he may be a butcher, that he was William Dale Gregory, Grace Gregory Parkes' father. William Gregory listed his profession as a butcher in one of the census records.
However, upon further research, I believe he strongly resembles the Grubb family men on the Halsey/Van Rensselaer side of the family.
The Grubb family were all involved in steel and iron. Look at this picture of female iron workers from the 1860's.
Photo accessed at gerryco23.
That tool in front of them looks like it could be the tool behind the man in the first photo. They have those aprons on. So I believe it is possible that the photo I am trying to identify could be a man in the Grubb family.
Then there is this picture with no name attached.
With her fair looks and complexion, I believe she could be on the Saunders or Creighton line. (Both families married into Parkes family).
This couple looks so warm that I want to give them a hug. The quintessential Grandma and Grandpa type. However, I have no idea who they are. Dating puts this photo possibly in the 1940's.
One of the hardest pictures for me to have unidentified is the photograph of this man:
But I am 90% sure he is a Parkes. Look at Charles and Charles' father (possibly named Lemuel?) below.
Can you see why I am so sure? I see a family resemblance for sure. Due to the dating of the photography, I doubt that any of these men are duplicates of each other (at a young/older age). So I believe that the gray haired man on the right is the Grandfather, the man on the left with the mustache is the father, Charles Parkes, and that the young man in my unidentified photo MAY be J.C. Parkes. Wouldn't that be wonderful if it was?
Then, there are these lovely ladies.
How about those hats?
These fashionable women have been looked for thoroughly by me and I am convinced that they are from one family and the picture was taken in the early 1900's. However, that left me in a conundrum, because the only family with this many girls (daughters) was the Gregory family and they weren't old enough to be the women in this picture. I also considered that one of the women might be the mother - the woman seated on the far right. Either way, for now they are a mystery.
See the woman in the middle of the picture above with the fur muff? Here she is again:
I so wanted her to be Grace Gregory who married James S. Parkes. But the dates are off by about 10 years (looking at photography and clothing of the women).
Grace was born in 1901. Which means, she was a young child when these pictures above were taken. So it isn't her.
One by one, I put these and others away. Photographs still unidentified. I am hoping that someday, somehow, I will be able to attach them to the tree of the Parkes family that so consumed me all these weeks. Or to any tree so, at long last, they can take their rightful place and begin to make their way home.
To read the next post in this series, go here.
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