Found Friday - The Baby

In the past year, fewer and fewer “found” items, grocery lists, sticky tab notes, homework, love notes and reminders, have been turning up. I have no idea why this is. In times past, I have found at least one interesting scrap of paper on every trip out to the grocery store or a neighboring state. But the pickings have been slim to none lately. So, until the scavenging improves, I will run a particularly fine “found” photograph from over in LOST GALLERY on each Found Friday. Just to fill in the gaps.

This is the original.

This is slightly enhanced.

This is the reverse greatly enhanced.

I doubt whether the faint writing under the darker writing will ever be legible. I can’t put together any words for sure. What's worse, I can find no census or other documents that coordinate with this one even given the names, location and approximate date.

I found a J. M. Miller in ONE 1880 census living in Pine Knot, Alabama with children named A. V. Miller (6), N. L. Miller (4) and A. V. (again!) Miller (1) with wife A. L. Miller. I found other J. M. Millers but not in the right place or with children that could be tied to this one. I think that the S. A. Payne might be the mother or sister of wife A. L. Miller or perhaps the married sister of J. M. Miller.

But this is probably not the tree for the girl in the picture. There's just not enough to tie them together.

I noted that the 1880 census taker for this area often used two first initials instead of first names. I don’t know if this was the census taker’s choice or the style of the people living in that area at the time.

A little more searching and I finally found a family tree that worked pretty well and actually ties in the 1880 Census document.

Starting with a basis of this family tree which matches all the names (except for S. A. Payne) and approximate dates, I formed a likely tree for little A. V. Miller. The census, births and deaths all coordinate well. The locations are all within three hours of Winchester, TN, but unfortunately there is no event so far IN Winchester.

Based on this tree, this picture is of Alice V. Miller, born 12 Apr 1879 or perhaps it is Ardella Viola Miller born 24 Sep 1873. Both were daughters of Jesse Mercer Miller (1846 - 1933) and Ada Lee (Garrett) Miller (1853 – 1928). The name on the reverse looks more like Alice than Ardella but that is only a guess,