Found Friday - The Twins

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.

Here are twins. A fine photograph cabinet card, with lots of information on the reverse.

On Reverse:
James P Hampton on
the left weight 19 lbs
Edwin Horton Hampton
on the right weighs 19 1/2 lbs
- - At 6 months old
Twins born April 28th 1887
Sons of
Mr and Mrs W. B. Hampton
Huntsville, Ala

(Embossed at bottom on the front)
Photographer:
F. Collins
Huntsville, Ala.

Eventually James P. Hampton turned up in a 1900 Census and then again in 1920, both entries listing the right birthdates and locale and a William Burt Hampton listed for father. His mother, according to the same census was Jennie Lula Payne.

Then I found a 1928 marriage record for James P. documenting his wedding to Winnie Hampton.

He appears again in the 1930 Census and there is a death certificate which shows he died in 1961 at age 74.

Pretty conclusive. So what’s missing?

His twin.

No Edwin Horton Hampton turns up in any of the census listings. Everything else matches, just no twin.

Finally, in another family tree I learn something new. This tree says that Edwin Burton Hampton apparently died 15 Jan 1899.

So, since the baby was born after the 1890 census and died before the 1900 census, there is no record.

Update!
Here is part of a message I received on Ancestry.Com.

"Weren't they precious, handsome babies! Thank you so much for sharing this. I know they were the children of William Burt Hampton and Jennie Lula Payne, grandchildren of Dr. John Placebo Hampton. I know that Edwin, apparently the one on the right, died 15 Jan 1899. That's enough to break your heart, isn't it?

I am a descendant of (the twin’s Grandfather) Dr. John Placebo Hampton's brother, Manoah Bostick Hampton, Jr. I am in touch with a direct descendant of Dr. John P. Hampton, however, and will make sure he sees this.

Thank you again so much.

Virginia."

She is now trying to make contact with cousins on the John Placebo Hampton side of the family to find a family historian.

So it looks like the twins will find a permanent home.

I See Chickens - Ain't Misbehavin'

... I'm happy on the shelf.

We Can Now See The Edge

We worked for a long time but finally, there was only one bird left.

This is a painting I finished this winter, 11/23/2012.

It is 12" X 12", acrykuc and collage on canvas.

Found Friday - Aunt Minnie

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.

On reverse:
Aunt Minnie Bigford
Ottawa, Il.

Photographer:
J. A. Wilson
Ottawa, Ill
Over First National Bank

This photograph was posted on Flickr 17 Nov 2007. It is always a good idea to add in the caption any extra information that might be included on the reverse of a picture. A descendant was able to find it through a name search on ancestry.com.

The following is from the comment sections of Flickr:

This is my 3rd great grand aunt named Minnie (Mason) Bigford. She lived from 1870-1954. Where did you find this photograph? Thank you for finding it and posting it!

I am glad you could make a connection to this portrait. This is why we rescue and post these old photographs.

I found it 28 Oct 2011, at the Apple Orchard antique store in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. If she is about 20 here, the photograph must have been taken around 1890.

Any idea how it might have gotten to Oklahoma?

I'm guessing this photograph was taken on the 16th of January in 1894; the year she married. She would have been twenty-four. She never left her hometown of Ottawa, Illinois. She had three children and only two survived past childhood. The children that survived both died in the 1970s; one in Ottawa and one in a neighboring town. I'm guessing a grandchild or great-grandchild who inherited the photograph lived in Oklahoma and that's how it ended up there.

Oh, thank you so much for the wonderful information! I will add that date to the caption.

That is what we usually find, that a grandchild carried it away and then eventually left in an estate. Then it was lost because their new family couldn't identify it and had no connection.

How did you find the photograph posted here? That may help us link up other rescued photographs with their family trees.

Apparently someone on Flickr read the caption which stated her name was Minnie Bigford and was from Ottawa, Illinois and found my family tree with her listed on Ancestry.com. I'm so thankful for the internet!

For the rest of the interesting observations about this photograph go to the
FLICKR POSTING HERE.

Hats - and a chicken ...

The game is to find a hat, find a mirror and get a shot of it without the shop owner catching me.

The lighting is not always ideal and sometimes the mirror is very small or dirty, but then you weren't expecting perfection, were you?

I didn't notice the chicken until later.

They really are everywhere.

A few hats more...

High Style

Hatman is back!

Mushroom

Good Hat Week

Good Hat, Bad Shot

Red Hat

Another Red Hat

And a CHICKEN!