Friday, February 25, 2011

Sepia Saturday: A Family Gathering and a Well Identified Photo, 1920



Heavenly to have a well identified photo of so many family members!

Back row: Florence Byram Travis and Joe Travis, Namond "Ray" Proctor, Thomas Riley "Ned" Travis, Millie Travis Proctor and Dan Proctor, Sicily Island Page Travis (Ned's wife).
Middle Row: Everett Proctor, Bess Travis Hayes, Grace Travis (Ned's daughter), Laura Fleming Travis (Thomas Perry's wife), Cleo Proctor, Thomas Perry Travis (Ned's son).
Bottom Row: Velma Settle, Charles Proctor, Roy Proctor.
The unidentified little boys are probably Thomas Perry's sons Everett Earl (with Thomas Perry) and Francis (in front of Ned). I don't see their older brother Thomas.
I wonder who the photographer was...?

This photo was taken at a Travis family reunion in Sidney, Iowa in 1920. My great grandparents, Dan and Millie Proctor had driven from their home in Renton, Washington to Sidney with their children Ray, Roy, Cleo, Charles and Everett (my grandfather). They had slept in tents off the side of the road on the drive out, sometimes having to clear the roads by hand as they progressed. A long, hard trip, but by all accounts, it was a grand time!

Please visit my friends over at Sepia Saturday for more posts like this.

10 comments:

  1. I wonder what the two boys at the front have been up to - neither is wearing shoes. Like the braces (suspenders) on the boy and the man on the right.
    How did they manage to get such a group together?

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  2. Everyone identified? What a treasure! And what a great family photo. I wonder why the young man in the back row is so dressed up compared to the rest of the family? A drive from Washington to Iowa in 1920. Any idea how long it took them? Great post!

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  3. Great photo. What a long drive, especially for that era. I wonder how long it took.
    Three cheers for the person who so carefully wrote all of the names on the back of this photo. I wish everyone did.

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  4. If only all photos were so carefully noted...

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  5. It is so nice when they are named and even notes about the day or whatever. The two boys in front (barefoot)remind me of Huck ready to white wash a fence...very cool photo!

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  6. Thanks for all of the comments.
    @Bob- The Travises mostly stayed in Sidney, so there was a ton of relatives available at any time there. This is, actually, quite a small group for them!
    @Patty and Christine -I have been transcribing a letter written by Cleo Proctor (probably the person who wrote the names)and she mentions the trip, but never says how long it took. She did say that the roads were so undefined, they once ended up out in a field. :-)
    She also says that Ray and Everett did all the driving. I think they were more dressed up because they were the visitors and Ray (in back) was known as the leader of the family. The others lived there and were probably working on the farm. Sad, I am told it was lost in the depression about 10 years later.

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  7. I love the way everybody is sitting close and leaning on each other. looks like they knew each other and liked each other. must have to make the trip you describe! So sad they lost the farm!

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  8. Oh the boys look like Huck and Tom ready to set out on adventures!

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  9. Heavenly indeed. I have dreams at night of finding such a well documented family photograph. But if they were all recorded so well, where would the challenge be?

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  10. What a fine family photo! And people are identified!!! A treasure for any family historian. Thanks for sharing.

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