Friday Faces From the Past - The Unknown Boys

The "Unknown Boys"  - that's what we call this picture we found among my Grandmomie's things after she died. Over the years, I've shown it to numerous family members at family reunions and other get-togethers from Texas to Mississippi.

What's interesting is that my Mother and her immediate family lost everything in two house fires. Everything. 

The pictures my maternal Grandmomie Stuart-Dennis had in her possession when she died had come from family and friends after the fires. She and my Grandfather Dennis divorced after my Mother married. Looking through the pictures, it was pretty obvious that none of the pictures were of my paternal Grandfather Dennis' family. And surprisingly, many pictures were marked with names. The few unmarked pictures have been hard to trace. I thought it would be easy since they must have been acquired by my Grandmomie Stuart-Dennis recently in time (post-fire). 

My family believes that these are pictures of some of the family (or maybe friends) of the Teel's or Stuart's of Fisher County, Texas.

The Teel's came to Texas by way of Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa and Virginia and included the Ham's of Bibb County, Alabama and (Indian Territory) Oklahoma, Other surnames are Parker, Cassidy and Lawrence. 

The Stuart's came to Texas from Neshoba County, Mississippi, and included surnames Yates, Musgrove, Cooksey, Barber, Jones, Stainton/Stanton, Hester and more.

Here's cropped versions of the young men, who I assume are brothers, in the group picture.

If you have any ideas or think they might be from your family, please contact me.

 Revis

52 Ancestors: Week 2

Week 2: Favorite Photo

The prompt for this week is “Favorite Photo”. I have to admit that I can’t begin to pick one. I like them all! But the favorites I pick for this post are that of my great-grandfather, Jeff Stuart, and his two sisters, Orpha and Emma. They were the children of James Monroe Stuart (1863-Neshoba Co. MS – 1947-Fisher Co., TX) and Nancy Emma Musgrove (1871-Nehosba Co. MS – 1899-OK).

Orpha Abigail Stuart Terry was born 15 May 1889 in Neshoba Co. Mississippi and died 3 June 1976 at Roby, Fisher County, Texas. Sometime after her birth, her parents and her maternal grandparents, Moncier Nowell Musgrove Jr. (1841-SC – 1908-Houston Co. TX) and Susan Frances Yates Musgrove (1844-AL – 1929-Houston Co. TX) left their home near Arlington in Neshoba County, Mississippi for Ratcliff in Houston County, Texas. Some of Susan's Yates family members had moved to Houston County, Texas, a few years earlier.   

Jefferson Davis Stuart was born 4 July 1891 in Brown County, Texas as James Monroe Stuart and Nancy Emma Musgrove Stuart traveled northward into Oklahoma. Jeff died on 13 August 1949 at Roby, Fisher County, Texas.   

Emma Cora Lee Stuart was born 30 May 1893 in Texas (probably Callahan County). She died 7 October 1983 at Roby, Fisher County, Texas.

The children’s mother (my great-great-grandmother), Emma Musgrove Stuart, died in Oklahoma and left “Monroe” (as he was called by family in Neshoba County, Mississippi) with three young children to raise by himself. The picture below is the only one I have of her.    

I grew up at Roby, Fisher County, Texas, where a young “Monroe” Stuart brought his three children to be near friends they had met in Oklahoma who had moved to Texas. He never remarried after their mother’s death. 

I never knew my great-grandfather, Jeff Stuart (called “Dad”) because he died about nine years before I was born. But I grew up calling his sisters “Aunt Orpha” and “Aunt Emma” and remember them fondly.

These pictures are part of the collection that led to my start in genealogy! 

James Monroe Stuart ("Monroe), Nancy Emma Musgrove Stuart,
children Orpha, Jefferson Davis.
Picture taken after July 1891 birth of baby Jeff.

Orpha Abigail, Jefferson Davis and Emma Cora Lee Stuart

Do you have favorite photos? And if so, do you know their stories? 

Revis