Sepia Saturday

Sepia Saturday

Saturday, May 15, 2010

No answers, just questions.........


The photo I share here is a totally unidentified, unknown and probably never will be identified.  My father tore down a house that had been vacant for 26 years.  Inside was found various things that the last of the family did not remove. A Victorian styled upright piano, cupboards full of kitchen things, a couple of trunks with various abandoned personal items.  Among the discarded was this photo of a country school scene of somewhere here in the United States.  When you gaze at the different faces, you wonder what countries that there families had migrated from to the United States.  This classroom is far older that the era that my mom taught which was in 1938.   I am not good a dating these things but I am sure that it is closer to being in the 20's or earlier.

There is one teacher in the back of the room and a picture of some building on the back chalk board.  I also like the number 10 on the other board.

I do have some of the names of the family that lived in this house and someday I will research them.  In the kitchen was found a diary by one of the women that lived there with some names.  I also have two old photo albums with a few names inside.



Another mysterious picture that I have here is a car filled with two passengers and others that you can see through the windows.  I am thinking this is my Uncle Kenny whom I blogged about earlier.  I just saw him this week and he is in his early 90's.  The woman in the back seat closest to us looks like my mom, but it could be my grandmother.  I thought it was a picture of interest to share.



This photo has some people in it that I know.  My Dad Jesse T. Burgus is the man sneaking up on th two boys.  I am thinking that the older boy is my oldest brother Ron J. Bugus.  The younger one is unknown to me.  The little girl is a cousin of mine but again I don't have any idea at this point. I had two older Uncles of the family that had daughters and I am thinking that it could be one of their daughters.
I have a first cousin who will help me out with these as time goes by and I will return and edit my Sepia Saturday.

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16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great pictures! The classroom picture is very interesting, especially the clothing. I love the old cars and the one of your dad playing too. It will be fun to see your follow up on these pictures.

Martin said...

I have a liking for photographs with a bit of mystery about them. The endless possibilities as we fill in the blanks.

Alan Burnett said...

Great pictures, especially that first one. I have loads of "unknown" photos and I am often more attracted to them than to the ones of family that I know. It's the mystery and the unknown.

Barry said...

Photos with an edge of mystery and playfulness, just my kind of thing.

Kat Mortensen said...

Hi Larry!

That photo of the classroom is really something! I like the enigmatic number 10 as well.

How interesting to have these photos and memorabilia from a house to which you were not affiliated.

I like that shot of your dad in play-mode with the toddlers.

Kat

Nana Jo said...

How interesting to go through an abandoned house and discover all those forgotten family treasures. That's an interesting story in itself. I really like the charming picture of your father on his hands knees playing with your brother. Your cousin standing watching looks like she's longing to join in.

DougVernX said...

Love your unique old photos. I'm sharing a lot of photos from our family albums too. It gave me a chance to examine the photos more closely and find another story.

Christine H. said...

These are all three wonderful pictures. I love the mystery of the first one, and I love the unique perspectives of the other two. They're both taken from a very low vantage point, which makes them particularly interesting. It's especially effective in capturing the viewpoint of a child in the last one.

Betsy Brock said...

Oooh...nice bunch of photos, Larry! Love the one room school...those old desks, too. The second one is great with those old cars. I've never seen the license plate holder as part of the tail light like that.

Tess Kincaid said...

Larry, that's an amazing photo of the school room. I like the bouquets of flowers on the teacher's desk. It was common to bring little gifts of fruit and flowers to the teacher, waaaay back when I was in grade school.

I hate to see a family's personal belongings, especially collected photos, abandoned.

Nancy said...

These are three really interesting photographs. The perspective in each is unusual. In the first, I think the globe hanging from the ceiling is pretty interesting. I wonder if it was a special occasion at school that day - maybe the last day of school - because of the flowers on the table.

Far Side of Fifty said...

It must have been quite an occasion for the photo to be taken inside! Usually the photos were taken outside. They probably all brought flowers to decorate the classroom. I am thinking..that perhaps the 10 means something..1910 perhaps..the clothing does fit that year. On such an special occasion..the 10 would not be just random...would it? This is a really great photo in many respects!
The photo of your Dad on the same level as the children is a great photo:)

Unknown said...

That schoolroom photo is really amazing--the fact that so many of the children are looking at something other than the camera really struck me. I'm guessing it's no later than the early 20s, & could be a fair amount earlier. I also like the "10" on the blackboard!

Sr Crystal Mary Lindsey said...

Hello Larry, It's a shame when people don't take care of photos. The old ones are now history and such a loss. The school room brings back memories. It must have been a very special day for that photo to be taken. Those desks are similar to the ones I sat in, in the fifties. They had an inkwell in the front centre and you used a pen nib for writing. Oh I love to see all of these. Your father crawling up on the children and your Uncle? All just so great!

Sean Bentley said...

Larry, the guess about 1910 sounds plausible. My photo of my grandmother in highschool circa 1905 features the same hairstyle these girls have although they're younger.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Hi Larry, My Dad said that the car with the open door is a 1940 Buick:)