Connecting the Present to the Past

I first posted this photograph on my personal genealogy blog Are You My Cousin? in April of 2012. I only knew that this was a photograph of Clarkton Bridge in northern Halifax County, VA.

 

I edited out the young man on the right and enlarged him to see if anyone would be able to identify him. I suspected, but was not completely sure if this young man was a Haley ancestor.  

Percy Haley on Clarkton Bridge

 Sixteen months later I showed this photograph to a few cousins at the Haley family reunion I attended in Keysville, VA.

 

One of my “new” cousins quickly said, “That’s my Daddy.” Then he added, "He should have been working."

 

And just like that, the young man on the right of the photograph  was identified as Percy Haley, son of William and Clara Haley. Another cousin dated the photograph as being taken in 1910.  The wagons are from the Clarkton plantation where Will Haley was the overseer.  Turns out this photograph was taken as a way to promote the Clarkton Plantation. (Thanks, Emmit and Stanley!)

I was thrilled to have the young man identified, but perhaps more excited to see Percy son’s eyes light up when he saw a long forgotten photograph of his father. I spend much of my time researching family history and genealogy , but it is these moments and connections with family members that mean the most.

 

Connections to family.

 

Connections to a shared history.

 

Connections to the present.

 

Amazing what one photograph can do!

 

How a 1950's Photograph Led to a Family Reunion

 This photograph of my great great grandmother Clara Haley was posted on my family genealogy blog Are You My Cousin? back in May 2010. At the end of the post I asked if anyone could identify the man and the boy.

Five months later I received a reply to my query.

 

From my grandmother's first cousin.

 

We exchanged e-mails. 

 

We shared stories and photographs.

 

I was able to interview the matriarch of the family.

Connections were made.

 

Then....this summer my parents and I attended the Haley family reunion in Charlotte County, VA.  This was the first time in over 60 years my father had seen many of these cousins!

All that from a 1950's photograph.

So....my message to you?

Get those family photographs out of the box and share them! 

 

**Note: If you have ancestors in south central Virginia, you may be interested in my genealogy blog Are You My Cousin?. Who knows, you might just find your ancestor there.