details of the time

Part of the fun of old photos is studying the details of the time -- the clothes, hairstyles and settings. Even the expressions on the subjects' faces add to the story! These little details keep the history of a family, time and place alive. It is an honor for us to preserve them for future generations to enjoy.

The top two photos are of Jonathan's great-grandmother Eliza and her family, and the bottom photos are of Eliza's daughters -- Linda and Sadie, Martha and Sadie, and Linda, Sadie, Martha, Olivene, Lois and Cass. They are pictured with Eliza's husband and their father, Clovis Yates. 

You might notice that the top photograph has some spots and a tear in it. I personally find decaying photographs to be quite beautiful, but as a preservationist, I scan the original image and save two copies -- one in its lovely original state and one that I've restored. The photo below gives an example of how a restored photo can look. This is a pretty simple restoration -- I didn't remove every little imperfection -- I just cleaned up the big spots and fixed the tear. If you have questions about photo preservation and restoration, feel free to contact me directly or leave a comment below!

family photos: great-grandmothers

It's a day for beautiful, turn-of-the-century photographs of our families. The top photo is Jonathan's great-grandmother Eliza (back left) and her sisters. The middle photo is my great-grandmother Tina and her family. She is front and center. The bottom photo is my other great-grandmother Elsie and her sister Myrtle. Eliza's family lived in Prentiss County, Mississippi, Tina's family lived in Naples, Italy and Elsie's family lived in Lancaster, Ohio. The time period would be about the same for all of them. What would they have thought if they had known they would be linked together someday? 

the yates family in the 1950s

You might remember our previous post about Sadie's parents, Clovis and Eliza. I love these photos taken with some of their children, grandchildren and children's spouses in the mid 1950s. The photos tell so much about who they were -- hardworking Christian people who were very devoted to their large family and each other. After Eliza passed away in 1959, the family remained close-knit. The photo below is Clovis and his daughters Kass, Lois, Olivene, Martha, Sadie and Linda. The bottom photo is Clovis with Sadie's first grandchild and my husband, Jonathan.

Family Stories: Clovis and Eliza Yates

In today's installment of family stories, Jonathan's sister Julie tells us about their paternal great-grandparents, Clovis and Eliza Yates.

Clovis Yates was born on January 26, 1898 and died on January 4, 1981. Eliza Michael Yates was born on March 25, 1899 and died on February 20, 1959. Like all families who lived during the Great Depression and the years that followed, they were poor and often struggled to make ends meet. Although they didn't have much, my grandmother said they never knew it. 

Clovis and Eliza had eight children - seven girls and one son: Mary Katheleen, Lois, Olivene, Martha, Earnestine, Sadie (my grandmother), Linda and Clovis Guy. Earnestine died at age two of pneumonia. Grandmother said they were very close and all had jobs to do to keep the family going. They picked cotton, corn and peas for their landlord in order to live on the property. Eliza made the children clothes out of paper sacks because they could not afford anything else. 

Grandmother has told me on many occasions how devoted her parents were to their family and how determined they were to raise good Christian children. In spite of all of their hardships and hard work, they always sat together at each meal and prayed. Clovis and Eliza were very strict about this.

Through troublesome times and long working hours, the family always made time to study school work and the Bible. Clovis and Eliza raised their children the best they could. Because of their sensible teachings, all of their children have led successful, happy lives that are focused on faith and family.