But then, when I pulled up this picture most recently, I saw a new face. He’s the old man sitting down. The oldest man in the picture. I know that face. I’ve seen it before. That’s William Buckley. That is my great-great grandfather. That’s Mary Buckley Frantz’s father. The woman sitting in front of him, with her hair parted in the center and her hands on her lap is my great-great grandmother, Mary Pigg Buckley. They’re at the center of this photo because the family around them are their children: The Buckley’s, and their spouses. For so long I had thought this was a picture of the Frantz family. I couldn’t see beyond Ezra and Mary. When I did, the pieces of this small puzzle started coming together. This is my “favorite” picture because of the discovery that I made when I let myself see the other pictures in the picture. This is my “favorite” picture because when I looked at it and saw William Buckley looking back it was so unexpected.
It’s hard for me to pick just one photograph as my favorite. Here’s the thing about my “favorite” family history picture: it changes constantly. I think it depends a lot on which lime I’m working on. Sometimes, if I make a new discovery, that becomes my new “favorite.” Which will it be? The Civil War era ancestor? Those are some of the oldest pictures that I have. Will it be, perhaps, the picture of my paternal great-grandfather Samuel Wylie? Identifying him was a challenge. I had stared and stared at some of the younger pictures that I had of him before I was able to connect who he was. That’s how brick walls work sometimes. Especially if they are pictures. Should I share the newest brick wall breakthrough? My current “favorite” picture? I suppose so. I’ve had this photo for years. I can’t remember when I first saw it. My cousin, Mary, let me scan it. My great-grandparents are in the far right of the picture. That’s Mary Buckley Frantz kneeling in front of her husband Ezra. My grandmother and her sister are in the front row mixed in with the other children. I’ve loved this picture for a long time. The faces of my family staring back at me. But I’ve been blind to this picture too. I’ve only seen the faces that I wanted to see. I’ve only seen my great-grandparents and my grandmother and her sister. I’ve ignored everyone else. Their faces are slightly obscured. There’s not a lot of detail. Who is that woman staring at the child’s hand on her shoulder? Who is that woman holding an infant on her lap? Nameless people. Faces lost in the distance and lack of detail in this photo.
But then, when I pulled up this picture most recently, I saw a new face. He’s the old man sitting down. The oldest man in the picture. I know that face. I’ve seen it before. That’s William Buckley. That is my great-great grandfather. That’s Mary Buckley Frantz’s father. The woman sitting in front of him, with her hair parted in the center and her hands on her lap is my great-great grandmother, Mary Pigg Buckley. They’re at the center of this photo because the family around them are their children: The Buckley’s, and their spouses. For so long I had thought this was a picture of the Frantz family. I couldn’t see beyond Ezra and Mary. When I did, the pieces of this small puzzle started coming together. This is my “favorite” picture because of the discovery that I made when I let myself see the other pictures in the picture. This is my “favorite” picture because when I looked at it and saw William Buckley looking back it was so unexpected.
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The BloggerI love family history and the various ways that it can be approached by researchers! I hope that this blog is interesting and inspiring!
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