Week 2 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge was difficult. The theme is Favorite Photo.
I could not pick only one.
I asked the men in my life to help me pick. Actually, I told them I need help and asked them to respond without thinking what their favorite family picture was. They had the same look on their faces as I did when I saw the name of the challenge. Only one!
This picture is what my husband chose. This is a picture of him sitting beside his maternal grandfather Paul Chester Randolph. Notice the noses. Tom has his grandpa’s nose. Beside them is grandma Randolph (Alice Omega Wolf) and Toms mom Pauletta Virginia (Randolph) King. This was a family camping trip in Point Pleasant, Mason County, West Virginia. The weekend of the Mason County fair. All descendants of Paul and Alice were there. It was a wonderful weekend.
My son chose one that is also my daughters’ favorite. My paternal grandmothers’ mom, Katherine Jane “Jane” (Yoho) Pruitt. It is her face that speaks in this photo. Taken in Onie, Wetzel County, West Virginia and perfectly captures her attitude about life.
The last photo brings it to my turn.
Picking only one photo took hours. I do not have a single favorite picture. I will share one of my favorites. It is a picture of James Landon Bier. It was taken outside of his house on Alice Avenue, in Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia.
I chose this picture for two reasons. The first is that it is one of the first pictures I have been working on in terms of coloration. I am still working on this picture.The color of the house has a little bit too much of a green undertone to the yellow siding. Restoring the color helped bring my great grandfather to life for me in a way he had not been before. History was coming alive. I showed my mother the picture to get feedback on the colors and she gasped and asked how I got a colored photo of him. She had no clue I did it.
The last reason for picking this one is that when I look at it I tend to stare in awe at how very much his son, my grandfather Morgan Clarke Bier looks like his Dad.
