Unknown Photo
This photo came from property belonging to the family mentioned
below;
"The photo in question is the oldest in the family collection, and until
recently, there was no surviving information about it. From reading about
customs in dress, I had assessed the date as probable ca. 1875, as late
as 1890s. .....I now know with certainty that the photo was taken at P.F.
Goben?s Studio in Sherman, Texas. The history of surviving photos from
this studio also suggests that the date is closer to 1870s than later decades....."
"Two weeks ago, I had no idea of any family links
to Grayson County. Since then I have discovered the following:
A great-grandmother named
Mattie (Martha) Sacra was born in Sherman, ca. 1869; her father Ned
ran a livery stable there, ca. 1858 on, and I see some Sacras listed in
the Grayson cemetery lists;
- The greatgrandfather who married Mattie was Harvey
Black Sparks (born ca 1860) ? he had an uncle, living in Grayson or Denison,
by the name of Nathan Fowler Sparks; I see a fair number of Sparks listed
in Grayson cemetery lists; and
- Two of my great-uncles named Carroll died within
months of each other in Denison in the 1970s. I recall hearing this long
ago and wondering why........ I never heard of a link to Denison before.
Now I see from the Grayson cemetery lists that there was a Carroll there
as early as the 1850s, and this Carroll man would seem to have a number
of descendants there from what I infer from census records. Most or all
are in Fairview Cemetery."
"While it would be very interesting to solve the
mysteries of the possible family connections that I just discovered, and
I regard this information as a possible clue, my real focus is to discover
if I can, who the men in my photo are.
Please let me know if you have any ideas about
how I can source information on this photo. Many thanks for your help"
