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| The Wedding of Sidney and Isabel Harrell Cook Photo Courtesy: Monteral Harrell |
Whenever we start researching our family tree, we hope that we will find photographs and other family treasures. Sometimes those treasures can be hand-written letters, postcards, and priceless family heirlooms. Anyone who is a genealogist can tell you how excited they get with someone shares a family photograph of a person they are researching.
In 1994, the genealogy bug came for me on a weekday morning. I was on the phone talking with my mother and, she started talking about the family history as always. But it was something special about that morning. That morning I heard her voice like never before, " a voice spoke to me and said start recording what your mother is telling you." Without hesitating, I walked over to the desk in my home office and started writing down what she was telling me. You could hear the excitement in her voice as she shared the oral history with me. I don't know which one of us was more excited! Was it her telling me or me wanting to listen for more?
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| Isabel Harrell |
I was living on N. Miro Street in New Orleans and couldn't wait to go to the Louisiana Division Department at the Main Branch in New Orleans. I learned how to use the microfilms. The first people I found on the microfilms were my maternal 3rd great-grandfather Robert Harrell and his family. The same day I found my maternal 3rd great-grandfather Thomas Richardson and his family. Just looking at their names on census came alive for me. I was looking at the family lineage that took me back three generations.
I started shaking that family tree to find what else I could shake off that tree. I started at the roots of the tree; the roots took me to the Louisiana Florida Parishes. There I met with family members who held on to the oral history, family heirlooms, and pictures. Years ago my mother's youngest brother Raymond Harrell, Sr. passed away. His daughter Monteral inherit his rich collection. Now she had passed the collection to me to help her preserve it.
In that collection, I found pictures of my mother. Growing up in the family house in Amite, Louisiana., I didn't see any pictures of my mother growing up through the years. My eyes were fixated on the shoe box that Monteral put on the table with all the photographs. I didn't know what photograph I would find in the box. Inside of the box was a lot of photographs that are related to the Harrell side of my family. I picked up a stack very careful and started looking at the images with focused eyes. I realized that some of the pictures dated back to the late 1800s and early to mid-1900s.
In that collection, I found pictures of my mother. Growing up in the family house in Amite, Louisiana., I didn't see any pictures of my mother growing up through the years. My eyes were fixated on the shoe box that Monteral put on the table with all the photographs. I didn't know what photograph I would find in the box. Inside of the box was a lot of photographs that are related to the Harrell side of my family. I picked up a stack very careful and started looking at the images with focused eyes. I realized that some of the pictures dated back to the late 1800s and early to mid-1900s.
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| Isabel Harrell Westside Class of 1958 |
I soon came across my mother high school graduation picture and finally, I kept looking and I soon came across a picture of her wedding. "I asked Monteral if she knew who's wedding this was?" she said no. I told her that this was my mother's wedding. I was so surprised and happy to find these priceless photographs of my mom.
My mother graduated from West Side High School in 1958. She told me she played basketball and she had a picture of her with the girl's basketball team but somehow it was misplaced or lost. My mother and her groom Sidney Cook, Jr., stood dress in their wedding attire in the living room of my maternal grandparents home in Amite, Louisiana.
My mother graduated from West Side High School in 1958. She told me she played basketball and she had a picture of her with the girl's basketball team but somehow it was misplaced or lost. My mother and her groom Sidney Cook, Jr., stood dress in their wedding attire in the living room of my maternal grandparents home in Amite, Louisiana.
Mom's beautiful lace dress and her white gloves fit her so perfectly with her white pearls to accent her beauty. I couldn't believe that these treasures were in the shoebox with all the other family photograph collection.
My brothers will be happy to read the blog post and, see photographs of mom's life cycle. A treasure I want to share with them and it's all because of family images preservers like Monteral. There are genealogy clues in old photographs that can tell us a lot about our family history. My brothers, nieces, and nephews appreciate her sharing these photographs with our family. Now that they are in my collection I will share them with my siblings, nieces, and nephews.
Mom's kept a lot of family photographs herself. During hurricane Katrina, she lost a lot of the pictures, so over the years, I have been giving her family photographs as a gift. Mother's Day is soon approaching and, I guess I will find a way to share these priceless photographs with her.
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| Isabel Harrell Cook Photo Courtesy: Antoinette Harrell |
Over two decades later, I'm still shaking that family tree and pictures, documents and oral history is still falling off the tree. My mission is to share family photographs through my family blog. Sharing photographs is a sure way of making sure that our priceless family photographs will not be lost forever. We are living in a digital age where it is easy to share family photographs with each other.
Now, I have something to share with Monteral. I took a lot of photographs at her parents wedding and I want to give the album to her. I'm happy to share what I have with others. Other family members like Wendell Richardson, Alex Richardson, Cletis Gordon and Shan Gordon has shared a lot of photographs from their family collection on facebook. Let's keep sharing photographs and keeping our history alive.
Now, I have something to share with Monteral. I took a lot of photographs at her parents wedding and I want to give the album to her. I'm happy to share what I have with others. Other family members like Wendell Richardson, Alex Richardson, Cletis Gordon and Shan Gordon has shared a lot of photographs from their family collection on facebook. Let's keep sharing photographs and keeping our history alive.