Who Are These Beautiful People in the Photographs

Unknown
Courtesy of Monteral Harrell

My maternal first cousin Monteral Harrell and I was looking through the photograph collection of her deceased father Raymond Harrell, Sr., and saw so many beautiful pictures that tell a story. We have no idea who these well dress people could be. Some of them could be people we are related to and just don't know it. My cousin whom I call Moni and I just looked at the beautiful pictures. 

They took taking a picture seriously. On most of the photographs, you will see people looking very serious. Unlike today, digital technology has taken us to new levels in photography. Making silly faces, taking selfies, and taking multi photographs without worrying about the loss of films and the cost of developing the films is the new way of taking pictures in today's time.  So that takes the edge off taking pictures today.

According to an article in Time Magazine,  November 28, 2016, issue, the first photographs were taken in the late 1820s. Our family had to have some means of money because they took a lot of photographs. Some were taken in the studio and some were taken at different homes.  The bottom line is someone had access to a camera and money to have them develop unless they had their own darkroom for processing the images. I just wish I knew who it was. I found more pictures on my Harrell side of the family then the Richardson and Vining side of the family. I wish I could find more image in every branch of my family tree.

I can take my grandfathers' Jasper's sister Aunt Bertha Harrell for example, she appeared to be a lady that enjoyed fashions and taking photographs.  But the question is; who are these beautiful distinguished people in the photographs?

Unknown
Courtesy of Montreal Harrell

Every family has a keeper of the oral history, family photographs, and some are the keepers of the family heirlooms. Monteral like her father is the keeper of the family photographs. We are hoping that someone who may read this blog can identify someone in the images.  Many families had albums of unknown photographs and don't know what to do with them. Sometimes if you are lucky‒you can find an inscription on the back of the photograph and some may not have inscriptions or labels. 

We can interpret a lot from a photograph when we look at it closely.  The way they dress and the time period of the photograph. How they wore their hair and the location of the photograph! Looking at the images backgrounds. Did they take the photograph in a studio are did they take the photograph at home? Are there people that you recognize? 

One thing for sure, we should never throw away photographs. Especially pictures from the l800s and 20th century. Sometimes those pictures can be one of a kind and the only image there is that can connect us to a previous generation. Who wouldn't be happy to find a picture of an ancestor? I know I would be delighted and overly joyed.

I was browsing around on eBay and found an entire collection of African-American Photo Family Lot Talbot Ga Family Al 20s South Tintype selling for $99.00.  Vintage photographs can be pricey as well.  If you ever stop at a museum or antique shop, you can find that African-American images can be very expensive. 

Genealogist conferences, workshops, and family reunions are excellent places to start educating the family on the importance of keeping the old photo collection. Would you want your photo collection sitting outside in the trash? Have you thought about making plans for the collection? Do you know how to professionally archive your collection safely? 

I was happy to see that Monteral and her dad didn't laminate them. It best to use acid-free sleeves. And by all means please, avoid adhesives and please store your albums in a dry place free of all chemicals.  You do not want to use staples and paper clips that could stain and damages the photographs.  I strongly suggest wearing cloth gloves and avoiding latex gloves when looking at old photos. 

Please make sure you're in a clean area without in liquids or food when looking at the images. Some lights can be very harmful to the images, so do be careful when you are handling old and rare photos. I'm happy that Monteral and her father are two of the keepers of the Harrell family tree.

On the Vining side of the family, our cousin Ann Lee Vining Hurst inherit her mother Hilda" Zemora" Vining collection. Some of the photographs Ann was able to identify the people and others images she had no idea who the people were.

Harrell Inspired Other Genealogist to Donate Their Research Materials

Harrell donating her 2017 collection

My family roots run deep in the Florida Parishes. When I first started researching my family history in the local libraries and university, I couldn't find any records, photographs, and any other genealogy resources outside of the parish courthouse and ancestry.  I know my family has been in the parishes since the founding of the parishes and contributed to the society they lived in. 

They owned their land, they built their one-room schools. African American people in the Florida parishes worked hard to own and maintain their own farms and some owned their own business. They served in the military and not one monument with their names listed can be found throughout the Florida Parishes.  "Why wasn't their contributions documented?" As I moved forward to pursue my own genealogy research as planned. I started collecting photographs, documents, artifacts and genealogical records from other African American families in the Florida Parishes, I had to find a repository to deposit the items collected. 

Bennett donating her family files

In 2012, I called the office of Samuel Hyde, Jr. Ph.D., Professor of History and Director, Center for Southeast La. Studies/Archives to set up an appointment with him to talk with him about the rich collections. After talking with Dr. Hyde, he informed me that he would be happy to archive the collections, and how   important it is to the history of the Florida Parishes. The collection  help fill in the missing pieces of history in the Florida Parishes as it relates to African American people. 

I asked my colleague Bernice Alexander Bennett a Maryland resident, who is the host of "Research at the National Archives and Beyond," author, genealogist, family historian to consider donating her family papers and research to the Center for Southeast La. Studies/Archives. She agreed to donate her collection to the center.  Bennett spends countless of hours researching civil war records for Louisiana color troops at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Martin & Royal looking at Harrell's
collection

Another genealogy researcher named Stephanie Quiette-Addison Martin, spent twenty-five years  researching and documenting the history of African Americans in the Florida Parishes, Martin has submitted work to Afrigeneas and to Christine's Genealogy website. She is also published in the "Louisiana Genealogical Register." Martin offered to donate her extensive collection to the Center for Southeast La Studies/Archives. She has collected over 10,000 names. Martin is the Manager of the African American Archives for  Louisiana.

Karran Harper Royal, co-host of "Nurturing Our Roots Television Talk Show," and Executive Director of the Georgetown University 272. Royal is a native of New Orleans and talks about the impact of Georgetown. 272 slaves were sold to benefit Georgetown University.

Words can't explain how delighted and happy I am to hear that these noted and reowned genealogists  and family historians will follow the lead and donate their collections to the center.  

Black Field Laborer Near Amite City

Black field laborer near Amite City, ca. 1900. Cotton production remain central in the regional economy in the late nineteenth century. This photo can be found in Pistols and Politics " The Dilemma of Democracy in Louisiana's Florida Parishes 1810-1899. Written by Samuel C. Hyde, Jr.

Photo Courtesy: Buddy Bel

Scranton and Emma Jones Harrell of Dodge, Georgia Lineage

Robert Harrell, Jr.

I met Robert Harrell, Jr.,  several years ago through social media. Robert family lineage run deep in  Dodge County, Georgia. He traced his great great grandfather Scranton Harrell back to 1868. He was married to
Penny and they had four sons. 

Robert's grandfather was named Scranton Harrell he was born around 1879. In 1930 they were living in Dodge, Georgia.  They owned their home, Scranton was a farmer and owned his own farm. He and his wife Emma were the parents of; Scranton, Robert, Isaac, Mattie, and Mandy.

Harrell-Jone & Related Families will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on August 1-3, 2017. The event is being hosted by the descendants of Scranton and Emma Jones Harrell and related families. Scranton was the grandson of Scranton and Emma Harrell and the son of Anthony & Mattie Yarborough. Emma was the daughter of Robert and Ellen Jones.

Robert publish a quarterly newsletter entitled " The Times Harrell" Family Newsletter "Our Roots Deep," is committed publishing an educational edition by early August. His prior editions only focused on current educational activities. However, his future issues will also include news on continuing college students and any noteworthy achievements of youth at any level.

Scranton and Emma Jone Harrell Marriage License
1901

Isaac and Mariah Harrell of East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana

Top Left: William Harrell, Sr. Bottom Left: Isaac Harrell, Jr.
Top Right: Johnny Harrell: Bottom Right: Joseph Harrell
Isaac Harrell in the center.

Last week a woman name Carolyn August- Robinson contacted me about her East Feliciana Harrell family.  Her grandfather Isaac Harrell was born circa 1892. Isaac's mother was named Catherine, she married a man name Ripley Flowers who listed Isaac as his stepson in the 1900 U.S. Census. 

A brother by the name of James E. Harrell was living in the household. James was born in 1894. 

In 1910 he was living in the Police Jury Ward 7th, East Feliciana, Louisiana.  He was recorded as a mulatto and was a farmer by occupation. He was married to Mariah Jefferson Harrell.  They were the parents of Catherine, Emma, Leola, Viola, Mary Ella, Florence, Joseph, John, Isaac and Elizabeth Harrell.

In 1920 Isaac and Mariah were living in New Orleans, Louisiana at 5763 Dauphine Street. He worked as a laborer at a saw mill. In 1930 the family was living at 5431 Urquhart Street. Isaac was longshoreman working on the docks.

Their son Joseph was killed in a train derailment in 1947 on his way home. Once Isaac and his wife left the small town of Clinton they made New Orleans their home. Many of their descendants still live in the New Orleans today. I heard that there were Harrell's who lived in the ninth ward in New Orleans other than my Harrell family. Now that I'm making a connection with other Harrell's who came from Clinton it may help me find my maternal great grandfather Alexander's brother and sisters offsprings if there were any.

The Harrell Sister

Just this past week  family historian Karran Harper Royal and I went to Clinton to help New Orleans Police Officer Stephen Harrell, Sr. connect to his Harrell roots in Clinton. Now we're connecting with Carolyn to connect with her Clinton roots.

In 1802 Hezekiah Harrell was sent as early as 1802 by his father, fat old Levi Harrell of Charleston District, S.C., to explore the southern wilds for a home large enough for his "old folks," the littles one, the slaves and herds. Hezekiah, having obtained a liberal Spanish grant.  Fat "Ole Levi," other family lines are  Smith, Bacon, Chance, Robinson, Hobgood, Little, Cassel, McNeil and Hunt. They all lived in East Feliciana and Amite County, Mississippi in the early 1800s.  I've been to the clerk's office in Amite County, Mississippi many time looking at the slave inventory and succession records of Hezekiah. Now that I know the lineage of Isaac and Beauregard Harrell, I would like to find their ancestors who were slaves to find out if they were related to my maternal great-great grandfather Robert Harrell.

Carolyn August-Robinson

One thing that fat old Levi told his son Hezekiah is not to sell any of his slaves. Hezekiah honored his father wishes and kept the enslaved African together on the the Harrell plantation.  I hear people with the last name Harrell talk about their Clinton roots.  I think its time to use DNA to find out if we're related once we hit a brick wall and our research can't go any
further.

So many of us with the last name Harrell want to know how history and more about our ancestors, who were they, where did they come from. Who are their children? Where did they go after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed granting the former slaves their freedom. I very grateful for social media networks, because we're sharing photographs and family stories.

Carolyn informed me that she and Stephen are friends on facebook and she was trying to find out if they're related.  I think we'll  get some answers very soon. If you're a Harrell with ancestral roots in East Feliciana Parish, Amite County, Mississippi, St. Helena Parish, Tangipahoa Parish and Orleans Parish, and you would like to share your Harrell family history please email me at afrigenah@yahoo.com., Karan and I would like to hear about your history and we're still searching for the descendants of Alexander and Dinah Harrell.

Isaac Harrell, Jr.
Son of Isaac and Mariah Harrell