A Mystery Photo Revealed

Reeds, sepia saturday,

I posted the photograph on the left in 2010 in Wordless Wednesday – Mystery Couple. At the time I didn’t know who either of them were and wasn’t sure about the uniform he was wearing. By googling I found that it was a World War 1 army dress uniform.

I posted the photo on the left a couple of months ago in Theresa Pearl’s Birthday – March 10, 1919. My cousin was scanning and sending me old photographs and this was one of them.  Although only one of the children was labeled I knew who the other was because of other photos.  I think that is probably their mother.

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Clifford Edison Young with one of his sisters.
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Theresa Pearl, Blanche and Thomas P. Reed. 1919

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I was looking on Ancestry.com trying to fill in some of the gaps and noticed there was a little waving leaf next to Uncle Hugh Reed’s brother-in-law, Clifford Edison Young. I decided to look and see what they had. There were several historical records, including a record of burial in the Los Angeles National Cemetery. It said that he was a Sergent in the United States Army during World War 1.

I thought of the photo of the mystery man in uniform immediately.  I found the photograph and looked at it. I thought that the woman next to him looked like the woman with the two children – Blanche Young Reed. I am convinced that the soldier is Clifford but I’m not sure about the woman because Blanche had three younger sisters. Clifford was two years younger than she was and the three sisters were younger than they were. The sister in the picture looks younger than the soldier to me so I think that it was Nellie, Bessie or Elizabeth.  Perhaps there is another picture that will turn up and completely solve the mystery.

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Click for more photos of WW 1, soldiers, kilts, bagpipes and/or huts.

 

28 thoughts on “A Mystery Photo Revealed”

  2. How thrilling to solve a mystery, or at least part of it. It gives hope that you’ll be able to complete the story. Well done!

    1. Alan, I do! I just dislike it when they turn out to be sending me to someone’s family tree who got all their info and photos from my tree.

  5. How fun! I enjoy a good mystery too, just hearing the word mystery gets me fired up. Great photos too, and good detective work.

  6. Great detective work, Kristin. I suspect that the single chevron on the soldier’s lower left sleeve means that he’s a lance-corporal, but this may of course be earlier in his service than the burial record suggests, which would be his final rank. A more detailed scan of the photograph might also show what the badges and medals are, further clues to his military service.

    1. Brett, I tried scanning it at 600 but the original is just not good enough to show me any details about the uniform. Wondering if I could send for his record with just the information I do have.

      1. Quite possibly, I’m just not familiar enough with US military records. I presume you have his WW1 Draft Registration Card from Ancestry?

  7. I will have to try that free site when I am looking for information. I don’t research my own family so don’t want to pay for information.

    1. I have found some information on there that I couldn’t find on Ancestry in the past. Not so much now. They sometimes have scans of the actual documents, which is always nice.

  8. Yeah! Great detective work. I’m always amazed how genealogical mysteries often eventually resolve themselves if I am persistent and patient.

  12. I love the facial expressions in the picture on the left – he so stern and she so playful. Good luck bringing this mystery to an end.

  14. I see you are still hard at work.
    It’ll pay off in the end.
    You’ll get your answer(s).
    Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!!
    🙂
    HUGZ

  15. Hi Kristin! Happy New Year!

    Don’t you love when those little waving leaves in Ancestry.com lead to somewhere unexpected, or solve a long-time mystery? It’s a thrill, isn’t it?

    Kat

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