Saturday, April 23, 2011

A Teasing Puzzle in Allentown

My grandmother, Florence (Webber) Currier had a brother named Rollin. Rollin was one of eight siblings and three half siblings. Rollin was pretty easy to research because he left a trail of accomplishments in his career as a machinist that started in Boston and ended up at the US Navy Bureau of Ordnance in Bethlehem, PA. He resided in Allentown, PA near his work in Bethlehem. Yesterday I was searching through some old photos and came across two that are conveniently dated by the developer on July 18, 1939. I love it when the developer offers that information but I don't see it very often. And to top that off, someone has miraculously provided the names of those pictured on the back of the photographs.

Dated and named photographs are a genealogist's dream! But that doesn't mean the research will fall into place by itself. It's going to take some work to figure out who is who. I recognize Rollin pictured in the center of the three gentlemen. But one of the names noted on the back of their photo is unfamiliar to me. And whoever noted the names I suspect listed them in reverse mirror order...in other words I think the names are written corresponding right to left instead of the way they are standing left to right.   The three ladies noted as "The Webber Girls" have given names I do not recognize. And even though the photos are dated the same there's no guarantee they were taken on the same day. The shadows on the "Girls" photo are obviously different than those of the men. So maybe the photos were taken at different times or even different days or locations. Who knows?
But that's what makes it all interesting to me.  Trying to figure out the who, what, where, and when on things like these photos is my sirens song.  I can't resist. It's not just that my search goes on. My search doesn't just go on... it MUST go on. Because I can't say no to puzzles like this.