Thursday, January 8, 2009

Do you know Jack?

The word prompt for the 9th Edition of Smile For The Camera is Who Are You - I Really Want To Know? Show us that picture that you found with your family collection or purchased, but have no idea who they might be.

I have an idea who the man below is, but if I am correct, I only know his first name, which isn't much, and I'd like to know more.


(click to enlarge)

My maternal grandmother, Myrtle Van Every (1900-1951), received letters from both of her parents circa 1919-1920 consoling her on a divorce from a guy named Jack. This would have likely been her first of three marriages. I know she was married again in 1927 for about 2 months. She married my grandfather in 1936, and the third time was the charm. She was 38 years old when her first child was born.

Unfortunately, her parents didn't include Jack's surname in the consolation letters. The photographs above come from my grandmother's photo album, and while it's definitely not certain, I feel there is a strong possibility the man in the photographs is Jack. It's clear he is a 'beau' from the picture on the left, and a few others. And the date is right.

In 1919 the Van Every family lived in El Paso, TX, which borders both New and Old Mexico. They had a farm in Fort Hancock, TX. My grandmother's oldest sister, Minnie, had a farm in Old Mexico. So there are a variety of places my grandmother and Jack could easily have gotten married/divorced making the search for those records more complicated.

1 comment:

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...

An interesting puzzle. I hope someone recognizes her name and can provide your answer.