Thinking About My Ancestors Through Photos

It would have been my mother's father, Leo Lankford Sr's 127th birthday. He was born in Canton, MO on May 30, 1884. I've found a lot more information about my ancestors on my mother's side. I found more this week!

Leo Lankford Sr.
(1884- 1954)

Over the years of research on my family history, I've been thinking about my ancestors as I'm looking through some photographs. It's interesting to see these photos. A picture can say a thousand words.

I have thought...the more that I can piece together what some of my ancestors did, their lives become more real. When I look a my family's pedigree chart, I can see how some things are connected. It's good to know where our kin folks came from.

It's not just that they lived in an era before I did. It's that they went through life with different and similar issues I have faced in life.

I am on the other side of what majority of my ancestors wanted. I'm living their dream of freedom from bondage. They were human beings too.

Yeah, I've been looking at old photographs. It makes my mind wander. How they lived in the time that they did. They had less opportunities to do a lot of things.

But there was something that they had, that is offered to all generation even behind today. They had their life that was given to them by the grace of God. Some believed on Jesus as their LORD and Savior.

Jesus was in their days too. Just think, we all have or had the opportunity to serve the same God but in different time periods. How awesome!

I am thankful that some of our ancestors took time to pose in from of a camera. I've been looking at how my ancestors dressed. They choose nice cloting for the photos. It's like they had on their Sunday's best.


It gives me the assumption that they cared so much about how they would look. They thought about being in their best outfit. They were sending a message to the viewers.

I wander how they thought about issues that they faced? I could image how some who never saw freedom from slavery could have wanted so much to be free. The dreams of what they could never see because of their skin color.

This photo was found in my Grandpa Mary's house. She was married to Grandpa Leo. I don't know when my Grandparents were married around 1908.

But the people in this photo were believed to be relatives. Perhaps a husband and wife with their four daughters. The elderly lady could have been an in law or mother of the man or woman.

I notice in most of the photo that I was looking at, the people were dressed up. They rarely a smile on their faces. In two of the photos, some one had a book in a person's hand. It must have meant something.

Most of my slavery ancestors learned how to read and write. Most of them were farmers. They had and came from large families. Grandpa Leo was one of about 12. Grandma Mary was one of three children. She had a half brother and half sister.

As for me, my parents came from large families. My parents had 19 kids together. I got interest in my family history about 30+ years ago.

I am finding more information as the years past by. I am putting together some things. There were things that I have not thought of. But through the years, some things are clarified.

I am recording things for the future generations. I have no off springs, but I do think about the future generations. Wonder what they will ask? Wonder about the ones before them?

Staying On The Family History Journey,
Susan

The Chronicles of Susan

On My Journey Of Transformation

Thinking About My Ancestors Through Photos

What an after thought!

We will get to meet some of our ancestors after the resurrection of our bodies.

Psalm 150:1

Let everything that lives sing praises to the LORD!
Praise the LORD!