NCCHP HISTORY DETECTIVES SOLVE MYSTERY PHOTO #6 (well, 88% solved)

After a trip to the Granville Public Library's History Room and great help from curator Rose Miller, the intrepid NCCHP history detectives can claim their first solved case! OK, there is still a bit of confusion about the identity of two of the fifteen people in the photo so technically we can only claim 88% victory.

After going through many, many photos carefully preserved in the History Room we were close to giving up until Thom's sharp eyes noticed a framed photo sitting on a display case. It happened to be a copy of Mystery Photo #6 (Granville Methodist Quire 1888; yes, that's the way it was spelled on the photo: "quire").

The big question- were the identities of the people in the photo written on the back? After a deep breath and pause for added effect, Thom turned over the photo and there on the back were the names of everyone in the photo, including Thom's grandmother, Lizzie Holcomb. It was the first image of her as a young woman he had ever seen.

Here are the notes from the back of the photo (click on any image below for a larger version):

Reverse of 1888 Granville Methodist Quire photo (Granville Public Library History Room photo)

Here's the photo:


1888 Granville Methodist Quire (Granville Public Library History Room photo)

There are a few items that were either corrected or points of disagreement concerning identities. First, the two bearded gents on the right side of the middle row are Lorenzo Noble and George Peck. But which is which seems to be up for debate, thanks to conflicting notations. So we still have one mystery left in Mystery Photo #6. The second item is clarification of "Myrtie" Rowley, which was corrected via an attached note indicating her correct name as Mary (Mati) Noble Rowley, wife of John Rowley, sister to Mrs. Charles Thompson. This was confirmed by the other NCCHP mystery detective in the room who happens to be her great grandson.

For NCCHP blog followers who may have noticed the names of ancestors in the list of people in the photo, let's take a closer look at these remarkable people:

1888 Granville Methodist Quire detail, upper left side (Granville Public Library History Room photo)

1888 Granville Methodist Quire detail, lower left side (Granville Public Library History Room photo)

 

1888 Granville Methodist Quire detail, left side (Granville Public Library History Room photo)

Now for the final mystery of Mystery Photo #6: Of the two gents in the upper right of the photo above, do you know which is Lorenzo Noble and which is George Peck? If so, join the NCCHP History Detectives and "help keep the drumbeat of history" alive. Send an email with your answer to ncchp.org@gmail.com along with any reasonable proof that you're right. Thanks!