Thanks for posting,
Vikki, Moderator

I am a descendant of Harriet Carter Knight Ward and Ike Ward. Their daughter Hettie Ward is my gg grandmother. Hettie married Bigy Musgrove through which I sping. Therefore, I also descend from Rose Holifield Musgrove whom Ike Ward fathered his oldest child before his union with Harriet Carter Knight Ward. Does anyone know anything or the whereabouts of Ike and Harriet’s other children? Rose also had several other children with Matt Musgrove. I do not know anything else about those children or their offspring. I am however in touch with a gg grandson of Matt Musgrove who is a white Musgrove.Additionally, I would love to connect with anyone from the Dean family who are siblings of Ike Ward…descendants of his mother. Thanks

Eunice Smith

My Name is Barry Knight from Erie, Pa. My Great Grandfather was Tim Knight abt. 1892 (Ike & Harriet’s Grandson) (Joans son), and My Grandfather, who is still alive Is Major Knight (Now 87 years old). There are several hundred to possilbly 1000 peolple in just this area alone who are Knight’s or Page’s who are all related.

Thanks for the clarification of types of metal photos. As for provenance of those photos, well, easier said than done. Very few that I’ve been shown were identified by name at the time the photo was taken, and most are copies, not originals. When five people have a copy of the same photo and can’t agree on who it is or even where the photo came from originally, an author is left to sift through opinions. Of course, not all opinions are equal, and one tends to favor those expressed by the closest kinfolk.

In regard to the photo in question, which appears on both the cover of Free State of Jones and within, its original tintype was found in the papers of Anna Knight, Rachel Knight’s granddaughter, by the descendant of Rachel and Newt who now owns that collection.

I agree that such a photo seems rare for its time, and for that reason I think it might indeed be Rachel Knight. She was, after all, a central person in the life of Newton Knight, an important state and local political figure (love him or hate him) during the 1870s.

That, however, is only my opinion, not provenance. I leave it to Rachel’s descendants to draw their own conclusions.

Vikki

Daguerreotypes, the first process, is also on metal, but they are always distinguishable because they have a mirror-like appearance. You have to hold them at an angle to the light to see the image. They date from 1839 to the 1860s, but peaked about the early-1850s. They’re usually found enclosed in cases, and you hardly see them in person these days unless you go to a museum. There are very few daguerreotypes of Piney Woods settlers. They were expensive and one would have to go to Jackson, Natchez, or New Orleans to have them made. Thus, a majority of daguerreotypes are of upper class citizens. Luckily, one of Robert Magee has survived.

Ambrotypes, 1854-1860s, are on glass plates. The back of the glass was painted black to make the image appear “positive.” They, too, are always found in cases. You start to see more people from this part of MS in ambrotypes, but still rare.

Tintypes (Ferrotypes) replaced both from 1854-1900s because it was cheaper and easier. They are on little metal plates, and quite common. As stated earlier, they’re most often seen from 1860s-1870s. Fortunately for the yeomanry of the Piney Woods, the cheap cost and efficiency of the process allowed for itenerant ferrotypists to travel through these counties on a constant basis. They often photographed people in their yards beside their homes. If it’s not in a case or paper sleeve, you can often see in the edges where a sheet or quilt was hung behind them for a backdrop. Some of the tintypists would set up tents.

Beginning in the 1860s, the printing-out process came onto the scene and overtook all of the others. The negative was a glass plate, and multiple copies could then be made onto paper, which was then mounted on card stock. These are the little carte-de-visite and cabinet card photos we commonly see from the late-1800s in our collections.

Regarding the tintype in question, another thing most valuable to the researcher trying to make identification is provenance. Provenance can’t be overlooked. You must try to trace the chain of ownership. Who owned it last, and why? You keep going–who had it before that person, and why? The answers can be quite helpful.

One other thing strikes me about this image. It’s very rare to see persons of color in the earlier image processes, and I would say particularly from the Piney Woods.

Thank you so much for your personally neutral observations about this particular photo. Rachel Knight was born in 1840, so the mid-1870s would certainly fit the appearance of the young woman portrayed, and reinforce in turn that she could be Rachel. Alas, members of the Knight family continue to disagree over whether it is truly a photo of Rachel, and probably always will.

I have seen the metallic original firsthand, but some who have also seen it call it a “ferrotype” rather than a tintype. Am I correct in my understanding that ferrotypes and tintypes are the same thing?

Vikki

You mentioned that the original image of the lady on the cover–and on page 111–is a tintype. Tintypes, which were produced from 1854 through the turn-of-the-century, peaked in the mid-1860s and gradually declined. The sitter’s clothing is consistent with what’s seen in the 1870s for women. I feel confident that the image on page 111 is from the 1870s. If I had to pinpoint it, I’d say mid-1870s.

As I was saying in another post, narrowing the date helps you establish parameters of who it can or can not be.

Brian