I recently re-discovered this five-generation photograph that I had purchased a few years ago at an estate tag sale in Champaign. The picture does not include anyone in my family but I found the different clothing and hairstyles intriguing. The fact that all of the names of the women in the picture were written on the back was a bonus.
After doing some research on the families, it appears that the numbering of the names listed on the back of the photo is by the generation of descent. The arrangement of generations in the photo is in a counterclockwise rotation starting with Sarah E. Pruitt Osborn, who is seated on the right; Mary Va. Osborn Haverfield is standing on the right; Sadie Rushama Haverfied Ball is standing on the left; Mildred Flossie Ball Hedges is seated on the left, and Eunice Elaine Hedges is on her lap.
The last of the five generations, Eunice Elaine Hedges Russell, died on January 2, 2020, in Memphis, Tennessee. Her obituary was printed in The News-Gazette on January 14, 2020, page B-4. Interment at the Mount Hope Mausoleum in Champaign was to be made at a later date.
This photograph has been donated to the Archives and is now a part of the photograph collection.
- Karla Gerdes
Archives Assistant