#52 Ancestors prompt for week 2 is your favorite photo.  There are just so many to choose from that I chose a combination.  My Great Grandmother Susie Allen and her sister Trusie.  I chose this combination because it always reminds me of the wonderfully helpful community of genealogists out there. 

When I first began researching I didn’t have much information on this family and not much potential to get more.  My mom is an only child, her dad had passed away and he had two sisters who left no living descendants and they were both gone as well.  I knew Susie’s maiden name was Allen but in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1890-1900’s “Susie Allen” was not a creative name – There were many that come up in searches. 

A few months after I began researching I inherited a suitcase full of old family photos.  JACKPOT – not quite – most of them are unlabeled and are unidentifiable.  Then I saw this picture of Susie.  I recognize her from other later pictures.

  

Shortly after seeing that picture I found this one:

These two girls are obviously related!  Same dress same background!  This must be a sister.  I can read the lastname written on the back of this photo and the Mrs. at the beginning.  Mrs. ? Stanfield.  At this point I went onto a chat forum centered around the locality where they lived.  I threw my question out to the wonderful genealogy community “Looking for information about a Allen female that married a Stanfield.”  And the response I was hoping for came: There was a Trusie Allen that married a George Stanfield.  Trusie Allen is a much easier name to search than Susie Allen.  Given this relationship I was able to find the ancestors of Susie Allen Simmons all the way back to the Bass Family that came to Virginia in 1620! 

When posed with writing about my favorite photo or one of my favorite community stories this is always tops in my mind.  While I never got to meet Susie or Trusie they are forever in my heart and a part of me and a special part of my journey.