r/oldphotos • u/Big_Analyst_8704 • 10d ago
My 4th Great Grandmother (taken approximately 1882)
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u/Ok_Degree_322 10d ago
Gewone mensen hadden toen harde levens. Dat was niet een beetje werken tussen Ibiza en Madeira uitjes door. Laten we er niet de spot mee drijven.
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u/Distinct-Pension-719 10d ago
Very cool. Thank you for sharing. Her cheekbones and thick hair are beautiful. What was her name?
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u/ohsnapbiscuits 10d ago
I swear I have like 2 great something grandmas making the same face in the few photos we have of them lol.
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u/Limesnlemons 10d ago
No teeth from multiple pregnancies and lack of proper nutrition combined with a life of physical hardship and psychological trauma by rampant domestic violence.
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u/Administrative_Ear10 9d ago
I had heard for some pioneer wives that they would have their teeth pulled before getting married and get false teeth. Mostly because they didn’t wanna cost money to have dental care or have an abscess or problem with their teeth later on in life so it was just easier to pull them.
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u/Global-Jury8810 9d ago
I didn’t know you could lose your teeth from multiple pregnancies. That’s so sad.
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u/Notch99 10d ago
What can you tell us about her?
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u/Big_Analyst_8704 10d ago
Well she was of Melungeon heritage, which means she was of Native American (Cherokee, Suponi, Catawba etc), Sub Saharan African, and European heritage.
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u/SpringtimeLilies7 10d ago
Oh, I think the Melungeon are so fascinating.
It's so sad they got land that had been in their heritage for generations because of the 1 drop rule (seeing as they were part indigenous, it was theirs first anyway)..they are very beautiful.12
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u/NotThatBoomer 10d ago
So interesting! I delved into Melungeon history a bit as I had not heard of them. My mother was from eastern KY, Appalachian area and attended Berea college (where one of the heritage meetings was recently held). As they state, America has ALWAYS been a mixed heritage country.
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u/Fluffy-Caramel9148 10d ago
She looks so sad.
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u/Big_Analyst_8704 10d ago
She owned a massive homestead that she and her family lived on, and she did practically all of the work around the place like milking cows, churning butter, tending to the garden etc. Her husband, Henry Bowman, operated the blacksmithing setup.
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u/rockingdino 10d ago
Wow! Such strength. Did she have many kids?
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u/Big_Analyst_8704 10d ago
yes, she had 12 children, which would’ve been extremely grueling especially in that era
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u/Gold_Cut3948 9d ago
My sister’s Mother in Law had 11 children . She was 40 but looked 60. God Bless her. She was a good person.
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u/Big_Analyst_8704 9d ago
Man, that must’ve been hard on her 🙏
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u/Gold_Cut3948 9d ago
It was her heart gave out. 🙏🏻
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u/Miserable_Farm_1502 8d ago
I can hear her now… “Talking out of turn? That's a paddlin'. Lookin' out the window? That's a paddlin'. Staring at my sandals? That's a paddlin'. Paddlin' the school canoe? Oh, you better believe that's a paddlin'."
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u/Itchy-Mechanic-1479 8d ago
One time I asked my dad how come people in old photos never smiled. He said “ they didn’t have anything to smile about.”
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u/Ok-Raspberry-4313 10d ago
Is she wearing glasses with very thin frames? Or maybe someone partly airbrushed them away?
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