The first picture is part of the Watson family, taken around 1892 or 1893. I believe that seated is Albania Stone (est 60 YO) and husband, George Watson Sr. (est 85 YO), Standing L-R are son Charles Burgess (est 38 YO), wife Savanah Mapes (est 34 YO), daughters Grace (est 3- 4 YO) and Linda (est 9 YO).
Another Photo taken the same day is of George Sr, and his wife Albania. The image below is the writing on the back that was done by his grandson, George (b 1894), son of Charles B.
Below is another early photo of the Watson family in Rockdale Township, Crawford County, PA. Estimated to have been taken in around 1898 (about 5-6 years later than the photo above), this photo features Savannah Mapes Watson, George (b. 1895), Grace, Linda, and Charles B. Watson in front of their home. This home was located behind the existing house built in approximately 1950, where George and his wife, Elizabeth (Betty) Dunning, retired. They called the area around the house “The Promised Land.”
I believe that Charles B. moved with his wife and three children to a farm to the east of their birthplace. The P. Rust family previously owned it. The 1900 Census shows that Charles B. lived in a separate house from his father, George Sr. It also indicates that he and his wife, Savannah, had five children, three of whom were still living. This ties to me hearing that George had one or two siblings who did not survive. I discovered this when we were cleaning the basement, and some coffin handles were found there. It was said that they were from the casket of Grandfather George’s siblings. Below is a photo of George and his Mother, Savanah, in front of the house that still exists on Watson Road (on the left, driving east on Watson Road, at the top of the hill, just before Mackey Hill Road). I believe it was passed from Charles and Savannah to their daughter, Grace, and then to Wendell and Wilson (George and Elizabeth’s sons).
This is a photo with George Watson on the Haystack, Bob (Charles B) on the rake (left side), and Elmer Matthews under the hay in the front. I assume he is throwing hay up to George. Elmer was a neighbor born in 1890, about 4 years older than George. I am guessing it was taken about 1913-1915 (George would have been 18-21, and would have likely been before he married Elizabeth in 1918,
