The mystery is solved.
Some
time ago I came across a photo marked “Harmon and George ‘of all’
Sizemore” it came from what appeared to be a reliable source. It can be
found in many places on the internet and is always (as far as I have
seen) attached to George “All” Sizemore. However after I posted the
photo, comments and questions came in that cast a cloud of doubt about
the accuracy of the label.
The
most damning of which was the fact someone pointed out that George ‘of
all’ had lived and died before photography was invented. George “All”
Sizemore lived 1750-1822 (and is buried in Leslie County, Kentucky) and the first commercially available photography - the daguerreotype was introduced in 1839.
Then the question asked by many, “Well, then, who IS this?”
I received a letter from a descendant of Harmon and Susan Sizemore, Walter L. Sizemore, who was understandably upset that his ancestors were not given their proper recognition.
First and foremost I want to extend my apologies to the family and take this opportunity to set the record straight:
The letter says the picture is of Harmon Sizemore (1806-1909) and his wife (behind him), Susan (Sizemore), daughter of John “Rockhouse” Sizemore , with his brother, John Sisemore (1822-1900), and John’s
daughter, Mary Ann (Sisemore) Seamans. John apparently changed the
spelling of his name when he moved to Arkansas in 1837.
The picture is
taken in front of John’s store in Aurora, Arkansas in the 1870’s,
probably, he says, to celebrate the moving of Harmon and Susan from
Leslie County, Kentucky to Madison County, Arkansas. Harmon and John were sons of James Sizemore (before 1774-1824) and Elizabeth Fields.
So
for all of us who have been wondering, the mystery had been solved at
last. Now we know the true identities of the people in the picture.
Thanks again to the descendants of these pioneers who helped in the writing of this post and
brought to light the facts that were for so many years lost in history. 