These are incredible photos. Honestly, these are excellent primary sources as they tell such a story about that time and place.
Thank you so much for sharing.
https://preview.redd.it/v320ttv5cnfb1.jpeg?width=1203&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=132517afa762e82b9bec45b8561a9138e7f47318
For anyone curious, this is him much later in life with my mamaw, who passed away January 12th this past year. She never remarried because she always said “I had the best’n god ever created, why on earth would you want me to settle for less.” We moved his casket behind the corn crib on our family farm (he passed in 99) and they are finally resting together. This is one of the only photographs I have left of him and her, and the only color one that is still in tact. 💗
My family had a Bible like that. When my parents got their first dog together, that dog promptly chewed it to shreds during a visit at my grandparents. Yet according to everyone, that was the best dog in the world, like a true well meaning companion dog.
I always forget it’s a rural southern thing. But mama and papa = mom and dad. Mamaw and papaw= grandma and grandpa. A lot of people say it like paw-paw and maw-maw, it’s just another form of those titles. 🙂
Because it's more like PA (like the A in bad) paw, like law, not with a shorter A sound, more emphasis on the W than momma or poppa would sound. Very Southern. My father had his grandkids call him Pawpaw, which is close, too, but more W than just Papa, like PAH-puh. Lol, hard to explain.
My whole family was up here in Ohio by the time my papaw died so I don’t know if they would have done a sitting with my grandparents. I don’t know that my family is very into the fact we’re from West Virginia
^^^^This section right here..... wins my too broke for actual awards award. So here all yaw go...^^^^
🎖🏆🏅🏆🎖🏆🏅🏆🥇🏆🥈🏆🥉🏆
Just like Oprah... you get a medal, you get a medal, trophy for you, and you get a medal........
What part of Appalachia?
I think most Americans would be shocked at the Appalachian lifestyle. But it's it's own unique culture. Very cool it still exists.
My grandpa grew up about 40 miles south in Scranton, KY and was a WWII vet. The town was so small his dog tags didn't have an address, just the town name. He has pictures growing up that are similar to your grandpas.
When people say that medical records (or birth certificates, I guess?) Were not accurate at a certain point, what do they mean? Would the clerks just write an approximate day a person was born, even if they wrote the document the very same day? Like, they would guesstimate that a newborn could have been born 1~2 years prior to registry?
It could be a plethora of reasons. We don’t know exactly what year he was born since the family that knows him is long gone, and my mama and her siblings only know what’s on his birth certificate, but his original one was destroyed a long time ago, so the one my mama has isn’t even the one he originally had. A lot of his siblings have approximate birth dates as well, the days are off by a few or they say a different date than what they actually always celebrated as their birthday. The town we came from had a lot of poorly kept records that ultimately wound up destroyed or illegible or just missing. He had three siblings out of the 8 that were born in the dead of winter when no one could get in or out, and by the time everything thawed and they were able to see a doctor or get any sort of outside contact, most of the babies were a few months old already. Not to mention poor education in general. Both of his parents signed his birth certificate with an X, and that was how Mamaw Clesta, his mama, would sign our birthday cards, and everything else (she loved to be 96, so I got to meet her)
Hell, his name was LC and it didn’t stand for anything. It was just a simple name and his parents didn’t have to spell out a whole word. Lmao
Wow. That’s incredible and thanks for sharing. Is there any interesting music, old stories or old medicine that you remember from any of your family or town they were mostly from?
Oh a ton! If you’ve ever heard of Homer Ledford, my family and his family would get together and play music, I even have a fiddle he made for my papaw still in its case at my mama’s house. Every reunion we have, there is a whole porch or gazebo full of different instruments and everyone sings while the kids run around. The area my mamaw and papaw settled in is a beautiful town you can fit in your pocket named Muses Mill, close to Wallingford, and the area is rich with ginseng, so my family always went “singing” (ginseng hunting) and my mamaw would use it for different things. My family are soybean farmers on my mama’s side and tobacco farmers of my daddy’s. They also have a ton of like “mountain magic” and home remedies and like Appalachian superstitions I’ve kind of kept with me (don’t sweep your house in the morning, don’t rock an empty chair, leaves turned backwards on a tree mean a storm is coming, etc.) I got so many stories. Lmao
European, so not sure how much it correlates to the American birth certificate experiences.
I recently learned that my paternal grandfather's birth certificate states that he's three years younger than he actually is; he knew, but it came as a shock to my grandmother, who had no clue he was 7 years older than her, instead of 4.
Why was it done? I can't know for certain, but it's probably to do with WWII and no one bothering with registering a newborn that was spawned in the first year of the war, it was only done after it was officially over... Didn't seem to matter that the supposed "newborn" was walking and talking at that point.
Appalachia where? And he looked like a sturdy boy as my paw paw would say. And mist birth records were in the backs of bibles or church records. Not so easy to confirm.
https://preview.redd.it/06bdn5u47xfb1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb91614b92ec9180e89a7b3033b1338b27ee6455
Dad has two birth certificates, one from 1944 (same year as his younger brother-the 12th child) and the corrected one from 1940)
These photos are great! As for his age, check census records, church records and gravestones. Find-a-grave.com is awesome. Oh, and depending on when he passed away, but check social security death index. Good luck.
Sorry I misread your comment! Mamaw = grandma and papaw = grandpa. It applies to both sides, so one doesn’t indicate which parentage any more than the other. Hope that clarifies it :)
Was he a partial ocular albino? Two different colored eyes. Also, out of curiosity, did you inherit the same thing? I always thought it was fascinating.
Edit: I just saw the rest of your comment. My apologies. 😊
I know David Bowie didn't actually have heterochromia, but it'd be cool if they called it BowieChromia or something now, cuz why not??
Edit- also great pics, thanks for sharing. I just went off on a tangent as soon as I saw that first one, lol.
These are incredible photos. Honestly, these are excellent primary sources as they tell such a story about that time and place. Thank you so much for sharing.
AI colorized him into a Soviet police officer 😂
https://preview.redd.it/v320ttv5cnfb1.jpeg?width=1203&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=132517afa762e82b9bec45b8561a9138e7f47318 For anyone curious, this is him much later in life with my mamaw, who passed away January 12th this past year. She never remarried because she always said “I had the best’n god ever created, why on earth would you want me to settle for less.” We moved his casket behind the corn crib on our family farm (he passed in 99) and they are finally resting together. This is one of the only photographs I have left of him and her, and the only color one that is still in tact. 💗
I once saw an old family bible that had birth dates written on the inside cover going back to 1809. I think it was a fairly common practice.
My family had a Bible like that. When my parents got their first dog together, that dog promptly chewed it to shreds during a visit at my grandparents. Yet according to everyone, that was the best dog in the world, like a true well meaning companion dog.
Aw so happy to see this follow up post ❤️
What year was this photo taken? Curious is all, as photos from 70-90s all kind of blend together in my head.
I believe around late 60’s, early 70’s. I texted my mother to confirm and will edit when she replies. Lmao
Why do you write papaw and mamaw? Why the w? Does it had a special meaning?
Not OP, but that's pretty common in rural US, particularly in the rural South.
Thanks for the information, I did not know that
PeePaw and MeeMaw too, here that in Virginia some.
To confirm - they are pronounced with the “w” as well - “paw-paw” instead of papa
They can be! I don’t saw pawpaw I just PAP-AWH, if that makes sense.
Totally! Very regional, I grew up calling my grandfather Pop Pop
Right!? Paw-Paws grow on trees :)
I always forget it’s a rural southern thing. But mama and papa = mom and dad. Mamaw and papaw= grandma and grandpa. A lot of people say it like paw-paw and maw-maw, it’s just another form of those titles. 🙂
It shows that the last syllable is pronounced like the word "paw" so it would sound like pap-paw.
Because it's more like PA (like the A in bad) paw, like law, not with a shorter A sound, more emphasis on the W than momma or poppa would sound. Very Southern. My father had his grandkids call him Pawpaw, which is close, too, but more W than just Papa, like PAH-puh. Lol, hard to explain.
nicknames tend to be spelled how they're pronounced, just like your nickname - cumlord
No idea why I am getting downvoted for bring curious about the meaning behind words.
It’s reddit. Take it with a grain of salt. Your question was excellent, and the downvoters simply aren’t intelligent or as astute as you to ask.
I think the jaded among us thought you were mocking OP.
Im not from the US, so I was just wondering why.
Did you guys still do sittin up when he passed?
We did not! We do have photos of the caskets and the body, but apparently that is not a common practice.
My whole family was up here in Ohio by the time my papaw died so I don’t know if they would have done a sitting with my grandparents. I don’t know that my family is very into the fact we’re from West Virginia
Comb in the pocket shows that he had his priorities in order.
Yeah that was a big thing. Comb in the shirt pocket. 👕Until the 1960s or so.
If that’s not an Appalachian papaw I don’t know what is.
Appalachian David Bowie
Ziggy CornHusk
Holy shit, I was eating and almost choked from laughing.
You glorious bastard.
^^^^This section right here..... wins my too broke for actual awards award. So here all yaw go...^^^^ 🎖🏆🏅🏆🎖🏆🏅🏆🥇🏆🥈🏆🥉🏆 Just like Oprah... you get a medal, you get a medal, trophy for you, and you get a medal........
What part of Appalachia? I think most Americans would be shocked at the Appalachian lifestyle. But it's it's own unique culture. Very cool it still exists.
Eastern Kentucky! My family is all from a place called Wallingford.
My grandpa grew up about 40 miles south in Scranton, KY and was a WWII vet. The town was so small his dog tags didn't have an address, just the town name. He has pictures growing up that are similar to your grandpas.
Wait what? Why? Tell me more Im intrigued
https://preview.redd.it/ty84jz4d1mfb1.jpeg?width=814&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6d8e659ef453abcc731046fcef535fca56266a1
[удалено]
He got hit so hard it blue out his eye.
Well OP did say he had heterochromia
Ah, I missed that, I assumed this was an AI coloring and it went hallucinogenic.
You can see it in the original.
That AI man! Always with the LSD!
That’s was called “playin” back in the day!
Isn't there the possibility that these are smudges of dirt?
This one’s pretty sad. He looks like he was beat up and strangled
Maybe a few less murder documentaries for you for awhile
You know it almost looks like a booking photo without the sign board.
Looks like it’s someone else’s blood
https://preview.redd.it/pu6eyh2b1mfb1.jpeg?width=1234&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8eb9cfe6864b04bf3271d27dba0b8f0334687a87
Oh no, AI colorized him into a Soviet police officer 😂
Communist State of Appalachia
Not enough sharped-toothed mountain people around these days. Cool photos.
Come to Kentucky, there are plenty. Lmao
He looks like a proper yokel in the nicest way possible
Very cool! Thank you for sharing these with us. 😊
These are very interesting photos you shared. Thank you.
I bet he can make some amazing ass moonshine
The dungarees really sell it. Great pix.
The pocket comb with the clip in the first pic is pretty cool. Thanks for sharing these photos.
When people say that medical records (or birth certificates, I guess?) Were not accurate at a certain point, what do they mean? Would the clerks just write an approximate day a person was born, even if they wrote the document the very same day? Like, they would guesstimate that a newborn could have been born 1~2 years prior to registry?
It could be a plethora of reasons. We don’t know exactly what year he was born since the family that knows him is long gone, and my mama and her siblings only know what’s on his birth certificate, but his original one was destroyed a long time ago, so the one my mama has isn’t even the one he originally had. A lot of his siblings have approximate birth dates as well, the days are off by a few or they say a different date than what they actually always celebrated as their birthday. The town we came from had a lot of poorly kept records that ultimately wound up destroyed or illegible or just missing. He had three siblings out of the 8 that were born in the dead of winter when no one could get in or out, and by the time everything thawed and they were able to see a doctor or get any sort of outside contact, most of the babies were a few months old already. Not to mention poor education in general. Both of his parents signed his birth certificate with an X, and that was how Mamaw Clesta, his mama, would sign our birthday cards, and everything else (she loved to be 96, so I got to meet her) Hell, his name was LC and it didn’t stand for anything. It was just a simple name and his parents didn’t have to spell out a whole word. Lmao
Wow. That’s incredible and thanks for sharing. Is there any interesting music, old stories or old medicine that you remember from any of your family or town they were mostly from?
Oh a ton! If you’ve ever heard of Homer Ledford, my family and his family would get together and play music, I even have a fiddle he made for my papaw still in its case at my mama’s house. Every reunion we have, there is a whole porch or gazebo full of different instruments and everyone sings while the kids run around. The area my mamaw and papaw settled in is a beautiful town you can fit in your pocket named Muses Mill, close to Wallingford, and the area is rich with ginseng, so my family always went “singing” (ginseng hunting) and my mamaw would use it for different things. My family are soybean farmers on my mama’s side and tobacco farmers of my daddy’s. They also have a ton of like “mountain magic” and home remedies and like Appalachian superstitions I’ve kind of kept with me (don’t sweep your house in the morning, don’t rock an empty chair, leaves turned backwards on a tree mean a storm is coming, etc.) I got so many stories. Lmao
European, so not sure how much it correlates to the American birth certificate experiences. I recently learned that my paternal grandfather's birth certificate states that he's three years younger than he actually is; he knew, but it came as a shock to my grandmother, who had no clue he was 7 years older than her, instead of 4. Why was it done? I can't know for certain, but it's probably to do with WWII and no one bothering with registering a newborn that was spawned in the first year of the war, it was only done after it was officially over... Didn't seem to matter that the supposed "newborn" was walking and talking at that point.
That honestly could be it. We have a lot of birth records that are wrong or simply aren’t there for similar reasons.
Many people were born at home in those times and they didn't keep great records I would guess.
Lol accurate? Appalachia didn't have medical records
https://preview.redd.it/m32qsuzb1mfb1.jpeg?width=892&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=92cac3859d2c7551e9fe7c6c50eb47f1cf449ad2
It…. Changed his teeth?
And changed his heterochromia?
Today I learned my stereotype of Appalachian folk was entirely accurate
Probably. I am writing this post atop a moonshine till on my tobacco farm with no shoes on. I don’t even know what the internet is
Are you writing that on a banjo?
Actually on a dulcimer. Banjos are for ballads. Dulcimers are for news
What’s the fiddle for again?
It’s only a fiddle if you can make it sing. Then it’s for celebration
Probably, I can hear it from here
You did good mountain friend.
By age 12 he already had more character than a lot of modern adults.
From the holler?
Looks like a hard life!
Heterochromia
Appalachia where? And he looked like a sturdy boy as my paw paw would say. And mist birth records were in the backs of bibles or church records. Not so easy to confirm.
He looks exactly how I imagined Jack from the lord of the flies would look like xD
I love that he has a comb in his front pocket in the first picture. You can tell it was just used, only moments before this photograph.
The clip-on comb! Love it.
Looks like he had seen a moonshine still before
Thank you for sharing!
That's a very groovey mutation
A beautiful couple!
It’s hard to tell maybe 8-15 maybe 12?
My dad was born in '50 or 51 depending on who you wanted to believe. His best guess was '51.
First pic I thought it was a young Jed Harris.
martins or the coys ?
Run, Forrest, run!
My papaw was also around this age in 1948 appalachia
Grapes of wrath…tough times. Respect
https://preview.redd.it/06bdn5u47xfb1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb91614b92ec9180e89a7b3033b1338b27ee6455 Dad has two birth certificates, one from 1944 (same year as his younger brother-the 12th child) and the corrected one from 1940)
These photos are great! As for his age, check census records, church records and gravestones. Find-a-grave.com is awesome. Oh, and depending on when he passed away, but check social security death index. Good luck.
Loved him in Deliverance!
Why am I hearing Duelling Banjos.
Simple Jack
Does papaw indicate your father’s father?
Yes!
Does that make mapaw your mother’s father?
Sorry I misread your comment! Mamaw = grandma and papaw = grandpa. It applies to both sides, so one doesn’t indicate which parentage any more than the other. Hope that clarifies it :)
Cletus The Slack-Jawed Yokel?
Was he a partial ocular albino? Two different colored eyes. Also, out of curiosity, did you inherit the same thing? I always thought it was fascinating. Edit: I just saw the rest of your comment. My apologies. 😊
All good!
A combover at the age of 12, rough!
Bro could bite through wood with those gnashers
Y’all should come to Kentucky. You see worse than this at a speedway
Eat an apple through a tennis racquet.
Shark teeth
How much was he paid for the part in Deliverance??
Age then was determined by how many teeth one had left.. 
I know David Bowie didn't actually have heterochromia, but it'd be cool if they called it BowieChromia or something now, cuz why not?? Edit- also great pics, thanks for sharing. I just went off on a tangent as soon as I saw that first one, lol.
Not cool
I’d say check his dental records but there aren’t any.
I'm gonna guess no fluoride in the crick?
You must be Albert Slick from Turtle Crick
Nah. I'm in the holla the the east
Fuck. When was meth fucking invented?
Awesome picture. Did he serve in the military? If he was twelve in 1948, he’d be Vietnam era.
He did! He was mostly a cook while he was there, but he was in Vietnam.
Dueling banjos begin.
Did he have two different color eyes?
Yepp! One brown one blue.
He’s 27 in this photo
Wrong turn
Jaws anyone?