52 Photos Week 39: Facial Hair

Question

This week's 52 Photos theme:

FACIAL HAIR

To participate, simply:

1. reply below, and
2. add a photo that fits the theme to this week's free-space gallery.

If you use a social network (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) please share the photo there as well, using #52photos and #wikitree. This can be a great way to involve more family members. If you use a blog, include a link to your blog post in your answer below so we can all read it.

You don't need to participate every week to share a photo. But members who do participate every week can earn challenge badges. Click here for more info. If this is your first time participating and you don't have the participation badge, or if you pass a milestone (13 in 13, 26 in 26, 52 in 52) please post here.

For help with how to add photos, see here.

Comments

My great great grandfather Pierre Thébaud had a cute moustache!

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Do you wonder how these gentlemen drank their coffee? They probably had a moustache cup. This one belonged to my great-grandfather Dick Smith, though I have no picture of him with a beard or moustache.

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Interesting. Never knew such a thing existed!

Answer 1

This is a photo taken about 1905 of my great grandfather Seth “Rock” Marvin II. His first wife was Diantha Snow Ford, who was a widow with two children and my 2nd great grandmother. He and Diantha had five children together, and she died shortly after the birth of their fifth child. His second wife was Riza Ford, who was my great grandmother and Diantha’s daughter. He and Riza had eleven children, so “Rock” had 16 children and lots of facial hair.

Comments

Alexis, your great grandfather was a very distinguished looking gentleman. Great photo.

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Thank you Ron for your nice comment.

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What a fantastic photo of your grandfather what a good looking man Alexis thank you for sharing another amazing photo

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I agree with Ron, Alexis, Rock looks very distinguished, and there is something special showing through his face -- perhaps kindness and caring.  Thank you for sharing this special man with us.

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Robin thank you for your lovely comment. I think you must be right. I know he raised a wonderful man, who was my grandfather.

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He married his stepdaughter.  (Took me a while to figure that out.) That would make an interesting movie.

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Joyce thank you for great comment, and yes I am impressed! My husband, who has heard the story several times, said it was too confusing for anyone to figure it out from my writing. Riza’s mother evidently died in childbirth. Riza was twenty, so she took care of the new baby and married Seth.

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When you tell a story, name the characters according to the story you want to tell. For example, in the Birthday picture, Melanie is "my great-grandmother" because I did not get any of her cake. I also have a birthday picture of "my mother and her grandmother." In another story she could be "my grandfather's mother" or "Orville's wife." In this story, just tell about  Rock, Diantha, and Riza.  How they are related to you is a whole nuther story. Ever hear "I'm my own grandpa" ?
 

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Joyce, thank you for your great comment. Evidently lots of people have been confused with Seth, and he has been found on other sites as two different people. I have found him as Seth Marvin Jr. and Seth Marvin II. One is married to Diantha and the other married to Riza. The baby “Jennie” is very often shown incorrectly on trees as being Riza’s, because she appears that way in the census. I really like WikiTree having only one tree.

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Quote from O Brother Where Art Thou

Cousin Wash's Boy (with gun) : And I nicked the census man!

Pete: Now there's a good boy.

Answer 2

My fourth great grand uncle Ambrose was a tanner in Markham, Ontario. His house originally was located at Highway 48 and 16th Ave  was moved to 11 Heritage Corners.

He sure has a fine white chin muffler beard!

Comments

Thank you Ron for your wonderful photo of your great grand uncle Ambrose. I had to look up “chin muffler beard”, and I saw there were all kinds of names for beard styles—something I had no clue about.

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Yes Alexis, it is quite amazing the number of beard variations there were in the 1800's and the fact that they were given style names. We have them today with the diffent style of goatees that are out there.

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Whenever you mention Ambrose and facial hair alternative styles, I think of General Ambrose Burnsides, from whom we get the name sideburns.

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I had no idea that sideburns wasn't an old English word! What could sideburns have been called before they were called sideburns?

Answer 3

This is a photo taken about 1884 of my 2nd great grandfather Frank Osler. He immigrated from Baden, Germany, and he is seen here with his second wife Sophia, who immigrated from Sweden, and their daughter Minnie. 

Comments

Thank you Gayle for sharing your photo of your 2nd great grandfather and his distinguished facial hair.

Answer 4

The photo shows my fathers maternal grandfather August Friedrich Reher and his wife Maria Emma Sophia nee Finnern on her silver wedding anniversary in 1911.

He was a skilled baker and bought 1895  a run-down farm frome his uncle in Leezen, Segeberg, Schleswig-Holstein, Leezen.

They ha 7 children (5 boys, 2 girls). As he died in 1949 all of the five boys got their own farm as an heir. The eldest daughter got a plant nursery together with her husband and my grandmother got a big house, some land and a peat bog areal to cut peat for heating.

Comments

Dieter thank you for sharing your wonderful photo of August and his story. He certainly is a man to be admired with being able to provide so well for his family.

Answer 5

My fourth great grandfather was Van Renslaer Wadsworth. Unfortunately I don't know too much about him, but he definitely qualifies for any facial hair discussion!

Comments

As we now know, from a few photos back, this is considered a "chin muffler" beard. :)

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When I saw his first name, I thought "I know where he's from." I have a sign on my desk so that I can spell Rensselaer correctly.

Answer 6

These photo challenges are fun. I had forgotten how much hair people had in the 1970's. Here are my husband and son.

Comments

Joyce thank you for sharing your handsome husband with his great beard—relaxed and making his adorable son very happy

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Thank you for the comment. I had several pictures with more beard, but this one was the happiest picture.

Answer 7

My father, John William Sims (1919-1983) was always clean shaven.

However in 1956 there was a celebration of 250 years since Albuquerque, NM was settled.  All men were required to grow a beard of face a fine.  So he did.

Below is the only photo of him with the beard ... it was at a family picnic in The Sandia Mountains.  My mother, Ruth Ann Rammel-Sims (1918-2006), is behind him ... I am seated ... my brother, John "Jack" Harley Sims (1944-2010), and sister, Suzanne "Susie" Lynette Sims-Chang (1949-....), are standing.

And a cropped version from the photo.

Comments

Thank you Bill for sharing such a happy family photo. Everyone has a beautiful smile, especially your father with his beard.

Answer 8

The only men I know of with facial hair in my family are still alive (my two maternal uncles) and I already used photos for the others. So I am reusing a photograph. I posted this photo of my great-great grandfather, Thomas C Whittingham, for another topic. I believe it was “brave.” He came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from England by himself in 1861. He served the Union in the Civil War from 1861-1865. I chose to use this photo again, because of that mustache!

Missy 

Comments

My 3rd great grandfather, Thomas Brock.

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Missy I love your top photo of your handsome great great grandfather with his absolutely precious baby, but I also love your 3rd great grandfather. You are so lucky to have a photo going back that far in your family. Thomas is so distinguished with his wonderful curly beard and mustache.

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Thank you so much for your kind words, Alexis! I heard curly hair was a Brock trait from paternal cousins. My father and my paternal grandmother, Madeleine S (Brock) Berryann also had curly hair. When I saw this photo of my grandmother’s Brock great grandfather, I knew it had to be a Brock trait. 

Answer 9

This is my wife's great-great-grandfather, Irish-born Lancelot Miller (ca 1788-1870): the man whose sideburns didn't know when to stop.

Comments

Richard thank you for sharing your wife’s great great grandfather Lancelot Miller. He certainly is a wonderful looking man with his fabulous sideburns and bow tie.

Answer 10

I have shared this photo of my husband's great grandfather Thomas Shaules before, but because it fits the topic I thought I'd share it again. It's one of my favorites, I think because it seems (to me at least) to be a "stand-out" photo.  Every time I see it I wonder what Thomas was like.

Comments

I don't know what to make of the crossed legs. I have a photo of my great-grandfather with legs crossed like that. Did they think it was cool?

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Robin thank you for sharing Thomas. I saw his business card you put on his profile page. Veterinary Surgeon for horses had to be a very important profession.

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Joyce, I sure don't know. But I find this whole photo intriguing -- the clothes, the hat, and especially the facial hair.

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Thank you, Alexis. It seems that Thomas did a number of things including being a blacksmith. Most of the Shaules men seem to have "hands on" aptitudes -- even four generations forward from Thomas.

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hell yeah they did

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Gorgeous photo Robin of your husband great grandfather thank you for sharing

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Maybe he had a bad foot or ankle, they had to stand there a long time to expose the photo.

Answer 11

This is "Uncle Otto" holding my mom. I think he was actually a half-cousin to my grandmother. He was a bachelor, and apparently didn't trim his mustache much, because Mom has mentioned more than once, as a girl she wondered how he was able to eat without getting the food tangled in his facial hair.

Even though she liked Uncle Otto, she has had a life-long distaste for men with any kind of facial hair.

Comments

What a cute photo of your uncle holding your mother thank you for sharing

Answer 12

Abbie and Elijah Gardner...my great grandmother and her second husband...

Comments

Amazing mustach!   Thanks for sharing.

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Gorgeous photo thank you for sharing

Answer 13

This photo is from the wedding of my great grand parents, Gordon Bower Sutton and  Olive Ethel Wright-Ingle on the 2 Jul 1912.  The gentleman with the beard is Gordon's father, Frederick Sutton.  I think he looks very Edwardian and his beard is very neat.  Later photos show him looking much the same but with white hair and beard.  Looking at other family photos nobody else had facial hair until my uncles grew moustaches in the 1970s!

Comments

Thank you Jetta for sharing such a lovely photo. You are certainly right about how perfect Frederick’s beard is. Hope you will share more of your photos of him.

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Thank you Alexis.  I have just posted another image of him on his profile.  I am not entirely sure when it was taken.  As a family we're just trying to work that out.

Answer 14

My great grandfather Auguste Oliger in 1907.

Comments

Very handsome!

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I agree -- very handsome! Thanks for sharing this photo.

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Thank you

Answer 15

My 2x Great Grandfather John Porter (1818-1877)

Comments

Christine thank you for sharing your absolutely wonderful photo of your 2nd great grandfather John Porter. I started looking at facial hair styles on the internet this week.  This  style of the sideburns and mustache was certainly popular. John is so handsome and stylish in his very tailored suit and great sideburns.

Answer 16

This is a photo of the entire Police Force of Western Australia in 1901.  Of the 68 men here, only eight are clean-shaven.  My Great-Grandfather, Police Constable William Henry Clarke is pictured, third row, forth from right.  

Comments

Great photo! Are they nearly all just moustaches and only the boss front and centre has a beard?

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Hi Greg, I think moustaches must have been the fashion back in the day, and yes it does look like the boss is sporting a beard too.  I've looked at this photo many a time and until now hadn't taken the 'beard' into account.  Thanks for your sharp eye!

Answer 17

This is my 2x great grandfather John Charles Owen.  His mustache has always intrigued me, mostly admiration, but sometimes laughter.  My 22 year old son greatly resembles John Charles, but I haven't convinced him to try growing the same stache.

Comments

Ronald thank you for sharing your photo of your very handsome 2nd great grandfather and his fabulous mustache. Your 22 year old son must be very good looking, since he looks like John. I looked to see where John was from, and my husband and all of his family lived in Pittsburgh Co., when he was young. We live in Muskogee now. Hope you will continue to share your Oklahoma family.

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Thank you for the kind message!

Answer 18

This is my great-grandfather the pastry chef, as a young man circa 1905 in Balassagyarmat, Hungary. He still had an impressive mustache in family photographs forty years later.

Comments

Fantastic photo! Very dapper!

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He is, isn't he?

I will forever wonder what color his polkadot tie was.

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I love it! 

Answer 19

This is a photo of my 4x (and 3x) Great Grandfather, William Ward. He had emigrated from Northamptonshire, England to Upstate New York in 1852. He and his wife had their first child that same year in Cayuga County, New York. Absolutely love his beard.

Comments

Robert thank you for sharing William Ward and his story. I also absolutely love his beard. I also love how his vest is unbuttoned to hold his chain which is probably attached to a gold pocket watch.

Answer 20

Here is my great great grandfather, William Jarvis Smith, who has the best beard of his generation in my family.

Comments

Marion thank you for sharing another one of your wonderful photos. Your great great grandfather William is certainly a great looking man with a fabulous beard.