Tag Archives: Florence Lavon McClain

J. E. Wright Family, 1935

This photo was so degraded (or perhaps the printing or exposure processes went haywire) that I wasn’t even sure what was in the photo at first. This will give you some idea of its condition:

I probably wouldn’t have bothered with it, except that once I realized who the group was, I was struck with the uniqueness of this photo. There are lots of photos of the extended Wright family some years later, but this is the only photo I remember seeing of the family at the time when Lloyd (Dad) was the only one who was married.

The image below is the best I could do with it in a reasonable amount of time with the tools at hand. It is a mess, no question. But at least you can (mostly, at least) make out who is in the group. The honeycomb pattern that is more prominent in areas that were the most faded is an early form of matte finish on the print. Unfortunately it is picked up very clearly when the print is scanned, and is beyond my abilities to get rid of digitally.

It is really cute of the three girls in front (Mina, Ann, Florence). Of course that is Grandma Minnie with them in the front row. The men (and baby) in the back row are (I think), from left, Grandpa John, Lloyd (Dad), baby Donna, Earl, Ed, Irvine, Harold, and Lee (who finished his junior year of high school in summer 1935).

The clothing suggests this photo was taken in late spring or summer. John passed away July 12, 1935. That make me wonder whether his death was the occasion for everyone to be together. Most of the group were still living in the Albany and Jefferson areas at that time, but Earl, Ann and maybe Irvine were living in California.

I’m not sure where this photo was taken. Possibly on the banks of the Santiam River at Jefferson.