Month: November 2023

Finley Thompson and family

My Grandfather, JTW “Trubie” Mitchell, collected pictures of older relatives. The picture above is identified as showing Finley or Findley Grayson Thompson, who was born in Giles County, Virginia circa 1878; his wife, Mary Morris Thompson (who was born circa 1877 in Bland County, Virginia, and was Trubie’s kinswoman); and Finley and Mary’s daughter, Nola. According to census records, Nola was born circa 1905, so the photograph was probably taken around 1906 or 1907.

The Thompson family lived in Mercer and Logan Counties in West Virginia in the 1910-1930 census records. (Special thanks to John Esca Mitchell for research assistance.)

Safety Pictures

My Grandfather, JTW “Trubie” Mitchell, taught safety classes in Pittsylvania County (and shop, agriculture, foreign language, and other classes). As illustrations for his safety classes, he staged photographs of fake “accidents.” In the picture above, my father, Henry Helvey Mitchell, pretends to fall out of a chicken house (if you look closely, Henry is laughing).

Trubie also took photographs of real problems — car accidents, children with broken legs from farm accidents, maimed limbs from working with farm equipment, etc. (I may post some of these pictures later.)