This is a photo of a tintype: a photo of a photo. The tintype shows my great-great-grandfather James. As little as I know about my great-grandmother Ellen, I know less about other ancestors. James H Hammond was born April 26, 1846. The story goes that he fought in an artillery unit during the Civil War and thereby lost a leg - amputated below the knee. He got a prosthesis but by all accounts he remained pissed off about the whole thing. I don't know much about James, other than he was a farmer. I don't know where he was born, or where he died, or when he died. He married Harriet Murphree of Pike County, Alabama. I have their marriage certificate, and at the time of their wedding he was living in Butler County, Alabama. 
James and Harriet had four children. First to arrive was Augustus in 1869. I know nothing about Augustus except that he died at age 19. Their 2nd child was James Charles in 1872. He died at age 41. Their 3rd child was Ellen, who died at age 27. She’s my favorite ancestor. Their 4th child was Willie Lee, known to family as Aunt Willie. She lived from 1881 to 1969.
The photo above is a photo of a faded metal “tintype”. Tintypes were popular from the 1860s into the early 1900s. They were the first “instant” photograph, being ready in a few minutes. They came in various sizes; this one is about 2 x 3 inches. Most tintypes were black and white and shades of gray. Brown-tinted tintypes were popular from 1870 to 1885. Photographers often clipped the corners of a tintype to make it easier to insert into a frame. I held this tintype under the range hood and snapped a picture of it with a digital camera. Then I tweaked the brightness and contrast to try to bring out a little more detail.
It's hard to judge how old James is in this photo, and he appears to have a mustache and beard which somewhat hides his face. From his appearance and from the brownish tint of the tintype, I will guess he was 40 - 45 in the photo and that the tintype dates from 1886 - 1891.
James and Harriet had four children. First to arrive was Augustus in 1869. I know nothing about Augustus except that he died at age 19. Their 2nd child was James Charles in 1872. He died at age 41. Their 3rd child was Ellen, who died at age 27. She’s my favorite ancestor. Their 4th child was Willie Lee, known to family as Aunt Willie. She lived from 1881 to 1969. The photo above is a photo of a faded metal “tintype”. Tintypes were popular from the 1860s into the early 1900s. They were the first “instant” photograph, being ready in a few minutes. They came in various sizes; this one is about 2 x 3 inches. Most tintypes were black and white and shades of gray. Brown-tinted tintypes were popular from 1870 to 1885. Photographers often clipped the corners of a tintype to make it easier to insert into a frame. I held this tintype under the range hood and snapped a picture of it with a digital camera. Then I tweaked the brightness and contrast to try to bring out a little more detail.
It's hard to judge how old James is in this photo, and he appears to have a mustache and beard which somewhat hides his face. From his appearance and from the brownish tint of the tintype, I will guess he was 40 - 45 in the photo and that the tintype dates from 1886 - 1891.
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