Jeff Scott

Rebecca and Sabrina Wells

A scan of a reproduction of a daguerreotype (I think) of Rebecca Wells, wife of William G. Wells. Rebecca and William G. appear in the 1850 census in household #1402. Rebecca was my ggggrandmother. The daguerreotype is pre-Civil war and shows Rebecca as a young woman. Since the first daguerreotype in America was taken in NY in 1839, the photo is probably from just after that when Rebecca was in her early thirties. Info. from costume experts is very welcome. This might be one of the first images taken in Greene Co. The daguerreotype is in excellent condition. Rebecca is well dressed, beautiful, and healthy looking. She is a Southern Belle of the pre-Civil War era.

A scan of a reproduction of a photo of Sabrina Wells, Rebecca's daughter. This photo is supposedly taken just after the Civil War. It is quite remarkable to compare the harshness of Sabrina's face, hairstyle, clothing, and her sneer with the blissful look of her mother. The effects of the War are driven home powerfully by comparing these two photos.

A scan of an original photo of Sabrina Wells, circa Civil War. The photo is unlabelled, but the woman is almost identical in appearance to Sabrina of photo #2. The picture was given to me by my grandfather Paul Jeffers. He never met his grandmother Sabrina since his father William Jeffers left Greene Co. around 1873 when he was 12. Sabrina continued to have children in Greene Co. for some time after this so both these photos were definately taken in Greene Co. Sitting beside her is a man who must have been her husband James Jeffers since she lived with Jim or John Maloney (a married man) after James died or disappeared. She and Maloney have five children -- all named Jeffers. After her sister died, she was married to her widower, George Rednour, in Oct. 1884 by C.M. Moore, Justice of the Peace. This was long after her son William left. It seems unlikely to me that she would get her picture taken with a married man, thus I assume the picture is of James. Also, what we can see of the face and ear does resemble the typical "Jeffers" look known by the family -- the man resembles his son William. The clothing and backdrop are quite distinctive and someone else may be able to produce an exact date for this photo if they recognize this setup as belonging to a particular photo studio or travelling photographer who operated in Greene Co. at a certain time. Again, any insights from buffs of historical costume will be eagerly received by Jeff Scott (cgscott@pacbell.net).

Sabrina's mark on a land transfer document from Sabrina to James M. Maloney, delivered Jan 25. 1879 and attested to by E. M. Moore on 22 Nov 1882 and J.C. Cox on 13 Sept 1883.

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