I believe at least one of the men in this photo is a PIERCE.  My PIERCE line has been in and near Clark Co., IN, since near the middle of the Civil War. They came from South Carolina.

My Grandpa PIERCE had a large old portrait of the man in the lower right corner of this photo. When my great grandfather Arnie Pierce (1899-1988) died, the portrait was discovered among his belongings.  Years later while I was rummaging through some old trunks, I found an 8x10 with these four men in it. On the back it noted an Illinois photographer and the note "to Mrs. Jess Pierce."   Jessie Pierce (1862-1934), my great-grandfather's uncle, was born in South Carolina but grew up and eventually died in Clark Co. IN. 

Alex (a/k/a A.J.) Pierce (1864-1931), Jessie's brother, had moved from the Nabb area in Clark County to Decatur, IL between 1890 and 1900 to work on the Penn Railroad. So I believe he or his wife/widow sent this to Jessie's wife. We don't know how Great Grandpa Arnie came to have either the photo or the portrait unless it was passed to him by his father, Charles(1873-1945), the youngest sibling.  No one in our family knew he had them at all, in fact. (He had very few family photos or mementos at all.)  We've often wondered who it was in the portrait. I believe he bears a strong resemblance to the generations of the Pierce family I have been alive long enough to see. 

There are no dates to be seen on the photo and the large wall portrait seems too delicate to risk dismantling. I haven't learned how to date a photo yet.  I'm hoping someone will recognize the photo or one of the men in it. Or if  nothing else, I'd appreciate it if someone could help me put an approximate date to it.

Thank you. 

Tina Goins <Tiaira@aol.com>