Carl Reunion Photos

The photo above was originally identified as a picture of Thomas and Synthia Carl and Thomas' first family, his children by Nancy Sheid. Since Synthia died in 1871, the assumption was that it had to be taken before that. This has since been disproved. A group of Carl researchers, all descendants of Thomas Carl, have decided the photo is actually of a Carl-Chastain reunion in 1890. Some of the original identifications, those of some of the sons, still stand, but the central couple is not Thomas and Synthia Carl, but Dennis Gaddis Chastain and his wife, Nancy Jane Carl Chastain, in whose home her father, Thomas died in 1891. Nancy was the oldest daughter of Thomas' second marriage to Synthia Maxwell Carl. The people identified so far are, front row seated: Jessie Jenkins Carl, Thomas R. Carl Jr, Manson Augustus Carl, James Harvey Carl, Dennis Gaddis Chastain, Nancy Jane Carl Chastain, Sara Carl Keith, and Henry Clay Carl. The woman originally identified as Ann Carl Marrs, standing between the central couple, is probably Kate McPhail Carl, the wife of Thomas R Carl, Jr.

The photo below is obviously taken at the same time and at the same event  since the same people are shown wearing the same clothes. This photo appeared in the Summer 1986, volume 31, number 2 edition of The Benton County Arkansas genealogical magazine, The Pioneer. It was contributed by Joan Carl Hancock who identified the man leaning on the pillar as the  husband of Sara Carl Keith. Looking closely at the photo, someone has written the names of H C Carl underneath the man seated by the pillar and MEW Carl on the woman standing with her hand on his shoulder. That would be Henry Clay Carl and his wife, Mary Ellen Word Carl. Thomas and Synthia Carl are buried in the Word cemetery in  Arkansas. Because of that information and what appears to be family groupings, I'm assuming the women standing behind the Carl men on the front row are their wives.

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Front row sitting l to r:

Jessie Jenkins Carl, Thomas R. Carl Jr, Manson Augustus Carl, James Harvey Carl, Dennis Gaddis Chastain, Nancy Jane Carl Chastain, Sara Carl Keith, and Henry Clay Carl.

Second row:

<>Mrs JJ, Josephine Rountree; Mrs TR, Kate McPhail; Mrs MA, Mahala Buchanan; Mrs JH, Elrena A. Woods*; DG&NJ daughters; Mr. Wm M Keith leaning on post; Mrs HC, Mary Ellen Word.
<>*It appears James Harvey Carl married three women with the last name Woods, sisters I guess. This photo being 1890, the Mrs JH would be his last wife.