As mentioned previously, Betty Howell Traver provided us with an amazing photo of Mary Johnson (1786 – 1856). Mary was Betty’s 2x Great Grandmother, and Henry Howell’s Great Grandmother.
Mary Johnson “Polly”
When looking at this photo you realize that Mary’s parents lived through the American Revolution, and that inevitably makes you ask “Is it really possible to have a photo of someone born in 1786?”, and “When was photography actually invented?”
The surprising answer is yes – According to Wikipedia, photographers in America were advertising prices from fifty cents to ten dollars for a portrait in 1851. Mary lived until 1856.