The Lee-Gray Tintypes

The following images were scanned from a series of 14 tintypes. These tintypes came from my Grandmother Sarah (Sadie) Elizabeth (Gray) Newcomer's house. Grandma's mother was Martha (Lee) Gray, and it is thought the majority of these tintypes are of the Lee family. We have been able to poitively indentify a few of those tintype pictures, but have to confess we are guessing on a number of them.

This one we are more sure of. We thought the man in the hat might be Wesley Lee. This is the Wesley Lee of the 102nd Ohio Inf. that was on the Steamship Sultana when it blew up just north of Memphis in April of 1865. The other man with him is probably one of his brothers, and we are guessing this was his brother Josiah Lee, my gr.-gr.-grandfather. Wesley was one of the few hundred that survived the Sultana explosion. This photo was probably taken after the war.

The man on the left is my Great-grandfather, Frank Gray. The other gentleman with him is probably one of his brothers; possibly his older brother Benson Gray, but that is shear conjecture on my part.

I am taking an educated guess that this is a picture of the four surviving children of Josiah & Nancy (Stickle) Lee; Mary Ann Lee in the upper left, Martha Jane Lee in the upper right, James Christopher Lee in the lower left, and Harmon Lee in the lower right. But please don't ask me to swear to that under oath in a court of law.

I believe the man on the left is Josiah Lee, my Great-great grandfather. My best guess is that the woman on the right is Nancy (Stickle) Lee, wife of Josiah Lee, and my Great-great-grandmother.

Martha Jane (Lee) Gray & her daughter, Sarah (Sadie) Elizabeth Gray.
	Frank & and Martha (Lee) Gray.

	These two pictures appear to be of Martha (Lee) Gray, my Great-grandmother.
	On the left is a picture of Martha Lee (sitting) and a lady we believe to be her sister, Mary. Ann Lee. I'm also guessing the picture on the right is Mary Ann Lee.

I'm not sure of these three pictures at all. Best guess is the upper left one is Harmon Lee; the upper right one is James Christopher Lee; and the one to the lower right is Harmon Lee. It is also very probable that one of these pictures is of William Wesley Lee, another brother who died at the age of 17.

Return to Mr. Bill's Family Ties