Finding a photo of a "terrible man"

[Josephine]

If those who knew him destroyed all his photos and described him as a terrible man, I'd believe them.

There is a terrible man in my children's ancestry and they'll only learn the bare facts about him from me.

Same here. Some people are best forgotten.

[cockney rebel]

Same here. Some people are best forgotten.
[/quote]

Then please tell me how you can apply that to family history research?
User Timbottawa will continue to research as most of us would.
That's why they teach history in schools.

Rebel

[Erato]

Was he in any club, sports team, church group or the like? Sometimes you can find a newspaper group shot - not great, but better than nothing.  Also, try a Google book search.  He might have appeared in a magazine or some sort of specialty publication.

[Timbottawa]

Thanks for the replies. 

Inspired by re-posting the challenge, I may have made a breakthrough yesterday evening!  I had three avenues of hope: school photos, armed forces photos (he enrolled twice), or police mug-shots.  And I stumbled across a reference to seemingly exactly what I need - a book of photographs of criminals arrested in Scarborough in the 1920's - he was arrested in Scarborough in 1924.  The book is in Ripon Museum, and has not been scanned, so I will have to take a trip up to Ripon after Christmas to have a look through it.  Although it's not clear whether the photos are of ALL criminals in Scarborough in the 1920's, I have high hopes for this one!!!

[Josephine]

Same here. Some people are best forgotten.

Then please tell me how you can apply that to family history research?
User Timbottawa will continue to research as most of us would.
That's why they teach history in schools.

Rebel
[/quote]

Did I tell him to stop?

I understand the desire to destroy all photos of someone. I personally think it will be good when there is no one left alive who remembers a certain person in my life. At that point, he will be nothing more than a collection of statistics.

This person is in online trees and I haven't asked anyone to remove his statistics. There's also no way on God's green earth that I would supply a photo of him to anyone for that purpose. If they find one on their own, okay, whatever.

You've obviously never had the misfortune of having such a destructive person cause damage to your life or the lives of people you love. Lucky you. But keep chiding people like me if it makes you feel good.

[Andrew Tarr]

Strange.  Maybe I am lucky in having no known nasties in my tree.  But I can't imagine feeling detestation for anyone enough to make me want to erase that person from history.  They existed, and perhaps present an example to others of how not to behave.  Exaggerated responses to historical events remind me of that ridiculous episode when the statue of Colston was tipped into Bristol harbour.  Didn't alter history, it just made a few nutty crusaders feel better for a while.

[Mike in Cumbria]

Strange.  Maybe I am lucky in having no known nasties in my tree.  But I can't imagine feeling detestation for anyone enough to make me want to erase that person from history.  T

A lot depends on how far back in history they are, and whether one personally knows the victims or not.

[Andrew Tarr]

Strange.  Maybe I am lucky in having no known nasties in my tree.  But I can't imagine feeling detestation for anyone enough to make me want to erase that person from history.  T

A lot depends on how far back in history they are, and whether one personally knows the victims or not.

No doubt - but we are told this person died 98 years ago ?

[Erato]

I do have a photo of my most terrible ancestor (at least he's the worst I know of).  He was one of my gg-grandfathers and I'm glad I have the photo.  He was a violent, drunken, mentally unbalanced wife beater and child abuser and possibly (probably) also a crook.  He made a substantial fortune and then squandered it on foolish mining investments, booze and various mistresses.  When he died, the remnants of the fortune were left to his "housekeeper" who was herself a scam artist.  His obituary in the local, small-town newspaper summed him up:

"Today old Mr. Cyrus Ware, a former resident of Hortonville, was buried; the remains were brought by rail from Illinois, and two carriages, besides the bearers and the hearse, were all the procession to follow the dead, one-time millionaire."

I daresay that news of his death was met with some satisfaction and even amusement in Hortonville.  At least I can say that his fortune did not pass down to later generations and I derived no benefit from it.