It’s true. Pictures reveal what words often fail to express. And in the case of documenting family history, there’s nothing quite like a photo to characterize the essence of those who came before us.
That’s not to say that the old family bible, the census record image, the marriage certificate, or the detailed last will and testament are not treasured records of a researcher. But let’s face it (slight pun intended), nothing is as effective in bringing family history to life as are the rare pictures of our loved ones from years past.
Christopher Columbus Everett Reid – Confederate Soldier, circa 1861. (Photo courtesy of Jerry Tidwell, author of “One Family’s Journey through Time”).
One such example is our recent discovery of the photograph of Christopher Columbus Everett Reid. CCE Reid was born in Pike County, Georgia in 1834, the only child of Freeman Reid and Nancy Ray. In August of 1861, at the age of 27, CCE joined Jeff Faulkner’s infantry unit of the Confederate Army. As evidenced by this picture, CCE wore the Confederate uniform proudly.
Why all the fuss about this particular photo? After all, it’s not that rare to find images of the Civil War era. But when it comes to documenting our Reid family history, pictures of this time period are few and far between – especially ones that can help us better imagine what our forefathers may have looked like. And this photo does just that. You see, CCE is the grandson of our last known ancestor, Jacob Reede (Reid), and also a 1st cousin to our Marcus D Lafayette Reid! And it would appear from this image that CCE matches quite well the physical descriptions we have of both Jacob and MDL when they enlisted in military service at a comparable age.
Jacob Reid was 43 years old when he enlisted in the War of 1812. His physical description was recorded as being 5’10” tall, having black hair, dark eyes, and a dark complexion. Jacob’s grandson, MDL Reid, was 31 years old when he too enlisted as a Confederate Soldier. His physical description was recorded as being 6’0″ tall, having dark hair, a dark complexion, and blue eyes. Based on those physical descriptions, and now this cherished photo of CCE Reid, perhaps we have a better idea of what Jacob and MDL looked like at that age. And as the more contemporary photos below suggest, there appears to be a strong resemblance between CCE Reid and MDL’s son Charles, and grandson, George. In this case at least, it really does seem accurate to say that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Charles M. Reid
George S. Reid
A special thanks to Jerry Tidwell, author of “One Family’s Journey through Time”, for providing us permission to use this treasured photograph from his family collection. Jerry is a direct descendant of Christopher Columbus Everett Reid, and his book tells the wonderful story of his family history, including their connection to our shared Reid line. Jerry has offered to provide what he knows of our shared Reid heritage, and to assist, as time permits, in the research. We are very grateful for his generous contribution, and we look forward to our continued association.
George Samuel Reid Family Roots 