Shingle Mill Workers

Beemer Hefferman Mill Shingles and Ties

As noted in a previous post about Clark V. Green, the family worked in the shingle mills in Michigan.  (The discoloration in the lower corner is caused by the bend in the photo which is glued to a cardboard piece.)  There are no markings on this photo or the others that identify anyone, including Clark and Jennie, my husband's ancestors.  But based on other photos, I am guessing Jennie is the woman in the center sitting down with a child in her lap who is shielding her eyes.  With only 1 photo of Clark it is even more difficult to hazard a guess about him but just guessing, my husband & I agree that the most likely Clark is the man on the ladder with his hat on an angle!  I tried to get a better look at the man's hand since we know Clark was missing some fingers but only 1 hand is visible and the other is bent so it is hard to tell.

More research is needed to date this photo.  I will need to determine when they were working in the mills using the census records.  Clark died in 1930 at the age of 71 but he most have stopped working in the mills years before that so guessing the late 1800's for this photo.