Turn It Over - There's Something on the Back! The Twins

Here's a special page about a single photograph with LOTS of information on the back.

Here are twins; a fine cabinet card, rescued from a junk pile. Just look at those faces.

On Reverse:
James P Hampton on
the left weight 19 lbs
Edwin Horton Hampton
on the right weighs 19 1/2 lbs
- - At 6 months old
Twins born April 28th 1887
Sons of
Mr and Mrs W. B. Hampton
Huntsville, Ala

(Embossed at bottom on the front)
Photographer:
F. Collins
Huntsville, Ala.

Eventually James P. Hampton turned up in a 1900 Census and then again in 1920, both entries listing the right birthdates and locale and a William Burt Hampton listed for father. His mother, according to the same census was Jennie Lula Payne.

Then I found a 1928 marriage record for James P. documenting his wedding to Winnie Hampton.

He appears again in the 1930 Census and there is a death certificate which shows he died in 1961 at age 74.

Pretty conclusive. So what’s missing?

His twin.

No Edwin Horton Hampton turns up in any of the census listings. Everything else matches, just no twin.

Finally, in another family tree I learn something new. This tree says that Edwin Burton Hampton apparently died 15 Jan 1899.

So, since the baby was born after the 1890 census and died before the 1900 census, there is no record.

Update!
Here is part of a message I received on Ancestry.Com.

"Weren't they precious, handsome babies! Thank you so much for sharing this. I know they were the children of William Burt Hampton and Jennie Lula Payne, grandchildren of Dr. John Placebo Hampton. I know that Edwin, apparently the one on the right, died 15 Jan 1899. That's enough to break your heart, isn't it?

I am a descendant of (the twin’s Grandfather) Dr. John Placebo Hampton's brother, Manoah Bostick Hampton, Jr. I am in touch with a direct descendant of Dr. John P. Hampton, however, and will make sure he sees this.

Thank you again so much. Virginia."

She is now trying to make contact with cousins on the John Placebo Hampton side of the family to find a family historian.

So it looks like the twins will find a permanent home.

Another update from Virginia!
"You won't believe this, but Dr. James E. Hampton died about 2 weeks ago. James was James P. Hampton's only child. He left 5 grown children, and we are trying to get in touch with one of them. He seems to have been a truly remarkable man.

You can read his obituary HERE

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