Nobody Knows About...This Picture

I call this photo "Grandpa Ben and Men in Hats."

If we're being genealogically correct, it's my great grandpa Ben, and his name was actually Daniel Benton Pearson.  He is second from the right with his hat at a jaunty angle.  I found this photo in a tote of pictures I received when my grandfather (Ben's son) died. There was nothing on the back to identify the subjects.  That is not at all unusual, but what is unusual is that there are no other pictures of Grandpa Ben with these men ANYWHERE in the gigantic tote of unsorted pictures.  

Those other men in hats?  No idea.  Based on the style of dress, it's the early 1920s.  Grandpa Ben wore the same hat in a September 1923 photo with his new wife (my great grandmother) and his step daughter, Lois.  If I had to hazard a guess (and this is probably wishful thinking), I would say that the man on the far right and the man partially hidden in the back (third from the right) are Grandpa Ben's brothers, Peyton Eric and Horace Irwin, respectively.  The three of them certainly resemble each other and look to be reasonably close in age. If I were feeling particularly hopeful, I would say the man third from the left might be my great great grandfather, George William Pearson.  Though his face is partially obscured by his hat, the prominent jowls suggest he might be significantly older than the other men in this photo. I have never seen a picture of him (if one exists), but he lived until 1927.  The resemblance to the men on the right, particularly around the chin and lips, is notable. I don't even have an educated guess for the men in the less-structured hats or the man all the way to the left.

If you look closely, you will observe additional men in the background of this photo.  I see at least three.  Was this a family get-together for a birthday or other special occasion?  Maybe a church gathering?  Your guess is as good as mine.  But if I had a few moments to talk to my great grandpa Ben, you can be sure I would ask him to identify the men in this photo.

Read about Ben's brother, Horace.
Read about Ben's sister, Nettie.
Read about Ben's nephew, Pierson/Joseph.

Read a little bit about Ben's half brother, William.