Remember Cliffside Photo Gallery

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#159 James Boss Scruggs	#245 Emma Huntsinger

Working People

Wonder if people today in their 60s and 70s could hold down such jobs. It was considerably more strenuous than being a greeter at Wal-Mart. Chances are the man above is a Scruggs, Greene, Hamrick, Humphries, Goode or Dedmond; most everybody else was.

For months we've wanted an identity for picture #159, whom we'd taken to calling “The Oil Man.” Recently Don Bailey wrote that he has found a copy of the picture among his effects. On the back, in Don's uncle Clayton Scruggs' handwriting, is this notation: “Boss Scruggs last night he worked.” (Putting two and two together, we've decided that the first man in the last row of picture #877 is the same man.) What was Boss' real name? Ben Humphries found Boss in an old census. He was listed as “James B. Scruggs,” so maybe Boss is his real (middle) name. Anyone?

#159 courtesy Reno Bailey; #245 courtesy Ginny Anne Reid