The Enis Family, Arkansas, 1900s

"Silver shines and so

2 does tin four 2 love

you- it is a sin"

It's a strange thing to write on the back of a photo of children. The only thing I found about this poem was that it was one of many popular verses written in autograph books around this time and that it may have originated in the Ozarks. That makes sense considering the photo comes from Arkansas, though I still wonder who would have written it.

The mother of these children, Sallie Thomas, was the second wife of Samuel V. Enis, a dry goods merchant in Crawford, Arkansas. They married in 1883 when Samuel was 47 and Sallie was only 16. Their first son Tine (short for Valentine) was born in May 1889. A year later came Everette, followed by Etta in 1893 and Clayton in 1895. In 1896, just a year after Clayton was born, their mother passed away at the age of 29. The children were soon sent to live with their Aunt Lou and Uncle Wily Enis, as well as their eight cousins. Their uncle was a farmer and former school teacher. All of the boys- with the exception of 6-year-old Clayton and his 5-year-old cousin Oliver- are listed as farm laborers. Where their father was in 1900, I'm not sure. He died in nearby Onyx, Arkansas in 1902 and was buried there with Sallie. 

Tine and Everette eventually set out for Oklahoma and found work in the town of Cravens. In 1910, 20-year-old Tine is working on the farm of Jess Neavoll, while 18-year-old Everette is working on the farm of George W. Pate. Also living on that farm were Pate's two daughters, Ollie and Minnie, with whom the Enis brothers must have become well acquainted. Everette married Ollie in April 1911 and Tine married Minnie in September 1913. Tine and Minnie had seven children: Bertha, Orville, Otis, Betty, Otho, and twins Ronald and Donald. Everette and Ollie had three: Ethan, J.D., and Edeth.

16-year-old Etta married William S. Wagner, a blacksmith and farmer, in 1909. Soon after the marriage she moved in with her husband's family on their farm in Jones, Scott County, Arkansas. According to his WWI Draft Card, William was of medium height and build, and had light blue eyes and light brown hair.  Etta and William eventually had a farm of their own, which was run with the help of their nine children: Geneva, Hershel, Ada, Arthur, Floyd, George, R.V., Udell, and Eugene.

Like his sister, Clayton remained in Arkansas. In 1916 he married 20-year-old Eula Mae Ammons and together they had nine children: Devola, James, Ora, William, Roy, Jewel, Eskew, Peggy, and Donald.
A photo I found on Ancestry shows Tine and Clayton as older men. Though they lived apart, the siblings must have stayed in touch. Etta passed away in 1949 in Parks, Arkansas. Clayton passed in McAlester, Oklahoma five years later. After a long illness, Everett followed them in 1958. The eldest of the Enis siblings, Tine, lived to be 86-years-old. He died in 1975. If you know who these folks may be, let us know in the comments!