The young man with the ax was "our hired man" and the group of three children were the Hoverly children who lived in an adobe house across the flume from our tent. Ours and the Hoverlys were the only two families living within a mile of other people, excepting the brick makers. The two girls in the picture were Margaret Miller and Elizabeth Miller
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Description
A black-and-white, rectangular photograph depicts a group of four children and one young man standing outdoors. The young man stands on the left, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, a dark vest over a light-colored shirt, and dark trousers; he holds the handle of an ax that rests on his shoulder. Next to him are three children of varying heights, and a fourth child stands slightly behind the others. They are all dressed in simple, light-colored clothing typical of the early 20th century. The group is positioned in a flat, open landscape with a clear, pale horizon line in the distance. The original photograph has a small notch or tear in the upper-left corner and is mounted on a larger grey rectangular card. A color calibration strip and a ruler are visible along the left edge of the digitized frame. The text "The young man with the ax was "our hired man" and the group of three children were the Hoverl..." appears in white above the image within the digital interface. Image description generated by AI (Gemini 3.0 Fast) and reviewed, January 2026 .
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