Well, folks, that it!! The photo box is empty!! Only took me 560+ scans!
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed bringing this project to all of you and will sincerely miss doing it in the future. But, who knows? I may stumble onto another box of negatives at the flea market and we’ll do it all over again!
Thanks for all your views, comments, and kind words. Hope to see you again in the future!
So, on behalf of The UP, Skinny Guy, Handsome Lad, Mr. & Ms. Fabulous and myself, we bid you adieu!
Nathan
Flea Market Photo Box 
I’ve enjoyed your pictures. thanks and goodbye for now.
Many thanks for your scanning work and presentation. This is one of the first and few blogs I’ve followed on a regular basis. I’ve enjoyed your photos of the “anonymous” family from sixty years ago over the last couple of years.
Thanks for a great blog! I hope someday some of the family members can be found and told about it.
Thanks so much for sharing your box with us!
Thanks so much! I’ve really enjoyed these photos.
thanks for the pics and comments
have nobody till now written and claimed would know the people in the pictures? That would be great…
have a nice time
sincerely
Namaste
Nathan. I found that Owen W. Allen lived at 214 Laurel Street in Durham up until about 1949 prior to moving to May Street. My grandmother lived about at 220 Laurel Street at that time. I will show these photos to my father and see if he knows recognizes anyone or any of the houses. GREAT BLOG!!!!!! Steve Bowen
I found names of all the Allen family and also some school photos. Let me know if you want this info. Steve Bowen, Durham, NC.
Sure! Did you know them?
Pancho, I have lived all of my 50 years in Durham. I found your blog yesterday while searching for old photos of Durham in the internet. You have a great collection of photos and I also wondered who this family was in the pictures. When I read your note that the father was Owen W. Allen, I knew of a couple of online resources to get more info. I found a website listing for the 1940 Durham census and found this info: Owen W. Allen (33 yrs old), Vivian (30), Owen Jr. (12), Alton (10) and Charles (6). Another Google search for Owen Allen shows that he was born April 22, 1906 and died August 26, 1993 at age 87. The ARCHIVE.ORG website lists all the Durham City Directories from the 1920’s though 1963. From these I found that Owen lived at 210 Laurel until 1946. From 1947 until 1950 they lived at 214 Laurel. By 1951 they were living at 706 May Street. As a side note, I found that my father (who was 13 in 1950) lived for several years in the 1940’s at 220 Laurel with his grandmother!!!! That means he lived only a couple houses from the Allens. I showed him your photos but he could not identify anyone, although he thinks his grandmother’s house is the one behind the boy holding that large boat, He said the dirt road with all the clap-board houses is definitely Laurel Rd. The white house with the “O W Allen” sign must be on May road. Another online resource is DIGITALNC. They have every Durham High School yearbook from the 1920’s though the 1960’s. I found Alton Allen’s Senior photo in the 1947 yearbook. I think he is “Skinny Boy”. That’s all I can find so far about the Allens. I wish I knew if any of them are still around. Also , the Durham City Directories list various occupations for Owen. Some years he is a textile worker at Durham Hosiery Mill. Sometimes he’s listed as a painter for Mathews and Farrow (that may explain the photo you said looks like he just changed the oil in his car….may have been paint. In 1945 he was a laborer at Johnston Motor Company. In 1947 he worked at the Durham Hospital. If you need help finding any of this info online, I’d be glad to give you more info. Thanks for the fun blog and all the hours you invested in it!! Steve Bowen
This is still so fascinating. Some years ago I wrote to Gary Kueber of Open Durham about some of these photos. He confirmed that this one:
https://fleamarketphotobox.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/
…was the corner of Lyon and Walker. He was also able to confirm that the family’s house was on Laurel Street in Edgemont (based on views of Durham Hosiery Mill No. 6 from their backyard), about a block and half from that intersection. The deed records confirmed Owen W. Allen bought a house on Laurel in the 1940s.
Also, check out the 5th photo down on this page:
http://www.opendurham.org/buildings/floyd-coal-company-cowan-mitchell-lumber-co
The 3 boys examining the devastation might just be Mr. Fabulous, Skinny guy, and one other person from your blog, but I can’t tell because of the lack of resolution. Now wouldn’t that be something.
Kris