From the time I was eight years old (January 1950), until I grew up and moved away, I lived in rural Calvert County, in Southern Maryland. My father was a marine biologist. The population of the county then was about 15,000, and a large number of families either lived or worked on tobacco farms. I remember that there were many students who were absent for periods of time in the early fall, during the harvest. Those absences were routinely excused. Although this happened a good 40 years after the Fugates were photographed in Kentucky, the circumstances were not much different. Traditions change slowly in rural America.

According to Hine's notes, he photographed the Fugates twice; on August 7, 1916, and September 15, 1916, almost six weeks later. He may have returned to see if the children were in school by then. They weren't, according to Hine's caption: "Will go to Schoolsville School but it has not opened on account of repairs." 

There are slightly over 1,000 persons with the surname of Fugate listed in the 1910 Kentucky census, but I had no trouble finding this family. According to the information on Kentucky GenWeb, Hedges Station, where the Fugates lived, "is a station and village on the C&O Railroad in Clark County, between Dodge and Thomson Station and was named for Preston Hedges, the owner of the land where the station and village are situated." It is about six miles east of Winchester.

I quickly found William Fugate's death record and obituary, and that led me to his daughter, Sue Peacock, and to Judy Johnson, Orie Fugate's daughter. Their interviews, and some family photos are on the following pages.

Orie W. Fugate was born June 11, 1906, and William Loran Fugate Jr. on April 10, 1904. They were among 12 children born to William Loran Fugate Sr. and Laura Woodward Fugate, who were married about 1886. Both were born in Virginia. William Sr. died in Winchester, Kentucky, on October 26, 1939. Laura died in Winchester, on May 29, 1946.

Orie passed away in Hamilton County, Ohio, on July 7, 1959, at the age of 53. He was killed in a construction accident. His brother William died in Florida on August 5, 1977, at the age of 73.