The internet keeps supplying readers with a supposed photo of John Kitts (Götz).
The photo shows a man sporting a long, white beard and wearing a vest, coat and trousers. He is sitting in a wooden chair and holding a book in his left hand.
However, there is a major problem with the photo.
John did not live in a time period that had photography.
Court documents prove that John Kitts (Götz) died in 1802.
History books state that the world's earliest successful photograph was taken by French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826, which was twenty years after John Kitts (Götz) had died.
Therefore, it is impossible to have a photo of John Kitts (Götz)!
(The best representation we have of John is a copy of his mark that he used as a signature on his last will and testament.)
This supposed photo of John Kitts (Götz) actually comes from the website https://www.littlewalkerscreek.com/id29.html and the man sitting in the chair is clearly labeled as Jacob Franklin Kitts (who was born in Wythe County, VA on November 29, 1836 and died about 1910 in Bland County, VA).
Unfortunately, several genealogical websites keep replicating this photo as John's photo.
If you are able, please reach out to websites and ask them to correctly identify the photo as Jacob Franklin Kitts.
Thank you!
The photo shows a man sporting a long, white beard and wearing a vest, coat and trousers. He is sitting in a wooden chair and holding a book in his left hand.
However, there is a major problem with the photo.
John did not live in a time period that had photography.
Court documents prove that John Kitts (Götz) died in 1802.
History books state that the world's earliest successful photograph was taken by French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826, which was twenty years after John Kitts (Götz) had died.
Therefore, it is impossible to have a photo of John Kitts (Götz)!
(The best representation we have of John is a copy of his mark that he used as a signature on his last will and testament.)
This supposed photo of John Kitts (Götz) actually comes from the website https://www.littlewalkerscreek.com/id29.html and the man sitting in the chair is clearly labeled as Jacob Franklin Kitts (who was born in Wythe County, VA on November 29, 1836 and died about 1910 in Bland County, VA).
Unfortunately, several genealogical websites keep replicating this photo as John's photo.
If you are able, please reach out to websites and ask them to correctly identify the photo as Jacob Franklin Kitts.
Thank you!