This photo was purchased in Ozark Missouri in March 2016. The photograph label says it was made in Sedalia, Missouri. I began researching it on February 3, 2017 and found Hiram and Elgetha (Truel) Whitney in the Family Tree on FamilySearch.org. The entry there says that Hiram was born January 9, 1850 in Bainbridge, New York. Elgetha was born February 16, 1859 in Green Ridge, Pettis County, Missouri at which place they were married on November 11, 1877. The tree lists two sons, Irvin Truel Whitney, 1880-1949, and Everett H. Whitney, 1888-1970. I’ve uploaded the photo to Hiram and Getha’s profile on FamilySearch.org so family members can see it there. There I also found emails for two contributors to the information in the family tree. I am emailing these contributors in the hopes one of them is a direct descendant of Hiram and Getha Whitney. I presume that the son in the photo is Irvin Truel Whitney. Both Hiram and Getha died in Lane County, Oregon, leading me to believe their descendants could be in Oregon. The family tree states that Hiram is buried back in Pettis County, Missouri.
UPDATE: This cold case went straight to mystery solved when I revisited it September 5, 2020. By that time, Hiram & Getha Whitney’s grandson, Kenneth Truel Whitney had passed away in January 2020 and fortuitously someone had added him to FamilySearch.org. From that, I was able to find his obituary that listed a daughter, Jean. The photo is being sent to Jean in Eugene, Oregon. It was purchased in Missouri, researched in Arkansas, and now is headed to Oregon to a great-granddaughter. Another happy return!