Welcome!

I reunite identified family photos that I find in antique shops and second hand stores with genealogists and family historians. If you see one of your ancestors here and would like to obtain the original, feel free to contact me at familyphotoreunion [ at ] yahoo [ dot ] com. I also accept donations of pre-1927 images to be reunited. I hope you enjoy your visit!
~The Archivist


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

What a Shame Wednesday: Unknown Young Man, Chandler Star Gallery, Beverly, Ohio, 1880s


This is a true "What A Shame Wednesday" photograph.  There is no identification on the subject at all, just a photographers imprint which reads, "Chandler Star Gallery, Main Street, Beverly, Ohio."  I couldn't learn anything about this particular photographer.  Even a census search came up dry.

I looked through the public pictures on Ancestry that were connected with Beverly, Ohio to see if I could find this exact photo.  How desperate is that?  I did find photos of one fellow named Will H. Clark, born 1872  in Beverly, who I thought could bear a resemblance to the young chap in this photograph.  Unfortunately,  after scanning photo after photo for resemblances, it doesn't take long until everyone looks related. 

3 comments:

  1. The photographer, is Kay Chandler, born Sept 1855 in Ohio.

    1900 US census showing occupation
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MM6Z-XQX

    His wife's death record showing her place of birth
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XZZL-FX1

    ReplyDelete
  2. I poked around a bit and found that there was a George Chandler from Akron who was a photographer and artist in the late 1880's. There was also a Kay H. Chandler who was active in the 1880's in Akron. Both are mentioned in the book "Artists in Ohio, 1787-1900: A Biographical Dictionary" which you can find in Google Books.

    I also found three websites that mention Chandler photographers in one or all of Marietta, Beverly, or Akron, Ohio. They are
    http://www.langdonroad.com/chatoci.htm, http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/HARRISON/2003-12/1072909560, and http://www.washogs.org/photographer.html

    Doesn't help with the person in the photo, but it gives a bit more about who might have taken the picture.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks so much, James & IG, for the info on the photographer. Wouldn't it be great if someone recognized this fellow from their own family photos?

    ReplyDelete