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


Friday, November 30, 2012

Funeral Card Friday: Frederick Rutter, Arkona, Ontario, 1860-1904



He shall return no more to his home,
Neither shall his place know him any more.


In 1904, Frederick Rutter, a farmer from Lambton County, Ontario died of consumption1. He and his wife Elizabeth (Fitzsimmons) had been married for only seven years2.  Frederick was born in England, the son of Thomas Rutter and Sarah Waterman.  In 1891, he was employed as a domestic in Warwick, Lambton County in the household of Showler Watterman, who was probably a relative of Frederick's mother Sarah3

This card was purchased with a number of other funeral cards, including Showler Watterman's, which I have blogged about in a previous post.



1 Fred Rutter, Death Registration 014286 (25 Mar 1904); “Ontario, Canada, Deaths, 1869-1938 and Deaths Overseas, 1939-1947,” digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Nov 2012), citing microfilm MS935, reel 115, Archives of Ontario, Toronto.
2 "Ontario, Canada Marriages, 1801-1928," online database, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 25 Nov 2012), Frederick Rutter and Elizabeth Fitzsimmons, Lambton County, Ontario, 16 June 1897; citing original data at Archives of Ontario; citing microfilm MS932, reel 93.
3 1891 Census of Canada, Warwick, Lambton East, Ontario, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 81, subdistrict 2, p.48, family 228, Showler Watterman; digital image, Ancestry. ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 May 2012); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm T-6347

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Dinner Time in the Woods, from the Alma Studio, Tonbridge, England, Ca. 1910



This real postcard image is a little different than others I've posted here on Family Photo Reunion.  It seems to have been created for commercial sales.  It's labelled, "Dinner Time," and features a group enjoying hot drinks and sandwiches in the great outdoors. 

The image was created by "The Alma Studio" at 76 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent, England.  This particular studio, owned by George Pickett, was in operation from roughly 1892 to 1915.  I noticed that the drinks are being served from what appear to be Thermos flasks.  If they are truly vacuum flasks, we can say that the image dates to after 1904, when Thermos first began producing them for commercial use.

If I had to guess, I'd place this image around 1910.  But what really makes this postcard image interesting is that we have the identification of the play actors on the back:

"Mrs Copper, seated
Mr. Russell & son, Mrs. C's brother in law.
Miss Duke, a friend who was here for 
a holiday
& myself."


Too bad there aren't any given names listed.  It makes figuring out who these individuals are much more difficult.


Monday, November 26, 2012

Monday's Mystery: The Hepworth Sisters, Isle of Man, Circa 1882-



This is one of three carte de visite images in a set connected to the Hepworth family.  It has the following information written on the back:  "The three Hepworth sisters.  The central figure is Louisa Hepworth who married Arthur Marsall and became Lady Marshall."

The other two images were taken at the William Smith Studio, Park Lane, Leeds, probably two or three years earlier than the above image.  They are both labelled, "One of the three Hepworth girls."

I had a look at some of the UK censuses, searching specifically for a Louisa Hepworth who married an Arthur Marsall or Marshall.  I found many Louisa Hepworths but none that are obvious candidates.

We know this cdv dates to after 1881 because there are a number of photographic prize medals won by Abel Lewis imprinted on the back; the most recent, a medal dated 1881 from Newcastle's Swan Plate Competition.

If anyone has access to one of the UK databases such as Find My Past, I'd appreciate a look up to see if we can find the marriage of Louisa Hepworth and Arthur Marshall/Marsall.




Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The Dapper Herbert H. White, Cambridge, Mass., 1891



Written on the reverse of the cabinet card: 
"Then she wanted to see my locket
then for me to sing a song
and all the time she was picking my pocket
Of my gold watch and my meerschaum.

Oct 1 --1891
Herbert H. White"

Herbert H. White was the son of Henry and Henrietta (Hill) White, born the 29th of June 1869, Rye, New York1.  Herbert's mother, Henrietta, appears in an earlier post where I pieced together information about the White family. 

Herbert graduated from  Harvard University in 1893.  Two years later, on October 1, 1895,  he married twenty-year-old Clarissa Watts Lewis, of Boston, daughter of Charles & Emma Lewis2.  Herbert was the Treasurer of University Press in Cambridge, MA for many years. 

In the 1940 census, 70-year-old Herbert is listed as "retired" and is living in Marblehead, Essex, Massachusetts, with wife Clarissa3.



1 Harvard Class of 1893, Fourth Report. University Press, Cambridge, Mass.,1910, page 227. Digital Image (http://www02.us.archive.org/stream/secretarysrepor41893harvuoft#page/n1/mode/2up : accessed 15 Nov 2012)
2 "Massachusetts, Marriages, 1841-1915," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N478-TX1 : accessed 15 Nov 2012), Herbert H White and Clarissa W Lewis, 1895.
3 "United States Census, 1940," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K4XJ-HTG : accessed 21 Nov 2012), Herbert H White, Marblehead Town, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 5-238, sheet 61A, family 334, NARA digital publication T627, roll 1585.

Monday, November 19, 2012

A Civil War Era Carte De Visite: Mrs. B.B. Fimbert or Limbert?, Lewisburg, PA?



This civil-war era carte de visite photograph has everything.  A beautiful subject, a photographer's imprint, a civil war tax revenue stamp that dates the image to 1865 AND an inscription that tells us who the person in the photograph is, and who the recipient was.  So why can't I tell you much more about this photograph?  

Well, I'm having a difficult time figuring out the spelling of the last name.  Perhaps your eyes can make out the name better than mine.  I've narrowed down the possibilities to Fambert, Fainbert, Fimbert, Feinbert, or Firnbert.  The inscription seems to read,

"For Fr. John Fimbert
from his 
wife
Mrs. B. B. Fimbert"


But as you can see the ink has faded over the years and it's not easy to read.  What do you see there?


Friday, November 16, 2012

It's Our Blogversary! McCandlish House, Victoria BC, 1907



First off, today's a good day to celebrate.  Family Photo Reunion has been in existence for one full year now.  I wasn't sure I could make it to November 16th,  through what has proven to be a very busy year, but here we are!

Our post today revolves around this real postcard from Victoria, BC.  It was written by Emma McCandlish, and addressed to Mrs. W. Harlock at 181 Fort Street, Victoria.  Emma McCandlish ran a boarding house in Victoria in 1892 at 63 Superior.  She was still at this property in 1906.  While I didn't have access to the 1907 BC Directory, I did find Emma in the directory for the following year at 534 Superior.



I had a little cyber-walk down Superior Street, thanks to Google Maps today, and I couldn't find a house similar to this one.  If this is, indeed, a picture of her own home, I have a feeling that house is long gone.  Do you see that stately building off in the distance on the left hand side of the image?  I'm wondering if it might be one of the Parliament buildings.

The BC Archives has a collection of correspondence once belonging to Emma McCandlish.  I think it would be fun to have a look the next time I'm down in Victoria.

If you'd like to get a sense of what Victoria was like in 1907, I found a great little video on Youtube.  Emma McCandlish would have been very familiar with these sights.  Who knows, she might even be in the film somewhere.  Enjoy!


Wednesday, November 14, 2012

What a Shame Wednesday, Unknown Mother & Daughter, 1907 - 1909



This lovely mother-daughter postcard portrait from about 1908-1910 was found in an antique shop in Airdrie, Alberta.  Unfortunately, the little note on the reverse doesn't provide any hints to the identity of the pair, or to place where it was taken:


Dear Emma,

Just to show you how Canadian air suits me, do not be long before you write, with love to you all, Hettie.

We know the postcard dates to about 1907-1909 because of the AZO stamp box's diamond corners.  I am guessing it was displayed for some time on a wall or display area because of the large hole in the top centre.
Wouldn't it be great if someone recognized this picture?


Monday, November 12, 2012

Girl in a Pretty Dress and Bow, Mildred Leopold, Savannah, Georgia, Circa 1904-1914



Does it get much cuter than this?  Two-year-old Mildred Leopold looks absolutely darling in her lacy white dress.  The fluffy white bow in her hair just tops it off.

We only have her name and age written on the back, but what other clues does this postcard photo offer?



First, the AZO stamp box with the four corners held triangles, pointed up, tells us that this card was printed between 1904 and 1918.

Secondly, we have the name of the photographic studio responsible for the printing of the image:  The Foltz Photographic Postals, on 116 Bull Street, Savannah, Georgia.  A check of the Savannah City Directories reveal that George Raymond Foltz worked out of this location as early as 1908 (and possibly earlier), and up to 1914.  In 1915 the studio is listed as 240 Bull, and after that on another street entirely.

I did manage to locate one Mildred Leopold in Savannah, born about 1909, daughter of Wm. H. and Georgia Leopold1.  William's occupation is listed as a secretary for the "K of P."  I learned, from a 1915 souvenir program of the Knights of Pythias, that W. H. was a member of that organization, so I believe K & P refers to the Knights of Pythias2.

By 1930, Georgia Leopold is a widow, and she & Mildred are living on Bull Street, in Savannah3.  Twenty-year-old Mildred is working as a stenographer for the phone company.  I lose track of her after that.  I am not sure this is the same Mildred Leopold as the young girl in the picture, but it's a possibility to follow further.



1 "United States Census, 1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MLKS-LRQ : accessed 11 Nov 2012), Mildred Leopold in household of Wm H Leopold, Savannah Ward 4, Chatham, Georgia; citing sheet 11A, family 240, NARA microfilm publication T624, FHL microfilm 1374191.
2 Knights of Columbus Committee Roster, Savannah, Georgia, 1915, digital image,(http://www.ourancestors.info/Ancestors/Imageskofp1915/1.pdf)
3 "United States Census, 1930," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/3SL9-ZN2 : accessed 11 Nov 2012), Mildred Leopold in household of Georgia Leopold, Savannah, Chatham, Georgia; citing enumeration district (ED) 0031, sheet 1B, family 25, NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 344.

Friday, November 9, 2012

The Adorable Swain Sisters, Roland, Manitoba, 1908




These adorable sisters are identified as Marjorie D. H. Swain, 2 years 3 months, and Ruth M . J. Swain 7 months, August 9th 1908.  This real picture postcard was mailed to Mrs. Matt. Emerson, Port Perry, Ontario.  The message reads:

Aug 20 1908,

Dear Martha
This is the latest of the children and I think it is your turn to get one.  We enjoyed a visit from Waldo over Sunday, he is looking well.  Hope the rest of you are the same. Love from Dora.

The two girls are probably the daughters of Ontario-born William E. Swain and his second wife Dora Ellen Swain.  William's fourteen-year-old son, Newton E. William Swain, appears with Margy D. H. Swain and her parents in the 1906 Canada Census1. Dora was only 26 years old, so it is highly unlikely that she is Newton's mother.  At the time the family lived in Roland, Manitoba. 

Five years later, the Swains can be found in St. Paul's Township in Manitoba where four-year-old Ruth Swain makes her first appearance in the census.  Newton is not living at home any longer2.

The local history book with the very long title, Trails of the Pioneers. Records, Accounts, Historical Studies, Data, Reports, Letters of the Section of Manitoba, Canada Lying Southwest of Winnipeg in the Red River Valley and Centered on the Town of Roland, Manitoba  by George Henry Hambley, has a little bit of information about the Swain family.  First, on page 289, there is a brief listing of events for 1909 which simply says, "March 27, Newton Swain died, spinal meningitis from arrow in eye."  This likely explains why Newton does not appear with his family in the 1911 Census.  Then, on page 89 we learn that Mr. W. E. Swain arrived in Roland in 1899.  He seems to have been a farmer, harness-maker, carpenter and real estate/insurance salesman.  According to the author, Mr. Swain was born "on the shores of Lake Scugog in Ontario."  There is a also a picture of W.E. Swain in the church choir on page 129.

I haven't been able to trace the girls after 1911, except for the following gravestone information I found for a Marjorie D. H. (Swain) Thorarinson, who died 23 February 1937 and is buried in Elfros Cemetery, Saskatchewan.  Her birth date is identical to our Marjorie.  I suspect she is our Marjorie, though work would have to be done to confirm this.



1 "Canada Census, 1906," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KHJJ-RJW : accessed 01 Nov 2012), Margy D H Swain in entry for William E Swain, 1906.
2 1911 census of Canada, St. Pauls West, Selkirk, Manitoba, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 22, subdistrict St. Pauls West, p.1 (penned), dwelling 10, family 10, William Swain family, digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed Nov 1, 2012), citing microfilm LAC microfilm T-20326 to T-20460.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

A W.F. Kilborn Photograph of a Young Couple From Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1880s



This unidentified young couple had their portrait taken  at the W. F. Kilborn studio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in the 1880s. 

Wilbur F. Kilborn opened his photographic studio in Cedar Rapids in 1864 and operated there until 1886.  Though hard to see in the image above, this item has the WFK logo in the imprint.  The only difficulty with saying that Wilbur F. was the photographer is that Wilbur's nephew, William Frank Kilborn apprenticed with Wilbur Kilborn and eventually took over the studio from his uncle.  It's difficult to say which W.F. Kilborn is the creator of this image.  More research would have to be done into the various photographers imprints used by these photographers, and there seems to be very few samples of their work online.


Monday, November 5, 2012

Elizabeth Iley, Sister of Rev. J. Iley, 1886 or Later, England



I thought I'd start my preliminary look for Elizabeth Ileys in the 1881 England Census.  I didn't expect to find quite so many Elizabeth Ileys, though.  We know that Iley is her maiden name, since there is mention of a brother Rev. J. Iley in the inscription.  Still, there are a lot of Elizabeth Ileys out there, many with brothers who have a first initial J. 



Unfortunately, we don't have any other information written on back either; only A & G Taylor's mount imprint on the back, which helps us roughly date the image to after 1886, when the the crown, plume of feathers and royal coat of arms was first used on their mounts.  This image was mostly likely taken at their studio at Newcastle on Tyne.

I don't think there are enough clues here to go on.  If you see something I've missed, I'd love to hear your ideas.  


Friday, November 2, 2012

The Bible of E. L. McEwen, Knowlesville, New Brunswick, 1898




It's been an interesting week for bibles.  I happened upon a paperback-sized bible from roughly 1885 earlier in the week at a local thrift store that contained a few handwritten notations of births and deaths in the Oke family.  I was ready to pick it up when, alas, I saw the price tag.  It was way beyond my usual limit for such items.

I asked the clerk if there was something that made this bible special, and they told me it was priced that way because it was old.  Of course, age doesn't automatically make something valuable, as anyone who has dabbled in collecting knows.  So, sadly I had to abandon the idea of reuniting that item.  However, later in the week on my travels down island, I found a similar bible in an antique store.

This one, thankfully, was priced more reasonably.  The inscription on the front free endpaper of the Bible reads:

Master E. L. McEwen
from Miss E. J. Prouty
1898


It is followed by a handwritten bible verse, probably in E. L. McEwen's hand.
Then on the next page, three deaths are recorded:




James Roy McEwen died Feb 25, 1898 aged one year and eight months with scarlet feaver [sic] at Knowlesville.

Edith May Gardiner died at Brandon Sept 26, 1900 aged 19 years and 16 days of typhoid feaver [sic].

George Roy Gardiner died December 23, 1903, at Prince Albert, N.W.T. at Victoria Hospital ([hip?] disease) age 24 years, 8 months.

A James Roy McEwan, with the same death date and age, was buried in Argyle Cemetery, Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada1.  Knowlesville is just nine kilometres from Argyle.  James Roy was the son of William and Minnie McEwen.

As I was searching through the Vital Statistics portion of the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick database, I found an interesting late birth registration for Ernest Lambly McEwen, born 7 June 1892 in Windsor, Carleton, New Brunswick, son of William and Mary (Gardiner) McEwen2.  Mary's maiden name in particular caught my eye, as did Ernest's initials.  This late registration was applied for in 1950, when Mary Annabelle McEwen was living in Cloverdale, BC.

William, Mary and Ernest McEwan appear in the the 1901 Census of Canada, living in Prince Albert, Northwest Territories (now Saskatchewan)3.  William was a mill labourer, born the 5th of March 1859 in New Brunswick.

My next objective was to see if I could find a connection between Mary (Minnie) Gardiner McEwen and the two Gardiners mentioned in the bible inscription:  Edith May, born about 10 Sept 1881 and George Roy, born about 23 Apr 1879, the dates calculated from the death date and age at death information in the bible.

From the 1891 Census for Aberdeen, Carleton County, New Brunswick4:

Thomas Gardiner, 61, born PEI, farmer
Freelove Gardiner, 43, wife, born NB
John Gardiner, 19, son, born NB, farm labourer
Earnest Gardiner, 17,son, born NB, farm labourer
James Gardiner, 15, son, born NB
George Gardiner, 12, son, born NB
Edith Gardiner, 9, daughter, born NB
Minnie Gardiner, 23, daughter born NB

A nice thing about the 1901 Canada Census is that full birth dates are recorded.  A quick check confirms we have the matching birth date for George R. Gardiner5.  The family has moved from New Brunswick to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, which matches our information as well.

We can conclude that Edith May Gardiner was probably Ernest's aunt; that George Roy Gardiner was his uncle and James Roy McEwen, his younger brother.  The only other person mentioned in the bible is Miss E. J. Prouty, who is probably Ernest's Sunday School Teacher, but we'll leave that one for another day.

There is a lot more information one could follow pertaining to Ernest Lambly McEwen and his family, but I think we've done enough here today to help someone recognize if this bible belongs to their family.   If you'd like to add any information, feel free to leave a comment below.  

UPDATE November 7, 2012:  REUNION!  The bible is now on its way to the grandson of Ernest McEwen.  Yay!



1 New Brunswick Genealogical Society, compiler, "New Brunswick Cemeteries Index," database, Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (http://archives.gnb.ca/Search/Cemeteries/:accessed 24 Oct 2012), database entry for James Roy McEwen (?-1898)
2 Registrar of Vital Statistics, "Index to Late Registration of Births," database, Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (http://archives.gnb.ca/ :accessed 24 Oct 2012), database entry for Ernest Lambly McEwen (7 June 1892)
3 1901 census of Canada, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, The Territories, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 205, subdistrict # 11, p.2 (penned), dwelling 12, family 12, William McEwan family; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 24 Oct 2012); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm T-6428 through T-6556.
4 1891 census of Canada, Aberdeen, Carleton, New Brunswick, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 12, subdistrict # 2, p. 14 (penned), dwelling 61, family 61, Thomas Gardiner family; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 24 Oct 2012); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm T-6297.
5 1901 census of Canada, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, The Territories, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 205, subdistrict # 11, p.1 (penned), dwelling 8, family 8, Thomas Gardiner family; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 24 Oct 2012); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm T-6428 through T-6556.

Monday, October 29, 2012

A Name Passed Down: Alcy J. Miner, Sylvania, Ohio, Early 1880s



For the longest time, I thought that  Miss Miner had signed her name "Aley Miner."  Eventually, through my research, I realized that her first name is actually "Alcy" and that Alcy was a given name that appears throughout her family tree, right up to contemporary times.  The transcriber of the 1870 census on both Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org, also thought that she was an Aley.  The later censuses, however, list her as Alcy. 

Alcy was born in Ohio around 1863, the daughter of Hiram and Mary Jane Miner1.  She had a sister named Irene, who was born 1866.  Her father, Hiram, was a Farmer, originally from New York and her mother, Mary McIntyre, was born in Michigan.

According to Gayleen Gindy's book, Sylvania, Lucas County, Ohio: From Footpaths to Expressways and Beyond, Alcy's father Hiram was the son of Dr. Amos Miner (1788-1854) and Alcy Case Miner (?-1852). Amos Minor was one of the earliest doctors to practice medicine in Lucas County. Gindy writes, "Alcy J Miner had married Homer D. Hyde and they lived on this Corey Road property in Sylvania Township for many years.  They had a daughter and named her Alcy. O. Hyde."

I had a look at the Toledo City Directories and learned that the photographer of this image, E. H. Alley of Toledo, Ohio, operated his photographic studio at 324 Superior from roughly 1869 to 1887, but worked from other addresses both prior to, and after his time at 324 Superior. 

I believe this photograph can be dated to the early 1880s.  The knife-pleated cuffs, with the sleeves that are set high along the shoulder line, and her lovely lace scarf seem to me to be of that time period.  I wish I could see more of her skirt to get a better sense of her entire outfit.

Alcy J. Miner Hyde died in Lucas County, Ohio on the 21st of April 1923 at the age of 60 and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Toledo2




1 "United States Census, 1870," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M6LM-P3C : accessed 27 Oct 2012), Aley J Miner in household of Hiram Miner, Ohio, United States; citing p. 29, family 249, NARA microfilm publication M593, FHL microfilm 552735.
2 "Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X8RY-VK3 : accessed 27 Oct 2012), Alcy J Hyde, 1923; citing reference fn 27833, Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Estelle (Etty) Harrington, San Francisco, CA, ca 1870



This is one of three cartes de visite from my collection relating to members of the Harrington family of San Francisco.  This one is identified on the back as "Etty Harrington."  I also have a second portrait cdv of "Etty" taken a couple of years later, in which she is identified as "Estelle Harrington," and a cdv of "Webber Harrington, 2 years old, Aug 25, 1874."

This image was taken at the studio of Wilbur Bayley and Robert Winter.  Their business was located at 618, and 620 Washington Street in San Francisco, next to Maguire's Opera House.  According to Pioneer Photographers of the Far West: A Biographical Dictionary, by Peter Palmquist and Thomas Kailborn, the partnership of Bayley and Winter lasted for only three years at this location, between 1869 and 1871.

Estelle, born about 1858 in California, was the daughter of Benjamin Webber Harrington and Sarah C.Harrington.  Estelle (or Etty) had two brothers, Frances B., born about 1842 in Massachusetts, and Frederick, born a year after Frances, also in Massachusetts.  Estelle's sister, Sarah M. was born in 18481.

Estelle's father worked as a stone cutter/mason.  In my hunt for information this family I happened upon the book Alcatraz Unchained by Jerry Lewis Champion, Jr. which is an in-depth history into Alcatraz Island.  According to Champion's research, Benjamin Webber Harrington moved his family from Massachusetts to the west coast during the time of the California Gold Rush, working as a stone mason at Fort Point and later, on the fortifications located on Alcatraz Island.  Later, his son Frederick worked as a lighthouse keeper  on the California coast, but mostly at the Trinidad Lighthouse, near the California/Oregon border.

In 1880, Estella seems to be going by the name Anita E. Harrington, and is working as an embroidress2.  Her father, Benjamin is described as "paralyzed," in the census records.  He was 61 years old.  I wonder if he was a victim of an industrial accident.  Estelle (Anita)  Harrington's maternal grandmother, Sophia Pratt, age 78,  born Canada, is also living with the family in 1880 and is listed as paralyzed. 

I don't know what became of Anita Estelle after this.  She doesn't seem to appear in the censuses, which might mean she married and appears under a different surname.  I suspect there may be a lot of available material out there on this family, if one has the time to look for it.  If you know what happens to our subject after 1880, I'd love to hear from you.

****

UPDATE May 27, 2020: Recently I devoted a little more time to Anita Estelle Harrington to learn about her later years. I discovered a digitized copy of History of the Dore family written by Anita Estelle’s son, Walter Harrington Dore (https://archive.org/details/historyofdorefam1908dore.)  According to the author, Anita Estelle Harrington married Harry E. Dore in San Francisco in 1881. Walter was born in 1882 and the family lived in Portland, Oregon for 12 years where Harry Dore operated a printing business prior to moving back to California around 1896.  In 1920, Harry and Anita Estelle operated a grocery store in Berkeley, CA. The San Francisco Examiner reported Anita Estelle Harrington Dore died on the 23rd of October 1925 in Berkeley.



1 1860 U.S. census, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, population schedule, p. 410, dwelling 100, family 93, Estill Harrington, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 October 2012); citing National Archives microfilm publication M653, microfilm 803067.
2 "United States Census, 1880," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M6PX-R35 : accessed 7 Oct 2012), Anita E. Harrington in household of Benjamin W. Harrington, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States; citing sheet 342B, family 2, NARA microfilm publication T9-0079.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

From the Choate Studio, Carlisle, PA circa 1880-90s



It's a shame that this young boy's name isn't recorded anywhere on this photograph.  I thought I might be able to find another copy of this particular image on one of the sites specializing in images from "The United States Indian School" at Carlisle, PA, but unfortunately I couldn't locate one.

John Nicholas Choate was the official photographer for the school, which operated from 1879 to 1918 in Carlisle.  I don't know if this young boy was a student there or just happened to have his picture taken by Choate.  There's a good deal of information available on Choate and the school so I won't delve into its history, but I will encourage you to visit Visualizing a Mission: Artifacts and Imagery of the Carlisle Indian School, 1879-1918, a very informative, and compelling collection from Dickinson College.

If you know anything about this child's identity, please post your comments below.  


Monday, October 22, 2012

Have You Heard of Louis Kostello from St. Cloud, Minnesota, Circa 1897-1898?



This 1890s cabinet card photograph is labelled on the back, "Louis Kostello, St. Cloud, Minn."  This is a real puzzler.  I haven't been able to find anyone by that name in Minnesota, or in a general census search.  No Kostellos in that area.  There are a number of Costellos in Stearns County, Minnesota; no Louises, or Lewises, though.

The Directory of Minnesota Photographers website says Guy Alvord was in operation in St. Cloud from 1897 to 1898.

So who was Louis?  Did he change his name?  Leave the area?  Leave the US?  Meet an untimely death?
The fact that I can't find any trace of him, and no possible matches makes me think I'm missing something fundamental.  But what?


Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Searching for Women By Their Husband's Names: Mrs Dan McAuley and Mrs Fred Allen



I've encountered a spate of difficult photos of late.  Here's another for anyone who loves a challenge.  The reverse of this postcard photograph, found in a Nanaimo, BC antique shop, reads:


The challenge here is that the two married women are identified by their husband's names.  The youngest daughter Annie is, presumably, Annie Mcauley.  So I started my search looking for a Dan Mcauley who had a daughter, Annie.  I found one exact match after an Ancestry search, a Dan Mcauley in the 1891 Scotland Census living in Barrhead, Barrhead and Levern, Renfrewshire with a daughter Annie.   I found another possibility on Ancestry.com and a few others that might fit. 

My next thought was to try and find a Fred Allan who married a Mcauley.   I didn't find anything on Ancestry.  I headed over to Familysearch.org.  Nothing.

The house in the image looks like a first homestead of the type you would find on the prairies.  It was taken after 1907.  While the image was found in British Columbia, that doesn't necessarily mean it was taken in Canada.  It could very well have been, but my experience is that the photos I find are pretty well evenly split between Canadian and American images.

Another image to remain a mystery?

UPDATE November 21, 2012:  This once-a-mystery postcard is on its way to Alberta to be reunited with a descendant of Mrs. Dan McCauley, who has been identified in the comments section as Mary Norn McCauley.  The two other women are Mary McCauley Allen and Annie McCauley.   

Monday, October 15, 2012

Thrashing on the Clucas Place, Circa 1907-1918




I found this image about 20 years ago at an antique store in Alberta.  It's a real picture postcard, and has the four triangle AZO stamp on a divided correspondence back, which indicates it dates anywhere from 1907-1918.  There's a notation on the reverse which I've been trying to use to identify this threshing crew and where photograph might have been taken, but frankly have come up empty.  It reads:

"Thrashing on the Clucas place some years ago.  Jo Buhn [or Budn or Burn] at the left at the seperator and Samuel Clucas 3rd."


There are a number of Samuel Clucases in the US censuses.   I couldn't find any in Canada.

Perhaps there are clues in the machinery or landscape.  Any ideas?

Friday, October 12, 2012

Funny Hat Friday: Lucie Bailey, and Her Family in Postcards, London, England,1912


Aunt Lucie Bailey


This real postcard photograph from 1912 was one of three related postcards I recently found at a local antique shop.  Don't you just love her hat?  Someone has identified this woman as "Aunt Lucie, Wm Bailey's sister."  Here is the correspondence side of the postcard:


As you can see, the postcard was mailed to Miss Rose Bailey of 57 Vicarage Road, Willesden, London NW in July 1912.  The other two postcards that were found with this one were sent by Rose Bailey.  On one of those postcards someone has identified the subjects of second postcard as "Wm & Rose Carol Krup Bailey, 1912."

Wm & Rose Bailey

The two other postcards were addressed to:

1)  Mr. H. Egerton
121 Erskine Hill
Hampstead Grd Suburb
Golders Green
London NW

2)  Mrs. Egerton
18 Cromwell Terrace
West Hill Park
Halifax, Yorkshire

Mrs. Egerton appears to be Rose's sister.  Here is the back of the postcard:


I tried to tie these Baileys all together but frankly, haven't found anything fruitful by running through searches on Ancestry or Familysearch with the various names and places.   I haven't much experience with British research in general, and I don't have a subscription to any of the UK genealogy sites.  Are there any seasoned UK researchers out there willing to give this a go?