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?
My only guess is that it might be Fenbert. I don't see any other family name -
ReplyDeleteLooks like Feinbert to me.Can you darken and sharpen in Picassa or Photoshop to heighten contrast?
ReplyDeleteI played with the contrast a bit and the name (on the bottom) looked like it might be Limbert. There is a Rebecca (24) in the 1870 census m. John (31)Limbert who is a shoe maker in PA. In the 1880 census she is referred to a Rebecca B. Limbert … and in the 1900 census she is Rebecka Limberd.
ReplyDeleteHmmm....Limbert. Interesting possibility. The second word in the first line appears to start with the same letter as the two surnames shown, a detail which had really been bothering me. It almost looks like an abbreviation. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head that begins with "L" is "Lt." I did find a John Limbert from PA in the United States, Civil War and Later Pension Files, 1861-1917 on Familysearch, who was a 2nd Lt. in the Civil War. ( https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NH6K-ZZF ) The 1890 Veterans Schedule (Pottsville, PA) on Ancestry shows his rank as 1st Lt. The marriage date in the 1900 census is listed as around 1866, which could possibly match our photo, if B.B. was a newlywed when our 1865 cdv was taken. Of course all this is circumstantial and much more research would have to be done, but you've provided an avenue to pursue. Thanks PeggyLu!
ReplyDeleteI think it says Lambert. I didn't allow myself to stare at it for too long, because I've learned that when I do that, I keep seeing things differently!
ReplyDeleteRenate
Well, after taking another look, I agree with the other comments. It has to be Limbert. (I hadn't really noticed the dot for the i the first time.) :)
ReplyDeleteRenate