David and Cornelia Crammond, Frontenac County, Ontario, Bef. 1865

The reverse of this carte de visite photograph has two inscriptions on the back.  The first, in fountain ink, "Mr & Mrs. David Crammond" and, the second, more recently, in ballpoint pen, "Grandmother Dunham's Mother & Father."

The photographer's imprint simply reads, "Sheldon Photographer, Kingston, O.W [Ottawa West?]."  We can narrow the time frame down to 1857-1865 because in 1866, Henry K. Sheldon, the only photographer in Kingston at the time with that surname, teamed up with Richard F. Davis, in the photographic partnership "Sheldon & Davis" which lasted until 1900¹.  In the "General Directory for the City of Kingston and Gazetter of the Counties of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington for 1865", H.K. Sheldon works out of his home on King Street, near Brock.

I located a David Crammond family living in Wolf Island, Frontenac County in the 1861 Canada Census².  The family was comprised of:

David Crammond, b. 1825, Scotland, a farmer
Cornelia Crammond, b. 1833, Upper Canada
Barbary Crammond, b. 1828, Scotland
Adaline Crammond, b. 1849, Upper Canada
Hannah Crammond, b. 1850, Upper Canada
Ester A. Crammond, b. 1852, Upper Canada
Samantha M. Crammond, b. 1853, Upper Canada
Mallissa Crammond, b. 1855, Upper Canada
Anson Mitchell, b. 1855, Upper Canada
Alice E. Crammond, b. 1857, Upper Canada
James Mitchell., b. 1857, Upper Canada

The David and Cornelia Crammond family can also be found in the 1871 Canada Census still living in Wolf Island.  But how can we know we have the correct Crammond family?  Well, the second inscription does give us a valuable bit of information to research further.  We know that one of David Crammond's daughters married a man with the surname "Dunham."

A search of Ontario Marriages lands a good result.  On the 24th of January 1871, the couple's eldest daughter, Adaline Oliva [Olivia?  Oliver?] Crammond, 22 years of age, married William Dunham, an engineer from Cape Vincent.  They married in Wolfe Island³.  Her mother is listed as "Melissa Bush" and not Cornelia. There are several possibilities for the different name, including the possibility of name variations.  In my own family tree I have one distant aunt who went by no less than four forenames during her lifetime. I think the most likely reason in this case, is that Melissa is Adaline's mother, and she may have passed away prior to 1861.  If so, then the woman in the photograph would be Cornelia, Adaline's step-mother.

UPDATE:  July 19, 2013. 

Anne, who has researched this family, sent in the following supplemental information on the David Crammond families:
 
"If the photo is of Adeline (nee Crammond) Dunham’s mother Melissa Bush it would have to be taken after the birth of her youngest child Alice and before her death - pre husbands 2nd marriage 7 June 1859 (i.e. 1857/8- June 1859)

If the photo is of Adeline’s step mother Cornelia (nee Abbott) Mitchell then most likely taken post 7 June 1859 marriage to David Crammond. (June 1859-1865)

David Crammond -
1st marriage- Melissa Bush – date/place unknown (died post c 1857/8 birth of daughter Alice and pre his 7 June 1859 2nd marriage)

Children of David Crammond and Melissa Bush
a. Adeline Olivia born c 1849 married 24 Jan 1871 to William Dunham (lists mother Melissa Bush)

b. Hannah May c 1851 m 24 Feb 1879 Moses Jay Knapp (lists mother Malissa)

c. Ester Ann born 21 July 1852(per tombstone), born pre 2nd marriage- assumed d/o Melissa Bush

d. Michael 1854 (1871 census) born pre 2nd marriage assumed d/o Melissa Bush

e. Samantha Melvina b 28 Dec 1855 US, m 26 Oct 1881 James Donnelly – (lists mother Melissa Bush)

f. Melissa 1856 m 20 Dec 1882 Mathew Robert Davis – (lists mother Melissa Bush)

g. James 1857 (1871 census) born pre 2nd marriage – assumed d/o Melissa Bush

h. Alice c 1858 m 10 May 1882 William Henry Ross –lists mother Melissa Bush


2nd marriage – 7 June 1859 to Cornelia Abbott at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Kingston, Ontario
(OGS Publication -Registers 1821-1869 St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Kingston, Ontario)
Cornelia Abbott was the widow of James Mitchell ( died 2 April 1857) - 3 sons of this marriage – Anglican Church, Wolfe Island baptism Edward Alexander Mitchell born March 19 1854, St Andrew’s Presbyterian church, Wolfe Island - baptism Anson Mitchell born 21 July 1855 , death /obituary of James Mitchell born 23 July 1858 Wolfe Island.

3rd marriage – 14 September 1883 Elizabeth Porteous"

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1 Phillips, Glen C., "The Ontario Photographer's List Volume I (1851-1900)," Global Heritage Press, Milton, Ontario, Canada, 2002, p.41^↩
2 "Ontario Census, 1861," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MQ7Z-MW2 : accessed 15 May 2013), David Crammond, 1861.^↩
3 "Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FMF5-D4Z : accessed 15 May 2013), William Dunham and Adaline Oliva Crammand, 1871.^↩