How Are Your Detective Skills? Grandfather Deachman and Eliza Pappa Deachman, circa 1860s, Perth, Ontario

Grandmother and Grandfather Deachman, circa 1869, Perth, Ontario, Canada

I find albums difficult to pass by. The one that held this image, especially so. While it was filled with some post-1910 images vaguely identified, there were a number of photographs such as the one above, that were labelled with detailed and extremely helpful explanations.

On the back of this carte de visite photograph, someone had made the following notes:  "My Dad's parents. Grandfather and Grandmother Deachman whose maiden name was Eliza Pappa. She passed away & left a young family of 4 sons and 1 daughter. Grandfather married again to a widow Mary Ellis who had 2 daughters Maggie & Isabella at that time. Then was born Jim, Isaac & Lizzie who married Jack Kerr."

So how are the other images labelled?  Here is a break-down of the most helpful images:

1) A cdv, circa 1865 of a young woman in her 20s, no photographer's imprint. On the reverse it is written, "Grandma Woods, Grandfather Woods' second wife. Her maiden name was Katie Stewart. A wonderful person (Catherine Stewart)." (Isn't it a lovely touch that the writer thought to tell future generations that Katie was a wonderful individual?)

2) A tintype of "mother with white collar. Mrs. Bingley her cousin to her right."

3) A tintype "This might be my Dad's Brother Bill Deachman."

4) A small snapshot of a log cabin. "Isaac's cabin on the homestead." Photograph was developed at Jerrett's Photo Art-Studio in Melfort, Saskatchewan.

5) Small snapshot of "Dr. Wilson T[?] Deachman he has hair if it is white." Circa 1920s?

6) A small snapshot of "Grandpa & Grandma Harper & Aunt Elizabeth."

and the clincher:

7)  A small snapshot of  "Mother (Florence Deachman) probably around 1912."

So, with this information, are you able to sort out who might have owned this album and their relationships to the other people in the album? I wonder how such a family treasure ended up in a Victoria, BC antique shop.

This was a fun one to research--I hope you have a good time looking into the Deachman family.

Names or Places? Untangling Miss Isobel, Elgin, NB, ca. 1900

The photograph reminds me of a grammar example one might use to illustrate the importance of commas:
Let's eat, Grandma!
or
Let's eat Grandma!

Same words, very different meaning.  On the reverse of this photo found in a Vancouver Antique Shop, the following words have been written:

Isobel Duncan
     Marchfield
      Dumbreck.

The photo was taken at the Blizzard Studio in Elgin, N.B.  So my question is this to you.  Does this mean "Isobel Duncan of Marchfield, Dumbreck" or "Isobel Duncan Marchfield of Dumbreck," or "Isobel Duncan Marchfield Dumbreck of Somewhere Else"?

The problem with Dumbreck is that it is both a place and surname.  Same goes for Marchfield.  And just down the road from me is a place called Duncan.  Though, I think we can be fairly certain that at least Duncan is a surname.

My assumption is that, given the way the words are arranged, I'm looking at a photo of Isobel Duncan from Marchfield, Dumbreck.  Dumbreck is located in Lanarkshire, Scotland.  And, according to the 1905 Scottish Postal Directory for Glasgow there is a place within Dumbreck called Marchfield.

I'm going with that theory for the time-being, anyway, but after a few searches I'm really not turning up any Duncans in Dumbreck.  So, I focus on Elgin, N.B.

Did you know there is an Elgin, New Brunswick (Canada)  AND an Elgin, Scotland (or North Britain as it sometimes appeared)?  So we have another issue.  Which Elgin is it?

I tried researching the photographer, Robert Stewart, who had his studio on High Street in Elgin.  I was able to locate a thread on a genealogy board with this very topic.  Where was Robt. Stewart, photographer on High Street, N.B. from: Scotland or Canada?  The discussion concluded with the agreement that Robert Stewart, the bookseller and photographer, was from from Elgin, Moray, Scotland.  He apparently operated there from 1860 to at least 1881, where he is listed in the Scotland Census at 131 High Street, Elgin. The 1891 and 1901 censuses list him as a "retired photographer" living at another address.

The image looks "newer" than 1881 to me.  I would date it to the 1890s or early 1900s.  Perhaps Mr. Stewart continued to take portraits into his retirement, using up his stockpile of cards.
You have any leads on Isobel, I'd love to hear from you!