Georgia Amanda Pickett Dabney, Cleburne, Texas 1870s

Writing on the back reads:
"For Mary.
This is Grandmother Dabney at 14 years of age.
Her maiden name was Georgia Amanda Pickett.
Little Mary Amanda is named for her."

Georgia Amanda Pickett was born in Eufaula, Alabama on April 16th, 1861. She was the youngest child of Charity Patience Norton and Dr. Charles Pickett. Only four of the Picketts' eight children- James, Mary, Sally, and Georgia- survived past childhood. Between 1861 and 1870, the family moved from Alabama to Red Oak, Texas, just outside of Waxahachie. In 1873, Georgia and her sister Sally were attending preparatory classes at Marvin College, a school in Waxahachie that had opened just a few years prior. It boasted a three-story classroom, an office building, two dormitories, and an observatory with a $1,200 telescope. The school didn't last long and closed in 1878 due to financial troubles. In her portrait, 14-year-old Georgia holds an open book- most likely the Bible- demonstrating that she is an educated young woman.

In 1878, at age 17, Georgia married John Falls "Jack" Dabney, a grocer, in Cleburne, Texas. The couple had seven children, though, like her mother, Georgia lost more than one in childhood. Their first, Ina Pauline, was born in 1880 and died four months later. Then came two more girls, Hallie Lucille in 1881 and Eva in 1885. Their first son, John, was born in 1887 and lived only five days. He was followed by three more boys, Tyre Glen in 1888, George Herbert in 1890, and Wilbur Norton in 1901.

Jack Dabney died in 1929 at age 76. Georgia Amanda Pickett Dabney died in 1937, also at age 76.

I'm left with many questions about Georgia, especially her later years. Her obituary describes her only as a widowed housewife. I have to imagine she was beloved by her children and grandchildren, enough that "Little Mary Amanda" was named after her.

If she belongs to your family, I would love to know more! Let us know in the comments.

Minnie Hoerger and Mabel Hoerger Buck, Sutton, Nebraska 1900s-1930s

Writing on back reads:
"Fudge party at University- 1901
Mabel L. Hoerger on floor
Minnie Hoerger end at right"

The first of two photos of the Hoerger sisters shows them with friends at their university in 1901. The room is full of fun details, like a collection of cabinet cards and a picture of what appears to be a cat in a top hat. They are having a "fudge party" in which students (usually young women) enjoy treats they've smuggled into their dorm rooms. These parties were popularized at women's colleges such as Vassar and Wellesley in the 1890s. An 1897 article from the New York Tribune explains that a fudge party is best enjoyed "when a dozen or more girls are congregated in a room, sitting on sofa cushions spread out on the floor in a mystic circle around an alcohol stove, from which the odor of ‘fudge’ rises like incense." (Atlas Obscura has a fantastic article all about fudge parties!)

Mabel Louise Hoerger, seated on the floor in this photo, was born in Sutton, Nebraska in September 1879 to Frederick and Katherine Hoerger. She was the eldest of their three children; her sister Minnie (seated at the far right) was born in December 1881, and her brother William was born in 1884. Their father was a prominent businessman in Sutton. According to his obituary, he had an interest in the Sutton Creamery, Sutton Lumber Co., and Sutton Exchange Bank, and was Vice President of both the State Bank of Sutton and Sutton Telephone Co. He was successful as a hardware merchant and well-connected, which may have allowed him to provide a college education for his daughters- something that was inaccessible to many young women at this time.

The Hoerger sisters attended the University of Nebraska, where I assume this photo was taken. Also attending the school was a young man named Ralph Buck. According to a small newspaper clipping I found, Ralph and Mabel were both members of a campus club for students from Sutton. They married at the Hoerger family home in 1905 and went on to have one daughter, Kathryn.

Minnie never married and worked as a schoolteacher. The two sisters seemed to have remained close, as they are frequently mentioned together in the society articles of The Sutton News. Minnie especially was quite active in her community and was a member of more clubs than any one person could possibly have time for. These include, but are not limited to: the PEO Sisterhood, the Congregational Ladies Aid, the Red Cross, the Fortnightly Club, the Bay View Club, the Congregational Mission Society, and the World Friendship Society.

Writing on back reads:
"Dec 25-'33"
Left to right: 
Mrs. Susy Z. Buck
Minnie V. Hoerger
Kathryn L. Buck
Mrs. Mabel H. Buck"

This second photo was taken on Christmas Day, 1933. Seated at the far left is Mabel's mother-in-law, Susy Buck. Between Minnie and Mabel sits Kathryn, Mabel's 19-year-old daughter. Kathryn went on to graduate from Nebraska State University, just as her father, mother, and aunt had, and worked for the Nebraska Public Library Commission.

On December 28th, 1940, Ralph Buck died at age 62 of a heart attack in his home. 

Minnie Hoerger died at age 88 on August 10th, 1970. Her sister Mabel followed three years later, passing at age 93 on February 14th, 1973.

If you recognize this family, let us know in the comments!

Opal Taylor, Gadsden, Alabama 1945

Sept. 9, 1945
Opal Taylor
Mouth open as usual

I picked this little snapshot from a drawer of many at an antique shop in Savannah, GA. The writing on the back is what caught my attention. "Mouth open as usual" sounds like the teasing of a friend- maybe she was known for being chatty? Or maybe Opal wrote this and she's poking a little fun at herself.

Opal Sue Taylor was born in Alabama in May 1922. She was one of Rev. Joseph Bradley and Mary Taylor's seven children. The first of the Taylor children, Malcolm Leon, died at five months. He was followed by Ruby, Opal, Daliah, James Preston, Bernice Louise, and Ralph. 

Opal married William T. Raley in December 1946. 

Opal's life was cut tragically short when she died in November 1947 at just 25. She was laid to rest in Black Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Etowah County, Alabama.

I wish I knew more about Opal than just these basic facts. What were her hobbies, her interests? Where did she go to school? Who were her friends?

If there is anyone who can tell us more about Opal, let us know in the comments!

Donnie Humphrey, Mineola, Texas 1910s

Donnie Humphrey
Age 4 Year
Mineola Tex.

This is a portrait of four-year-old Donnie Humphrey of Mineola, Texas. She looks pale and has large bags under her eyes— it makes me wonder if she had been recently ill. 

She was born Thenia Caldonia Humphrey (Donnie, or sometimes Thenie, for short) in 1911 to parents George and Hannah. In the 1920 census, George is listed as a laborer in a box factory. There were several Humphrey children, a few of whom did not survive to adulthood. 

In August 1928, when she was just 17, Donnie married Herbert Elbert Tatum. Four months later, Herbert died after a bout of influenza. Donnie was now not only a widow before her 18th birthday, but she was also pregnant. Her son, Herbert, was born in July 1929. 

In the 1930 census, Donnie is living with her parents and 14-year-old sister, Georgia. Both Donnie and her father are working in the box factory. 

Donnie married Alvin D. Swann of Smithville, Arkansas, in December 1930. The couple had two daughters together, Joan and Cora Colleen.

Alvin passed in 1965 at age 63. Donnie passed in Little Rock, Arkanas in 1976. She was 64.

If you know who this may be, let us know in the comments!

Jessie Park Barlow and Charles A. Park, Friend, Nebraska 1900s

Jessie Park (Barlow) 
Charles A. Park

According to the writing on the back, this cabinet card is a portrait of Jessie Park and her brother, Charles. They were two of Rufus and Martha Park's five children, which included Harvey, Charles, Susanna, Jessie, and Clyde. 

Charles Andrew Park was born in Illinois in August 1873. He became a missionary and later a minister for the First Christian Church. He married Lilly May Liebendorfer in 1899 and the two had four children: Dorothy, Charles, Stephen, and Genevieve. 

Jessie Margaret Park was born in either Kansas or Illinois on February 3rd, 1878. In 1907, at age 28, she married Moses Thorpe Barlow in Alexandria, Nebraska. The ceremony was conducted in the family home by her brother Charles. Moses was an officer in the army who had been living in the Philippines for the past eight years. For a period after their marriage, the couple lived together in the Phillippines. Their son, Erle, was born there in 1908. Upon their return to the United States, they settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where they would live for the rest of their lives.

Moses passed in 1934 at age 55. Jessie passed away in 1956 at the age of 77. They are buried together in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. 

If you know who these folks may be, let us know in the comments!

Louis Paulsen and the Citizens Band, Wheatfield, Indiana 1910

In March 1910, Louis Paulsen sent this Real Photo Postcard to his friend, Eulin E. Brown, in Cypress, Illinois. 

He writes to Eulin: 

"Dear friend Eulin,

How are you and 

family. Hope you are all well. We

are all O.K. here. 

Haven't heard from —

for some time.

— As ever,

— Louis Paulsen"

Louis adds: 

"You perhaps recognize some

familiar faces on the 

opposite side of this card."

The photo itself shows the Citizens Band of Wheatfield, Indiana, posing in front of a barbershop. Louis has helpfully marked himself with an X. 

Louis Paulsen was born in Indiana in 1876. His parents, Hans and Carrie, were Norwegian immigrants who settled in Indiana to farm. They brought with them on their journey Hans' mother, Mary, and their daughter, Matilda. The rest of their children, including Louis, were born in the States. 

In 1900, Louis was living in Wheatfield with his aunt and uncle, Louis and Martha Gilbranson. His uncle ran a dry goods store and it looks as if Louis worked for him. His younger brother Henry, who was also living with them, is listed only as a student. 

In 1910, the year this photo was taken, Louis was 32 years old, married to Francis (neé Graves) and the father of two children, England and John. Also living with them was Francis' 17-year-old niece, Beulah Glasscoe, a daughter of her sister Katherine. When Louis wasn't participating in the town band (sadly, I can't quite make out what instrument he played) he served as postmaster.

By 1920, the Paulsens had left their home state and were residing in Harvey, Illinois. Here, Louis became the assistant manager at a bank. 

Tragedy struck in 1928 when Louis, his wife Francis, her sister Dora, and their father John were involved in a car accident. Though no one was injured in the initial collision, a bus driving through thick fog was unable to stop before hitting and killing both Francis and Dora. John was also seriously injured but lived for four more months. Louis was the only survivor. 

In 1930, 51-year-old Louis was listed as a widower. He continued to work at the bank and lived with his two sons, now in their early 20s, his 88-year-old mother, and his sister, Lillie. Lillie was, like Louis, widowed after the death of her husband George Brown in 1925. 

Louis Paulsen died in December 1951 at age 75. 

I wish I knew more about the other men in this photo, about their band, and about Louis' time growing up and raising a family in Wheatfield. He must have been proud enough of their little band to share it with his friend. I wonder if he carried an appreciation of music through the rest of his life?

If you know who this may be (or any of these folks!) let us know in the comments. 

Dwight and Mary Brackett, Bellevue, Michigan, 1860s

This double-sided photo is actually, I believe, a page from a carte-de-visite photo album that has been torn out. One side shows a woman with an infant, while the other shows a man. Below his photo, written in pencil, is "Dwight Brackitt + wife." There is not much information here and I figured out that the surname may not be "Brackitt" but rather the more common spelling of "Brackett." So who is this gentleman and his family?

The closest match I've found is a man named Irving Dwight Brackett, who was born on May 4th, 1839, in Bellevue, Michigan. He was just one of Martin and Mary Brackett's 10 children. The Bracketts were considered a distinguished, early settler family of Michigan. Martin Brackett, described in his obituary as "the man most prominent, all things considered, who lived and died in Bellevue," was an attorney, a county clerk, and ran for state senator and lieutenant governor (losing each time). Irving Dwight didn't quite follow in his father's footsteps, instead working as a clerk in a dry goods store until his marriage.

On May 14th, 1861, he married 16-year-old Mary Goss. Mary Aristeen Goss was born on a farm in Convis Township, Michigan, on May 11th, 1845. Her parents, William and Chloe Goss, were early Bellevue pioneers, just as the Bracketts were. Dwight and Mary settled at the Goss family farm, where Dwight took up farming. Along with his work in agriculture and livestock, Dwight would also go on to conduct a general merchandise business, serve two years as treasurer of Convis Township, one year as township clerk, and four years as justice of the peace, among other things. Like his father, he stayed active in his community. 

The Bracketts had three children together: Rubie, Mary, and Clara. Tragically, none of their children lived past infancy. This tells us that the child we see in the photo with Mary (if this is the same Mary Brackett) likely did not live long after this photo was taken. 

Irving Dwight Brackett died on December 15th, 1919, at the age of 80. Mary would live another 18 years until 1937 when she passed at the age of 92. At the time of her death, Mary was considered the oldest resident in Bellevue. 

Do you think these are the right Bracketts? If you know who they may be, let us know in the comments!