2017 Found Family

Hey everyone! I thought I would finish off 2017 with a few of the photographs I've been able to return to families this year. Most of the time, I am able to contact family members before I even post the photo- I typically find them through findagrave.com or ancestry.

 These two photos are of Margaret Davis Doughty and of Rosa and John Doughty with their sons, Oliver and Bill. Margaret was the wife of Oliver. The pictures were found in an antique store in Galveston, TX. I contacted Elizabeth, a descendant of the Doughty family, through Find a Grave and returned them in January.

 In October, I purchased over 30 photographs of the Burkett/Blunk family in Jefferson, TX. Above are just a couple of these: A picture of Vina Burkett Blunk and family, and a picture of  Garrett and Amelia Burkett, Vina's parents. I found a direct descendant of the Burkett's, Cindy, also through Find a Grave. I was able to return all of the photographs last week.

I want to say a big thank you to everyone who reads this blog and loves old photographs. I hope to return many, many more in 2018!

Women in the Snow, 1920's

This is a snapshot of two fashionable women standing outside on a very snowy day. It is likely from the 1920's.

I hope everyone has a very happy holiday season and a wonderful new year- stay warm!

Alma Lampman 1880's, Leonidas, Michigan

"Alma Lampman
Leonidas
St Joseph Co
Mich"

Alma Lampman was born in 1869 and was the only child of  George and Rachel Lampman. In 1893 Alma married Luman Ackerman, a farmer. They had one son, Keith, in 1897.  In this cabinet card from the late 1880's, not long before she was married, Alma is wearing a lovely dress with beadwork on the front and on the cuffs of the sleeves.

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

Marjorie and Gene Cox on Thanksgiving, 1925

This is a snapshot of Marjorie and Gene Cox standing outside a home on Thanksgiving day in 1925. I don't know where the photo was taken, but it looks like it may have been chilly!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and if you know who these two may be, let us know in the comments!

Mildred Cheek 1890's, Chambersburg, Illinois

"Mildred Cheek age 3 or 4"

Mildred Cheek was born in 1889 to Annetta Taylor and an unknown man, presumably with the name Cheek, who I couldn't find any record of. In 1900, at age 10, she is living with her maternal grandmother, Almina Taylor. In 1910, age 20, she is living with her mother and step-father, a farmer named Charles Lipcaman. Mildred married Guy Buzzard, a high school teacher, and together they had two sons, Robert and Richard.

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

Charles Bales 1890's, Bloomington, Illinois

Charles Ransom Bales was born in 1848 in Blue River, Indiana to parents Seth and Margaret Bales. Bales lived in Bloomington, Illinois for most of his life where he was known as an expert penman and taught penmanship for many years.

 In 1903 he began dabbling in alternative medicine and advertised his "Vitapathic treatments" in the local paper. Vitapathy was, in the founder John Bunyan Campbell's own words, "A religious scientific system of health and life, for body and soul, with all-healing spirit power." Vitapaths believed, among other things, in immortality and the power of electrical treatments. Bales claimed in his ad that if he could not cure his subject's ailments, they would not have to pay. Later, in 1905 and 1907, he is listed in the Bloomington directory as an osteopath, a practice that involved massage and manipulative treatments of bone and tissue. He finally retired from medicine around 1911, when he is listed as a card writer.  Charles Bales died in 1915 in California.

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

Benjamin Pitman 1870's-1880's, Cincinnati, Ohio

The back reads:
"Benn Pitman
Courtroom reporter
in Lincoln Conspiracy
Trial
Introduced shorthand
system invented by
his brother."

This is my 100th post and almost the 6th anniversary of this blog! To celebrate the occasion I wanted to post a special photograph I've had for a while but never got around to putting on here.

Born in England in 1822, Benjamin "Benn" Pitman assisted his brother Issac in developing a system of shorthand, which he went onto popularize in America by publishing numerous textbooks and founding the Phonographic Institute. During the Civil War he served as a Union soldier before becoming a reporter and acting as the stenographer on the Lincoln assassination trials, during which he used the Pitman system of shorthand. In 1873 Pitman became involved in the arts and crafts movement in Cincinnati, Ohio and introduced the "Pitman School of Wood Carving" He promoted wood carving and other decorative arts as a new profession for women.

He also lived in an incredible house that served as a showcase for his students work as well as his own (here are some great pictures of it!). The house is still lived in today.

It's been an amazing 6 years running this blog. Here's to another 100 photographs!

Unknown Young Actress 1890's, New York, New York

This unique 1890's cabinet card depicts a young African American woman in an extravagant dress, with large puffed sleeves, lace, and a long train. Perhaps the most interesting part of this picture is the photography studio: Kern Bros Instantaneous Portraits. I couldn't find much on the Kern brothers, though a quick search showed that they mainly did portraits of actors, singers, and circus performers. The studio began in New York in the early 1890's as Obermuller and Kern and lasted into the 1900's. It's possible that this woman was a stage actress, though no more information is given on the picture.

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

Unknown Wedding Party 1880's, Mapleton, Iowa

The back reads:
"Grandma and Grandpa's wedding picture
Aunt Til- Grandma's sister
Uncle John- Grandpa's brother"

This wedding photo looks to be from the 1880's. The bride is wearing a dark, possibly brown dress, which was cheaper and more practical than a white dress. In her hair she is wearing a crown of flowers with long, trailing vines, which were very popular at this time and into the early 1900's. Unfortunately, no last names are given so I can't find out who they are!

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

Charles and Alice Tackels 1882, Amboy, Minnesota

Charles Tackels and Alice Crook were married on October 20th, 1882 in Amboy, Minnesota. I believe this is a wedding photo, so it was probably taken that same year. They had one daughter, Verna, born 1895. Charles died in 1906 and in 1930, Alice is living in St. Paul, Minnesota with Verna, who is a public school teacher.

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

Jennie Swagerty 1911, Ripley, Oklahoma

"Jennie Died May. 9 1922
Miss Jennie Swagerty
taken in Ripley Okla
Feb. 19, 11
Age 16
to my Sweetheart-"

Jennie Swagerty was born in Missouri in 1894 to parents John and Etta Swagerty. She worked on the family farm in Cimarron, Oklahoma until 1911, when she married Ray Buxton (probably the "sweetheart" mentioned on the card). The marriage certificate gives Jennie's age as 18, which means the age written on the back of the card may be incorrect. She died in 1922, at only 28 years old.

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

Phoebe Shearer 1890's, Rushville, Illinois

Inscription on the back:
"aunt Phoebe Shearer
Spinster sister of
Grandma (Mary Ann) Smith"

Phoebe Shearer was born in Pennsylvania in 1827. She had many siblings, including her sister Mary Ann Shearer who later married John Keysar Smith. I can't find much else on Phoebe, though the inscription on the back of the photo indicates she never married.

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

Henrietta Bolz 1900's, New York

Henrietta "Nettie" Bolz was born in Brooklyn in 1886 to parents George and Agnes Bolz. She had 4 siblings: Elizabeth, Margaret, Hannah, and George. At age 24, she briefly worked in an embroidery factory as an embroiderer. She never married and lived with her parents until their deaths.


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

Unknown Woman 1890's, Erie, Pennsylvania

Fred Pfaff was a photographer in Erie, Pennsylvania from the 1890's to about the 1910's. It seems he did portraits of both white and African American subjects , which was unusual for the time. The scroll of paper framing the woman suggests this may have been a memorial portrait. Unfortunately, there is no information on the woman herself anywhere on the picture.

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

Mabel and Walter Dumm 1885, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

"Mabel S. D. Dumm
+ baby Walter
about 1885 late
This copy sent
from Pierce Dornblaser
home by Mabel Krape
July 1968"


Mabel Shafer Dornblaser was born in Pennsylvania in 1859 to parents Peter and Elizabeth Dornblaser. Mabel was the youngest of eight children: Catherine, Thomas Franklin, Amanda Jane, Luther, Albert, Puella E. and Pierce M. The Dornblaser's appear to be a family of prominent people, in particular Mabel's brother Thomas, who served in the civil war and wrote several autobiographical works. In January of 1883, Mabel married John Martin Dumm, a physician. They had three children: Clarence, born 1883, Walter J, born 1885, and Mabel, born 1889. Mabel S died later that year, at age 30. Walter later married Elizabeth Lord and they had one daughter, Mary Elizabeth.

Happy Mother's Day!

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

Rosetta Falkenhagen 1903, St Louis, Missouri

Rosetta Schmuck was born in 1903 in St Louis, Missouri to Randel and Elizabeth Schmuck. She had one sister, Genevieve, born 1903.The family later moved to Galveston, Texas, where Randel worked as a carpenter. In 1924, Rosetta married Charles A Falkenhagen. They had one son, Charles, born 1925. In 1940, Rosetta and Charles are divorced and she is working as a clerk in the Advertising Department of  the Galveston News-Tribune.

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

The Main and Baker Family 1880's, California

Nancy Main Baker

Maggie Baker
Cousin

Hugh Main
Uncle

Nancy Main was born in 1852 in Pike County, Illinois to parents William and Permelia Main. She had several siblings, including sisters Letitia and Elizabeth, and brothers Hugh, John, James, and Daniel. In 1868, at age 16, Nancy married Robert Baker. They had 5 children: Margaret (1869), Martha, Lizzie, Lucy, and May.

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

Bessie and Elvie Hutchins 1896, Stevens Point, Wisconsin

"Howard Dumbleton march 17
1896 on his 10th Birthday from
Bessie + Elvie Hutchins"

Bessie Hutchins was born in 1884. Her sister Elvie was born in 1886. Their father, Myron, was a farmer and later, a traveling salesman. At age 24, Elvie was a grade school teacher and at 34, she was married to Clarence Favell, a musician. Bessie married Ervin Peart, a high school teacher.

The girls have flowers pinned to their dresses and in their hair, and Bessie is wearing a pair of eyeglasses. Interestingly, this is the third photograph I have from Stevens Point, Wisconsin!

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

Snow Family 1890's, Dallas, Texas

These are two photographs of the Snow family. The first photograph was most likely taken in the early 1890's, while the second was taken later in 1899.
John and Rachel Snow married in 1884 and had four daughters: Rosa L, the eldest, born 1887, Cora Ell born 1891, Annie Blanche born 1893, and the youngest, Florence Ada, or "Crickett", born 1897.

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

Ellis Family 1910's, Caddo, Oklahoma

"Left to Right
Pocahontas Theo Docia Ellis
Henry Charles (H.C.)
Hardenia Virginia Cherlene Ellis Mason
(Mamma) Delphine Eugenia Hunter(????) Mugler Ellis"

I always enjoy photographs of houses, as they often have a lot of interesting details. The house number is listed above the door- 528. On the porch is a baby carriage, metal tub, and a small rocking chair. Posing in front of the home is the Ellis family.

Delphina Mugler was born in Caddo, Choctaw Nation, Oklahoma, to Francisco and Theodocia Mugler. Both she and her mother are listed as Native American and were members of the Choctaw nation. In 1903 Delphine married Charles Victor Ellis. Their first son, Pushmataha Francisco Ellis, was born in 1904. Daughter Pocahontas Ellis was born in 1907, Hardinia in 1911 and son Henry Charles was born in 1915. I believe the baby is a younger daughter, Delphine, born in 1918.

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