Laura A. Wilson and Elizabeth Cheney, Christian, Illinois 1860's

Laura Alice Wilson was born in Ohio in 1853 to Abraham Wilson and Nancy Watkins. Her mother died that same year. Laura was raised for many years by her grandparents, John and Emma Watkins. On September 24th, 1874, Laura married Charles Wesley Cheney in Illinois. They had three children: Nellie J., William Glenn, and Nuna Florence. In 1883 the family moved to McPherson, Kansas. After the death of Charles, Laura lived with Nellie and her husband, Dr. George R. Dean. When Nellie died in 1903 at the age of 27, Laura moved in with her youngest child, Nuna, and her family. Not long after, she moved again to live with her son, William. In the years before her death, she was living in a boarding house with two other women. She died in 1939.

Elizabeth Cheney, Laura's stepmother

Laura's father, Abraham, was a blacksmith and Civil War veteran. He married 4 times in his life. His second wife was Elizabeth "Lib" M. Cheney, who he married in Christian, Illinois in 1860. His third wife was Jennie, and his fourth was Ada L. Roby in 1880. In 1900, Abraham, who was deaf and suffered from dementia in his old age, was killed after being struck by a train.

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Lydia Strobridge, Merrill, Wisconsin 1887

The inscription on the back reads:

"April 15th, 1887
Lake View
for
Susan Gilbert"
In different, probably more recent handwriting, it says:
"Nancy's great, great
Grandmother
Strobridge"

Lydia Jane Kline was born in Pennsylvania on May 31st, 1834 Pennsylvania to John and Lovina Kline. She had many brothers- James, Johnson, Joshua, Daniel, and Edward- and one sister, Mariah. In Wisconsin, Lydia married Cyrus Strobridge, a man who worked several different jobs throughout his life: He was a postmaster, a tavern keeper, and a lumber dealer. Lydia and Cyrus had three daughters: Sarah, Lyberty, and Franc. Lydia died in 1897 at the age of 62.

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George E. Douglass, Columbus, Ohio 1880's

George Douglas was born on July 27th, 1859 to Mary Elliot and William Douglas. He grew up in the county of Northumberland, England with his siblings Mary, Robert, Elizabeth, and Hannah. Though I can't find an exact date, George's father died sometime before 1870. As the eldest son, George worked as a coal miner to help support his family while his siblings went to school.

In 1882, the Douglas family moved to the United States. George's mother and siblings settled in North Lawrence, Ohio, while he went on to live in Columbus. I wonder if the photographer of the photo, J.M. Elliott, was related in some way to Mary? It might explain why they chose to go to Ohio. George probably had this portrait done not long after he arrived in Columbus when he would have been 23 or 24.  He married Myness Edgar in 1891 and their only daughter, Alma Ruth, was born in 1896. For much of his life in Ohio, George worked in the telephone industry, first as a clerk and then as a "repairer". He died in 1922 at the age of 62.

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