"Sylvia Wisehart(???) Taken at Clayton, Ill."
In this Real Photo Postcard from the early 1900s, Sylvia Wisehart of Clayton, Illinois, sits in a rocking chair while perusing what looks like a fashion magazine. She is casual and comfortably dressed, and one might assume this is a candid moment if not for the sheet hung up as a backdrop. I have to wonder who snapped this photo and what the sitter thought about it.
Sylvia was born Sylvia Harriet Johnson in Adams County, Illinois, on August 12th, 1886. Her parents were Eli Bishop Johnson, a farmer, and his wife, Josophine. Eli was a veteran of the Civil War, having served with the Union Army in the 2nd Illinois Light Artillery as a young man. Eli and Josophine had eight children: Julia (b. 1868), Charles (b. 1870), William Lyman (b. 1872), Loren (b. 1874), Solon (b. 1875), Francis Marion (b. 1878), Cyrene Eli (b. 1881), and Sylvia. By the time Sylvia was born, her only two sisters, Julia and Loren, had died. She was left the sole girl in a family of boys.
In 1903, at age 16, Sylvia married 28-year-old Albert Franklin Wisehart. Their first child, Eli Bishop, was born the next year. He was followed by Luella Violet in 1906, Theresa Josephine in 1908, and Delma Catherine in 1910.
At 20, Sylvia lost her mother. At 31, she lost her father. At age 33, she suffered yet another blow. On January 22, 1920, she gave birth to twins. Her daughter, Albertha Mae, survived, while her son, Albert Franklin, Jr, lived only two days.
By the time she was 40, Sylvia was already a grandmother. Her husband, Albert, died in 1935 at age 60, leaving her a widow at 49.
Sylvia Wisehart spent the entirety of her life in her home state of Illinois. She lived to be 84, passing away on December 15th, 1970. It is remarkable to think how much life she lived in those 84 years, and how much she would have seen the world change around her.
If you know who this is, let us know in the comments!
