Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - Feathery Hat on Columbus, O. Woman 1880's (Victorian)

This very stylish young woman had her photograph taken by photographer Pfeifer in Columbus, O. in the late 1880's.  I am putting the date around 1888.  She is wearing a fashionable bustled dress with beautiful pearl-like trim.  One tiny drop earring is showing and a hoop bracelet appears on her right wrist.  She is also wearing a large corsage with white flowers to offset the darker color of the dress.  I wish I knew what color is was; possibly gray or brown?  Her hat is stunning of course with the large feathery plumes and I see a dark satin bow on the right side.

1888 Columbus, Ohio Woman

It's hard to tell from this scan, but this cabinet card has gold-gilt beveled edges which was one of my clues in dating the photograph.  The photographer was John A. Pfeifer of Columbus who had a photography business in Columbus for many years. I found him listed in the city directory up until 1887 at the address on the card.  In the 1889 directory he had moved his business to a different address. He was born about 1858 in Ohio to German immigrant parents. I also found him listed in the 1920 census living in a boarding house, a widower and still working as a photographer.

Another Photo Family Reunion - Yeah!!!!

On March 2nd I posted a photo (see below) showing a number of people posing in front of business called "The Markey Bronze Bushing Company."  Markey Bronze was located in Delta, Ohio and I estimated the photo was taken in the 1930's.  If you would like to read the entire post click here:  Sepia Saturday #166 - The Markey Bronze Bushing Company, Delta Ohio.

The Markey Bronze Bushing Co, Delta, OH - Eugene Markey, far left

On March 29th a received an email from Joanne in Ohio who had this to say about the photo:

"I just found your photograph/blog post of Markey Bronze Bushing Company. My Grandfather Eugene Markey a metallurgist started the company in Delta, Ohio in 1919. He had two partners Louis Leidle (SP?) and Doctor Hutchins. My Grandfather is the bald man holding his hat in the photograph. I’ve contacted my brothers, they are older and remember a little bit more and might be able to identify the people in the photograph. They have both lived and stayed in the Delta area.

There are three buildings that comprised Markey bronze, and at one time the company employed 150 people. It is currently owned by Bunting Brass and as far as I know they do continuous casting of brass bars."

Joanne went on to ask if she could purchase the photo from me and I told her I would send it to her for the cost of postage (and that I always welcomed contributions to fund my hobby).  I sent the photo off to Joanne and yesterday I received a very, very generous check from Joanne and a card thanking me for returning the photo to the family.  Joanne hopes to meet with her brothers sometime soon to hopefully identify more of the people in this photograph.  This was a very exciting and rewarding experience for me and I can't wait for my next reunion!

Sepia Saturday #166 - The Markey Bronze Bushing Company - Delta, Ohio

The Sepia Saturday theme photo this week features a woman factory worker making paper boxes, a great photo showing the industrious spirit of those hard workers of the past.  Just this past week I had the great fortune of scoring a great buy on eBay of 175 photos for a steal.  A large box arrived just a few days ago and what a treasure trove it has turned out to be!  I'm still sorting through all these wonderful, old photographs, and shockingly the subjects are actually identified on a large number of them.  There was one photo though that I knew I had to use this week for my Sepia Saturday entry.

It features a group of thirty-six individuals (if I counted correctly) in front of a concrete block building with the name "The Markey Bronze B" showing.  The photographer was Elton Studio, Delta, O.  Note the two well dressed gentlemen flanking both sides, obviously executives, and the woman who I am guessing was a secretary for the company.   Unfortunately, there is no identification of any of these subjects.  I am not sure of a time frame for this photo but I am guessing in the 1930's.  See the full photo below which has Art Deco frame.

Markey Bronze Bushing Co, Delta, Ohio ca 1930's

My research tells me this was The Markey Bronze Bushing Company of Delta, Ohio.   Obviously they made bushings, which while not very exciting, were a necessary commodity.  I could not find much information on this company such as when it was started or if it even still existing although I do not think it is.  I found quite a number of obituaries on Google of men who worked at Markey Bronze, many before WWII.  Delta, Ohio is a village in Fulton County with a population of about 3,103 people according to Wikipedia.  It is near Toledo and Bowling Green.

I found a great genealogy site for Fulton County with lots of great photos and an active historical society.  I think I will contact them to see if there is an interest in this photograph.  Perhaps someone will be able to identify of these people.

Wait, there's more!  Please check out Sepia Saturday for more great stories and photos this week!

Fashionable Friday - 1890's Trio of Ladies from Bradford, Ohio

For this week's Fashionable Friday I am featuring this cabinet card of three women from Bradford, Ohio, who posed for photographer,  W. H. F. Heath, sometime in the 1890's.  I knew this right off the bat by looking the sleeves of their dresses, in fact, I would guess early 1890's.   I would go so far as to guess this is a mother and two grown daughters. What drew me to this photograph in the first place was the clashing of all the patterns in the picture.  Even though somewhat faded, you can see that the carpet has a busy pattern and the mother and one daughter to her right have on dresses with very busy patterns.  In today's world, a good photographer would warn you ahead of time against this very thing. These dresses and their busy patterns may have been quite the rage at the time, although I have my doubts, and leave me with the difficulty of knowing where to look first.  Also, note the one woman has on dark-colored gloves that match the bodice of her polka-dot dress; the older woman has on finger-mitts.

The photographer, W. H. F. Heath (William), was born in May of 1846 in Ohio to Austin and Eliza Heath, the oldest child in a large farming family. Never married, sometime between 1870 and 1880 he left the family farm in Shelby County, OH to pursue a career in photography.  In the 1900, Adams, Darke County, OH census he is found living with his younger brother John, also a photographer.  In the book Ohio Photographers 1839 - 1900 by Diane VanSkiver Gagel found on Google eBooks, he is listed working as a photographer 1881-82 and 1895-96. Heath evidently suffered no shortage of ego as the back of his cabinet card states, "From the Well Known Photo Gallery of W. H. F. Heath."  However, note that the word, "Gallery" is misspelled as "Glalery."  I'm assuming since he used them, he must have ordered and been stuck with a large order of these incorrect cards and used them anyway.  

Sepia Saturday - Two Fairy Sprites from Columbus, O.

 

When I saw this week's Sepia Saturday theme which centers around the 1920 image, the "Health Fairy" the first thing I thought of was two photos I have had in my collection for some time of two little girls from Ohio. I have always labeled them my little fairy sprites, why I don't know, but they seem so ethereal and delicate, yet spirited.

These cabinet cards are so unusual because they are not the formal poses we usually see, but the photographer allowed the girls, who I believe are twins, to just flit around and be themselves.  These girls were obviously well loved by someone.  There are no names on the photographs, but they came from the same lot of photos of which I previously posted about Muriel Blair and since it is the same photographer, Wells, I have to wonder if they aren't from the same family.  Wells was W. H. Wells, a successful African American photographer who had a studio in Columbus from at least 1895 and possibly earlier to around 1930.  I suspect these photos to have been taken at different times although not too far apart in time.  They were most likely taken around the late 1890's to 1900.

Please visit Sepia Saturday to see more wonderful old images and fascinating stories:

Sentimental Sunday - Women with Hats - Lady in White

Here is a cabinet card with an unidentified woman from Tiffin, Ohio taken by O. P. Frees.  She is seated on a studio prop "rock wall" and wearing a white dress with a fitted bodice, black hat with white flowers and leaning slightly on a black umbrella.

Most of the clues point to the photo being taken about the late 1880's to early 1890's although it is uncommon but not unheard of to see women wearing white dresses during this time period.  I found the photographer Oliver Perry Frees (4 Feb 1852 - 13 Apr 1921) in Ancestry.com in the 1900 Seneca County, Ohio census.  His age was listed as 48, married 24 years to Mary age 47, one son Orva aged 23.   I found a marriage record for an Oliver Frees and Mary S. Wilcox in Seneca County, 22 Dec 1875.  I also found a death record for Oliver Frees in Seneca County on 13 April 1921.  There were numerous Tiffin City Directory records starting with 1903.  I still want to believe that this photo was taken between 1889 - 1894 and it is entirely possible that he would have began his photography career earlier than 1900 even though he does not show up in earlier censuses.

Easter Wishes!

These Easter wishes were sent on this embossed postcard from a mother to her daughter on April 14,1911:

The back of the card reads, "Dear Daughter, We are all well, hope you are the same.  I suppose you will be home Easter this is all.  Good by From Mom".  It was addressed to Bess Kamiff in Van Wert, Ohio.

Two Young Brothers from Ashland, O. (Ohio)

This wonderful  CDV of two sweet young boys, most likely brothers, from Ashland, Ohio is a great example of 1870's photography.  The boys who appear to be about six or seven years old, are leaning on a fringed chair which was used as a prop mainly in the 1870's and the boy on the left is wearing a tailored adult-style suit.  Also, note the bowler-style hats each boy is holding in his hand.  Both boys have such a serious expression on their face they almost appear to be ready to cry.  The picture could have been dated as early as the mid to late 1860's but for the information I learned about the photographer.

Willis L. Edwards (1843 - ?) was born in Bucyrus, Ohio to Dr. L. M. and Susan Edwards.  He was adopted at six months of age by Rev. William Hutchinson after the death of his parents and spent the early years of his life in Tennessee.  He returned to Bucyrus in 1860 where he began his photography career.  He served four months in the 86th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in 1862.  After his service he interned as a manager with Budtorf & McCormick in Ashland.  According to Diane VanSkiver Gagel in Ohio Photographers: 1839-1900 he was  listed as photographer in Ashland between 1870 - 1884*.  This also concurs with the information I found in the 1870 and 1880 Ashland, Ohio censuses.  He married Mary J. Sauer in 1864 and they had three chilren, Ida M. Charles,  and Milton L. Edwards.  Mary died in 1873 and Willis remarried Mary A. Heifner.  I was unable to find any information on him after the 1880 census.

*Ohio Photographers: 1839 - 1900.  Diane VanSkiver Gagel, 1998, Carl Mautz Publishing, Nevada City, CA, pg 14.

Mystery Monday - Columbus, O Woman - Lillie McMullen Blair?

Lillie McMullen Late 1890's?

I bought a group of old photographs a while back on eBay and there were two of the same beautiful woman from Columbus, O (Ohio). This first one is identified on the back as "Lillie McMullen." The photographer is W. H. Wells of 262 1/2 S. High St., Columbus, O.  

The second picture I posted recently in my "Women with Hats" series.  She's on the right identified as "Lillie Blair" and an unknown friend or relative on the left.  The photographer is also Wells.  I think she looks older in the second photo so am guessing her maiden name is McMullen and married name Blair.  I found several Lillie McMullens and Lillie Blairs on Ancestry.com.  The only one that seems to fit the timeline was born 1873 to Alex & Eliza McMullen in Columbus, Ohio.  I did not find much else to substantiate her identity.  In the same lot of pictures I also have a picture of a little girl Muriel Blair but cannot match her up with Lillie an any way.  Such a mystery!

Lillie McMullen Blair (r) late 1890's?

The photographer was a successful and talented African-American photographer.  I found a mention of him in a book written by Diane VanSkiver Gagel, "Ohio Photographers 1839-1900. She listed him as W. H. Wells, Columbus, 276 S. High, 1895-98, 262 South High, 1899.  In Ancestry.com I found him in the Columbus, Ohio city directory still at the 262 South High address in 1914 and then in 1928 at the address of 1220 Mt. Vernon Avenue.  I also found him in the 1930 Columbus census listed as William H. Wells, negro, age 63, married 19 years, born Ohio, wife Sadie age 60 years, one daughter Artura age 17 years.  He owned his own home worth $3000.