Making Meaning out of a Pile of Family Photos

Frequently, as a genealogist, I wonder how to best present the information I have found on my ancestors for others to enjoy.  This summer I was so excited to find pictures (from Ella Terry Billard), many from the 1870s.  WOW!!!! These are the oldest photos I have ever been able to find on my ancestors. 

As I looked at the labeled (Thank-you Great Aunt Ella Terry Billard for doing this) photos in the beautiful burgundy colored album I quickly realized they were from the Robinson and Terry lines.  I could see the connection immediately and realized the importance of this discovery.  (See post Seven Generations of Photos).  Many of the people in the photos were mentioned in Carrie’s Letters. (See posts on Carrie’s Letters)

My dilemma was how to present the photos to my cousins so that they were more meaningful then just a group of pictures.

After cropping the photos and cleaning them up in MyHeritage’s new photo enhancement program I decided to put each family group together with the parents at the top of the page and the children, with spouses, on the rest of the sheet.  The album the photos were in was also very important to me as it held this amazing collection of photos safe for so many years.  After working in Adobe Photoshop I thought the following might be a more meaningful way to display the photos of the Robinson family and the connection they share within the family:

 

and the Terry family:

 

What do you think of this as a way to display the photos?  Unfortunately, there is no photo of Eliza, the matriarch, of the Terry family.  

By displaying the photos in this manner I noticed several things I hadn’t noticed before. 

• Three of the Robinson men married women with the maiden name ‘Raynor’. 
• Two Robinson men married women with the maiden name ‘Wells’.  I couldn’t help but wonder... if the Raynor women were sisters or cousins perhaps?  What about the Wells women?  More research to do.  
• I had previously known that two of the Terry brothers had married 2 of the Robinson sisters. 
• Enlarging the pictures and carefully examining the photos showed that several of the men seem to be wearing the same jacket and/or vest.  Did the photographer have the vest and jacket that the men wore in the photo or did one of the men own it and the others just ‘borrowed’ it?  The rug in many of the pictures is the same.  Perhaps the photos were taken at the same time?  Young Arthur and Carrie Robinson were both standing next to the same table with a lace tablecloth.  The same chair appears in many of the photos.  Young Arthur Robinson has a jacket on that is way too big for his young body with rolled up sleeves.

 

Several of the photos in this group were unidentified.  These photos have to be members of either the Robinson or Terry families since they are part of this collection.  Hopefully, someone will see this and be able to help identify the following pictures that are not labeled so they can be added to the correct family group.  

click on photos to enlarge

Have you ever seen any of these photos of our Robinson and Terry families?  Thank-you cousin Rebecca for sharing these photos!

Hopefully, for my Robinson and Terry cousins, these photos will help solve the mystery of what some of their ancestors looked like.  If you have photos of someone in the family that I haven’t found yet, please, share them with me so I can add them to the sheets.  I wonder how many we can find?  If anyone would like a copy of an individual photo please email me directly and I am happy to share this magnificent find.

Maybe over your Holiday Celebrations someone will remember old photos that are tucked away and need to be found again.  Merry Christmas to all and a very Happy New Year of wonderful finds to add in the knowledge of your ancestors!

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

 

Seven Generations of Photos

     Does having a picture of your ancestor change the way you look at their life story?  While I am researching I am always hopeful that I will find photos of my ancestors, unfortunately, I rarely find them.  I can tell their stories with the facts I can find but I still want the photos.  So, I keep searching.

     This Summer I was amazed at the number of photos on my Robinson and Terry lines that were found at my cousin's house.  Rebecca has bins of things that belonged to her great-grandmother Ella Terry Billard.  When we got together this Summer, while I was visiting, I was astounded at the number of photos we found and how old they were.  Working with these photos I am learning so many new things about the family.  One of the first things I realized is that these are the oldest photos I have ever been able to see!  As I thought about this I also realized I have seven generations of photos with this find.  Photos from my son all the way back to Stephen Robinson (3x great grandfather) which was taken no later then 1871.  As you look at the generations of photos, what family resemblances do you see among the photos?  What else do you notice in the photos?

(click on image to enlarge)

I wonder if Caroline's closed "smile" was due to a lack of teeth? I wonder if there was a permanent photographer in the Riverhead area in the 1860s and 70s?  What was the occasion for the photos taken of Stephen and Caroline?  What was the occasion for Almeda's photo?  I believe Carrie's photo was taken in New York City during her time in college (1880-2).  My grandfather's picture was taken from a family photo probably taken in the 1940s.  My father's picture was taken at my second marriage in 2012.  Mine was taken in 2018 when I received my General Society of Mayflower Descendants certificate and my son's was his senior picture in college.  (Be sure to click on the bold names above if you'd like to find out about the life stories of the people in the photos.)

Seeing a picture of my ancestor really brings them to life for me.  I may have many facts about them but actually seeing what they looked like definitely makes them "real" for me.  How about for you?  What an amazing find this was!

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

Photo Friday-Mystery Man, Who Are You? Solving a photo mystery

Saturday I was able to attend a full day seminar put on by the San Diego Genealogical Society where Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective was the guest speaker.  I also had the privilege of a 15 minute private session prior to the seminar with Maureen.

One of the photos I brought to review with Maureen was this photo;

What I know;
My Dad’s cousin Geri sent me a copy of this photo and said she believed it was either the father or one of the brothers of my paternal Great Grandmother Sarah Rowan King.

One of the important things Maureen talked about was the research on the people you think may be in the photo.  When and where did they live?  What did they do as a profession?  What do you know about them?

I know that Sarah’s father was John William Rowan who was born in 1846, reportedly in Troy, ?.  John died in 1897 in Brooklyn, NY.
Sarah had 2 brothers that lived to adulthood-Joseph and William.

• Joseph Valentine Rowan was born in 1871, reportedly in Pennsylvania and died in 1940 (at the age of 69) in Brooklyn, NY.  He married his wife Irene Tehune in 1899.  Irene passed away in 1932.  They had 2 children Emily (b. 1901) and John (b. 1902).  Joseph was by trade an Engineer in Construction work according to his death certificate.
• William Rowan was born in 1872, reportedly in Pennsylvania.  I believe he died in 1901 (at the age of 29) in Bronx, NY. William was a butcher according to his death certificate found on line. (waiting for a copy of the original).  I have not been able to find any information yet on his wife or any children but I know he was married.

Maureen talked about researching the photographer of the picture.  When and where did they live.  Where was their studio.

• Unfortunately I have no information on the photographer but I am guessing the picture was taken in Brooklyn, NY. 

Maureen thought the picture was from about 1925 to maybe 1935. 

• Based on the year of the picture that would narrow down the list of possible men to Joseph Rowan since Sarah’s father John and brother William had already passed away by then. 

Maureen also talked about looking at how old the person in the photo is.

• I would guess the man in the photo is in his 50s maybe 60s??  Joseph would have been 54 in 1925.

She could tell that the gentleman had blue eyes.  She asked me to send her a copy of the picture so she could investigate a little more.  She noticed the rolled up pants and the unusually shaped chair he’s sitting on with the animal skin to the side.

 

Another of Maureen’s r recommendations to us when we don’t know who is in a photo are to post the photo on Facebook, Dead Fred, a blog, etc. to get the photo out there to see if someone else might see it and recognize the photo. 

 

Be sure to check out Maureen’s blog for Family Tree Magazine.

 

So, do you see a family resemblance?  I am hoping I followed Maureen’s suggestions correctly along with her amazing detective work to reach the conclusion that this is a photo of Joseph Rowan.  Now I need to find some of his descendants.

 

 

If the photo on the left is Joseph V. Rowan then the woman on the right is his mother Sarah Hughes Rowan.

 

A special thank-you to Maureen Taylor for helping me figure out who the man in the photo is.  While I can’t prove it I think I have made a good guess based on her help and suggestions.  Maybe Maureen will have some additional suggestions for me.

 

 

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

 

Enjoy the journey,

Debby

Photo Friday-Who is the woman in the picture?

I have pictures of my paternal great grandmother and one of my paternal great-great grandmother. I’m not sure who the picture below is of.  I am thinking it is one of these 2 women but need your help. I have no photographer information.  Do you see a resemblance to either of the 2 women I can identify below?

 

I know that the picture on the left is a picture of my paternal great-grandmother Carrie Terry Warner (see blog posts about Carrie’s letters).  I know that the picture was taken most likely in the late 1870s or early 1880’s in NYC because the photographer was Rockwood of Union Square N. Y. I have been able to verify that he who worked in NYC at that time.  Carrie lived about 65 miles East of New York City but attended a Normal School in Trenton, N.J. from 1879-1881.  She made the trip from Peconic, N. Y. to Trenton going by boat, train, carriage and ferry.

 

The picture of the woman on the right is of my paternal great-great grandmother Sarah Hughes Rowan (see blog post Rowan and Hughes Family).  Sarah was born, raised, married and lived in New York City.  She died in 1885.

 

 

 

 Would love to hear your thoughts and opinion and any other information you’d like to share.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby