Old Tintype Photo

I believe this photo is what they call a tintype.  It is very thin metal with the photo directly on the metal, not adhered to it.  It is in a lightweight folder in a creamy white color.  There is no writing or other markings.

Vermillion Bros' Photo Car

This photo could have been taken anywhere.  The luxury of a traveling photo studio is not a gift to those of us in genealogy want to find--unless someone wrote on the back.  Or perhaps someone has a matching or similar photo that is labeled?  If this looks like someone in your photo album please drop me a comment!

Baby Photo

Today I am bringing you another baby photo.  It might be just me, but it always seem more sad when a baby photo has no idenity.  This photo has no markings to indicate when or where it was taken.  This  little one is too precious to not view.

Another Unknown Gentleman

Another unkown man without a photographer or writing on the back to provide clues.  It was found in a back section of the album with slots for small photos so the proximity to other photos fails to offer clues as well.

I can't believe all these photos are one-of-a-kind.  If you recognize a photo please leave a comment even if you do not know this man's name.  Maybe the family names associated with your photo can, at the very least, help to narrow down the branch of the family he represents. 

Young Girl, Photographer Unknown

This is the kind of photo that makes me so sad.  A young girl, that is all I know and will probably ever know unless someone accidentally stumbles across this blog and recognizes her.  There is not even a photographer or place name, which might help me identify which side of the family she was on.  One thought is that since it is very small perhaps she was a distant relative or a close friend.

Chaudet Art Co., McCook, Nebraska

Another photo will hardly any background at all.  In a way these photos are sad; someone in my family  knew and cared for these people but I don't know why they are important.  While I treasure the photograph I can't yet treasure this family of four.  Maybe one of these little girls is a direct ancestor, it would be nice to know.

No Information Whatsoever

This will be very short because this photo comes with no information.  Nothing is even faintly inscribed on the back.  No one looks even vaguely familiar to me.  Except that the littlest boy looks so very much like my youngest grandson that I know this is family.  I hope that someone will recognize this dear family and that special little boy.

Sam Wagner

Here is a small photo of Sam Wagner, taken  by Brenner Photographer, Bucyrus Ohio.  It was found loose in my family photo album.  While there is no further information on the back of the photo I believe this man to be Samuel Pearson Wagner, son of David Wagner and Christina Eckard.  His mother, Christina Eckard was the daughter of George Eckert and Margaret Kiess.  They were also the parents of Christopher Eckard who is my great great grandfather.  Sam would be a cousin to my great grandmother Ella Elizabeth Eckart Wood and a brother to George LeRoy Wagner of a previous post.
Samuel Pearson Wagner was born 11 March 1860 in Bucyrus Ohio.  He married Nannie B. Lair on 22 March 1885 in Dawson NE.  Nannie was born is Dawson on 13 July 1867 and died 4 December 1885 the same day their only child died.  Samuel died 19 Jan 1918.  Samuel and Nannie are both buried in the Heim Cemetery at Dawson NE, lot 120-5 and 120-4.  I assume that their unnamed child may have been buried with Nannie as that was often the custom.  You can find a photo of the gravestone here.

Baby Photo Taken at Fairmont Nebraska

No information on this baby photo.  It was taken by Oberholtzer at Fairmont Nebraska.  I was able to find J. W. Oberholtzer, a photographer, in the 1890-1891 Business Directory for Fairmont, Fillmore Co. Nebraska.  At this point I cannot find a link between my known family names and Fairmont.

Another B. L. Wilson Gallery Photo

Unfortunately like most of the photos in this album this photo not been labeled.  It follows the previous post photo of George and Verda Wagoner (Wagner).  I would like to think there might be a connection, but there is not way of knowing until someone comes across this blog and recognizes these three children.  It appears that George and Verda had at least six children.  I have found records for three boys and three girls plus the mysterious "Ray" that I will keep searching for.

George and Verda Wagoner (Wagner)

This photo was taken by the Traveling B. L. Wilson's Gallery, as was the photo in the previous post.  That gentleman is not identified but this couple is George and Verda Wagoner.  It is Wagner according to their headstones in the Fredonia City Cemetery in Fredonia, Wilson Co., Kansas.  On the back it also states "Ray's parents, Ella Wood's cousins."

 According to the records of the Pennsylvania Historical Society of Nebraska George is indeed Ella's cousin.  His mother, Christina Eckard and Ella's father, Christopher Eckard are brother and sister. 

The Society's records also show George as married to Alverda (Waggoner, Waggener).  Referring to Alverda as Verda seems logical from what I know of family.  However, the records do not show Alverda and George as having a son named Ray although it does list six children for this family. 

It continues to appear that the gentleman in the October 20, 2011 post in on the Eckard side of the family not the Wood side.

Traveling B. L. Wilson's Gallery--The Biggest Mystery of All

I am sure that years ago the traveling photo galleries were a wonderful idea.  Getting photography to the masses was probably both lucrative to the photographer and a rare treat to many people in America.
However, owning several of these traveling gallery photos presents a lot of questions.  Some of the photos in this album may never be identified but I can determine which side of the family is pictured.

Knowing that the Penn Dutch side of the family appears to be the only side that was ever in Bucyrus Ohio narrows identity down somewhat.  A photo by a traveling photographer expands the possibilities.

Once I have to rely on visual recognition I am lost.  Everyone begins to look like each other the longer I look at them.  Is it just me or does this gentlemen look like an older version of the man in the J. Daugherty photo from Ohio?  Maybe it is wishful thinking...maybe it is just that marvelous white beard....what do you think?

Vince and Carrie (Kerr) Hiskey--Niece of Ella Eckard

This photograph was taken in Humbolt, Nebraska by Thortin Photography.  It was found loose between the pages of the album.  On the back it says simply Vince and Carrie. 

Although I cannot be 100% sure I believe it to be the niece of my Great-Grandmother Ella Eckard Wood.  Her sister Margaret Ann Eckard married John Andrew Kerr and the family lived in the Humbolt area as did their daughter Carrie and her husband Vincent Hiskey.  In fact Carrie is buried at the Heim Cemetery at Dawson along with her parents and Uncle John W. Eckard and Aunt Emma Eckard Thornton.

For more information on the Heim Cemetery please check out the Pennsylvania Historical Society of Nebraska.

Sarah and Winchester Massey

This photo was taken in Denver, Colorado by Horace E. Hunt .  So close to home, and yet I had never heard my Grandparents talk about Grandpa having extended family in Colorado. 

The back says "Sarah and Winchester Massey.  Sarah is half sister to William Wood."

I believe that Sarah would have been the daughter of Israel with his first wife Elizabeth Jones.  They were married on February 6, 1838 according to the Indiana State Library's Marriages through 1850 database. 

A quick check on Ancestry indicates that both Sarah and Winchester died in Littleton, Arapahoe County, in the early 1900's--Sarah in 1907 and Winchester in 1911.  Since they are actually very distantly related I haven't verified this.  Ancestry does not list any children for them.

Minnie and Zadok E. Kelly Taken in Humbolt, Nebraska



On the back this photo is identified as Minnie and Zed Kelly.  According to the family records I have Minnie was born about 1877 in Bucyrus, Crawford County, Ohio.  Her parents were John Andrew Kerr and Margaret Ann Eckard.  Margaret Eckard Kerr was the oldest child, to my knowledge, of Christopher Eckard and Christina Gross and would have been about eight years older than my direct ancestor Ella Elizabeth Eckard.  Margaret  married John Andrew Kerr in 1876 and Minnie was their first child.  She was born in 1877 also in Bucyrus.  Records indicate she married Zed Kelly in 1900.  I am not sure when they moved further west but Zed died in April of 1946 in Denver, Denver County, Colorado.  I do not have a death date for Minnie, only that it is believed she died sometime after 1953.  Although I know they had children, I don't have any details on them at this time. 

A Young Boy Whose Picture was Taken by Hughes Photography in Humbolt

No information on this photo.  In the album it follows a photo that was also taken in Humbolt, but that is very little to go on.  There is a chance that the previous couple could be the parents of this young man.  This is a very weak connection since there are several Humbolt photos and I know that over time photos get moved around in an album, or tucked into a free space.  

Another Photo by Hughes Photographers in Humbolt Nebraska

The only information on this photo is the photographer, Hughes of Humbolt Nebraska.  Since my ancestors, Ella Eckard and William Wood appear to have met and married in the area of Dawson, Nebraska this photo could be from either side of the family.  Any ideas?


This is a good time to recommend to Pennsylvania Dutch Societies.  The first is the Blooming Grove Historical Society.  I have enjoyed my membership even though I don't expect to ever get to visit there. I have kept the annual journals and still refer back to them as I learn more about who my ancestor were.

The second society, one which I probably feel more tied to is the one at Dawson Nebraska.  It is The Pennsylvania Historical Society of Nebraska.  They have an annual picnic in August that I hope to attend in the near future. 
It is well worth a visit to either of these sites if you believe your ancestors may have been Pennsylvania Dutch. 

Two of My Humbolt Nebraska Mystery Photos

Humbolt is in close proximity to Dawson Nebraska where I know I can trace my family.  Ella Elizabeth Eckard moved there as an adult and had many family members in the Pennsylvania Dutch Colony at Dawson.  I believe she met and married William V. Wood there.  I know that the first four of their five children were born there.  Neither of these photos look like the one confirmed photo I have seen from Ella's early years in Dawson.  However, I have every reason to believe that these are family members or close friends.  On the back of the photo at the left there is a faint inscription that appears to read: Miss Will Woods, March the 3 1894.  What appears to initials are B.E. and beneath that E.G. S. but that part of the inscription is very hard to read.  Both of these photos were taken by Hughes Photographers in Humbolt. Do they resemble any you have seen before?

Lillie Alberta Eckard: Half Sister of Ella Eckard: Another Bucyrus Ohio Photo

According to the back of the photo Lillie is the half sister of Ella Eckard Wood.  She was born May 14, 1878 and died March 6, 1964.    She also had a full sister, Leafy V. Eckard who was born July 3, 1882 and died March 6, 1886.  Her parents were Christopher Eckard and his second wife, Margaret Catharine Winter Eckard.  This is all the information I have on her at this time.  What do you know about her?  Does she look like the older of the two little girls below?

Who Am I? A Woman from Bucyrus Ohio.

Again, a photo from Bucyrus, Ohio.  Again, probably a connection to Ella Elizabeth Eckard and the Pennsylvania Dutch.  My educated guess is that it could possibly be either Christina Gross Eckard or Margaret Catharine Winter Eckard, both wives of Christopher Eckard.  I believe this because I am so very sure that the distinguished gentleman of the previous post is Christopher, my great-great-grandfather Eckard.  Until I am proven wrong I will go with that assumption.

To my knowledge Christina Gross Eckard was the first wife of Christopher Eckard.  He would have been twenty-seven at the time of his marriage to Christina so the possibility does exist that she was his second wife.  Christina was the daughter of Johann Gross and Dorothy Wagner Gross.  I have Christina's birth as Jan 30, 1830 in Pennsylvania.  She died in Bucyrus in 1876 when her youngest daughter, Emma, would have been only eight years old. 

Margaret Catharine Winter Eckard was Christopher's second wife.  She was considerably younger than Christina having been born in 1848.  I do not have a marriage date for Margaret but it must have been between Christina's death in July 1876 and the birth of Margaret and Christopher's first daughter, Lillie Alberta Eckard, in May 1878. 

I am descended from Christina and Christopher through their daughter Ella, one of six children from this union.  Ella was the wife of William Wood.  Their youngest son, Carl Emerson Wood was my paternal grandfather. 

A Very Distinquished Gentleman in Bucyrus Ohio

This photo shows a very distinguished gentleman I would be proud to claim as an ancestor, but who is he?  Many of the photos in this treasured album are identified as relatives of Ella Elizabeth Eckard Wood.  I am assuming that this could be her father or possibly a brother.  Ella was born in nearby Marion County Ohio and my records show that her father Christopher Eckert (Eckard) was buried in Bucyrus in 1886.  Christopher was born in Lycoming Pennsylvania January 29,1827 but was in Crawford County Ohio by the time of his marriage on April 28, 1854.  He is said to be buried in the Sherer Cemetery which is in Crawford County.

Perhaps you recognize this photo because you have one just like it, or another photo showing the same man.  If so, please comment and help me solve the mystery.

Two Little Girls, and a Bucyrus Ohio Connection

My Grandpa (Carl Emerson) Wood's mother, Ella Eckard, was Pennsylvania Dutch.  Her family reaches back to Germany and lived in Pennsylvania Dutch colonies in Lycoming, PA later in Marion County and Bucyrus Ohio.  As an adult she moved with her brother George and sister Emma to Dawson Nebraska where there was a Pennsylvania Dutch colony and family including their brother John.  This part of our family were Dunkards.

I am a member of the Pennsylvania Colony Historical Society of Nebraska as well as the Blooming Grove Historical Society.  They are a wealth of information if you have ancestors who were Pennsylvania Dutch.  Highly recommended. 

This photo of two little girls was taken by Peterman, Union Block in Bucyrus Ohio. There is nothing on the back of the photo to indicate who the girls are and there are no other photos taken by Perterman, although I do have several other photos taken in the Bucyrus area. Lovely little girls--does anyone recognize them?
     

Found: A set of Great-Great-Grandparents

Until about six years ago I hadn't heard of Elizabeth and Israel Wood.  In fact, when I found a very short obituary for their son, William, I discovered a local mortuary had handled the arrangements to transport him back to Missouri for burial.  To follow up on William I visited the mortuary and discovered they still had the handwritten card on file.  William's parents were listed as Isa Wood and an "unknown" woman.  

William had three adult children living in the area at the time he died.  They even knew that he had been survived by a sister.  The idea that they would not know their grandmother's name irritated, then saddened me.   I decided right then that I would find her name and never allow one of my ancestors to be identified that way again. 

It took another two years, at least, to track down Elizabeth and Israel.  To start with I found Israel and a marriage record for his wife, Elizabeth.  Then I found documentation on Elizabeth's death, before William's birth.  Back to the digitized records.

What I know now is that Israel was married to two different Elizabeths.  My great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Durant Wood, was Israel's second wife. 

One of the first treasures I found in a photo albumn given to me by my Aunt Twyla was photos of Ellizabeth and Israel, labeled in beautiful handwriting on the back.  "Elizabeth Durant Wood, Israel Wood's second wife, Earl's grandmother".  She's not unknown anymore!