Mystery woman

If I could travel back in time, among the many things I would do would be to track down my ancestors and force them to write their names on the back of things.

"Sure," I'd say. "You know that little cherub in that photo is your daughter, but will your great-great grandchildren know that in a hundred years?"

Then they'd probably look at me like I'm a total creep and kick me out of their home, but I would have made my point.

One of the most frustrating things about family history is unidentified photos, and I have a lot of them. It's really the reason this blog began, as you've seen by the 50+ images posted here. Through some collaboration and careful comparison I've discovered the true identity of several people, while some I fear will forever remain a mystery.

Today, I add a new photo to the mix. Two, actually. The woman on the left is identified. The woman on the right remains a mystery. I have come to think they could possibly be the same person, but I'm simply not confident of that. One person I asked said "It could be" while another said "definitely not".

So now I turn it over to you, nameless Internet observers: Are these two women one in the same?

There are several obstacles faced in making this identification. First of all is the fact the photo on the left, the identified photo, is of poor quality. It's a scan of a photocopy of a photocopy out of a book. I have no idea where the original image is, if it still exists, and if it is of decent quality.

The photo on the right is better quality, but no one knows who she is (yet).

Another barrier is everything in the photos. They're at different angles, with different hairstyles and different clothing. One has her neck exposed, while another is completely covered up.

I need objective opinions. I think they could be the same, but I also want them to be the same. My hope may be clouding my judgment.

Please tell me what you think and always, always label your photos.

1871

Every day in 1871 Warren G. Sabin wrote in a pocket journal what he did. The handwriting is small and dense, sometimes blurred after 142 years of smudges and shuffling of pages. Today, I begin the arduous process of deciphering and transcribing.

I've known about this journal for several years, ever since uncovering it in a box of family documents in my great aunt's house. I've been meaning to tackle this project for some time, but there was always something else to do instead. I decided today that it wouldn't get done unless I just made it a goal.

So this morning I'm scanning each page at 1200dpi. After that, I'll begin going through page by page, day by day, transcribing my great-great-great grandfather's tight scribbles and learning more about a year in his life.

In 1871 Warren Sabin was living in Toledo Township, Tama County, Iowa. He turned 35 in 1871. He wasn't married yet. He lived near his older brother, Jerome. Beyond that I don't know much about his life at that time. That's why his journal is so invaluable.

Hopefully soon I'll be updating this blog with interesting revelations and fun facts about his life. Either that, or I'll vent about the frustrations of reading 19th Century handwriting.

And so it begins...

Between the headlines

My favorite part of family history is when I can learn more not just about when my ancestors lived, but how they lived. Dates and places are important, of course, but they're really the bones of family history. They're the structure that shows the outline of a person, a life lived. Birth and death are just bookends. The real story comes in between.

The best source for this rich detail (the "meat on the bones" if you will) is first-person narrative. Oral history as so much texture and detail to genealogy. If you haven't already, talk to the older generations in your family now and document their stories. You'll learn so much more than you may ever find in a microfilm of county death records.

But talking to those with a link to the past isn't always possible, especially when you start going far enough back into history. That's where my second favorite source comes in: newspapers.

When I first started researching history some 15 years ago, most of the newspaper research I did involved looking up and transcribing obituaries. This is always an important place to start because it can provide the vital statistics you need, but sometimes can hold a lot of the details of how someone lived - and how they died.

Obituary writers in the early 20th Century were really artists. Just look at this excerpt from the obituary of my great-great-grandfather's sister, Mary Shaffer, who died in 1918 during the Spanish Influenza epidemic at the age of 19.

Her fight against the Grim Reaper was a brave one and was waged not only by herself but also by the physicians, her family and those who nursed and tenderly fulfilled her every wish, doing all that medical science and love could suggest to stay the cold hand of death. All efforts were in vain and in the twilight of the evening the young spirit was released, surrounded by all the members of her family.

They just don't write them like that anymore, do they? It's so poignant, so detailed, so literary in its description of a young woman snatched from life in her prime. It goes on to describe how she became ill, where she became ill, and the details of her final days. Obituaries like this tell you so much more than when, where, and how someone died. It's a snapshot of a family in crisis, of sickness and mourning and fear. It's not hard to imagine the fear and heartache.

Sometimes the most interesting facts from these stories aren't about the primary individuals in it. Take this anniversary article about Daniel W. and Rachel (Shaffer) Dorland, my many times great uncle and aunt:

The West Union Gazette Oct. 11, 1901, p. 8

Golden Wedding.

At the home of Mr. and Mrs. D.W. Dorland, Wednesday, Oct. 2d, occurred the fifteenth anniversary of their wedding. A pleasant surprise having been planned by their children, fifty of their relatives drove to their home about twelve o’clock and after Mr. and Mrs. D. had recovered from the surprise the guests were invited to partake of the wedding feast which had been prepared by the children. An unusual feature was that eight of the friends who were present, sat at the table with the bride and groom fifty years ago.

Mr. and Mrs. Dorland were kindly remembered by their children and friends with gifts appropriate on such an occasion.

After spending several social hours the friends departed leaving their best wishes with the worthy couple.

The day following Mrs. J.A. Gruver, eldest sister of D.W. Dorland, who prepared the reception dinner fifty years ago in Ashland Co., Ohio, invited Mr. and Mrs. Dorland and family to partake in a like feast prepared by her own hands. She is now seventy-five years old.

 Here, we not only learn about an anniversary party in 1901, but we glean key details about a wedding that occurred in 1851. For me, the most important part is not the anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Dorland, but the details about Mr. Dorland's eldest sister, Mrs. J.A. Gruver, my four times great grandmother.

In this newspaper article I learn that in 1851 she was not only present at her brother's wedding, but she prepared the reception dinner. It's not something that would show up on a list of "major life events" for Elizabeth (Dorland) Gruver, but it gives texture and substance to her story. It shows a little something about her early life and her relationship with family.

Obituaries and anniversaries are a great place to start, but there is so much more to be found in early newspapers, especially is your ancestors came from small towns, where the primary news of the day was the comings and goings of average citizens.

My favorite newspaper gems now are the "in-between" things - the stories that happen between the big headlines. I still look for the articles about births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, etc., as those provide a wealth of information, but some of the most interesting stories come from the everyday.

Take, for example, this story I found just yesterday detailing a birthday party for my great-great grandmother, Bessie (Richards) Shaffer. A birthday isn't something that will show up on a long list of "important" dates in a genealogy report, but it's another snapshot of a moment in life:

The West Union Argo July 13, 1904, p. 8

A genuine surprise party was spring on Miss Bessie Richards last Tuesday evening, to remind her of the fact she had on that day attained her majority. Guests to the number of thirty assembled and passed the evening pleasantly with music and games. During the evening Mr. Richard’s favored the company with several solos. It is a well known fact (so Mr. Richards says) that when he was starring in England these same selections brought tears to the eyes of Queen Victoria. Some of the musical experts present noticed a slight discord in the performance, but such trifles are overlooked in the presence of a master. Refreshments were served at a late hour and the guests departed with many good wishes for Miss Bessie.

Can't you just see the group of young people gathered in the parlor, laughing and playing games? Can't you see her father, Thomas Richards, singing old English tunes and telling tall tales of life in Victorian England?

When I first started researching family the only place to really find newspapers were at libraries and historical societies. I spent many hours on microfilm readers scrolling through thousands of feet of microfiche, hoping to land on an interesting tidbit. For someone who is prone to motion sickness, I can tell you that prolonged exposure to scrolling microfilm is tantamount to reading in the car. Not a pleasant experience.

Now, through the wonders of technology and the Internet, there are a lot of ways to access the information remotely. About a year ago I discovered the website www.newspaperarchive.com, which has thousands of titles from around the US, with some international selections. It's a subscription service, with quarterly fees, but it's a fairly manageable amount considering the information it contains. It's especially helpful when researching ancestors from faraway places. I've found a lot of information on ancestors in Montana through Newspaper Archives. The best part is that it's searchable! You have to be careful with the search engine, however, but it doesn't always pick up everything - especially if a name is broken up by newspaper columns or spelled wrong (as they so often were in old papers).

I've also discovered many free resources. If you haven't checked out your local library website, do so. Many are adding local newspaper archives that are free. I've found three libraries in Iowa where newspapers are available to search: Carroll, Elgin, and West Union. I'm sure there are many more, but these are the ones where I was researching. If you have a place where an ancestor lived, check out the public library website and search their online resources.

Searching for these newspaper gems can be tedious, but the payoffs are huge. I suggest breaking it down. Pick a year, type in the name you want, and go through January to December. It will help you be thorough without being overwhelmed.

Happy searching! 

Grandma

Grandma in the 1930s.

Today would have been my paternal grandmother's 96th birthday. It's hard to imagine Grandma at 96. Even though she lived to be 91, she never seemed that old; at least not to me.

Almost every year that I can remember as a kid my whole family would go to her apartment on her birthday. It's proximity to New Year's Day often meant school hadn't resumed yet after the holiday break, so we could all go during the day. Sometimes my aunt, Debbie, would be there. Sometimes other family members would pop in. Sometimes we'd order pizza from Casey's General Store down the block. Sometimes it was broasted chicken from Trunck's Country Foods. There really wasn't a tradition tied to her birthday, only making sure to be there to mark it.

In later years, as she approached and surpassed the 90 mark, I sent her flowers on the day. At the time of her 90th birthday I was working for the newspaper in Traer, Iowa, the same company that owned the Reinbeck paper. Taking advantage of this, I placed an ad in the local papers wishing her a happy birthday and including a photo of Grandma as a young lady.

She acted angry about seeing her face in the paper, but the kind of angry that isn't sincere. Later that year when the ad I designed won a top prize from the Iowa Newspaper Association she was eager to see the plaque announcing it. Recently while going through a box of photos that belonged to her I found a pile of cards from her 90th birthday, the result in from the ad announcing her birthday card shower.

(Side note: When I put a similar ad in the paper for her 91st birthday she threatened me with her cane, but never followed through.)

Grandma never showed a strong interest in family history. I first became interested I was probably 14 or 15 and started asking questions of Grandma (among others). Most often the answers were quick, brief, and consistent: "I don't know."

As my interest grew so did my kill at interviewing people. I learned that I couldn't just outright ask Grandma a question about family. She didn't respond to interrogation. She responded to was conversation. The most valuable stories came when we were just talking. Sometimes something would spark a memory, or the mood would feel right to pose a simple question. Say, for example, we were talking about someone we knew who was getting married or became engaged. I could casually add "When did you get engaged?" into the mix and she would casually mention something about her past with my grandfather, a man who died before I was born and who lived in my memory solely through photos and narrative.

It is through these conversations I learned how my grandparents met. It was the mid-1930s and my grandmother, then a teenager, went to a house party in rural Tama County, Iowa, at a farm that would later be owned by my grandfather's brother, Roy. It was almost across the road from where my grandfather and his parents lived, so naturally he was at the party. The rest, as they say, is history.

There are many more stories like this that Grandma shared with me over the years. As I entered college and eventually graduate school I found her more receptive to sharing. Perhaps after years of prodding I'd finally worn her down, but I doubt it. No one who knew my grandmother could call her weak willed. I think instead maybe she was appreciative of someone taking an interest - not in her specifically, but in the family as a whole. Eventually she even asked me to bring my binder of research to her apartment and leave it, so she could read through everything. I was more than happy to oblige.

I am happy I was able to know my grandmother as an adult. It's a different relationship than when you're a kid. You really get to know the other person I think. I spent a lot of time with her in the last few years of her life: dinners on Sunday with my aunt, weeknight visits for dinner, running errands now and then on a weekend. Most visits we didn't even talk about family history. Sometimes we didn't talk. We'd just sit on the bench outside her apartment, watching the birds and the breeze and just being there.

My grandmother passed away April 21, 2008, at the age of 91. This is the fifth birthday we've marked without her, yet Jan. 2 never passes without me thinking about her. She was a true matriarch, a phenomenal grandmother, and is now and always will be missed.

Happy Birthday, Grandma.

A few days, a few successes

It's only been a few days since posting the photos from my third great-grandmother's photo album on this blog and so far four photos have been successfully identified! Some came from the assistance of close relatives, while others from distant cousins I only know through email and a shared interest in family history.

A few photos from Grandma Sabin's album have been identified as her daughter, Delilah Pearl (Sabin) Reinig as a little child. Delilah Pearl was born in 1878, so the photos date to the late 1870s. You can see those photos here and here.

Grandma Jackson

Another photo (this one) has been tentatively identified as William W. and Sarah E. (Jester) Jackson, Grandma Sabin's parents. That came from careful comparison with a more recent image of a much older woman with the handwritten label "Grandma Jackson" on the back. Comparing the face of the elderly "Grandma Jackson" to the face of the woman in this tintype image has led several people to name them as the same woman, making her my fourth great grandmother.

William and Sarah both died in 1911, so it surprised me we never had any photos of them. Now I know they just weren't labeled!

Yet another photo was identified (or half identified) but the eagle eye of a distant cousin through the Jackson family, who spied George Jackson, brother to Grandma Sabin, as a young man. We still don't know his companion in this photo, but maybe one day someone will recognize the face. The Jacksons had several young men who died in their late 20s and early 30s in the 1870s and 1880s, so we may never know his identity if he was one of those siblings. Still, we won't give up hope.

I'm encouraged by these early revelations. Hopefully it's the start of more to come.