And the Photo Nominee is.......

Yesterday, I showcased a very old photo of which a copy had been mailed to me about seven years ago. The photo was found in the scrapbook of the Andrew FIFE (1790-1878) family. The scrapbook had been started by one of the descendants of Sara FIFE (1817- abt 1855) and Andrew YOUNG (abt 1815-aft 1862) of Chartiers, Allegheny, PA.

Read the post here. Who is the subject listed only as Mrs. Nana Henry?

I also asked the question on the mail list for those who research in Allegheny County, PA about the photographer who was listed on the photo. As a reminder, it was Purviance with an address of Fifth and Wood Sts.

After consulting the census records, I determined the photographer was William T Purviance who had a studio in Pittsburgh from about 1857-1867. A kind soul on the mail list further defined Purviance for me. He traced the addresses of his studios by checking the old directories which are posted online (Thanks Rich!). By comparing the addresses to the one on the photo, the date of the photo placed it as being taken in 1865 or 1866.

Ahh. Now it was time to revisit the vitals on my genealogy program. It just can't be who I wanted it to be due to death dates before 1865.

The most likely candidate for Mrs. Nana HENRY (and most probable) is.......

Zebiah MIDDLESWARTH (1797-1872), daughter of Moses MIDDLESWARTH (1757-1842) and Elizabeth CLARK (1764-1852.)

Zebiah married William HENRY (1789-1848) on January 1, 1824 in Allegheny Co.

William was the son of John HENRY (1750-1838) of Lower St Clair, Allegheny, PA.

William and Zebiah are both buried in the Bethany Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Bridgeville, Allegheny, PA, with the MIDDLESWARTH family.

So, Nana- we suspect we know who you are and we remember you.

Genealogy- what a kick!

Wordless Wednesday: Early Photo of Mrs. Nana Henry

Mrs. "Nana" Henry. Who was she and when was this taken?

This photo was sent to me by a descendant of Andrew FIFE (1790-1878) who married Sara HENRY d. 1817, daughter of John HENRY (1750-1838) and Margaret McMILLAN (1762-1849). My cousin who sent it thought it to be Margaret, but I don't think so.

The hands certainly don't look like hands of an 80 year old woman who survived in early Pittsburgh. While the outfit certainly suggests a really old Mrs. Henry, I have to learn more to decide who the suspects really are.

Would love any suggestions from those who know old photos!

Update: Found a William T Purviance b. 1831 who was a photographer in Pittsburgh in 1860. Don't know how long he was there---

Update 2: Wm Purviance is listed as an AMBROTYPIST in the late 1850s. By 1862, he is listed as a photographer in tax records in Pittsburgh. He has moved on to Philadelphia before 1870. The last legal mention him in Pittsburgh is in the 1865 Tax Records. So the time frame to identify Mrs. Nana Henry has been narrowed to between 1859-1865. Hmmm. I think there are only a couple of great genealogy candidates for this!