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!

St Clair Cemetery Has More Loving Hands Working to Remember the Fallen

I just love St. Clair Cemetery in Mt. Lebanon in Allegheny Co, PA. Of course I do. The majority of its residents are names that easily fall off my tongue and share my blood.

Last night, I received a phone call from a dad of a Boy Scout who has decided to donate some time in getting new headstones for some of the American patriots at St. Clair Cemetery. This has been done before by another Boy Scout and, of course, by me.

The dad asked if I would be able to assist him with information on some of the patriots of St. Clair and in locating family members. Well, the majority of the names he mentioned were my family. If I am not of direct blood, then chances are I know who is.

The earliest known burial in St. Clair Cemetery was in 1806, if I remember correctly. I know my first family member, a grandma, was buried there in 1807. The names of the residents there echo the early history of the area.

Over the years, I've found many cousins through the St. Clair Cemetery. I've been there several times and hosted parties for my kin, living and dead, at the cemetery. My roots are there and I feel so at home and connected to family when I am there. On our last trip there, one of my children helped to uncover an old headstone. Of course, it was one of our cousins.

Anyway, I am going to dig up my ole partial map of the cemetery as this dad tells me he would like to make a new map of the cemetery. Be still, my heart! That is a project I have been hoping someone up there in Pennsylvania would undertake. I also hope to have ground radar used one day to accurately locate how many graves are there and how deep they go. My great aunt told me that we were buried several deep in our plots.

My friendly words of wisdom today are to take time to adopt an old cemetery. It may be your family cemetery or one in your local area that needs some loving hands. Research the families in it. You just may learn something really fun.

In my case, bring on the continuing work at St. Clair. My thanks to the many hours that Margaret Jackson and Mark Hughey have so lovingly given to the early settlers of Lower St. Clair. Know I am always with you in spirit.