Treasure Chest Thursday: Happy 1919 Homecoming for 66 Wounded Heroes

An old photograph taken in 1919 has long been in my possession.  This picture says so much and for a long time, it told me so little.  One can easily identify a wounded soldier visiting with a woman wearing summer colors.  The background appears to be an institution, perhaps a hospital.  He has his arm casually leaning on the back of the bench.

Just today, more clues have surfaced and I can start to add more pieces to my family puzzle and to the photograph.

CE Simmons enlisted in the draft for World War I June 1917.  He was called to duty and served in Co. C of the 11th Infantry.  This unit was shipped overseas in June 1918 to France and participated in 43 days of combat with 348 wounded.  Charlie was one of the wounded and was returned to the US.

A Pittsburgh Press article dated February 17, 1919, tells us he, along with 65 other wounded soldiers, arrived at the US General Hospital #24 in Parkview Station.  The article says the wounded arrived with the "air of schoolboys on the last day of school" and "were joyful their lives had been spared."

No doubt, they were.

The picture, which I had guessed was taken at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh actually is now confirmed to have been taken at US General Hospital #24.  General Hospital #24 was located in Parkview Station on the north bank of the Allegheny River in the old North Side Home and Allegheny Workhouse about 9 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.  The old abandoned buildings were rented to the government at a nominal fee and the government spent $205,000 in the reconstruction of the buildings.  It opened in October 1918 with 200 beds.  During its tenure before closing in July 1, 1919, the hospital's maximum bed size was 856.

By comparing my photo with the photo of the hospital in the Office of Medical History by the US Army Medical Department, the background matches. The lack of coats and the summer color dress give us the impression the weather was nice.  Adding the history of the General Hospital #24 to the newspaper article, we can now make an educated guess that the photograph was taken between April and June 1919. Was this when the spark sprung between the young people? Was this when they fell in love?

Their marriage took place in May 1920, so there was adequate time for the relationship to fully develop.

I don't know how long he was in the hospital after part of his leg had been removed, but I do know he returned to the business he and his father had started back in 1915.  In 1920, they paid off the loans for the business and cousins had told me he had lived above the store before marrying his fair bride.

Ahh, genealogy.  Sparking on the ole Parkview bench.  Kind of romantic, don't you think?

Sources:
Domestic United State Military Facilities of the First World War 1917-1919, Robert Swanson, pg 201
http://books.google.com/books?id=sSopqvCeAXQC&pg=PA201&lpg=PA201&dq=parkview+station+pittsburgh+army+hospital&source=bl&ots=rP84MiLo-v&sig=SkjClHtwLidvdsd0wQ0SHt-dfe0&hl=en&ei=38rCTfihIZTBtgeb3bClBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CCwQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=parkview%20station%20pittsburgh%20army%20hospital&f=false


http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwi/MilitaryHospitalsintheUS/chapter27figure183.jpg

©2011 AS Eldredge

Lost in Memory Lane

Fall has come and now it is time for the cleaning to begin.  I've got to put up all the reminders of long, hot, lazy summer days.  Gone are the beach towels, bathing suits and sunscreen.

In are the new school pictures of the kids. While I was adding the new pictures this morning, I took time to look at all of the school pictures behind the current one.  Smiles and memories flood me as I look at those precious children who are now so grown up.

I paused and remembered my childhood.  How much fun it was to go into my parents' room and look at the pictures in the frames.  I liked to take them apart and look for any treasured pictures that were behind the photograph they had on display.  Many a time, I found pictures of my parents when they were younger, and sometimes, I found pictures of my siblings and me when we were just little sprouts.  Those fancy Easter Sunday dresses and ill fitting suits for the boys.  Just thinking about those old photographs today set me on a course of thinking and remembering the past. 

I so miss the hugs, the dogs, my grandmother, my grandfather, and most of all, my parents.  I guess I'll spend some more time on Memory Lane today, before I get too old to be able to retell those old stories to my kids.

Ahhh, genealogy.  Ain't it a sight for sore eyes!

Tombstone Tuesday: Bitten While Hiking to Shoot a Family

My love for history and genealogy has led to some interesting field trips around the area in which I live.  As a volunteer for Find-a-Grave, I get requests from time to time for photographs of long departed loved ones.  I don't know these genealogy buffs who submit the requests, but I enjoy the hunt.  I always learn something new.

For instance, take a closer look at one of the recent requests to come my way.  It seemed easy enough.  All the lady wanted was some pictures of a couple of gravestones in the Old Landrum Family Cemetery in Fayette Co, GA. 

Looking it up seemed easy to do.  Here it was.  And then I got lost. 

The description of the location was confusing as I am not an "oldtimer" of the area.  The directions said, "accessible from the abandoned section of Peachtree Parkway."  Hmm, abandoned Peachtree Parkway?

One fine, steamy day last week, I took a quick drive to the area I thought could be the abandoned Peachtree Parkway.  Well, the area is all built up and even has an elementary school on it. So, if it was it, it's not now.

Being an enterprising young grasshopper, I popped into the first funeral home I saw.  The kindly gentleman asked (in a oh-so-sorry-for-your-loss-gentle-voice) if he could be of service.  I told him  I was looking for a graveyard.  One can imagine the looks on the faces as I beamed and said I wanted to shoot someone.  Oops, clarification was needed.  I wanted to photograph someone who was buried in a local cemetery and I couldn't find it.

Well, they couldn't either.  The lady who was happily and joyfully assisting me at this point called City Hall to see what they knew.  Nothing.  But, they knew someone who would know. 

My new buddy and I were looking at maps of the development of Peachtree City when she spotted an area called "Landrum's Mill Pond."  About that time, the lady at City Hall called back and told us she has spoken to someone else at the library who said the cemetery was down a well worn path through the woods.  She even had directions!

"Go up Hwy 74.  Turn onto Peachtree Parkway, and turn left onto World Dr.  Go to the cul-de-sac and park.  Walk down the path and it will be in the woods."

A quick driveby told me it was going to be a little harder than that, so I went home and got my energetic fun loving family and dogs.  As usual, they were eager to assist :).

Hiking, we went down the path which quickly showed evidence of asphalt and old faded lines.  Eureka, it's the abandoned Peachtree Parkway that we didn't know existed!  Hmm.  No graveyard seen here.  Let's start taking some of the paths off of this path.

At the second path I sent the kids and dogs down, they started yelling.  "Come quick! It's a cemetery."

There sat the old Landrum Family Cemetery in a nicely fenced in area. 

As I surveyed the area, I could see a spot where the trees were younger.  Could this have been the site of the family home of Jeptha Landrum?  He was the owner of the land from around 1825 or so, and is reported to have assisted the Creek Indians in their removal after the Creek Nation signed the land over to the state of Georgia.  The Landrum family owned quite a large plantation and Landrum served the new county as a Judge and also as sheriff.

I don't know if the clearing with the young trees was the house site, but I can imagine the site if it had been.  The cemetery would have been down the hill off of the dirt road leading to the house in an area close enough to visit, but not close enough to be disturbed by the creek or mill pond.  The mill pond is still there and is further down the path from the cemetery.

Back in the cemetery, I started taking shots of the graves.  Some were legible and others were not.  There were a number of broken stones that appear to once have had markings on them.  Others had succumbed to the elements of time.  Still, other spots were quite sunken.  Could these be the slaves indicated by the Landrum family to be buried there?  Early tax records show the Landrum family had somewhere around a dozen slaves or so around the 1850 time frame.  Of course, these same records indicate taxes on the land were less than $1.  Oh, if only I could have that tax bill today!

We wiped off some of the stones as I snapped away.  Some of the markings appear to be gone.  Others, I can probably make out enough to match them with the index of the cemetery put online by a Landrum family member.

I sent some of the pictures to a local photographer friend who tried to bring out the details for me.  She suggested I go back and take some more shots for her to play with.

I plan to go back out there in the fall to retake some shots.  Photographs of old graves can provide some more clues if the lighting is different (hence, a different time of year and time of day).  I will also take some water with me to sprinkle on the graves.

Yes, I will go out there again on another hike.  But I think I will wait until the chigger bites heal!

Ahh, genealogy.  It's fun hiking around the past, even if the present bites you.

Note:  Many thanks to the wonderful folks at the Carmichael-Hemperley Funeral Home and Crematory on Senoia Rd in Peachtree City.  They were super as they spent about an hour with me trying to find the old cemetery.  I appreciate their kindness!

©2010 AS Eldredge

Treasure Chest Thursday: Two Beautiful Girls Photograph in New York abt 1885

Recently, I was intrigued by the photo album shown here.  What is its origin?  How old is it?  To whom did it first belong?

Inside the photo album were two pictures.  The first I could identify as my husband who was at the Seattle World Fair wearing a mis-buttoned sweater and a cowboy hat.

The treasure was a photograph of two beautiful girls.  Who are they?  I took a digital photo and have now made an educated guess on the possible identity of the girls.

How did I do this?  I first investigated the name and location of the photographer, F T Talbert.  Mr. Talbert, b. 1841 was a photographer in W Winfield, Herkimer Co, NY, around the turn of the century (20th, that is.)  Herkimer County is near Albany NY.  Guess what!  My husband's family were residents of the general area at that time, although they were residents of Sharon Springs in Schoharie Co.

Who were the young girls in the family at that time?  There were five of them with the birth years ranging from 1868 to 1873.

What ages are the girls in the picture?  Can their clothing assist us?  Can someone who knows old photos and clothing help me in this quest?

What a great find this was in my never ending journey of feeding my genealogy addiction!


©2010 AS Eldredge

Treasure Chest Thursday: Another Family Pic- But Who?

This dag style picture was found among the papers of one of my dear cousins. We suspect the gent to be his great grandfather and the brother of my great grandfather.

But is this him? Perhaps someone who knows the insignia on the hat and the chest could be of assistance in this quest of firmly identifying the photo?

What a great genealogy treasure this is if it is indeed Uncle Addison as he served during the Civil War in the Pennsylvania 5th Heavy Artillery. I also have a diary he kept during his time serving the Union.

Sure would be cool to put a face on the diary's author.

Update: I have not uncovered a pic of my uncle in later life although I do have a pic of his son and of his daughter. The pic of my great grandfather in the same time period does not indicate the heaviness of the eyebrows.

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!

Looking for Traces of Me

Just today, I received a lovely present in the form of a painting. Now, I didn't get the original painting; however, I did get something even better. A digital copy!

This picture of the painting allows me to really zoom in on the features of the subject. The subject in the pictures is none other than the brother of my 4g grandfather, of whose surname I was born with. There have been so many generations of male blood passed down that I am looking intently at the photo to see if I can find any feminine traces of me.

Do I see any trace of me? Why, I think I do in the shape of the mouth. Cool.

Of course, I think my left side is my better side for pics and the subject chose his right. No matter. We're kin.

Genealogy. Ya just gotta love it! And copies of the documents or photos are just fantastic!

Feeling the Old Country in Your Bones?

Feel like doing some genealogy digging in the old country? You're in luck today if your old country is Sweden. Today, it's free.

Go try out Arkhiv Digital. You do have to register first-- and then download a program-- but then you get to go and look at some old estate records in living (or rather, dead) color! In addition, AD is also trying to photograph all the church records thru 1894.

As genealogy buffs, we know how valuable it can be to see a digital photograph of records, and as Swedish descendants, we know how valuable the Swedish Parish records are to our research.

AD is even running a special from now until the end of the year. I do suggest you check out their records to see if now is the time for you to hop on the Swedish train or to wait until more records are digitized.

Check out their site: http://www.arkivdigital.net/

As for me, I'll be staying up late tonight to try and put some meat on my bones of the past.

Drying Out Those Precious Family Memories After the Flood

With all the recent rain and flooding, now is a great time to review tips on how to try and recover all those photographs, documents and other family treasures for genealogy.

Do you know how to clean pictures? Do you know if you can put them in water or not?

Here's a great tip page from the state of Georgia: http://www.sos.ga.gov/archives/how_may_we_help_you/emergency_advice/emergency_response_wet_damaged_objects.htm