Forgotten Faces Friday: Mystery Photo #2

The 1910s Chicago Studio Portrait

Every face in a vintage photograph has a name, a story, and a place in our history--even it has been forgotten. 

Welcome to Forgotten Faces Friday where we are dedicated to solving the mysteries hiding in our family archives. 

 The Historical Clues

• The Location: The printed text on the back of the photo notes 831 South State St., Chicago, Ill. During the early 20th century, small budget friendly photography studios were set up in busy areas where working-class families, visitors, and commuters could get inexpensive "while-you-wait" photos.
• The Photo Mailer: The top of the sleeve includes printed instructions: "Don't seal this envelope. Stick flap to pictures only." This confirms the couple had their portrait taken in the city and immediately used a specialized souvenir mailing sleeve to protect the prints while sending them to family members out of town.
• The Style and Attire: The woman's long, tailored Edwardian "walking suit" and the couple's distinct styling narrow down the estimated creation timeline to the early 1910s (roughly 1910–1914).

The Faded Handwriting & Potential Family Links

The very faded handwriting offers few direct clues, but a closer look reveals a potential path forward:

• The Address: Old paper tape covers up the name of the person this photo package was originally addressed to in Dallas.
• The Letters: Looking closely beneath the tape, I believe I can make out a "Mr." or "Mrs." followed by part of a capital letter "A", and a capital "R" on the line below it.
• The Holman Connection: My mother-in-law's parents were Arthur Holman and Rosetta Stephens Pulley Holman. Given the fragmented letters "A" and "R" matching Arthur and Rosetta, and the mailing destination of Dallas, it is highly possible this anonymous couple belongs to the extended Holman family branch.
• Further writing: Looking at the writing in the bottom left (see photo below), it is possible it notes [Blue Eyes] and beneath it [Dark/Black Hair] just above the bottom paper tape.
  

Can You Help Solve the Mystery?

Look closely at the features of the young couple in the original portrait:

• Do you recognize a striking family resemblance to the Holman family or any related branches?
• Do you have records of family members living in or traveling through Chicago or Dallas in the early 1910s?

If you have a theory, recognize a face, or can decipher any of the surrounding faded blue script on the back, please leave a comment below!

Searching Isn't Researching: Laying the Foundation for the Genealogical Proof Standard

One of the greatest lessons I learned during my 21 years in the classroom has served me just as well in genealogy.

As a teacher, I never walked into a classroom wondering, What am I going to teach today? Every lesson began with a learning objective. I knew exactly what I wanted my students to understand before I chose the activities, worksheets, or assessments. The tools supported the lesson—they didn't determine it.

Genealogy works the same way.

Too often, we sit down at the computer, type an ancestor's name into a search box, and begin collecting whatever records appear. We save a census record, download a death certificate, maybe find a marriage record, and call it a productive day.

That's searching.

Searching is necessary—but searching alone rarely solves genealogical problems. Without a purpose, it's easy to collect records instead of finding answers.

That's where research comes in. The first part of research begins with a question.

Instead of asking, What can I find on Benjamin Ball? try asking:

• Who were Benjamin Ball's parents?
• Where was he living during the 1850 and 1860 censuses?
• Why did he disappear from one county and appear in another?
• Did he serve in the Civil War, or was there another man with the same name?

Once you know what you're trying to learn, you can develop a research plan and identify the records most likely to answer your question. A census may establish residence. A deed might reveal family relationships. Probate records, tax lists, church registers, newspapers, military records, or the records of friends, associates, and neighbors (the FAN Club) may each provide another piece of the puzzle.

Now your searching has purpose.

This distinction isn't just my opinion—it's reflected in the evolution of genealogical standards themselves.

When the Board for Certification of Genealogists first published Genealogy Standards in 2000, the first element of the Genealogical Proof Standard called for a reasonably exhaustive search. In the 2014 edition, that wording changed to reasonably exhaustive research.

That may seem like a small change, but it reflects a significant shift in thinking.

Searching is the act of locating records.

Research begins with a question, follows a plan, and searches for records with purpose.

That single word change reflects a shift in mindset. Modern genealogy isn't measured by how many records we collect, but by how thoughtfully we answer a research question.

Looking back, I realize this was one of the most important lessons I learned while studying the Genealogical Proof Standard. At first, I thought the challenge was learning the five standards. Instead, the real challenge was changing the way I approached genealogy.

Once I stopped asking, What records can I find? and started asking, What question am I trying to answer?, everything else began to fall into place.

That simple shift in mindset is the foundation of the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS)—and the focus of this series.

Over the next several articles, we'll build on this foundation by exploring each element of the Genealogical Proof Standard and how they work together to produce reliable genealogical conclusions.

• Reasonably Exhaustive Research
• Complete and Accurate Source Citations
• Analysis and Correlation of Evidence
• Resolving Conflicting Evidence
• Writing a Soundly Reasoned, Coherently Written Conclusion

Join me in this journey, and you will see that the Genealogical Proof Standard is not five separate requirements, but one connected process for answering family history questions with confidence.

Forgotten Faces Friday: Mystery Photo #1

The 1940s Car Bumper Portrait

Every face in a vintage photograph has a name, a story, and a place in our history--even it has been forgotten. 

Welcome to Forgotten Faces Friday, a new weekly photo identification series dedicated to solving the genealogy mysteries hiding in our family archives. Today, I am sharing a vintage family photograph that looks incredibly familiar, yet remains completely anonymous as we work to identify these ancestors.

Family sitting on the grill of a 1939/1940 Ford DeLuxe   

With no names, locations, or dates written on the back of this photograph, we have to rely entirely on the visual clues left behind to piece together its history. Here is what the photo itself tells us about when this moment took place:

The Historical Clues

• The Vehicle: Based on its pointed vertical grille and teardrop headlights, the car appears to be a 1939 or 1940 Ford DeLuxe. While not conclusive, this identification may help narrow the date of the photograph.
• The Clothing: 
• The woman is wearing a structured skirt suit possibly with padded shoulders, a classic WWII-era "Victory Suit."
• The man's conservative suit and tie were typical fashions of the period.
• The boy's overalls, and the girl's simple dress and shoes also fit the era. 
• The Hair: The woman has her hair styled in a rolled updo, a popular 1940s "victory roll" variation.
• The Estimated Era: Early-to-mid 1940s (roughly 1940–1946).

Can You Help Solve the Mystery?

Look closely at the features of the couple and the two young children:

• Do you recognize a striking family resemblance to your branch of the family?
• Do you remember hearing stories about an ancestor who owned a late model 30s or 40s Ford?

If you have a theory or recognize a face, please leave a comment below!

Amanuensis Monday: Letter from Daisy Ford Green 1993

This weekly blog post was inspired by Amanuensis Monday, created by John Newmark of the Transylvanian Dutch blog. The word amanuensis means "A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."  

Why transcribe? Genealogists transcribe letters, postcards, and documents to focus on slowing down and noticing those hidden details, to create a readable backup for fragile records, and to share the evidence with others.                                                                                 --------------------------------

This is a 2-page letter from my Aunt Daisy (Auntie) to me dated January 29, 1993. She is giving me information on where my great-grandmother is reported to be buried. 

Physical Description
Document Type: Handwritten personal letter (2 pages)
Condition:

• Two handwritten pages written in dark ink.
• Paper is aged with overall yellowing and discoloration consistent with age.
• Numerous creases and fold marks are present.
• Small stain on page 1 about mid-way of the page. Minor staining throughout.
• Page 1 has a folded lower-left corner resulting in obscuring a word.
• Page 2 has a folded lower-right corner resulting in some loss of paper.
• Several words are difficult to read because of handwriting rather than damage.
• Some letters or words have been marked through and illegible and have been marked with [crossed out: illegible].
• Original spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and line breaks have been preserved.

The transcription:

                1-29-93
     Dear Renita I talked to Lola
and to your daddy today about
were Grand Paws Mother was
buried Clay sad it was in the

one going toward Grinville I thonk it was called the lantom Cemetry I not sure but Lola sad she was out at the some one that Grand Mother Ford and Claton and aunt Lela. just so you well no were I am talking about Lola sad she was eather put on aunt Addie’s and [crossed out: illegible] Uncle Will. Allgood’s lot that is Grand Paws sister Addie that was her first husbon. or on Uncle John Wickliffe lot whoe was Grandpaw’s Brother Clay sad him and Moma went to this other Cemetary while they lived at Quinlon but he sad the graves was hard to find that they were not marked good so I still don’t no for sure [I] belive Aunt Jonnie is buried in that

[Page 2] one Clay was talking about you no she [crossed out: illegible] was Grand Maws sister and her first husbon name was Arnold Joe Arnold you rember [crossed out: illegible] Verda [crossed out: illegible] Nixon that big moma used to talk to that lived in Dallas, well Joe and Jonnie was her Mother ond dad and she has a brother Jessie that lives in Quinlon if he is still living [crossed out: illegible] he lives on out that road were the Cemetry is werer Aunt Lela s’ buried you mite see if he has a phone. and see if he could till you were the Cemetry is that is on between Quinlon ond Grenville I don't no if any of this will help you are not hope it will.   just thought I would rite it down     love you Aunte.

The source citation for this letter is as follows:

Daisy Ruth (Ford) Green (Corpus Christi, Texas) to "Dear Renita" [Renita Ford Collier], letter, 29 January 1993; privately held by Renita Ford Collier, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Terrell, Texas, 1993.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday - St. Jakob Schule, Straubing Germany

This is my mom, Kathy Hall, and her brother Eduard Lukas standing in front of their primary school in Straubing, Germany. My mother left Germany at 14 years old, and only made it back home two times before she passed away.

This visit was in 1998. It was a very bittersweet time there. She visited with family, made a trek to the cemetery to visit her parents, and toured the church and school she attended.

In order to see more of this beautiful old school, I went to Google Maps to see the street view. It is hard to imagine this school was built in 1874! It is located in the center of Straubing, Germany at Ottogasse 27.