Just when you think it’s hopeless, a letter turns up that not only answers the question, but opens new vistas for exploration. Take the case of “Dr. Shafer.”

Dr. Shafer's letter... mouse-over to enlarge.

Trouble was, Jennie never mentioned “Dr. Shafer’s” first name and Lydia (Leonard) Shafer had five grown sons. To make matters worse, Lydia and her entire family disappeared from the record after spending 20+ years in Cherokee County, Kansas. I even had a Kansas researcher walk every cemetery in the area (very rural, not many cemeteries) to see if they were there.

We found not a trace of Lydia, husband Charles, or sons Franklin, William, Charles, Jesse, or John.

Fast forward three-quarters of century or so. Our good buddy Sean returned to his grandmother’s Florida home this week and dug through a few boxes. I got an email. “What was that doctor’s name again?” I told him. “I think I have a letter from him to my grandparents Eleanor (Leonard) and Lester Burke.”

Can you imagine? In a letter written in 1945, on a letterhead bearing the name “Dr. W. T. Shafer, chiropractor,” the long-lost and by then 85-year-old Dr. Shafer had surfaced at last… in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He even mentioned his visit with “Mrs. Hutchinson” in 1927. He recalled her being a librarian, but hadn’t heard from her in a long time.

Sean quickly found the good doctor and his wife, Ida, in the 1920 census (she was also a chiropractor) and I found them in a 1925 city directory. We’re still tracking down the wheres and whens of their arrival, dates of death, etc…. and hoping the rest of the family will turn up as part of the investigation. But here’s the part that intrigues me most… I found a reference to a Wm. Shafer in the records of the Oklahoma Land Rush!

Still too early to know if it’s the right guy, but wouldn’t it be cool if the Leonards once again crossed paths with some hugely significant historical event? The Land Rush happened in 1889, precisely four years after the Shafer family disappeared from the Kansas record. Kansas is obviously right next door to Oklahoma. And the reference to “Wm. Shafer” in Logan County, Oklahoma, turns up in 1890, when William would’ve been 30 years old. No idea yet whether he has descendants.

All of that comes from a couple of letters, written to and from people I never had occasion to meet, discovered by someone who, a year ago, wouldn’t have recognized the letters as significant in the least. Thanks. Again. Sean!

Isn’t family history fun?

* the title of this post comes from an old Robert Palmer song recorded in 1979, “Bad Case of Loving You.” Here’s hoping it gives you an earworm, making you as old as me.

Awright, ladies and genealogists, this month’s mystery photo comes to us from our good buddy Sean and involves the man pictured to your immediate left. Specifically, who is he? (Mouse-over to enlarge.)

Do you know this man?

All we know is that it’s a re-print, possibly from a cabinet card, and that it was found with a stash of pictures of Leonards who lived in Ohio. But members of the extended family lived in Pennsylvania and one of those (McClellan Leonard) was a photographer for a few years at the turn of the century. Many of his photos bore an embossed logo for his studio. This one does not.

You know the drill. If he looks familiar, go scour your photo albums, shoe boxes, and bottom dresser drawers for an identical or similar photograph that might have his name etched on the back. The back of this one says (helpfully) “Do you know who this is?” In much fainter, presumably older script is the word “Squeegee,” which we assume is the photographer’s note to himself as he was processing said photo. But, if you heard stories about “Great Uncle Squeegee,” by all means, let us know.

If you know anyone who knows anyone who knows anything about period costumes and studio props, that might help us narrow down the year. (I’m guessing 1890-1900, but I’m no expert.) Then we subtract his apparent age (50-ish?) and we might be a little closer to his birth date and (fingers crossed) identity.

Cheers!
Rick

But that’s what happened. Who knew?

To the best of our knowledge, that’s Isaac Leonard… the very man I was trying to locate… over there on the left! (Go ahead. Mouse-over the picture to see larger versions of the front and back.) But there’s more! Pictures of long-lost Joseph Leonard, who married an Indian maiden and dropped out of white society… his brother William… and the two-story Leonard log cabin where they all grew up!

All of these photos will appear here in the coming days/weeks, but I’ve got to tell you where and how these photos were found!

Our newest cousin was taking care of a relative’s affairs after a death in the family. As part of those duties, he was cleaning out a shed in the back yard of a south Florida home. In the shed, he found a cabinet and in that cabinet were two boxes. In the boxes… dozens of photos and some old letters! I don’t know about you, but this is my genealogical fantasy!

He knows exactly who owned the photos and how they were most likely handed down through the generations. Hint: They are descendants of the only Edmund Leonard on the books, thus no confusion about the sixteen gazillion Williams, Isaacs, and Lots. And best of all, most of the photographs are labeled. My ancestors should’ve been so considerate.

Now. Consider this. Those photos and letters have survived, some of them for a century-and-a-half, despite a few decades’ exposure to south Florida humidity, rodents, bugs, and last but not least… hurricanes. Shouldn’t we all be digging around in sheds and basements and attics… before it’s too late?

Just a thought. Who knew?!

Cheers!
Rick  

This photo, courtesy of cousin Shannon, bears an inscription on the back that reads simply, “Mr. Leonard.” That’s a nice start. It tells us that he is, most likely, a distant relative of ours. The BIG question is… which one? (Go ahead, mouse-over the image for a closer look.)

Spend enough time researching your family history and you’re sure to come across your own “mystery photos.” So, how do you go about unraveling the mystery? Why, the same way a detective would… by looking for clues.

The first, and possibly most important clue, is knowing where the picture was found. Shannon’s Dad remembers this one hanging above his grandfather’s roll-top desk. Since the picture isn’t a photo of his grandfather, it might Shannon’s great-great-grandfather. Or someone even older. Whoa! We could be talkin’ about someone born in the first half of the 1800s!

Next step, trying to determine when this photo might’ve been taken. There are several approaches. The first is to look for a photographer’s imprint. Handwritten tags, embossed labels, rubber-stamped indentifiers were all used, at one time or another, to identify the photographer who took the photo. That, in turn, can lead us to city directories which might tell us when he was in business. Alas, this photo had no such marks.

Next, we look at the type of photograph. This one is printed on paper, mounted on a cardboard backing. It measures roughly 8 inches tall by 3 1/4 wide, making it what’s known as a “cabinet card” popular between 1860 and 1920. That’s a wide date range, but we know it was probably taken no later than 1920. (For more on the different types of photographs and their usage, see David Mishkin’s article “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Your Family Photographs.”)

What’s the first thing that strikes you about the clothing? The hat? The plantation tie? The vest? They’re all clues to when the photo was taken. In this case, they all point to a period between 1910 and 1920. Now we’re getting somewhere! (There are lots of great books and web sites on clothing styles and their eras, but you might try “Dating Portraits – Clothing Styles” for starters.)

There are other things to look for, like the props (the hay at his feet and the straw in his hand), the background (“erased” in the darkroom), and the style of the pose. But the bottom line is this… 1910-1920 is as close as we’re going to come on the date. Shannon took the photo to an expert and he concurs. Now what?

We know, by comparing the man in the picture to others in our collections, that he is a Leonard. Even if the name weren’t written on the back, the similarity of his distinctive features make it a virtual certainty. Knowing that it’s not Shannon’s great-grandfather (sometimes knowing who it’s not is as important as knowing who it is), we can assume that it’s either her great-great-grandfather or her g-g-great-grandfather!

The first would’ve been 58 years old in 1910. The second would’ve been 73 (and he did live that long). So which is it? Great-great-grandfather Leonard? Or great-great-GREAT-grandfather Leonard? Ag-g-g-g-h! I can’t tell, can you?

And that’s why we’re asking… do you recognize this man/photograph? Maybe your copy has his full name on the back! Some day. Some day, we’ll find the answer. But, like all things genealogical, it will take some patience.

Cheers,
Rick!