Edward N Horst, Catherine Kahler, Gottsch Framed Photo

SEPIA SATURDAY POST

Found this in a shop in Ventura, California April 2011.

Ornate Antique Frame with Photo inside. Frame is made of wood with the Gold Gilt over it, a little chipping to some of the gilt but overall very good shape! I turned the photo over to find a piece of tape attached at the top that read “Edw Horst and Katerina Kahler Horst – Sadies Parents”

Im always checking framed old photos hanging on walls in shops, even have store clerks opening up the backs to check for writing on the backside of the photos, and up to this point have turned up empty handed everywhere I have gone. So I was so excited to find info on the outside attached to the back of this photo!This appears to be original, it didnt even look like it had been opened on the backside before. Except for the old paper that once covered the back is gone. Frame measures 15 1/2 x 17 1/2″. Photo itself is an 8 x 10.

After getting home and doing some researching on the net it appears this is Edward N. Horst and his wife Catherine Kahler Horst. Sadie was one of their children, so my guess this ended up somewhere down the line in Sadie’s branch of the family. Its been well taken care of and is in good shape for its age.
Edward N. Horst-  born February 28, 1859 in Scott County Iowa.  Died April 27, 1937 in Scott County Iowa.

Catherine Kahler was born December 1865.

They married on Jan 22, 1889 in Scott County, Iowa. This is possibly a wedding photo?

There is a great website on this family line, and you can find info at

http://www.gottschfamily.net/7.html

I can see the same chair and same background in 2 other photos for the 6th and 7th generations of this family  so the same photographer was utilized.

“Update have been in contact with a relative from the family line and a copy of my photo has been added to their genealogy, take a look ! Fortunately this fellows brother has photos up and you can see the similarities lookswise and the posing of their wedding photos!”

Since my work is done on this , I will be selling this one, in the original frame, you can purchase it at…

http://www.savethetoys.com/products/antique-photos-albums-paper

1920’s Letters – Elizabeth Lubke, Aurora College & Keith

Found these at the Pasadena Swap Meet.

8 Letters from 1925 and 1926
Written by a fellow by the name of Keith, addressed 2679 Menlo Ave. , Los Angeles, Ca

Sent to Miss Elizabeth Lubke, Aurora College, Aurora, Illinois

Since Keith never used a last name I cant track who he was, I can find an Elizabeth Lubke in an Illinois census but not any record of who she married at this point, but somehow Keith’s letters to her wound up in California at a Swap Meet. So it makes me wonder if they ever married.
Keith writes constantly about Elizabeth coming to see him in California, coming to get a teaching job in California, about how much he misses her, about classes and instructors and telling her to come to California for a teaching job, he keeps telling her to find ways to get money to come visit him, yet the fellow cant seem to find a way to get the money himself for this girl he misses so much.

I did google the address where he was staying and its now part of a Historic District and the actual house is pictured on the internet with the history of some people who owned it, Im not sure if this is who lived there when Keith was staying, but he mentions the people he lives with in a letter and them trying to teach him to play bridge. I just imagine him sitting him in a room of this house in the 1920’s writing one of these letters to Elizabeth.

House at 2679 South Menlo Avenue—This two-story residence, built in approximately 1901, is said to be an example of the “Classic Box” design. The 3,314-square-foot home has a generally square-shaped plan and is influenced by the Classical style. The original owner was Florence Scarborough, who was a contralto singer who studied music in Italy and was music director at the B’nai B’rith Temple at 9th and Hope Streets. Her husband, James Scarborough, was a lawyer and special counsel to many Los Angeles corporations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menlo_Avenue-West_Twenty-ninth_Street_Historic_District

Photo Album – Terrell, Fischer, Sweets – Findlay, Ohio

I  just acquired this album along with another one I will be posting soon. This one is probably my favorite, the cover is really neat on it also. I had to carefully remove all the photos one by one to check the backs for any writing, if I cant find any I often pass on purchasing one of these because theres not much I can do without any clues to work with, so I was fortunate enough to find 3 photos in this album with pencil writing on the back.

Next are the photos with the few clues I do have

This one is taken at Little Palace Studio, 611 South Main Street, Findlay, Ohio

On the backside it reads “Mrs. F. Terrell”

The next photo reads on the back “Mrs. D. Fischer” and then sideways on the back of it it says “Lousse or Louise” taken by F.B. Zay Findlay, Ohio. Found some info on the internet that says Frederick Zay worked for a short period in Findlay as a photographer between 1886-1889. Which can also help narrow down the time frame for many of the photos in this album, many which are taken by F.B. Zay.

Some of the photos from this album

This one is the first one in the album

This woman is featured in several photos in this album, she has a distinctive nose and lips and this can be spotted in several photos, included the one that names her as Mrs. F. Terrell. So this may be a photo with her brother?
From Census sites and various exploring there was a Finley or Findlay Terrell (or Terrel) who was living in Findlay, Ohio. He was born May 4, 1870 and his wife was Elizabeth K. Fisher. They were married September 26, 1897. Her parents are from Germany.

Finley’s parents were John Terrell and Matilda Abby. They had children John E. , Findlay, Albert, Vergel and Murinda listed in one census.

Photos that are labeled are all in Ohio with the cities Findlay, Springfield, Cincinatti and North Baltimore

Group shot, German relatives?

Japan – Quake Tsunami Aftermath Family Salvaged Photos

For those of us who are lovers of old photographs, I would be frantic in Japan trying to scoop up and save any photos I saw. How many peoples histories have been demolished and destroyed?  How many families are gone now but their photos remain telling the stories of their lives?

There was a story on Yahoo.com today

“Survivors look for memories in salvaged photos”

Just a snippet from the article

” Former residents of the tsunami-ravaged area walk slowly along as they scan the columns of images, which are clipped or taped to long pieces of string on the walls of this muddy gymnasium, a motley testament to a town that no longer exists.

More than a month after the powerful tsunami blasted ashore March 11, boxloads of muddy, torn photo albums arrive throughout the day. They are carried in by soldiers working nearby or locals who roam the streets of their flattened neighborhoods, looking for links to their old lives.”

Read the full story at

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_earthquake_memories