Ancestor Photograph Hunt: Have You Seen Us?

In September 2013, I wrote about my direct ancestors who lived well into the age of photography yet I have never seen a picture of them.

With the first selfie being snapped (or slowly exposed) in 1839 followed by the technical evolution and widespread ability to capture the actual human form, I must have a handful of distant ancestors whose image was captured on film, paper, metal or glass.

My Family History Photo Album
Currently, the oldest portrait of a known director ancestor in my collection is of my third great-grandfather Albert Benedick. The picture was taken at the time of his enlistment in the Union Army in February 1865 - just before the War's end - and shows him decked out in his ill-fitting uniform. He was just 15 years old (unless Uncle Sam's asking, then he was 18!).

My oldest ancestor (that is to say, born the longest ago) to be photographed was my fifth great-grandmother Catherine (Shaull or Schall) Rosenberger who was born September 8, 1792 (according to her headstone). She and her husband, John Anthony Rosenberger (born in 1794), sat for a portrait in the 1870s.

From the family history, Erasmus Rosenberger and his families in Germany and America, there's the following note about the photograph:

"It is natural to be curious about the physical appearance of an ancestor when a photograph is lacking; therefore, the sentence from a letter by Susan to her brother John [Anthony] is particularly interesting. 'Nothing would give me more pleasure than to receive your picture as you are the living counterpart of father and we have no likeness of him.' The photo of John Anthony and his wife Catherine may have been taken to comply with Susan's request. At least it seems reasonable to conjecture that John's and Catherine's ages when the photo was taken fit the time period between 1870, when the letter was written, and 1876, when they died."

Did other family sit for portraits? Are photographs out there waiting to be found?

Gallery of Portraits: the Suspects
In 2013, my assembled wish list of ancestral grandparents included 19 individuals who lived well into the age of photography, but whose faces I had never seen. Surely they had stepped into a photographer's studio at some point, right?

And it wasn't totally unreasonable to expect that some of those photos survived and were out there - perhaps in distant cousins' albums - waiting to be discovered, right?

I'll concede that some of them never sat for a portrait. Perhaps the newfangled technology didn't appeal to them or was outside their budget. Maybe it wasn't accessible to them since some of these ancestors passed away in the 19th century before the advent of portable personal cameras.

However, not all of my unseen ancestors were antiques.

For example, my third great-grandfather Johnson Williams lived until August 29, 1943 when he passed away at the age of 92. Johnson lived until nearly the midpoint of the 20th century. His wife, Caroline (Reed) Johnson, was pretty close, too, living until 1930. These two had to be photographed at some point. Where is that picture? I'll try anything to find it! (Remember that one time I placed an ad in the local paper seeking descendants with pictures and got second billing to a gun show?)

Known Missing Portraiture
Several of my 19 wishlist ancestors are known to have sat for photographs. I have a letter from a now-deceased cousin who wrote of having seen portraits of two of my fourth-great grandmothers: Mary Ann (Miser) Benedick (died 1901) and Sophronia (Rogers) Dornon (died 1872). But where are those pictures? Who inherited them?

Cousin Vieva (Benedick) Kraybill's 1988 letter to an
aunt affirming the existence of ancestor photos.

Another grandmother (this one a fifth-great) wasn't even on my September 2013 list. It wasn't until the following year that a textile researcher contacted me about Jane (Cox) Hadley asking if I had inherited any of her weaving patterns or drafts.

I had no idea she was an acclaimed weaver and was intrigued, but you can imagine how my ears really perked up when I read a 1979 Interweave article about her work that included a quote from her great-granddaughter, who remembered, "a picture of her as a plain, firm looking woman dressed entirely in black."

Jane died in 1880, but before she did she managed to make a Kodak moment. Now where's it stashed?

Evolving Ancestry 
The list of sought-after ancestors has changed during the nearly four years since I wrote that blog. A previously unknown Non-Paternal Event (or Not-The-Parent-Expected), introduced an entirely new cast of patrilineal characters into the play of me and removed others.

Within the past couple years, my outreach to my new Kirk cousins helped me procure photos of my paternal great-grandfather and his parents. It was a happy result on the heels of an unexpected surprise.

William and Nancy (Weeks) Kirk at left and their son Samuel Kirk (right).

Successes Anticipated and Otherwise
There have been other successes, too. Some were surprises like my fourth great-grandmother Nancy Mariah (Barron) Winkler. When I made my initial list of photographed ancestors, she wasn't even in my tree. I'm glad she was added because I subsequently connected with a distant cousin who shared the new-to-me photo.

Lots of detective work, boundless optimism, persistent outreach, wonderful cousin connections, and, yes, a whole lot of luck, culminated in me finally locking eyes with six direct ancestors who were on that original list. These are folks whose DNA makes me me, and who, without any one of them, I wouldn't exist (now that would be an existential crisis!).

Each of these discoveries were incredibly rewarding finds, and I'm immensely grateful to the family that helped find them. A photograph has this uncanny ability to make genealogy (dates and places) into living and breathing family history.

Have You Seen Us?
There is, of course, more work to be done. My list is updated to include ancestors who lived deeper into the 19th century (currently using 1880 as my starting point). Sure, it's ambitious, but I don't want to risk overlooking a treasured heirloom.

So, [in your best Robert Stack voice] if you have information on the whereabouts of photographs of the following individuals, please contact the proper authorities (me) at FamilySleuther@gmail.com.

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• Darwin B. Andrus, died 1882 in Cass County, Nebraska
• Nancy C. (Rosenberger) Bair Clyde, died 1899 in Ladora, Iowa
• Mary Ann (Miser) Benedick, died 1901 in Plainville, Kansas
• Elizabeth (Ragan) Brickey, died 1882 in Marion County, Illinois
• Tabitha (Chandler) Caswell, died 1882 in Quebec, Canada
• Angela Maria (Spatuzi) De Melio, died 1885 in Potenza, Italy
• Sophronia (Rogers) Dornon, died 1872 in Wyandotte, Kansas
• John Flynn, died 1881 in Des Moines, Iowa
• Margaret (Fahey) Flynn, died before 1881 in Des Moines, Iowa
• Adeline Parmelia (Judd) Gervais/Jarvis, died 1899 in Quebec, Canada
• George Felix Gervais/Jarvis, died after 1901 unknown
• Jane (Cox) Hadley, died 1880 in Ackworth, Iowa
• John J. Herriman, died 1890 in Jackson Creek, Arkansas
• John Howerton, died 1883 in Elliott County, Kentucky
• Francis Johnson, died 1897 in Cedar County, Missouri
• Temperance (Hall) Johnson, died 1895 in Cedar County, Missouri
• Daniel Jucket, died 1885 in Enfield, Massachusetts
• Hester (Griffith) Kirk, died 1889 in Grimes, Iowa
• James Kirk, died 1917 in Des Moines, Iowa
• Jane (Delzell) Kirk, died 1886 in Iowa
• Andrew Lamb, died 1911 in Brighton, Vermont
• Susan Mary (Caswell) Lamb, died 1915 in Island Pond, Vermont
• Maria Giuseppa (De Melio) La Rocca, died 1885 in Potenza, Italy
• Pancrazio La Rocca, died 1887 in Potenza, Italy
• Phoebe (Howerton) Lumpkins, died 1887 in Rossville, Kansas
• Elizabeth (Powell) Reeves, died 1884 in Madison County, Arkansas
• Abigail (Gould) Rogers, died 1882 in Davis County, Iowa
• Angela Raffaela Vincenza (Raimondi) Ruoti, died 1890 in Denver, Colorado
• Vincenzo Ruoti, died 1883 in Potenza, Italy
• Thomas K. Stevens, died 1886 in Idaho Springs, Colorado
• John Wesley Upton, died 1899 in Greenland, Arkansas
• Martha (Bowen) Upton, died 1903 in Fayetteville, Arkansas
• William B. Upton, died 1904 in Muskogee, Oklahoma
• Mary Jane (Calfee) Wagnon, died 1914 in Washington County, Arkansas
• Matilda (Johnson) Weeks, died 1930 in Los Angeles, California
• Samuel Weeks, died 1904 in Colorado
• Caroline (Reed) Williams, died 1930 in Rolla, Missouri
• Isaac Williams, died 1880-1900 in Phelps County, Missouri
• Johnson Williams, died 1943 in Rolla, Missouri
• James Henry Winkler, died unknown
• Samantha Pauline (Brickey) Winkler Lee, died 1899 in Barry County, Missouri
• Samuel Winkler, died after 1900 location unknown

Exhausting Research: An Examination of Everything And The Kitchen Sink

Who was the father of Thomas Kirk (1778-1846), my fifth great-grandfather?

Finding an answer has been a difficult, arduous journey. A burned county courthouse, destroyed census enumerations, and lost family lore have obscured the truth.

Naming Patterns Provide Clues
The Kirks were presumably of British Isles extract. Irish and Scottish naming customs directed that the eldest son be named after the father's father. Could it be that simple? Figure out the name of Thomas' eldest son and assume I have my sixth great-grandfather's name? Something tells me that Elizabeth Shown Mills is going to want a little more evidence explained, but let's have a look-see.

We can get a sense for how traditional Thomas was by reviewing his wife's genealogy. Thomas was married to Sarah (Bonar) Kirk. Her parents were William and Jane (McCulloch) Bonar.

The customary naming patterns directed that the second son be named after the mother's father and that the eldest daughter be named after the mother's mother.

The Kirks appear to have adhered to naming customs.

The Kirks' second son was named William and their first daughter was named Jane. Bingo! We have a match aligned with the naming traditions. But was it just a coincidence?

Kirk family genealogies agree that Thomas' eldest son was Vachel Kirk born in 1805. Great! Should I be looking for a Vachel Kirk? It is an unusual name that doesn't often appear in records. Perhaps Vachel is a family name?

In Search of Vachel
A November 1809 land record shows a Vachel Kirk from Fayette County, Pennsylvania purchasing land in Knox County, Ohio. Curiously, Knox County borders Licking County along the length of its southern border. Thomas and Sarah (Bonar) Kirk lived in Licking County in 1809 and for the duration of their adult lives. The appearance of this unique name and purchase of land near to my Kirks makes this Vachel a person of interest.

Vachel Kirk from Fayette County, Pennsylvania buys land in Knox County, Ohio

The 1810 US Federal Census still exists for Pennsylvania and, sure enough, there is a Vachel Kirk in Fayette County enumerated in Union Township. I've traced this man forward as he moved and settled in Ohio. Quick facts:

• He was in Butler County, Ohio by the time of the 1820 census. 
• Two of his children, who were alive for the 1880 census, said their father was born in Pennsylvania. 
• He died in April 1836. 
• His headstone indicated that he was born in June 1783.

This birth year confirms that the Butler County Vachel Kirk was not the father to my Thomas Kirk who was born in 1778. Instead, they were contemporaries only fives year apart in age. Perhaps they were brothers or cousins.

Written In The Stars Blood
Were they family? DNA Tests held the answer.

I found a living direct male descendant of Vachel Kirk (1783-1836) willing to take a Y-DNA test. His results came back and were a very close match to the handful of direct male descendants of my Thomas Kirk (1778-1846), confirming that there was a shared common male ancestor between the two lines.

Vachel and Thomas were indeed family. Unfortunately, the Y-DNA test couldn't determine the exact relationship. We need to examine autosomal results to see if common DNA still exists after generations of recombination. This research initiative is still ongoing.

However, now that we've established that this Vachel Kirk was related to my Thomas Kirk, let's get back to his Pennsylvania roots. Is that where my Kirk family originated, too?

Thomas' Starting Point
Thomas died before census records provided birth location information. However, five of his children lived long enough to provide this information when the 1870, 1880 and 1900 censuses asked for parents' birth location.

The general consensus was that Thomas was born in America and likely Virginia with only a few outliers (Come on, Nancy! Was it Ohio or New Jersey? One of these is not like the other!).

Daughter Jane listed Ireland in the 1880 census (contradicting her US-born response in 1870). Her Ireland response may hint at her father's ancestral origins and not necessarily his actual birth location. As Barry McCain, a Scots-Irish researcher, wrote, "Scots-Irish in Colonial America...often described their ethnicity as simply Irish."

Mindful that they're related, how do I reconcile their birth locations: Thomas in Virginia and Vachel in Pennsylvania?

Disputed Territory

In the 1700s, both Virginia and Pennsylvania claimed the area that would become Fayette County (where Vachel lived in 1809 when he bought land in Ohio and 1810 when he was enumerated on the census). 

Virginia and Pennsylvania were locked in a land dispute pre-1780.

The competing territorial claims resulted in duplicate legal and civil systems existing side-by-side. Citizens' loyalties - either to Pennsylvania or Virginia - afforded them the choice to determine under which state's jurisdiction they lived. The confusion came to an end in 1780 when agreement was reached on addressing the border conflict.

If the Kirk family was from the Fayette County area, this would mean that Thomas Kirk, born in 1778, could claim that he was born in Virginia. However, after the 1780 border resolution, Vachel's birth in 1783 would leave him born in Pennsylvania.

As a result, it's possible that both men were born and raised in the same location while the borders and state jurisdictions changed around them.

I Believe The Children Are The Future

Who are the Kirks I should be looking for in the Fayette County, Pennsylvania area? 

What if I review the names of both men's children and their grandchildren to determine the most frequently reoccurring names? Could I infer that they are traditional family names handed down from one generation to the next? I could then scan Fayette County for Kirks with these same given names, and start with those individuals for closer inspection. 

Thomas and Sarah (Bonar) Kirk had thirteen children (in alpha order): Andrew, George, Greenberry, Hugh, James, Jane, Joseph, Nancy, Rachel, Sarah, Thomas, Vachel, and William. 

Of these children, nine had children of their own. A quick glance at his nearly 60 grandchildren reveals that the most commonly occurring names for Thomas Kirk's grandsons were James (occurring 6 times), Thomas (occurring 4 times), and Joseph (3 times) followed by Elijah/Elisha and John (each used twice).

The most common names for Thomas Kirk's granddaughters were: Sarah (occurring 4 times), Mary (occurring three times), and Catherine, Euphemia, Martha, Rachel, and Rebecca each being used twice.

Is it any surprise that Thomas and Sarah were among the most popular names for their grandchildren?

It's interesting that James was the most popular male name. I found no instances of Thomas' grandchildren named Vachel.

Now, when we examine the Butler County Vachel Kirk's six children (Helen, John, Mary, Nancy, Thomas, and Vachel), only three lived to adulthood and had children of their own.

The most common names for Vachel Kirk's grandsons' were Franklin, John, Joseph, and William. Each was used twice.

Thomas Kirk's most frequently used grandson name, James, did not make an appearance among Vachel's grandsons. However, John and Joseph did overlap.

Vachel Kirk's most common granddaughters' names were Emma (twice) and Mary (three times). The only overlap between the two men's granddaughters was the name Mary - the most common woman's name ever! 

Everything And The Kitchen Sink
This exhausting chain of research gives me a foundation from which to begin exploring Fayette County, Pennsylvania for new clues.

Certainly, any Kirks named John, Joseph or Mary will gain closer scrutiny.

Any genealogists with 18th century Pennsylvania research tips or recommendations? I'm all ears (after this quick power nap). 

Ancestors in Motion: Lights, Camera, Action!

I am a bit spoiled very fortunate to have photographs of nearly all 16 of my second great-grandparents. 

I say nearly all because I'm missing one. Just one. That's William B. Upton who lived until February 1904 - well into the age of photography.

But let's not dwell on his inability to sit for a portrait and provide me my sought-after Kodak moment.

Grandma's Casting Call

A couple recent discoveries have distracted me from the disappointment of no snapshot of my 2X Great-Grandpa Upton.

I've recently obtained digitized copies of several grainy film reels depicting various family outings over the past six decades. The silent movies include brief appearances by two of my second great-grandmothers. Yes, not one, but two distant ancestors! 

Minnie Lumpkins Barber - 2nd Great-Grandmother

The first leading lady is Eva (Lamb) Stevens Fagan. She's from my paternal line. She was born December 21, 1885 in Vermont to parents Francis and Phoebe (Jarvis) Lamb. She married my second great-grandfather William Stevens in 1904. He died in 1916 and she remarried several years later to Thomas Fagan.

In the footage, the camera pans to Eva and a baby (my paternal uncle). She reaches for a bottle and takes a dramatic thirst-quenching gulp. Based on the age of my uncle, I believe the film was recorded in about 1957 in Colorado's Rocky Mountains.

Eva (Lamb) Stevens Fagan - about 1957

The second starlet is Minnie (Hawks) Lumpkins Barber. She's from my maternal line. She was born April 21, 1881 in Kansas to parents Edmond and Iva (Haworth) Hawks. She married my second great-grandfather John Lumpkins in 1897. He died in 1910 and she remarried in 1914 to Joseph Barber.

In her big scene, Minnie struts across the yard - begrudgingly - towards the camera. The film quickly cuts to her birthday at a lake, perhaps Plainville lake or Webster reservoir in Kansas, where she is seen cutting a two-tiered birthday cake. I'm unsure of the exact year, but probably in the 1950s or 1960s.

Minnie (Hawks) Lumpkins Barber - 1950s or 1960s

A Thousand Words

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But what's the value of a film? 

These are exceptionally short clips with no audio, yet they still give me an inkling for these women's personalities. Eva comes across as nurturing, graceful and thirsty. Minnie portrays a sense of humor that's never seen in her frowning photographs. 

The worth of these film clips cannot be quantified. They're immeasurably valuable to this family historian.

Do you have old family film reels? What's the most distant ancestor you have recorded in motion?

Grandpa's Piece of The New Deal

Nevella and Marion Lumpkins
1934 wedding photo

My great-grandparents Marion and Nevella Lumpkins married on Valentine's Day in 1934 during the height of the Great Depression.

Shortly after the wedding, they moved to a home in Codell, Kansas - a small rural community in Rooks County.

It Was All Hardship
Times were hard. While the country's economy was floundering, the farmlands that surrounded their home were parched. The Dust Bowl swept great swaths of prairie up into the air creating dark churning clouds of Kansas soil.

Steady employment was scarce and made raising a family a constant struggle. Their daughter Marilyn recalled that, "it was all hardship, we just didn't know it. Times were rough, and it wasn't just us. It was everybody. It was rough to skimp out a living..."

A New Deal For Opportunity
Marion managed to make ends meet by working odd jobs, including some that were bankrolled by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Created as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, the WPA employed 8.5 million people between 1935 and 1943. In the January-March 2016 issue of the NGS Magazine, Joseph F. Martin explained in an article on WPA records that, "As a government body, [the WPA] maintained files on those who were employed and the work they completed. Each worker's file could include valuable information for that person's biography as part of a family history."

Curious about whether Marion had existing WPA employment records in the archives, I contacted the National Personnel Records Center at the National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri. A written response came from an archives technician who confirmed, "We have located a record related to the Works Progress Administration employment of your great grandfather."

Beginning in August 1936, Marion was hired by the WPA for drought relief initiatives. According to his assignment slips, he helped construct ponds on family farms around Rooks County, presumably to provide water for irrigation that would prevent the parched earth that fed the Dust Bowl.

In November 1936, Marion Lumpkins' WPA work assignment was on the
Stamper Farm Pond in Stockton, Kansas.

Marion earned 29 cents an hour for his WPA work. That was a good sum for the time. In his book, Kansas in the Great Depression: Work Relief, the Dole, and Rehabilitation, Peter Fearon wrote that, "The drought program was popular with participating farmers because WPA cash wages were considered much more generous than either RA [Resettlement Administration] grants or direct relief..."

Pride In A Job Well Done
Although his archived employment record with the WPA ended in December 1936, Marion said he worked on other New Deal development projects.

During spring break of 1994, Marion loaded me and my cousins into his white Oldsmobile and drove us to an old country road northwest of Gorham, Kansas. After a long hour in the car, he pulled over onto the gravel shoulder.

There was nothing to see but fields of farmland. No other cars were near and certainly no people. As I was beginning to wonder why this was our final destination, Marion pointed to the stone fence posts that wrapped the perimeter of the nearby field.

"I quarried that stone," he said pointing to the long row of weathered limestone posts. He explained that he cut the stone from the earth, carved it into posts, and then set them along the perimeter of the property.

Fence posts that Marion Lumpkins quarried, carved, and set
on the Waldbridge farm outside Gorham, Kansas

Six decades later and his work still stood the test of time. Marion's pride in his job well done was a legacy he wanted his great-grandkids to see. I now recognize it was a mark of struggle and effort to provide for his family during our country's greatest hardship. That is a legacy in which I take great pride.

Probate Records Hint At Family Heartbreak

My day job brought me back to beautiful Salt Lake City this past week.

It should go without saying that I added a day at the end of the trip, so I could visit the genealogy mothership and report for family history research duty.

Family History Library - Salt Lake City, Utah

Exhaustive Search 
I am trying to crack the genealogy enigma that is my fifth great-grandfather Thomas Kirk. In particular, who were his parents and their ancestral origins?

Unfortunately, the existing records for Thomas are pretty spotty. In search of the tiniest of clues, I'm conducting an exhaustive search that includes an examination of the existing records for his children.

I pulled a handful of microfilmed probate records from Crawford County, Illinois - where, in the mid-19th century, at least seven of Thomas' 13 children moved to from Licking County, Ohio. As the minutes until the library's closing time ticked by, I cruised through seemingly endless reels of microfilmed history.

Piecing together family history from endless reels of microfilm.

Coffin and Trimmings
Among my first finds was the probate package for Thomas' son Greenberry Dorsa Kirk who died January 30, 1859. Greenberry, or G.D. as he was called in his estate settlement, was one of Thomas' seven sons who lived to adulthood.

G.D. Kirk's brother, James Kirk, served as the administrator for the estate, and "produced satisfactory evidence to the Court that he had given due legal notice to all persons having claims against said deceased [G.D. Kirk]."

Among the debts "duly established against the estate of G.D. Kirk" were $11 for a "coffin and trimmings" and $55 in medical bills. We know G.D. Kirk died when he was 37 years old, but we do not know the cause of his untimely death. The outstanding medical bills suggest that his cause of death required treatment. Perhaps he suffered an accident or lingering illness, but lived long enough to receive medical attention to the tune of $55.

Itemized debts for G.D. Kirk's estate, including $11 for coffin and trimmings

On February 22, 1862, the estate was finally settled. James Kirk reported that G.D. Kirk's estate was bankrupt and that he had to pay his brother's outstanding debts from his own funds.

"This day comes James Kirk Administrator of G.D. Kirk deceased and makes report as follows to wit that the widow by law obtained all the Estate of said deceased consisting of personal estate only, leaving nothing to pay on 1st class claims, but that he the said Administrator paid the said claims from his own private funds - receipts being herewith filed and the Court being duly advised declare the said estate insolvent and release the Administrator from all further trouble in the premises."

Final settlement of G.D. Kirk's estate and his gravestone (courtesy Larry Boyd)

G.D. Kirk's probate file gives us a small glimpse into what clearly was a difficult financial situation for his widow and children in addition to their already heartbreaking loss of husband and father.

Being Desirous of Settling My Worldly Affairs
I next found the Crawford County, Illinois probate package for Thomas' son William Kirk who died on October 31, 1888.

On January 7, 1889, William's son David Wilson Kirk filed his father's last will and testament with the probate court. The will named David as the executor.

William drew up his will on February 19, 1864, following the deaths of his siblings Rachel in 1852, Hugh in 1856, and Greenberry Dorsa in 1859 - all of whom died intestate.

Perhaps his siblings' untimely deaths and subsequent estate settlements without wills prompted William to proactively make arrangements - while he still had his health and mental faculties - to spare his heirs any unnecessary legal frustration.

William's will begins, "In the name of God amen, I William Kirk of the County of Crawford and State of Illinois being in good health and of sound and disposing mind and memory, and being desirous of settling my worldly affairs while I have strength and capacity do make and publish my last will and testament..."

An excerpt from William Kirk's last will and testament and his gravestone
(photo of stone courtesy of Larry Boyd)

Among William's final requests were that "my just debts and all expenses incurred during my last sickness and for my burial shall be promptly paid by my Executor as soon after my death as the same can concurrently be done." 

Was this request something desired after the insolvency of his brother G.D. Kirk's estate? In the end, William's estate paid out final claims totaling $846 - a sizable amount for the 19th century.

While neither probate package yielded clues about Thomas Kirk's ancestral origins, I did learn about the heartbreak Greenbery Dorsa's family suffered and the effort his brother William undertook to spare his family similar pain.