Mystery Photo Monday #13

Here's another puzzler. This was taken from the oval frame of photos that Chester and Kathleen had on their wall. The hat and the car should give us some insight into the year, but I have not researched either.

Does anyone know who this woman might be, the year or the location of the photo? The flat landscape makes me think the photo was taken somewhere in the midwest.

UPDATE 3 JUNE 2005: I've been browsing about on the Internet, and I now think that the pickup truck in the background is probably a Ford Model T Pickup from between 1914 and 1923, probably closer to 1914-1916 than later on.

Thomas and Maria Rogers in 1910

By 1910, Thomas and Maria had moved to a house in Southport, in the Smithville Township of Brunswick County, North Carolina. The street name was Bay, but the house number was not recorded. Only their daughter Fannie remains at home, along with her two daughters. Thomas is now employed as a carpenter.

Fannie is 23-years-old and single. I don’t know if she is divorced, or if her husband passed away. Her daughters are Nellie and Ella. Here is a partial image of the census record:

In Memory of Bernard Brooks Pendergraph

Bernard Brooks Pendergraph passed away on May 24, 2005, at age 57, in Pompano Beach, Florida. A memorial service is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Saturday, May 28.


Above: Bernie Brooks in May of 1955, at age 7

Mystery Photo Monday #12

I believe I know who a few of these people are, but certainly not all of them. Can you verify my guesses, and fill in the blanks?

• Standing, back row: Fred Sykes, Helen Sykes, Kathleen Carson, Chester Carson, Tony Barbiero, Bernice, Teresa Sykes, Alberta (Aunt Bert) Rogers, Aunt Bonnie (Myrtle) Rogers.
  
• Standing Children: Albert Sykes, Elsie Sykes, Joanne (in checkered skirt)
  
• Kneeling or Sitting: Kit, Either One of Aunt Bonnie's Kids (possibly Nellie) or J.C. Morgan (in front of Joanne), Kenny Rogers, Blanche (May or Mazie) Rogers (maiden name Wheeler), The partially obstructed children may be Libby and Nellie Morgan, Maryanne (behind the partially obstructed children), Bernie.

I believe this photo was taken in about 1942.

Can you help?

UPDATED 24 MAY 2005: The names of the folks in the photo below have been updated (above). In addition, the picture was probably taken at Glen Echo Hgts. MD, which used to be a large amusement park popular with families.

Thomas and Maria Rogers in 1900

In 1900, Thomas Rogers was a Blacksmith and a Wheelwright. Wheelwrights worked with iron and wood to produce the wheels for carriages, wagons, and riding chairs that navigated rugged colonial roads. These wheels had to be strong and tight. But first and foremost, the wheels had to be perfectly round for a smooth ride and years of use. Producing such wheels required strength, ingenuity, and the talents of both a carpenter and a blacksmith. Precise measuring skills were also critical.

The portion of the Twelfth Census of the United States of America in which we are interested was taken on 13 June 1900. Thomas and his family lived in District 19 of the Township known as Town Creek, in Brunswick County, North Carolina. Some of the dates recorded contradict my records, but errors in the U.S. Census records are relatively common.

Those in the household were:

• Thomas, age 45 and married for 21 years. He and his parents were born in North Carolina.
  
• Maria, age 45, the mother of six, with five children still alive. She and her parents were born in North Carolina.
  
• Harvey, an 18-year-old son who is single and working as a Farm Laborer.
  
• Fannie, their 14-year-old unmarried daughter.
  
• Loyd, their 9-year-old son, who will eventually become Kathleen May Rogers’ father.
  
• Kate, a 20-year-old daughter, whose married name is Merrett. Married for about two years, she has two children, both of whom are alive, and living in this household. Her husband, not recorded here, was born in North Carolina.
  
• Leola, one of Kate’s daughters, born in January 1899.
  
• Vania, the second of Kate’s daughters, born in March of this year.
  

Next time I'll share what I found in the 1910 census records.

Thomas Franklin Rogers and Mariah A Mills

Thomas and Maria Rogers were Grandparents of Kathleen through the following parents:

• Thomas Franklin Rogers and Mariah A Mills
  
  • Lloyd Franklin Rogers and Blanche May (Mazie) Wheeler
    
    • Kathleen Rogers

Some family members are well documented, and others are not. Thomas and Maria are two who fall into the latter category and will likely require research of tax records, property records, and wills to discover more.

Both Thomas and Maria were born in North Carolina: Thomas on 4 May 1855, nearly sixteen months after his future wife, who was born 20 January 1854. They married in about 1879.

The most complete and accessible records to search for ancestors is typically the U.S. Census, taken every 10 years. Having married in about 1879, the first year we should find them is the 1880 census. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find Thomas and Maria there. Worse, most of the 1890 U.S. Census records were destroyed by fire in January of 1921 at the Commerce Department in Washington D.C. Records for only 6,160 of the original 62,979,766 people enumerated survived the blaze, and Thomas and Maria do not seem to be among them.

The first census where I can find them is 1900. I'll share that data with you in the next posting.

UPDATED 21 October 2005: The 1880 US Census record for Thomas and Mariah has been found. You can read the update here:
Thomas Franklin Rogers and Mariah A Mills in 1880

Mystery Photo Monday #11

Here is another of the photos from the oval framed photos that originally hung in Chester and Kathleen's family room. There were no notes or inscriptions on the back of this photo. Does anyone know who this is, when the photo might have been taken, or where? It appears that the man in the photo has some type of discoloration on his face. This could be a photo-processing anomoly, a birth-mark, a skin reaction to illness, or an injury.

The Final Days of William and Martha Wheeler

Martha became ill on September 5, 1914 and died on September 25, 1914, from Pellagra. William filed the death report. At the time of her death, she and William lived at 504 Prices Alley, Wilmington, North Carolina. She was buried at the Oak Grove Cemetery, Wilmington, North Carolina.

Pellagra is the late stage of severe niacin deficiency. Pellagra was in existence for nearly two centuries in Europe before being recognized in the United States, where it was first reported in 1902. Over the next two decades, pellagra occurred in epidemic proportions in the American South. Poverty and the consumption of corn were the most frequently observed risk factors. Since the exact cause and cure of pellagra were not known, a culture of "pellagraphobia" formed among the public. Patients were shunned and ostracized. The medical community implicated spoiled corn as the cause of pellagra, which had economic repercussions for farmers. This set up a vicious cycle, likely leading to an increase in the number cases and deaths. Pellagra patients typically had a reddish glossy rash, often described as red scaly skin, on the hands and feet.

I do not know when William passed away. Since he filed Martha’s death certificate, we know that he was alive in September 1914. I have not been able to find him in the 1920 Census, so for now I’m assuming that he passed away sometime over that six-year period.

The Simple Life

William and Martha were married in 1885. Fifteen years later they live at 109 Dock Street in the Wilmington Township of New Hanover County, North Carolina. Though little is known of their day-to-day activities, it seems that their lives are simple. William, now 31, earns his living as a laborer for the city. Martha, at 30, is at home raising her family. They are the parents of two daughters: Blanche, born in 1889, and Lillie, born in February 1900. Celia Carteret, Martha’s mother, also lives with the family.

The next ten years, from 1900 to 1910 appear to have been difficult ones. William, now a fish-packer, continues to work labor-intensive jobs. The couples’ second child, Lillie, passes away, as does another infant child. It is also likely that Blanche’s mother, Celia, has also passed away, since she no longer resides in the Wheeler home.

Still, their willingness to open their home to family continues. After Blanche, their only surviving child, marries Loyd Rogers, the couple moves into the Wheeler home at 415 Castle Street, in Wilmington, now Hanover County, North Carolina.

Mystery Photo Monday #10

Here's another photo where you might recognize a cousin, a child, a dad, or even a grandmother! I believe that the photo was taken in about 1961. Does anyone recognize where the photo was taken? Can you name all of the people in the photo?

UPDATED 9 MAY 2005: Top row: Jan, Patti, Bernard Brooks. Next step: Jimmy. Next step: Debbie, Steve, Little Bernie. Bottom step: Joey.

UPDATED 10 MAY 2005: The photo was probably taken at Kit's home in Woodlawn, MD. She had a duplex on Freeport Street, including a basement where she would host family get togethers. The photo in the background is probably of Kit.

Martha Jane Cartrett is born

Halfway across the country from Mississipi, where William had been born, lay North Carolina. Following succession, during which it provided more men and materials to the serve the Confederacy than any other state, and suffering the largest number of losses during the Civil War, the state was on the road to recovery.

As if drawing a line between the turbulent past, and the promising future, Luke Cartrett, who had served as a private in the North Carolina Confederate Infantry, and his wife Celia, brought William’s future wife into the world.

But when? The exact birth date of Martha Jane Cartrett is a bit of a mystery. Of the six records available that list either her age or her date of birth, only two agree upon the year.

The earliest record, the 1870 U.S. Census, is a mystery in itself. Her parents’ household is recorded on lines 32-38 of page 50, for Goldsboro Township, in Wayne County, North Carolina. Line 38 lists a female whose age is given as 3/12’s. For 1870, the census enumerators were instructed to record the person’s age as of June 1, 1870. However, if a child was less than a year old on that date, they were to list a fractional age.

What does the 3/12ths age mean for this female child? Since this should be the number of months of age relative to June 1, we can presume that this child’s birth month was March of 1870. However, since this census was taken in August, the enumerator could have made a mistake and listed the fractional age as of the current date, meaning her birth was in May of 1870. Which was correct, and was this Martha?

Perhaps not, for the name on that line looks like Matthew J. Oddly, the next household also lists a Cartret family, and the listing begins with a male, who’s name appears to be Martha. I believe the enumerator made a mistake while recording these families, and never corrected the error. One indicator that this supposition is correct is the fact that a large check mark appears next to Martha’s name, as though the enumerator was marking the line.

The next census where we find Martha listed is in 1880, as part of her parents’ household. Her age is given as 10. If accurate, she would have been born in about 1870.

In the 1900 census, Martha’s birth month and year are recorded as May 1872. Then, in 1910, her age is given as 36, giving her a calculated birth year of about 1884.

When she died, in 1914, her husband, who presumably knew her birthday, listed it as May 8, 1879.

I put all of this into a fact-jar, shook it up, and decided to set her birth-date as May 8, 1870. I decided that her husband probably knew the day and month very well, but could have easily been mistaken about the birth year. So, for the birth year, I decided to use the earliest records that essentially agreed.

The Birth of William L Wheeler

As late as the early 1800’s, with Mississippi not yet a state, Indian tribes controlled almost two thirds of the territory. By the early 1830’s, they had turned their land over to the U.S. Government and moved to what would become Oklahoma. Many settlers from the East come to farm these newly opened, fertile regions. Cotton quickly became their cash crop, pushed along by the rich soil and the invention of the Cotton Gin.

Farmland was expanded in the 1850’s by building levees to hold back the Mississippi and Yazoo River’s. Then, as the Civil War approached, large areas of swampland were drained and also opened for farming.

In this environment the Civil War was about to explode. Although public opinion in the state initially supported the Federal Government, Mississippi became the second Confederate State on 9 January 1861. Key to this action were South Carolina's succession; violations of the Fugitive Slave Law; and the impossible task of reaching a workable compromise on the issue of slavery in Kansas and other expansion states.

Six months later, in this turbulent place in history, William L Wheeler was born to parents who have not yet been identified (unknown day in June of 1850).


Map of Mississippi in 1850

Mystery Photo Monday #9

Here is another image from the oval frame.

I know that the man on the right, in the white shirt, is W.L. Carson (full name William Bernard Lloyd Carson). Does anyone know who the other gentleman is, or where this photo may have been taken?

The back of the photo has several imprints. The one in the center of the photo says "Camera Shop, New Mexico", below that is "May 3 1948" and then finally "Albuquerque New Mexico". There are no handwritten notes.

UPDATED 18 JANUARY 2006: The gentleman on the left is Virgil Carson, one of W.L.'s two sons.