Mystery Photo...Budensiek Family?

Budensiek Family? Of  Wabasha & Goodhue Counties, MN

While I often spotlight weekly "mystery photos" from my own collection, today I have some photos belonging to a blog reader, who is hoping to identify some mystery photos of his own!

He states "I have received an old album that belonged to the Budensiek family in the Wabasha and Goodhue counties.  There are several old photos that I can not place a name on."

I'd be great if we could identify some of these great old cabinet cards!

Mystery Photo... Peoria, Illinois area

This mystery photo was among other photos from the Krumholz & Weber families. I suspect it may be two daughters of Josephine (Krumholz) Schmitt, 

of East Peoria, Illinois

These two girls are sure cute... and it would be nice to know their identities! Maybe someone out there has this same photo, or recognizes them 

Mystery Photo... Winnebago, MN... Maine Family?

This mystery cabinet card photograph comes from Winnebago, Minnesota... a great multi-subject photo, it has remained unidentified in my genealogy collection.

Unknown Members of the "Maine Family"

I obtained this mystery photo over 20 years ago... it is some how connected to the Maine family who lived near Winnebago. This particular photograph ended up with Maine descendants in North Dakota.

The Lathrop & Pierce families were related to the Maine's and lived nearby... it is possible that this photo could include some of them.

Hopefully someone out there has this same photograph in their collection or recognizes some of the subjects... It would be great to finally identify these people after so many years. 

Mystery Photo... Ellen Carlson of Cass County, MN

Ellen Carlson

This photo was in an album belonging to my Great-Grandmother... She was a great collector of photographs... which is wonderful!  However, she would paste her photos in albums with no rhyme or reason... photos of her family, her husbands family, neighbors, friends, church members... you name it, they all share a page!

Luckily, I was able to ask her the identities of many of the photos... though this fine portrait however never was truly explained....

"Aunt Ellen"  Ellen Carlson

When I showed it to my Grandfather, he said "Oh, that's Aunt Ellen"... "Well, we called her that, but she wasn't really our Aunt".

I had family of two different Great-Grandparents settle in rural Cass County, Minnesota (and they often trickled over into Crow Wing County as well). Many different, far flung relatives ended up settling there, especially during the 1900s & 1910s. Many not blood relatives, but relatives of kin by marriage, etc.

After Great-Grandma passed away, I inherited her collection of funeral programs... among them was one for Ellen Carlson... born March 14, 1879.... died February 14, 1965

Doing some brief census research, I find that Ellen was born in Sweden and it appears that she arrived in the USA in 1881 (as a young child). The first census I find her in, is the 1910-- where she is living in Cass County, with Annie Hagen. This is most interesting, because my Great-Great Grandmother was a Hagen. Annie Hagen was born in Norway (as was my Hagen Grandma)... now Hagen is not an uncommon Norwegian surname... but the coincidence is strong....

I'm going to have to do some more research and see if this Annie Hagen is indeed a "relative" or not... but I'm pretty certain "Aunt Ellen" is of no blood relation... They were living together up through the 1930 census, but as Annie was 77, it seems she passed away by 1940. 

As both remained unmarried, I don't expect to stumbled upon any descendants... but perhaps someone out there can claim "Aunt Ellen" as their own!

Southern Minnesota Mystery Photo

I stumbled upon this unidentified photo.... from Southern MN

From a Winnebago & Amboy photography studio, it's likely from the 1890s...

The man looks so much like one of the sons of Erastus Maine... Due to the age of the children, I suspect it is Irving Maine & his wife Emma with two sons Glade & Glen... but I have no proof.

I'm hoping someone out there can either positively ID this family... or already has this photo in their collection.

Minnesota Mystery Photo...

This unknown lady was in a family photo album... but my Great-Grandma collected many photos from neighbors and friends as well as far flung relatives.

It's very likely that this lady is from Minnesota... possibly the Southern part (Faribault or Freeborn County) or the Northern part (Pequot Lakes area)... of course it's also possibly she's a cousin from North Dakota or Montana...

It's a neat photo... and it would be nice to identify her... if she's a relative, that would be great! And if she's not, I'd like to share her with someone who would appreciate her.

Southern Minnesota Mystery Photo.....

This photo came along with a few others belonging to the same family....

The family lived in Faribault County, Minnesota.... and it is very possible that this woman & child are connected to the Hartman, Kelsey, or Roberts families.

Hopefully someone can ID this lovely photo and it can be reunited with a family member who will treasure it!

Hearn Family of Minnesota & Wisconsin Postcard

I recently found this 106 year old postcard, written by George Hearn of Perham, Minnesota, to his sister Bessie Hearn, who at the time was a resident of Superior, Wisconsin.

As with most of the mystery/lost items featured here, I have no connection to the Hearn family.

It is a postcard in very nice condition, written in the hand of someone's relative (possible ancestor if he had children) and it would be wonderful to reunite this little heirloom to a family member who would appreciate it!

Southern Minnesota Mystery Photo... Faribault Co

I purchased this photo out of a number of photos and postcards belonging to one family....

The family lived in Faribault County, Minnesota... and it is very possible that this man is either a member of the Hartman, Kelsey, or Roberts family.

Hopefully someone can help ID him and the photo can be reunited with a family member who will treasure it!

Rescued 100+ year old photo...hidden behind a needlepoint sampler, needs a home!

While at an auction this Summer, I was bidding on some large frames and prints... Winning the bid, I had my choice of items and I picked a number of antique prints... I chose this one because I liked the large old frame, not so much caring for the modern piece of needlepoint that was framed... but deciding I could use it to frame something else.

After I got it home and got to looking at it closer, I noticed on the back there was some writing.... Which I thought was odd, because while the frame was clearly antique, the needlepoint sampler looked to be from the 1960s or after....

"Adolph Ferdinand Billet

Born April 7, 1887

Died July 8, 1898

only son of Adolph & Emilie Billet

and four sisters Clara, Emma, Alma and Lynda"

The writing was a name and birth/death dates for a young child. At this point I began to suspect there was more to this "sampler" than I first thought.





And so I began to take it apart... and what I found underneath this mid-century piece of needlepoint was a lovely antique portrait!

Adolph Billet

While this young boy would have no descendants, I'm hoping there might be a Billet relative out there who would treasure this large portrait, that deserves to be displayed and not hidden & used as backing!

It seems that this family lived near Good Thunder, in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. Hopefully there is someone out there that wants to add this portrait to their family archive!

Mystery World War II Sailor...

In honor of Veteran's Day, I'm sharing this fine photo---

This unidentified sailor is most likely a World War II veteran

It came from an auction in Southern Minnesota, though he could really be from anywhere in the United States.

It's a very nice studio portrait, measuring 8x10... there are no identifying marks for the studio.

It'd be wonderful to find out his identity and return this fine photo to someone who would treasure it!

Southern Minnesota Mystery Photo... Faribault County?

Mystery Photo Sunday

I have a large number of unidentified family photos... 

and unrelated photos that I've collected over the years. Hopefully I can identify some of my unknown family photos and return some of the lost treasures I've collected over the years to others.

This photo was in an album belonging to my Great-Uncle Don Yore... as far as I can tell, the photos in the album were all from Southern Minnesota... 

most from the Faribault & Martin County areas.

I do not know if they are relatives or just family friends...

It sure would be nice to know who these people are... if they aren't relatives then I could try and track down someone who would appreciate them.

Lost Postcard- Raymond Haugh...Frederick, Maryland

I recently purchased this postcard at an antique shop... interesting that it was found in Minnesota... a long way from Maryland, where it was sent 101 years ago!

After doing a little research, it seems that the sender, Raymond A. Haugh was born about 1902, in Maryland... the son of Susie Haugh. Apparently this was a child she had as a teenager as later she would marry Charles Zimmerman. 

Raymond later shows up in census records with a wife Zelda, and a son- Raymond A. Haugh, Jr.

Hopefully there is some relative of Raymond's out there, that would appreciate this little piece of history, written in Raymond's own childhood hand.

Martin Co, MN... Ed & Bert Klein... Lost Photo

I recently rescued this photo from an antique shop! 

It appears to me, to be from the 1940s... 

and is from a Fairmont, Minnesota photography studio...

On the back, someone has written 

"Uncle Ed & Aunt Bert Klein"

I do find an Edward & Bertha Klein living in Welcome, Martin County, Minnesota

If indeed this is a photo of that Edward & Bertha, I believe they had a daughter Lois who died in 2009, and there is a link here for her obituary, which is rather lengthy.

It is such a nice portrait, that I'd love to return it to someone in the family. Being it was ID'd at 'Uncle & Aunt", I assume the photo was originally given to one of their siblings who then passed it on to their children.

Dobereiner Family Postcard-- Currie, Minnesota

I recently purchased this 1909 Easter Postcard...

It was sent to Mrs. J.F. OShea of Currie, Minnesota from her "sister Martha"

 

 

After some research, I was able to find that Amelia Dobereiner was married to J.F. O'Shea in 1904 and her sister Martha Dobereiner married Frank W. Johnson in 1911.

 

 

They were daughters of John & Amalie Dobereiner and the family resided in Murray County, Minnesota for many years.

 

I would love to find a descendant of Martha (Dobereiner) Johnson that might appreciate this postcard written in her hand... sadly, Martha died as a young woman in 1919... and I'm not sure if she had any children live to adulthood or not.  So perhaps there is a member of the O'Shea family that would appreciate this 105 year old Easter greeting.

 

Mystery Photo... Gottschling- Martin County, MN

Richard Gottschling of Martin County, MN

I recently rescued this photo from a local antique shop

Someone wrote "Richard Gottschling" on the back side

It was taken at a Fairmont, MN photography studio

A check of the MN Marriage Index shows that Richard P. Gottschling & Minnie M.S. Ohlenkamp were married 6 Sept 1905 in Martin County. 

It seems very likely that this is a photo from that marriage. 

I'd love to find a descendant or other relative that I could return this cabinet card to!

Mystery Photo... Nels Johnson of Minnesota

This mystery photo was taken by a Minneapolis, MN photographer

Someone penciled 'Nels Johnson' on the back

To search for someone with such a common name in a large metropolitan area is nearly impossible, at least for me, who has no connection to this person.

Hopefully I can reunite this very nice photo with a family member who will appreciate it!

Mystery Photo... Freeborn Co, MN?

Mystery Photo Sunday

I have such a large photo archive... of both relative & non-relative photos... that I've decided to do a weekly spotlight of one the 'mystery photos' in my possession.


The 3 gentleman are probably connected to families in Freeborn County, Minnesota or Wisconsin... and more specifically the Grinolds, Schoonover or Nelson families.

They came from an old album that belonged to this family. I would love to know the identities of these gentleman and how, if at all, they connect to the above families!

Mystery Photo Sunday... Winnebago, Minnesota

Mystery Photo Sunday

I have such a large photo archive... of both relative & non-relative photos... that I've decided to do a weekly spotlight of one the 'mystery photos' in my possession.

See the below 6 photos... that came from the same album, as there are individuals in the group photo who also have a portrait.

From a Winnebago, Minnesota photography studio.... It'd be great to get these cabinet card photos to someone who might appreciate them!

Lost Document... Aloisius Plutowski & Nettie Ebertowski

Marriage Record... found in an antique shop.....

Just this week I stumbled upon this nicely frame marriage record in an antique shop... at $29, it's a little over the amount that I'm willing to pay to "rescue" unknown genealogy gems.... But I thought if I publicized it here, perhaps I'd be able to find a relative... and in the least, the photos are retained here. 

According to the certificate, Nettie Ebertowski was, at the time, a resident of Oslo, Minnesota... which is a tiny hamlet in Marshall County. Though the wedding took place in North Dakota.

If you are connected to this family, and are interested in actually owning this certificate, I'm happy to assist you in getting it and shipping it to you.

For an 84 year old document, it is in lovely condition... and it's so sad that this family heirloom has been separated from family members who may cherish it.


[update- as of 05/10/2014 this certificate is still for sale]