Mystery Monday: Unknown Family (Photograph in Iowa)

This photograph is a mystery. It was (to my understanding) in the possession of Gertrude Alice /Fritz/ Brinton, who passed away in 1993.

Unknown Family

This family is probably from Iowa. Maybe from Madison County, but possibly from Wapello County, or Warren County or Cass County. Or from a county in that general area.

Gertrude was born in 1912, but I don’t know if this photograph was taken before or after she was born. I don’t know if she knew these people. I don’t know enough about outfits to suggest about when this photograph may have been taken, but my guess would be early 1900’s.

There is a photo studio name at the bottom-right, but it is difficult to read. It looks like it beings with a “Ti”, and may be about seven letters long. Underneath looks like it has the letters “M L”, and maybe “ERSB” and a number.

If anyone knows who this family is, or recognizes the photo studio information, please leave a comment with anyone you know.

Update 2012-02-15:

I have a theory that this family may be the family of Rebecca Alice /Fritz/ Beebe. If the photo was taken in 1906 (prior to Rebecca’s daughter Ellen marrying), then the people in the photograph would be:

  • Back Left – Albert Jay Beebe [age 20]
  • Back Center – Ellen /Beebe/ Johnson [age 23]
  • Back Right – William Sherman Beebe [age 16]
  • Front Left – Franklin Willis Beebe [age 49]
  • Front Center – Carlton Beebe [age 7]
  • Front Right – Rebecca Alice /Fritz/ Beebe [age 45]

The boy’s hair is parted on the opposite side from Carl’s on a known photograph of Carl, but the part here looks unnatural to me, as if someone parted it on the wrong side.

2 thoughts on “Mystery Monday: Unknown Family (Photograph in Iowa)

  1. That’s a great photo. I wish you luck in finding out more about it. I love the name of your blog, very clever! I’ll have to stop back and read more posts.

  2. It really is a great photo, isn’t it? I’d love to be able to find a relative of one of the people in the photo to send them this scan, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to find out who they are first!

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