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The Mystery Photo That Uncovered a Family Tragedy

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  Have you ever found a beautiful photograph in the family collection and wondered, 'Who is this person?' That's exactly what happened to me with this stunning portrait of a young woman.  She looks to be in her early twenties and the portrait looks to have been taken around 1930. And while members of both my Schickler and Christensen families were living in New York City at the time, we haven’t been able to place this young woman in either family. Photograph of Unidentified Woman. Hankins Family papers,  privately held by Patty Hankins of Bethesda, Maryland. On a recent visit to my Aunt Betsey’s, she wondered if the mystery photo could be a portrait of Lester’s fiancée, the opera singer, who died of meningitis the day after my grandparents got married, which is why Uncle Chris couldn’t walk my grandmother down the aisle at her wedding! [1] Apparently my grandmother's parents weren't able to attend the wedding.  This was a family story I’d never heard. The only m...

Early 1900s Call Album - Page 37

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    Sometime in about 1904, someone in my grandmother Evelyn Clara Call's (1895-1962) family started taking photographs and placing them in an album. My grandmother was nine in 1904, so she could have been the photographer. Or it could have been one of her parents Charles Joslin Call (1859-1939) or Elizabeth Ann (Coe) Call (1861-1956). Most of the early photographs are of family gatherings and places someone visited. I believe by about 1911, my grandmother was taking the photographs. There are photos of her classmates at Batavia High School and groups of teenage girls.  The Call family live in Stafford, Genesee County, New York. They had a cottage at Silver Lake in Wyoming County. So many of the photos were taken in these locations.  Photos were taken in 1911. Helen Elizabeth Call  Helen Elizabeth Call was born 1 July 1910 in Schenectady. Schenectady County, New York, the daughter of Charles Arthur Call (1885-1962) and Bertha May Hotchkiss (1882-1946). She marri...

Early 1900s Call Album - Page 36

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  Sometime in about 1904, someone in my grandmother Evelyn Clara Call's (1895-1962) family started taking photographs and placing them in an album. My grandmother was nine in 1904, so she could have been the photographer. Or it could have been one of her parents Charles Joslin Call (1859-1939) or Elizabeth Ann (Coe) Call (1861-1956). Most of the early photographs are of family gatherings and places someone visited. I believe by about 1911, my grandmother was taking the photographs. There are photos of her classmates at Batavia High School and groups of teenage girls.  The Call family live in Stafford, Genesee County, New York. They had a cottage at Silver Lake in Wyoming County. So many of the photos were taken in these locations.  Photos were taken in 1911 probably at the home of Charles Joslin Call and Elizabeth Ann Coe. This is another page of cyanotypes Marion Amelia Call  Marion Amelia Call was born 26 June 1911 in Schenectady, Schenectady County, New York, the ...

Early 1900s Call Album - Page 35

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  Sometime in about 1904, someone in my grandmother Evelyn Clara Call's (1895-1962) family started taking photographs and placing them in an album. My grandmother was nine in 1904, so she could have been the photographer. Or it could have been one of her parents Charles Joslin Call (1859-1939) or Elizabeth Ann (Coe) Call (1861-1956). Most of the early photographs are of family gatherings and places someone visited. I believe by about 1911, my grandmother was taking the photographs. There are photos of her classmates at Batavia High School and groups of teenage girls.  The Call family live in Stafford, Genesee County, New York. They had a cottage at Silver Lake in Wyoming County. So many of the photos were taken in these locations.  Photos were taken in 1911 at Pleasant Grove Farm.   Charles Arthur Call, Helen Elizabeth Call  Charles Arthur Call, son of Charles Joslin Call (1859-1939) and Elizabeth Ann (Coe) Call (1862-1956) was born 8 October 1885 in Stafford, G...

Early 1900s Call Album - Page 34

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Sometime in about 1904, someone in my grandmother Evelyn Clara Call's (1895-1962) family started taking photographs and placing them in an album. My grandmother was nine in 1904, so she could have been the photographer. Or it could have been one of her parents Charles Joslin Call (1859-1939) or Elizabeth Ann (Coe) Call (1861-1956). Most of the early photographs are of family gatherings and places someone visited. I believe by about 1911, my grandmother was taking the photographs. There are photos of her classmates at Batavia High School and groups of teenage girls.  The Call family live in Stafford, Genesee County, New York. They had a cottage at Silver Lake in Wyoming County. So many of the photos were taken in these locations.  Based on the ages of the children - these photos were likely taken around 1911.   Helen Elizabeth Call Helen Elizabeth Call was born 1 July 1910 in Schenectady. Schenectady County, New York, the daughter of Charles Arthur Call (1885-1962) an...

Early 1900s Call Album - Page 33

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Sometime in about 1904, someone in my grandmother Evelyn Clara Call's (1895-1962) family started taking photographs and placing them in an album. My grandmother was nine in 1904, so she could have been the photographer. Or it could have been one of her parents Charles Joslin Call (1859-1939) or Elizabeth Ann (Coe) Call (1861-1956). Most of the early photographs are of family gatherings and places someone visited. I believe by about 1911, my grandmother was taking the photographs. There are photos of her classmates at Batavia High School and groups of teenage girls.  The Call family live in Stafford, Genesee County, New York. They had a cottage at Silver Lake in Wyoming County. So many of the photos were taken in these locations.  The photo on this page was taken in August 1911.  Helen Elizabeth Call (standing), Bertha May (Hotchkiss) Call (seated), Marion Amelia Call (on lap) Bertha May Hotchkiss was born 11 April 1882 in Arcade, Wyoming County, New York, the daughter of ...

Early 1900s Call Album - Page 32

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    Sometime in about 1904, someone in my grandmother Evelyn Clara Call's (1895-1962) family started taking photographs and placing them in an album. My grandmother was nine in 1904, so she could have been the photographer. Or it could have been one of her parents Charles Joslin Call (1859-1939) or Elizabeth Ann (Coe) Call (1861-1956). Most of the early photographs are of family gatherings and places someone visited. I believe by about 1911, my grandmother was taking the photographs. There are photos of her classmates at Batavia High School and groups of teenage girls.  The Call family live in Stafford, Genesee County, New York. They had a cottage at Silver Lake in Wyoming County. So many of the photos were taken in these locations.  The photos on this page appear to date from 1910 and 1911.  Juniors at Batavia High School, 1910 Robert Vincent Call is 4th from the left Robert Vincent Call was born 4 December 1892 in Wichita, son of Charles Joslin Call (1859-1939...