Wandering Around The Family Tree

This carte de viste photograph of my great-great grandfather John Ross Kellam likely dates from the 1860s. Cards with two borders of different widths were popular from 1864-1869. [1]  The standing pose was more popular in the early 1860s than in later years. [2] The photographer, W.J. Tait had his studio at the corner of Cortlandt & Greenwich Streets in New York. The I.R.S. Tax Assessment Lists for 1863 include a W.J. Tait, a photographer located at 51 Cortlandt Street in New York City. [3] The 1862 Commercial Directory confirms this address. [4] So far, these are the only references I've found to identify when William J. Tait had a studio on Cortlandt Street. If the studio didn't exist for very long, then the photo likely dates from about 1863-1864.  John Ross Kellam is identified as the father of Mary, Frank & Clara on the back. They were his three children that survived to adulthood. Since the photo came down through my part of the family, I assume someone in the fa...

This photograph of Susan Abigail (Hankins) Bush likely dates from the mid-1870s. The photographer, Addison Delavan Harding, opened his studio in Susquehanna in 1873. [1] Susan and her husband David Tyler Bush were living in Susquehanna by 1870, and remained there until at least the 1880s.  The script words "Cabinet Portrait" indicate that this may be an early cabinet card, where the photographer was trying to distinguish a new format of photography from earlier formats such as carte de vistes.  The identification of the subject as "Aunt Abbie Bush" suggests that it was labeled by one of her nephews - either Howard Ross Hankins or William Lucas Hankins. While Susan Abigail had other nieces and nephews, this likely belonged to someone in her brother Lucas Wurtz Hankins' family, since it has been passed down through is part of the family. This next photograph of Susan Abigail Hankins was likely taken about 1894-1896. The photographer was G.E. Priest of Tully, New Y...

 My guess is this photo of Angeline Elizabeth (Hankins) Johnson dates from the 1870s, based on the elaborate lace collar on her dress. There is no information about the photographer or where it was taken.  On the back, it says Aunt Angie Johnson in unknown handwriting. This was possibly written by her nephew, William Lucas Hankins, my great grandfather. While Angie had many nieces and nephews, given what I know about the passing down of photos in my family, William Lucas Hankins is the most likely person to have provided the identification.  This second photograph of Angie likely dates from about 1894. There is nothing on the photograph itself to indicate the date. However, she appears to be wearing the same dress that she wore in the group portrait with her siblings taken at Harding Studio in Binghamton that year.  The date on the back, 1 February 1903, is her death date, so unlikely to be the date the photograph was taken.  Angeline Elizabeth Hankins, daughte...

  This photograph of Rebecca Thomas Hankins was taken by the photographer Sighi of Binghamton, New York. Wellington G. Sighi had a photographic studio in Binghamton between 1872 and 1885, which gives a date range for this photo. [1] Sighi's bio on the Nineteenth-Century Photographers of Binghamton, New York makes him out to be quite a character!  During those years, Rebecca lived in Hankins, Sullivan County, New York. She first appears in the records in Binghamton in the 1899 City Directory. Her brother, Samuel Howard Hankins, was living in Binghamton by 1888.  The identification of Rebecca T. Hankins is in an unknown person's handwriting. The dates of her birth and death are in the handwriting of Barbara (Schickler) Hankins, who was born fifteen years after Rebecca died.  This photograph has been digitally enhanced.  Rebecca Thomas Hankins, daughter of John Hankins (1803-1847) and Susan Thomas (1811-1885), was born 20 October 1835 in Pennsylvania. She was a sch...

 This photograph of Howard Ross Hankins was taken in Owego, Tioga County, New York. The dark color of the card indicates it was taken in the late 1880s, which is consistent with what is known about Howard's life and when he was in Tioga County.  On the back, the photo is identified as Howard Hankins in an unknown person's handwriting.  The photo has been digitally enhanced.  Howard Ross Hankins, son of Lucas Wurtz Hankins (1831-1910) and Mary Ellen Ross (1835-1914), was born 4 August 1863 in Manchester, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. He married Emma Chappius (1862-1889), daughter of Mark Chappius (1827-1918) and Mary (1835-1883) on 6 March 1888 in Berkshire, Tioga County, New York. Howard and Emma had a daughter Mabel (1889-1890). On 26 May 1907, Howard married Martha M. Hanning (1874-1960), daughter of John Hanning (1842-1929) and Martha (1845-1918) in Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York. Howard died in Los Angeles on 27 March 1922.  Newspaper accounts link Howard...

 I found two photographs labeled Mary Ellen (Ross) Hankins. The identifications are done in my mother's handwriting.  Both photos may have been taken the same day - Mary Ellen is wearing the same clothing in both photos. One photo shows more of the dress than the other. It's not clear if one is a copy of the other, or if they were originally two separate images.  One has been peeled off a cardboard backing. The other is a cabinet card indicating the photograph was taken by A.P. Davis of the Elite Studio in Deposit, Delaware County, New York. I have not been able to identify information about A.P. Davis.  These images have been digitally enhanced  in Photoshop.  Mary Ellen Ross, daughter of John Ross (1791-1837) and Sarah Kellam (1797-????), was born 25 August 1835 in Pennsylvania. She married Lucas Wurtz Hankins (1831-1910), son of John Hankins (1803-1847) and Susan Thomas (1811-1885) on 5 August 1857 at the home of her half brother Benjamin Tyler. Mary Ell...

 There is a label on the back of the photograph identifying it as Lucas W, William L and Mary Ellen Ross Hankins, with a date of c 1875-1880 we think. The handwriting for the identification is in my mother's handwriting (she's also the person who stuck labels on the backs of photos and wrote on them with ink after I told her not to write on the backs of the photos in ink! I said use a soft pencil!) I suspect mmy grandfather Francis William Hankins provided the identification of his father William L Hankins in the photograph. There are enough other photos of Lucas and Mary Ellen to compare that would confirm their identities.  No information is provided as to where the photograph was taken. My guess is Manchester, Wayne County, Pennsylvania, since that is where Lucas Hankins and his family lived.  I suspect the photograph dates from the early 1880s. William was born in 1872. So for the photo to have been taken 1875-1880 - he would be between 3 and 8 years old. He looks old...