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Mystery Monday: More Helbling (Geier?) Unknown Photos

Unknown family photo- possibly a Helbling or Geier family?

HELBLING Family (Click for Family Tree)

Today we showcase some of our wonderful ancestors that we can’t identify. These images have been lovingly passed down in the Helbling-Geier family from a time when having a portrait taken was a big event. No cell phones or small cameras to capture what was for breakfast, crazy antics with friends, or your haul from the craft store- just photos of the family at their very best.

We hope that someone out there can help us date these pictures or identify individuals. If you have a copy similar, please let us know through our Contact Form!

The beautiful photo above looks like it could be three sisters, since they are fairly close in age and fairly young. Although not a photo expert, it seems this image might be from the 1860s by the dresses they were wearing and the hairstyles. What do you think?

Unknown family photo- possibly a Helbling or Geier family?

The above photo may be from the same studio, same time period, as the borders, etc. were the same. Could this be a portrait of an older sister, on her wedding day, and the portrait of the younger sisters was taken as well as a keepsake? (OK, family historians do have vivid imaginations, but we have seen a lot and could be right.) Or could this be the mother of the girls? Their eyebrows are similar.

Unknown family photo of a child- possibly a Helbling or Geier family?

Above and below are portraits of one or two children, possibly taken in the 1870s or later. The chair in the photos may be the same- could this be the same child, but older? Two siblings? The design of the physical photo itself is similar, so may be from the same studio.

Unknown family photo of a young child- possibly a Helbling or Geier family?

Here is another cute child, taken at the Dabbs Photo Studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Unknown family photo- possibly a Helbling or Geier family?

The London, England-born Benjamin L. H. Dabbs opened his photography studio in Pittsburgh in 1861 and died in 1899, so we at least have a range of time for when this photo was taken. Dabbs was considered to be the finest photographer in Pennsylvania, and was a close friend of Abraham Lincoln and the steel magnate, Andrew Carnegie. An image Dabbs took of Carnegie has been hung at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, and you may have a Carnegie library in your town with a portrait. Back then, most photographers allowed customers to sit again if they did not like a finished portrait, but not Benjamin Dabbs. Because of Dabbs’ reputation, this portrait may have been a bit more costly from the start, and the family would have had to settle for a portrait they didn’t really like, or pay again.

 

Unknown family photo- possibly a Helbling or Geier family?

We are moving into more recent times now with our unknown family, with the above possibly a turn-of-the-century photo– that would be 19th going into 20th century, or around 1900. Small cameras were becoming available to the masses, and cute, spur-of-the-moment pictures could be taken by families who would then have the roll of film developed and pictures printed on paper. (What a concept today!)

Unknown family photo- possibly a Helbling or Geier family?

Here are three lovely ladies, strolling in the park or the yard, with the family dog most likely. People took pictures of their pets back then too! And wonder how long it took to get their hair put up neatly in that ‘do’?

Unknown family photo- possibly a Helbling or Geier family?

This serious young little guy is resting his arm on a Craftsman-style chair, which would put the portrait sometime between about 1880-1920.  His outfit looks like some seen in the 19-teens or so, but again, no photo dating expert here.

Unknown family photo- possibly a Helbling or Geier family?

Could this possibly be the same little guy a couple of years later? Or maybe not, as the portrait could be from the 1920s or 30s.

Unknown family photo- possibly a Helbling or Geier family?

This last picture seems to be a much more recent image- maybe even from the 1950s or 60s.

 

We have about 100 years of photos from the Helbling and/or Geier family in this post! We do hope that maybe someone can help us identify the time or individuals in each one. Please use our ‘Contact Form’ if you can help solve our family photo mystery.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Benjamin Dabbs bio– https://cabinetcardgallery.com/category/photographer-dabbs/
  2. Thanks again to our cousin Mary Lou for sharing all these wonderful photos of times past!

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2019 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

A Helbling-Geier Love Story

Laurelda Collette Helbling and Bernard Adam Geier- Wedding Portrait, 23 Nov 1910.

HELBLING Family (Click for Family Tree)

Before we post more “Unknown” photos from the Helbling-Geier Family Collection, there is a bittersweet story to tell of Laurelda Collette Helbling (1888-1961) and her husband, Bernard Adam Geier (1887-1961).

If you are a good genealogical sleuth, just reading the above paragraph might make you pause- did you notice that they passed away in the same year?

Of course, that would lead to more research…

The Geier Family: Standing, from left- Edwin “Eddie” B. Geier, Laurelda Collette Geier,  Robert “Bob” A. Geier, Lillian May Geier, Mary Agnes Geier. Sitting, from left- Bernard Aloyisus Geier, Laurelda “Collette” (Helbling) Geier, Bernard Adam Geier, and Elizabeth Otillie “Betty” Geier. Little Bernard was born in 1924 and Betty in 1927, so this family portrait may have been taken about 1929.

Bernard and Collette would have been married about 19 years when the above portrait was taken.

Here is the family on 8 June 1937- they would be coming up on their 27th anniversary that November.

8 June 1937- The Geier Family: Geier House, Birmingham and Florence Avenue, Avalon, PA. Standing: Edward/Edwin Geier, Mary Geier, Lillian May Geier, Laurelda Geier, Robert “Bob” Geier.  Bernard Geier, Jr, Bernard A. Geier, Collette (Helbling) Geier, Betty Geier, and Private (youngest girl).

On November 23rd, 1960, Colette and Bernard celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

What happened that next year can best be told by a close family member (slightly edited):

It was Good Friday, March 30, 1961.  Collette, Bernard’s wife, was with her daughter Betty shopping for Easter.  They had bought tulips that day.  Betty drove Collette home and told her mother to stay in the car while Betty went around to the front door of the house so she could come through the house and open the side door so her mother could come in that way.  While she was standing on the porch a car came up Birmingham Avenue and the head lights shined for a second on the garage.  Betty saw something laying beside the garage door.  She ran down to the garage and found Bernard laying just outside the door not breathing.  He had parked his car in the garage and came out and locked the door before having a massive heart attack.  Betty then ran to the house to call for an ambulance and get her mother into the house.  The ambulance took him to Bellevue Hospital but the doctor said he had died instantly.

Collette had been just 22 when they wed, Bernard 23. They had been married to each other for two-thirds of their life- they had been married to each other about twice as long as they had not been married to the other.

Our cousin continued:

Laurelda had at least 50 pen pals and after her husband died she wrote all of them and said she would not be around long because she couldn’t live without Bernard.  He took care of everything for her.  They had been married 50 years.  Her sister-in-law Annie stayed with her after Bernard passed away but then went back to her home.  A few days later Collette was found laying between her bed and the wall.  She had a cerebral hemorrage of the brain and was unconscious.  She was taken to Bellevue Hospital.  The doctor said they were going to put her in the psychiatric unit and she could not have visitors for two weeks.  Her daughter Betty told the doctor that her mother would not be alive in two weeks.

At the time Collette’s youngest daughter was in the same hospital and had just given birth to a daughter.  A nurse came into her daughter’s room and said some patient asked if you had a kangaroo or a hippopotamus.  Her daughter started crying and said “That is my mother.”  Collette never saw her youngest granddaughter.

Collette’s daughter Betty was with her when she passed away.  She had been asleep and when she awoke she said that it felt like angels were in the room and then her mother was gone.

Collette died just three weeks after her husband Bernard.  She was laid out at McDonald’s funeral home in Avalon [PA] and had the same solid oak casket as Bernard.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Family treasure chest of photos and memories. Thank you again, dear Mary Lou, for sharing!

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2019 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

Do You Know These Helblings? (or Geiers? Or Stupys?)

Unknown photo from the Helbling-Geier Family Photo Collection

Helbling Family (click for family tree)

We will be posting some photos in this and upcoming posts of some unknown family. These unlabeled images have been passed down in the Helbling line, and we hope someone out there also has one of these photos, and may be able to identify the people in it.

Here is a little background:

The current owner of these pictures, which were found loose, is a descendant of Laurelda Collette (Helbling) Geier, who lived in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. Laurelda was born in 1888, and married Bernard Adam Geier (1887-1961) on 23 Nov 1910; they both died in 1961, only 22 days apart.

Laurelda was a first cousin to Gerard William “G. W.” Helbling (1882-1971), husband to Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling (1881-1954), our direct ancestor. We have pictures of G.W.’s son, Edgar B. Helbling (1908-1994), with Laurelda’s son, Robert “Bob” A. Geier (1912-1990); they were second cousins.

G.W.’s father was Francis X. Helbling (1840-1919) and Laurelda’s was William Helbling (1841-1896), both children of Franz Xavier Helbling (1800-1876) and Mary Theresa (Knipshield) Helbling (1810-1891). F.X. (Sr.) and Mary were our German immigrants to the US, probably about 1835.

On to the pictures:

Lawrence and Flora (Helbling) Hyle family

The first picture in this article is not labeled with names of the woman or child. We do know that the photo directly above is a portrait of Laurelda’s sister, Flora Agnes (Helbling) Hyle (1867-1920), her husband Lawrence M. Hyle (1864-1921), plus other family members. (The Hyle name has also been spelled “Heyl.”) Although this is not a great image, it could be two or three sisters, their husbands and children, and an older woman who could possibly be their mother. The family thinks that the woman on the far right of the photo looks like the woman in the picture above, and may be one of the women in the following picture:

Unknown portraits- possibly Helbling or Stupy Family, from the Helbling-Geier Family Photo Collection

Could the above picture possibly be 4 generations of the family?

If this portrait was taken in 1897, as the cutout from what was probably the original photo card suggests, the little girl in the lower left could possibly be Laurelda Collette Helbling, who would have been 9 years old that year.

This picture appears to be the same little girl:

Unknown photo from the Helbling-Geier Family Photo Collection

Here is another adorable little girl- could this be the same person, just younger?

Unknown photo from the Helbling-Geier Family Photo Collection

It is always good to compare unknown pictures with those that are labeled, so here is a picture that includes Laurelda:

Helbling Family. Rear, from left: Regis, Millie, Mae, Essie. Front: Eliabeth B (Stupy) Helbling-mother, Laurelda Collette, and Flora Helbling.

What do you think? Could these unknown pictures be of Laurelda Collette (Helbling) Geier?

 

The fact that so many pictures of the same people were lovingly saved over almost 120 years (or more!) suggests that these ‘unknowns’ are truly family members, in the direct line of the person who now holds the images. Not having their names on the picture was logical at the time- their contemporaries all knew who was who.

Please use our contact form to let us know if you have these same photos- even without names, knowing the chain of persons they have been passed down through may help to eliminate or even to identify persons.

With names, of course, would be even better…

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. See “Mystery Monday: Who is Visiting with the Helblings?” for more info about Bob Geier
    http://heritageramblings.net/2018/03/26/mystery-monday-who-is-visiting-with-the-helblings/
  2. Histed Studio- there is an 1897 image from a studio by this name but at a different address in Pittsburgh: https://historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/search/catch_all_fields_mt%3A%28histed%29?f%5B0%5D=RELS_EXT_isMemberOfCollection_uri_ms%3A%22info%5C%3Afedora%5C/pitt%3Acollection.236%22&islandora_solr_search_navigation=0
  3. A special thanks to cousin Mary Lou who has done phenomenal research on the Helbling family- in the days before the internet!- and who has been a wonderful steward of these family treasures.

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2019 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

Something Special to Celebrate America’s Birthday!

Originally entitled “Yankee Doodle,” this is one of several versions of a scene painted by
A. M. Willard that came to be known as “The Spirit of ’76.” Public domain via Wikipedia.

 

Helbling/Springsteen Family, and ALL our American family!

What if we knew of an object that was 243 years old, had been an active part of making America free, and had a connection to our family? Would that make you even more proud to be an American? Would that make you even more proud to have the DNA of such ancestors that used the artifact? Would you feel more connected to history?

Would you also be amazed???

Those were some of my emotions when I saw the following treasure on the website, AmericanPowderHorns.com:

A powder horn that belonged to Capt. Abraham Remsen, who commanded a Revolutionary War militia from Newtown, Long Island, New York, which had been a Dutch Colony that was then owned by the British. Image posted with the very kind permission of Rich Nardi, owner of the powder horn and the website, AmericanPowderHorns.com.

 

Incredibly, this fragile piece of animal horn has survived 243 years thanks to the wonderful care of collectors like Rich Nardi. If you are a descendant, this is really special, but in the U.S., we are all beneficiaries of the persons who used these horns and settled this country, and who fought for our freedoms.

This horn originally belonged to Capt. Abraham Remsen (1730-1807), who is a 6th great-uncle to the grandchildren of Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling and her husband Gerard William “G. W.” Helbling of St. Louis, MO. (To know your relationship to Capt. Remsen, figure the number of generations you are removed from the grandchildren of Anna May & G.W., and add 6 to know the number of generations between yourself and this Revolutionary War hero.) We cannot know if Capt. Remsen carved it himself, if his troops did the work and gave it to him, or if it was professionally carved, but it is a fantastic artifact, whatever its origin.

So what is a powder horn? Yes, it is just what it sounds like- a horn-shaped object which is hollow and used to store powder for the guns of an earlier time. Cow and ox horns were typically used in the Eastern US. Oxen were plentiful as they were used in farming to pull a plow or to help remove felled trees, drag barges against the current in a canal, or pull heavy loads such as pioneer wagons or military cannon across mountains and plains. Cows were even more plentiful and kept on farms (and even on city lots!) for milk but also for butter, which was often traded for other goods at the general store, and when they were no longer good milk producers, the cows became a source of meat. There were also powder horns made from a variety of animal horns, like bison or water buffalo; powder horns were even made of ivory, wood, or tin.

As Rich states on his website, “The powder horn was the companion to every musket and rifle in early America.” If you didn’t keep your powder dry, your rifle would not fire properly and you would miss the shot of the animal that was to be your family’s dinner… or the shot that would save your child from the attack of a mountain lion… or the shot that would protect the safety of your family and property from nefarious individuals or soldiers coming to take your freedoms. You could even be injured or killed when the gun misfired due to wet powder.

Battle of Springfield New Jersey, 1780. Just an example- we do not know if our Capt. was there, but note man with outstretched arm- the round object on his right with a strap may be his powder horn. Image via Wikipedia, public domain.

 

A powder horn was closed at the larger end by a metal or wood plug, and it generally would have a knob on which a strap was attached, as in the right of the powder horn above. The other end often had a metal spout with a cover. In the Remsen horn, the pouring spout is tin that is threaded and pegs made of wood  hold the spout to the horn. The cap was also made of tin, and open at both ends to be used like a funnel in filling the horn from the smaller end. A wooden or cork stopper would have been inserted into the spout to keep the gunpowder from spilling out, but that piece has been lost to time. The spout end would be carried toward the front of the soldier or hunter, or when worn cross-body, often slung to the back when marching. When needed, the horn could be quickly grabbed and pulled forward, then cap removed and powder poured into the pan or muzzle, setting up another shot as quickly as possible.

Tip of the Abraham Remsen powder horn owned by Rich Nardi, posted with his generous permission, via AmericanPowderHorns.com.

 

Many- or most?- early Americans, especially those on the frontier, created their own powder horns- its preparation was a good evening or winter activity, or, for a soldier, something to keep the mind and hands busy during the interminable, worrisome, boring hours of waiting for battle. Some polished their horns, both inside and out, as that would make the horn translucent and the amount of powder left inside was easily visible. (“Do I have enough for one more shot at the bear running toward me or should I run?”*) Most horns were probably very utilitarian, but many became beautiful pieces of folk art, with scrimshaw-like carvings that showed what was important to the owner- perhaps a place, a battle, a date, bible verse or saying, or images of nature or people. Some, like Abraham’s horn, give us the gift of their name, too.

Carving on the Abraham Remsen powder horn owned by Rich Nardi, posted with his generous permission. AmericanPowderHorns.com

 

Transcription:

“CAPT. ABRAH

AM REMSE

N. NEWT

ON LONG

ISLAND

MILITIA

JUN 1776″

We have so few artifacts that bring us down to the month and day they were created, and even provide the owner’s name. He was “Capt. Abraham Remsen” in June of 1776- the month before he heard the Declaration of Independence! By July, Abraham had been promoted to Major. Abraham was in charge of a section of Long Island, New York militia that were already fighting to gain our freedom from British tyranny, even though the Declaration of Independence had not yet been signed or circulated in June of 1776, the date on the horn.

(There is a lot of story to tell about this family and Capt. Remsen- that will be done in upcoming blogs.)

Speaking of the British, you may have heard them called “Redcoats” as in the iconic ride of Paul Revere, “The Redcoats are coming!”

The British forces at the “Battle of Bunker Hill” (1909) by E. Percy Moran, public domain via Wikimedia.

 

“Redcoat” definitely described the British uniform, but it was also a derogatory term for the king’s soldiers. In the psychological war that always plays a part in any international or civil conflict, the American patriots had yet another name for the highly trained, professional British army, a name that was even worse. Probably spoken most often with a sneer and a spit, (and maybe some fear), they called the British soldiers, “Lobsters.”

We know that our (some number) great uncle Capt. Abraham Remsen, definitely used the term, “Lobsters” for the British:

Abraham Remsen powder horn owned by Rich Nardi, posted with his generous permission, via AmericanPowderHorns.com.
Abraham Remsen powder horn owned by Rich Nardi, posted with his generous permission, via AmericanPowderHorns.com.
Abraham Remsen powder horn owned by Rich Nardi, posted with his generous permission, via AmericanPowderHorns.com.

(Love that New York accent in the spelling!)

Abraham Remsen powder horn owned by Rich Nardi, posted with his generous permission, via AmericanPowderHorns.com.

 

“MY POWDER MAKES LOBSTARS FLEE”

What delightful words to put on the object that holds the powder for his rifle or musket!

In those days, it was thought that the local red lobsters mainly lived on ocean detritus (remains of dead creatures). Lobsters were thus sometimes called “the cockroaches of the sea.” Did the patriots think that was how low the British were- cockroaches? After a storm, lobsters would wash up on the New England coastline, sometimes in piles two feet high! It was a great source of protein, but went bad quickly after the lobster died. Because it was so plentiful, lobster became a food for the poor. Living on Long Island so near the sea, the Remsen family may have eaten red lobster, but they were certainly familiar with piles of lobster rotting on the beach, and the accompanying stench.  The Captain and his troops would have been as eager to finish off the British as they would have been for having piles of rotting lobster on the beach just disappear!

One other fun wordplay on this beautiful powder horn- certain powders make fleas jump off mangy dogs.  Was the maker of this horn implying that the British soldiers were as unwelcome in America as fleas??

The other side of the powder horn has two ships, full masted, in a harbor, probably New York Harbor. Abraham would have seen them there frequently as the British mustered their forces by land as well as sea to put down the insurrection of British citizens against their king. These carvings have become very worn and hard to photograph over the years, so we currently do not have images of them, but that is in the works.

The bold images and words on Abraham’s horn have brought us into the trenches with him to feel the hatred, the anger, and the emotions of a soldier risking it all for the lives of family, friends, property, and freedom. Now, take a closer look at the rest of this powder horn, and the beautiful, fine-line carving behind the bolder words. There are trees and flowers, graphic bars dividing sections and the cartouche framing his name and information, ‘wingdings’- small graphics use to separate words, etc. And then there are the two rows of houses and a band that states “Newtown,” the town he lived in on Long Island, in what was called “New Netherland” when his Dutch ancestors helped settle it. That image was a good reminder for even the really bad times (which were to come- soon) of why he he had left home and family to take the life of others. Perhaps Abraham could momentarily escape into the images of the houses and trees and be removed from the mundane, often miserable, scenes of camp life and battle that he was living, no matter how brief the sweet reverie. Abraham’s beautiful powder horn would have kept him going, both mentally and militarily, for the long series of battles that was just beginning.

 

There is much more to come on Abraham Remsen and our Dutch Colonial ancestors of the Springsteen family. In the meantime, please visit Rich Nardi’s website, AmericanPowderHorns.com, for more information about this horn, and other fantastic artifacts from our early history as a country.

Thank you so much, Rich, for preserving and so generously sharing these treasures!

 

Notes and Sources:

  1. *Running is not necessarily the best tactic for dealing with a bear- please learn what is currently recommended before you go out into the woods.
  2. Rich Nardi’s wonderful website is AmericanPowderHorns.com. You can see Capt. Remsen’s horn at http://americanpowderhorns.com/?s=remsen.
  3. Personal correspondence with Rich Nardi over the years. Thank you for your patience, explanations, generosity, and tender care of these treasures.
  4. More about powder horns– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powder_horn and https://www.nps.gov/vafo/learn/historyculture/upload/PowderHorns-with-arrowhead.pdf

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images. We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog. 

Original content copyright 2013-2019 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly. Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

Wordless Wednesday: Wrabbits and G. W. Helbling

G. W. Helbling with his son Edgar and their pet rabbits, about 1919 in their backyard in St. Louis, Missouri. The young girl could be his daughter (Anna) May Helbling, who would have been about 8 in 1919, or Viola G. Helbling who would have been about 5 in 1919. Edgar was about 11. (Click to enlarge.)

Helbling Family (Click for Family Tree)

[Those of us ‘of an age’ will remember cartoons and commercials with ‘rabbit’ pronounced more like it is spelled above; seems like as kids a lot of us said it that way too. And it alliterates better with “Wordless Wednesday.” Sorry.]

G. W. Helbling with his rabbits Bill & Gicky, May 1923. (Click to enlarge.)

G. W. Helbling with his pet rabbit, about 1934. (Click to enlarge.)

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Family treasure chest of Helbling photo albums.

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2018 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.