Top row, from right: Sam Stampfer, ? Bess Dorothy Green?, Herman Green?

This page thankfully had names written in pencil- Woohoo! They show up much better on the scan than in real life, so try scanning items and looking at them carefully- you might find more than expected.

The bottom right young woman with glasses is Bess Green.

The four pictures on the diagonal are Edith Shepard- wonder how she is related?

Green Family Photo Album- page 14.

Estelle Green in bottom left oval, Rose Brave Green in right bottom photo with young girl.

On left, Violet ___y; on right, “Mrs. Abraham Green” or Rose (Brave) Green.

 

Unknown children of the Green Family.

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Oops! Published a Friday post on Thursday. I could say, “Wow, that makes me ahead of the game!” Sadly though, I meant to finish this post for publication last week…

2) Green Family Photo Album, in possession of the author.

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, 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.

 

 

 

The above handsome couple- if they were, indeed, a couple, are just two of the many persons in this Green family photo album that we cannot identify. Please let us know if you have any of these same pictures- maybe yours will have names on them! (A genealogist’s dream.)

The picture on the left may have Bess D. Green on the right- what do you think?

Top left picture is Esther Stampfer on the left with long ringlets. The girl with her may be Sarah “Jane” Ledwidge. Would love some help to identify the others on this page.

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Green Family photo album, probably owned by Bess Dorothy Green.

Not sure why WordPress is calling this 8 of 3 in this series. Another technical glitch to figure out…

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Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

 

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This entry in a Pittsburgh City Directory made me stop and think about how tough life was back in the day- today too, but even fewer safety nets then like Social Security or food stamps. Manual labor was the only job available for many throughout their lifetime. Poor “Old Cochran”- not even known by his first name, just his age- was still working as a laborer at that point in his life. Still living on his own maybe, but sadly I did not notice other Cochrans nearby on his street. A daughter may have been nearby but we wouldn’t know because she, if even listed, would be under her husband’s name.

OK, that was another Heritage Rambling… on to the topic at hand.

I came upon the “Old Cochran” entry while looking for a R. D. Cochran, Artistic Photographer in Pittsburgh. Old City Directories are a great way to find family, friends, associates, and neighbors (the “FAN Club”), as well as nearby businesses, for those from times long gone. I have been trying to find a date for the photos discussed in this week’s “Mystery Monday” post:

https://heritageramblings.net/2014/01/20/mystery-monday…-golumb-family/

Since we have a photographer’s name/studio listed on the portraits, finding when the photographer was in business would help to narrow the date range of the photos. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh, PA does not have a listing of photographers (some other cities do have lists that family historians or archivists have compiled). The knowledgeable folks on the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania RootsWeb group suggested  that I search the many City Directories online for Pittsburgh at https://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/text-idx?c=pitttextdir;page=browse;key=date

There is a search function on the page so I put in “R. D. Cochran” and got 16 hits. I had previously seen a photo of an African-American Civil War soldier posted online that was taken by R. D. Cochran (similar design on the advertisement), so checked the early directories first. My results:

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1863
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1863, p. 58

“Cochran, Robert D., of R D Cochran & Co., n Woods’ Run”

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1865-1866, Pittsburgh, PA: G.H. Thurston, 1865
Collection: Historic Pittsburgh City Directories, p.80

“Cochran R. D., of R. D. Cochran & Co., McClure tp”

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1867
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1867, p.96

“Cochran R. D. of R. D. Cochran & Co. McClure tp”

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1869-1870
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1869, p.100

“Cochran R. D., of R. D. Cochran & Co., res McClure tp”

There are other R. D. Cochrans listed for many later years, mostly in the oil business. I was unable to find the studio listed in the business section of the city directory, but often a business would be required to pay for the privilege of being listed under “Photographers” in the directory, and many were not able to afford the advertising.

So if “R. D. Cochran & Co.” was a photography studio, we may have narrowed the date of the photos. Probably not though, as the Green and Golumb families did not immigrate to the United States until the 1880s, so the time frame is not correct for our image.

I did a US Federal Census search for R. D. Cochran, and found a Robert D. Cochran listed as a steamboat captain in the 1860 census for McCluer Twp, Allegheny, PA- so that might be the “R. D. Cochran & Co” I found in the City Directory in that same township. I searched through other censuses in Allegheny Co. for our photographer, but little luck in finding him or her.

We definitely need more information.

Probably the next step is dating the photos by clothing, hairstyles, and props. There are a number of books available to use for this research, so those will be bedtime reading this week. I also have an email out to a  person who includes the Golomb family on their tree, though they have not posted any photos. But I am really hoping that a cousin will see these photos and remember they have an acid-free storage box with the same photos, with individuals positively identified on them in archival ink. (A family historian’s dream…)

As always, suggestions are appreciated.

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) “Old Cochran- lab” may be found in the Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1862-1863, p.52, Collection: Historic Pittsburgh City Directories at

https://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=pitttextdir;cc=pitttextdir;idno=31735038289116;node=31735038289116%3A1.8;frm=frameset;view=image;seq=72;page=root;size=s

Accessed 1/18/2014.

2) The “FAN Club” is a way to help break through brick walls. By researching Friends, Associates, and Neighbors, you may find something about the ancestor you seek. I wish I could give credit to the researcher who originated the acronym, but do not know who came up with it as a quick way to explain what experienced genealogists have been doing for a long time. Researching siblings is another way to break through brick walls- especially helpful if one of the siblings had an unusual name whereas your direct ancestor might have had a common name. Siblings are often listed in obituaries, parent’s names may be on birth or death records, etc.

3) The Allegheny County, PA RootsWeb List: https://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/PAALLEGH

The Allegheny County, PA RootsWebWebsite: https://www.pagenweb.org/~allegheny/index.htm

4) African-American Civil War soldier- Cabinet Card  found at https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/cabinet-card-african-american-soldier . Accessed 1/17/2014.

5) Robert D. Cochran: Source Citation: Year: 1860; Census Place: McClure, Allegheny,Pennsylvania; Roll: M653_1065; Page: 379; Image: 386; Family History Library Film: 805065. Accessed on Ancestry.com 1/18/2014.

 

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Here are more delightful family pictures, but which family??? And are the photos related, other than being taken at the same photo studio? I answered part of my own questions by working on my FSLOW New Year’s resolution- Find it, Scan it, Label it, Organize it, and Write about it.

This group of photos was in with family treasures from the Green and Cooper families. I have just found notes from 30 years ago that identify the above picture as three of the children of Abraham and Rose (Brave) Green: Ann, Herman, and Bess, taken circa 1895. But why isn’t Estelle, child #2, in the picture with children #1, 3,4?

The back of the photos is charming:

I especially love the line: “Instantaneous Portraits of Children a successful Specialty.”

Here are two more photos with the same backing:

These last two photos appear to have been taken at the same place, possibly at the same time- note the chairs. Thirty year-old notes also ask the question- ?Golumb Family? for the image with the couple and baby- no hints for the picture of the two girls.

Could the two girls possibly be the same ones as in in the photo of the three children? Note the long fingers of the older girl in both, and the shorter, wider hands of the younger girl. To me, their facial features are somewhat similar in the other picture, just more mature.

Some old notes from family oral history state the girls in the last photo may be Estelle Green and Ann Green.

Ann Green was born 1885 in Lithuania, and Estelle on board the ship in 1887 that carried her mother and 1 year-old sister Ann to America. Abraham had immigrated ahead of them, as was often done, probably in 1886, and he had established his tailor business before sending for his family. Their next known baby is Bess Dorothy Green- she was born in 1891 in Pittsburgh. One thought was that the baby in the picture with the couple could be Bessie, but the couple just doesn’t look like I think Abraham and Rose would have looked when young, comparing other pictures. And it is strange to only have some of the children in the first and last picture- that would have been fairly unusual.

Another possibility is that the pictures are of the Golumb Family. Sarah Rebecca Green, sister of Abraham, married Louis Golumb (also Louis Golomb, Lewis Golumb, or Lewis Golomb, dear Google search engine), and they lived in Pittsburgh. In the 1900 US Federal Census, Lewis Golumb and Sarah were living with their 4 children, Esther, Rosie, Bessie, and Isadore, born 1894, 1896, 1897, 1899, respectively. Lewis was a painter and paperhanger and had been born in Poland/Russia like his wife. Censuses vary in when each arrived, but the 1900 census states they had been married for 7 years. Could these be photos Sarah sent back to her brother in St. Louis? If so, and again, why only some of the children, not all?

Here is a picture of Sarah Rebecca Green- well, the family thinks it is Sarah:

Does she look like a younger version of the woman in the photo with the baby? To me her face is too thin to be the same woman.

So there’s your mystery for today.

I am currently trying to find out when R.D. Cochran had the Pittsburgh “Artistic” photography studio, and that may help to confirm the date of these photos. Looks like we also need to learn when  the Fischer Studio was active in St. Louis, Missouri.

Any other information or ideas would be much appreciated.

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Family oral history.

2) Family photo collection with identification on a very few.

3) Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Pittsburgh Ward 8, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1358; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0129; FHL microfilm: 1241358. Accessed on Ancestry.com on 1/17/2014.

 

 

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The Green Family- On the Move!

The Green Family Photo Album has so many fun pictures on its pages. Today we are highlighting some with people on the move- or, at least, looking like they are on the move.

Above- some great hats! I wonder if this is a real automobile or a posed picture in a studio. Sadly, we don’t know the names of these people.

We haven’t been able to identify any of the above children on a porch swing, or any of the other beautiful little children.

Another page with people we cannot identify, but a day at the lake and on the move in boats looks like fun!

 

Taking a day off for a picnic, photo, and stroll is another way to get ‘out’ of the city, even if it might be in a local park. That top hat would make a young man look quite dandy strolling down the street. We think the women on the right, both top and bottom, may be Estelle Green.

And we have saved the most perplexing page for last:

We think that the top left picture is, from left, Rose (Brave) Green, Sam Stampfer (her son-in-law, married to daughter Ann Green), and Bess Dorothy Green (Rose’s daughter). Bessie’s daughter had identified the picture of the young woman in glasses as her mother. However, take a look at the photo at the bottom right of the page- the two women sitting almost look like twins! They have different hats so if it was a double exposure, the hats would have needed to be changed. If a double exposure, why only the one woman, not the other? Could they be cousins that look very much like each other? Or were there twins we just didn’t know about in the family? Censuses, family oral history, and other research has never turned up such information. It is one of the most perplexing genealogical puzzles we have ever faced. If anyone out there has any suggestions or knowledge about these people, we would love to hear it!

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Green Family Photo Album

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