Mystery Monday: Aiken? Family in Colorado in the 1920s
Unknown children on the trail with donkeys, probably in Colorado circa 1920.
These images were in an old photo album with Lee family ephemera. We believe the primary woman in the photos with the flat-topped hat is Dora J. (Russell) Aiken, as there is a postcard from there written to “Mrs. Samuel Lee,” who would have been Dora (Aiken) Lee. It was signed “Mother.” Alternatively, it could be Louisa M. (Brandenburger) Lee (1859-19340) sometimes called Maria Louisa Brandenburger (German folks swapped first and middle names back and forth), Samuel J.’s mother who married Samuel Lenton Lee (1849-1932), but we do not have a known image of her to compare. Seems like if it was Louisa, she would have included her son and written to “Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lee.” So I am betting on Dora J. Russell being the woman in these pictures.
If anyone has these same or similar pictures, please use our “Contact Us” form or leave a comment so we can compare and share! We are very interested in more information about these photos.
Click on any of the images to enlarge.
In Yellowstone Park, Aug-Sep 1921:
Unknown Lee or Aiken- possibly Dora (Russell) Aiken in Yellowstone Park, Aug 1921.
Aiken or Lee relatives? Sep 1921.
Aiken or Lee Family- Colorado? Aug 1920.
Aiken Family? Yellowstone Park, 10 Aug 1921.
28 Aug 1923- Denver Lookout Mountain. Aiken family?
Buffalo Bill’s gravesite was a popular place to visit:
Buffalo Bill’s Grave, Colorado. Aiken family?
Buffalo Bill’s Grave, Colorado. Aiken family?
Buffalo Bill’s Grave, Colorado. Aiken family? Claude Aiken at fence?
Possibly at Buffalo Bill’s grave in Colorado, Aikens? Possibly Dora J. (Russell) Aiken on right.
Unknown places in Colorado(?):
Probably Colorado around mid 1930s, and possibly Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee with his son, Bobby Lee.
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Family photo treasure chest.
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Friday’s Faces from the Past: At 1038 Grand View Place in St. Louis, Missouri
Samuel J. Lee family home at 1038 Grandview, St. Louis, Missouri, October 1922.
Details of a house can give one clues to pictures with no names, addresses, or dates. The first picture in this post was positively identified by Gene Lee as being their Grand View home, and he identified his mother and the place in the image below. From there we need to make educated guesses about other images in a photo album that look similar.
Dorothy (Aiken) Lee, probably in front of their home at 1038 Grand View Place, St. Louis, Missouri. (Known identification of Dorothy.)
Things we know about this house:
1) It has large white rectangular stones along foundation.
05 Aug 1923, outside 1038 Grand View Place. Unknown woman.
2) The house has brick above the foundation, probably a red brick.
3) There are arched bricks over lower windows of the house in the basement.
4) The house has a basement.
5) Lattice surrounds the base of the porch.
April 1918, outside 1038 Grand View Place, St. Louis, Missouri. Possibly Dora Russell Aiken, who lived with her daughter’s family.
6) A wooden railing with columns surrounds the porch.
7) Height of porch is about 4 feet.
1920, Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee at 1038 Grandview, St. Louis, Missouri. He was about 13 in this photo.
8) The front porch has wide steps.
1922- 1038 Grand View Place. Probably Dorothy (Aiken) Lee.
9) It looks like the wild vegetation was cleared back and columns made bigger on the porch- note differences from first image, but others of these images were verified by Gene Lee (who lived there)- he said they were 1038 Grand View Place.
10) There is a lone tree at the base of the steps.
11) A narrow sidewalk curves around the side of the house.
April 1918, outside 1038 Grand View Place, St. Louis, Missouri. Possibly Dora Russell Aiken, who lived with her daughter’s family.
11) The house appears to be on a cul-de-sac.
12) Using Google maps and street view, we can see that there is a large two-story building nearby (currently a school and may have been in the 1920s as well), plus a house nearby that has a third story window that is the maximum height for its width in the gable. (This house seems to have been demolished; the freeway is very close by now and the road was terminated.)
Using these clues, there are other images in the Lee photo album that were most probably taken at 1038 Grand View Place. Knowing who lived in the house at certain times can help us narrow the possibilities of the persons in the pictures.
May 30, 1924, Decoration Day probably in front of 1038 Grand View Place, St. Louis, Missouri. Dorothy (Aiken) Lee on left?
April, 1918. Possibly Dorothy (Aiken) Lee in front of their home at 1038 Grand View Place, St. Louis, Missouri. Note similar house next door.
Possibly Dora J. Russell on left with unknown woman. Probably in front of 1038 Grand View Place, St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1920s.
Possibly Dora J. (Russell) Aiken at 1038 Grand View Place, St. Louis, Missouri, May 1923.
The Lees had moved on to 6704 Alamo by the time of the 1930 US Federal census.
The house is still standing, and is listed on Zillow.com as being 1,444 sq. ft. with one bathroom, built in 1908. It is located near Clayton and Berthold Streets on Grandview Place (now ‘Grand View’ is one word instead of two). Due to Google’s Terms of Service I cannot post an image of the house, but if you click here, it should take you to the image.
