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.
Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.
Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
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Envelope to Santa from Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee, possibly c1915-1919. (Click to enlarge.)
Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee was born 06 Sep 1907 in St. Louis, Missouri, to Samuel J. Lee (1879-1964) and Dorothy Adele Aiken (1884-1953).
We are guessing that this letter was written possibly when he was about 8-11, so that would be around 1915-1919. (Kids learned to write later back then than they do now.)
Transcription:
“Gene Lee
1038 Grandview [return address]
[To:]
North Pole
Mr. santa clau [torn paper]”
Including that return address was vital, so Santa could find his house- no GPS or online directories for Santa back then. ;D
Letter to Santa from Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee, possibly c1915-1919. (Click to enlarge.)
Transcription:
“Mr. santa clause
I want a hat a coat
a football a tran [train] a some [looks erased]
soldier game some books
a blackboard some games
a little santa clause.”
The request for the ‘soldier game’ may help to put the date around 1918 when World War I was in progress, although little boys always seem to want to play soldiers, whether with toy soldiers or today’s more sophisticated video war games.
Asking for a hat and coat first, necessities of life in the St. Louis winters, shows how tough economic times were at the end of the nineteen teens, and how practical people had to be everyday.
Even for Christmas.
Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee, age 12, 1920. (Click to enlarge.)
Happy Holidays to all our family and readers!
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Family treasure chest ephemera, in possession of author.
Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.
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.
Here are some other pictures that were in the same group. Vada (Kovich) Lee (second wife of Gene Lee, and she also lived in the Alamo house), had originally said this was Dottie Lee, but then decided it was not. She believed it to be an older version of the sunroom on Alamo, the Lee family household for generations in St. Louis, Missouri. She was unsure as to who it was, as she had not known Gene’s grandparents.
Unknown woman- possibly same as above? Maria Louisa Brandenburger?
One possibility is that it is Maria Louisa (or Louisa Maria- Germans switched their two names about and were often called by their middle name) (Brandenburger) Lee. Maria was married to Samuel Lenton Lee, and their eldest child was Samuel J. Lee, who owned the home on Alamo. Samuel L died in June of 1932, so Maria would have been a widow after that, and possibly lived with her son or other children, or just made extended stays to St. Louis from their original home in Bunker Hill, Illinois. Maria died 06 May 1934 in Bunker Hill, not the 07 Feb 1935 as noted on the back of the first picture, but memories written on the back of pictures are not always accurate.
Unknown woman, possibly Maria Louisa Brandenburger Lee or Minnie Schoor?
Could this be the same woman? We don’t know for sure who she is either. It would be great to find someone with these same images!
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Lee Family Treasure Chest, reviewed with Gene and Vada Lee in the 1980s.
Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.
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.
In the Gould’s 1917 City Directory for St. Louis, Missouri, Samuel J. Lee is listed as residing at 1038 Grand View Place.
Gould’s 1917 City Directory listing for Samuel J. Lee. Ancestry.com
The family probably purchased the house sometime between 1910 and 1917, as at the 1910 census, the family was living at 4063 Chouteau, very near Sam’s store at 4067 Chouteau. (Were they possibly living over the store in those early years?)
The family was still living in this house on Grand View Place when the 1920 US Federal Census was enumerated. Samuel J. Lee, his wife Dorothy (Aiken) Lee, their son Lloyd E. Lee (later known by his middle name, Eugene or “Gene”), and Dorothy’s mother Dora J. (Russell) Aiken (she was separated from her husband, William H. Aiken) were still living in the household. Sam had his own store and worked there as a druggist, and his mother-in-law also worked there, as a saleswoman.
Dorothy (Aiken) Lee, probably in front of their home at 1038 Grand View Place, St. Louis, Missouri. (Known identification of Dorothy, per Gene Lee.)
The house was in a beautiful area- just a long block to Forest Park, the 1300+ acre park that was the site of the 1904 World’s Fair (AKA ‘Louisiana Purchase Exposition’). The park also houses the Art Museum, zoo, bandstands, picnic areas, lakes, etc., and has been a centerpiece of St. Louis life for well over a century. The surrounding homes were big for the time period, with two or three stories. Yards were fairly small since the home was in the city, but there were small trees planted on the lot to provide shade and some cooling in the relentless sun and heat of St. Louis summers.
Learning more about a house and it’s setting can help us to understand the socio-economic position of a family, their passions (gardens, yard art, etc.), their style, etc. Looking at the architectural features of a home can help us to identify unknown photos, and possibly help date them and give us clues about the people in the images.
Tomorrow: using clues from a house to help identify unmarked photos.
Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.
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.
1940s trip to Colorado. From left, Bobby Lee (Robert E. “Bob” Lee), Ruth Nadine (Alexander) Lee, Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee, Henrietta (Fasterling) Reuter and Walter Reuter on the trail on horseback. (Click to enlarge.)
The gift of the “FAN Club” continues- Jeff Reuter has more images for us with dear family on a Colorado trip.
Little Bobby, or Robert E. “Bob” Lee on the mountain in Colorado, 1940s. (Click to enlarge.)
Little Bobby Lee was born in 1932, so would have been eight if this trip was in 1940.
1940s trip to Colorado- Gene & Ruth Lee family and Henrietta and Walter Reuter. (Click to enlarge.)
Here is another clue to place. Victor, Colorado is about 6 miles from Cripple Creek, and all these historic towns are part of a mining area that has been frequented by tourists for many, many years. Our son was about the same age as his grandfather, “Little Bobby,” when we visited Victor and Cripple Creek. Going down into the mine was such fun for us- wonder if the Lees and Reuters made that trip deep into the earth back in the 1940s?
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Family photos shared by Jeff Reuter- thank you again, Jeff!
Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.
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.
