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.
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.
Henrietta (Fasterling) Reuter on left and Ruth Nadine )Alexander) Lee on right in Colorado, 1940s. (Click to enlarge.)
Jeff Reuter is the wonderful person mentioned on my Monday post who found our blog after reprinting images from his family treasure archive of negatives. Thankfully he enjoys photography, and has all the equipment needed to reprint the found negatives. (Jeff has a business called Silver Coast Photography in Bradenton, FL; he may be found on weekends taking and making black & white images at the Coquina Beach Market.)
Here was the first comment Jeff left on our blog:
“Gene and Ruth were friends of my mother and father, Henrietta and Walter Reuter. I have reprinted photos of Ruth and Gene and Henrietta when they were in Colorado in 1940.”
1940- from left Ruth Nadine (Alexander) Lee, Henrietta (Fasterling) Reuter, a friend, in center, and Ruth’s husband, Walter Reuter. Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee on right with 1940 Pontiac, license plate from Missouri. (Click to enlarge.)
From an email:
“When I printed the photo with the car, I knew that was Gene, but I had never met Ruth. I would have been nine when she died. I did a Google search for Gene & Vada Lee [Vada was Gene’s second wife, after Ruth died.] and found the Heritage [Ramblings blog] website.
“After finding photos of Ruth online I concluded that the other woman in the photo was Ruth.”
Ruth Nadine (Alexander) Lee on left with young boy, probably Robert Eugene “Bob” Lee, her son with Lloyd Eugene Lee, who is probably the man on right. In Colorado, 1940s. (Click to enlarge.)
From Jeff’s second comment:
“There is also a photo of a sign post in Victor, CO. with directions to Florence, Divide, and Cripple Creek.”
When I saw the above image, I felt that I had been there, and thought it might be Cripple Creek or Victor, Colorado. Jeff’s thorough description of what was in with the photos gives us a more specific clue as to place.
Email:
“The photo [below] of Henrietta and Walter was taken in about 1935 around the time they were married. I have no idea how they met Gene and Ruth. My mother’s maiden name was Fasterling and there is a building in St. Louis called the Fasterling building. She was born in 1913 and grew up in south St. Louis around Magnolia and Brannon. My dad was born in St. Louis in 1908 and grew up on a farm in Batesville, Arkansas. He worked for Southwestern Bell in downtown St. Louis his entire career. The photo with the 1940 Pontiac has a Missouri license plate from 1940, so that pretty much dates the photos.”
Walter & Henrietta Reuter, 1940s
Jeff’s second comment included:
“I remember that Gene and Bob would bring fireworks to the home of Mildred and Pete Peterson in Affton, MO on July 4th in the fifty’s. The Petersons were good friends of our family. I can also remember Gene inviting us out on a yacht owned by a drug company and we motored up the Mississippi for a while. That was around 1960 when I was 16.
“The negatives from the Colorado trip that I have printed were stashed in old envelopes that Henrietta kept. I don’t know what happened to the original prints. She died in 2011 at the age of 97. I found the negatives and printed them in my darkroom along with other photos that look to be from that same time. They show Henrietta’s mother Hilda Molin and stepfather Algot Molin and his 1939 Dodge.”
Since the Petersons were good family friends, that might explain how the Reuters met Gene and Ruth Lee- Mildred (Alexander) Peterson was Ruth’s sister. Another tidbit that seems small but can actually provide a link.
When we started this blog, we were hoping it might be ‘cousin bait’ but it has also been a great way to connect with friends, associates, and neighbors, AKA the “FAN Club.” Our family so appreciates Jeff taking the time to contact us and share these wonderful 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.
Notes, Sources, and References:
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.
Home of Henry Edwin “H. E.” Aiken and his second wife Lizzie Schmink in Amherst, Ohio. The young woman and man may be William Hanford “W. H.” Aiken and his wife Dora J. Russell. Image would have been taken after about 1891 when H. E. married Lizzie. A family picture provided by a kind collaborator, DB. (Click to enlarge.)
Since I have been focused on building a new home and have not had much time for writing, I thought some pictures of family homes might be in order on the blog.
Image of “Grandpa Aiken” or W. H. Aiken, d Feb. 17, 1942 in Tylerlawn, Mississippi. Unknown if this is actually his house. (Click to enlarge.)Interior of Lee home at 6204 Alamo, St. Louis, Missouri. The clock on the mantel is still in the family, and the beloved dog in the picture is Mickey. (Click to enlarge.)
Lee home at 6204 Alamo, St. Louis, Missouri. (Click to enlarge.)
Three generations of Lees lived in the above house at 6204 Alamo Drive in St. Louis, Missouri: Samuel J. Lee and his wife Dorothy Adele Aiken, Lloyd Eugene Lee and his wife Ruth Nadine Alexander along with their son Robert Eugene Lee, and after Ruth died, Gene’s second wife, Vada Kovich.
The buildings we live in contribute so much to our daily lives, even though we often forget about them or their beauty and comfort until the house demands attention, like cleaning, painting, or plumbing repair. Knowing where our ancestors lived and what their houses looked like, inside and out, can give us a better understanding of their lives.
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Family treasure chest of photos and scans.
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.
The back of this photo of Tressa Cullen and Eidlh Cullen states “Friends of Grandma Aiken, Nov. 5, 1937, Chicago.”
‘Grandma Aiken’ would most probably have been Dora J. (Russell) Aiken, married to William H. Aiken, since the images were in the possession of Gene and Vada (Kovich) Lee; they may have noted the information about the picture. Dora lived in the household of her daughter, Dorothy “Dottie” (Aiken) Lee, with Dottie’s husband Samuel Lee and their son, Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee. Gene’s first wife Ruth Nadine (Alexander) Lee lived in the household too after their marriage in 1929, as did their son, Robert Eugene “Bob” Lee, born in 1932. Dora was listed in the 1920 and 1930 US Federal Censuses as a widow (she and her husband had separated between the 1910 census and 1917) and living with her daughter and her family.
Interestingly, Dora Aiken, who was born in 1864, died in 1935, two years before this picture was taken. Perhaps the family kept in touch with the Cullens even after Dora’s death? Or maybe the year is wrong.
Any information about these sweet ladies would be appreciated. Are they sisters or mother and daughter? A quick search on Ancestry.com did not turn up any information.
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Lee Family photo collection.
Please contact us if you would like a higher resolution image.
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.
