Category Archives: Children

Belgrade Boy, Circa 1910’s

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Old photo, white border. Circa 1910’s. Belgrade,Yugoslavia.

Price:  $5.00          Size:  About 2 and 1/2 x 3 and 3/8″

Blonde tousled hair, a boy of about ten years old, has a nice smile for the camera on a sunny day…..The alternate name for this post is “Belgrade Boy With Balloon, Minus the Balloon.” 🙂

On the reverse is written,  “Mediterranean Belgarde.”  Not finding anything under Belgarde, we have to presume it’s a misspelling of Belgrade, now in Serbia, though at that time it would have been Yugoslavia. What was meant by “Mediterranean” is utterly unknown, as this city is nowhere near that body of water. Was it a section of Belgrade or a street name? We can’t find any reference.

As always, it’s nice to pick out details:  the pocket handkerchief in the boy’s sweater; we see that he carried a watch – there’s the chain (wonder what he carried in his other hand); the building across the street, probably a store, with only the last two letters (or so) of the company name showing – so, not really enough to get that tantalized feeling when you can almost read something; the automobile, we’ll skip the potential i.d. on this one – the image is a little blurry. And, of course, not a “detail” but that massive hunk of metal that was fashioned into a beautiful streetcar – imagine the weight of that thing….and our proximity to it – five or six steps and you can feel yourself grabbing the handrail and climbing aboard….

Vinita Belle Lowry

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Real Photo Postcard, 1919. Unused. ARTURA stamp box. 

Price:  $15.00

Such a cute baby and how excellent that the family member gave us the description on the reverse:

“Vinita Belle Lowry at the age of 13 months.”

Vinita Belle’s date of birth was February 22, 1918, so this photo then was taken in March of 1919. Her parents were Claud Lowry and Effie (Dickerson) Lowry. Find A Grave has a lot of information for the family including a long obit for Vinita. See link below:

Source:  Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38993488/vinita-kollmeyer: accessed 10 July 2023), memorial page for Vinita Lowry Kollmeyer (22 Feb 1918–25 Mar 2007), Find a Grave Memorial ID 38993488, citing Hazelwood Cemetery, Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, USA; Maintained by Judy Young (contributor 46792475).

Mazie

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Old photo, white border. Circa 1899 – 1905

Price:  $15.00                 Size:  About 2 and 5/8 x 4 and 1/4″

Mazie, a gorgeous girl wearing a large, dark-hued bow which is blending with her hair. Love that smile!

Only Mazie’s given name appears on the reverse, and no location. But by chance, something with the printing, “Indian Head Mills” had been laid face down on top of the photo and this wording transferred onto the image (appearing sideways on the wall to our right). Here’s a crop right side up, along with its mirror image via Photoshop. The much lighter printing is the same lettering reversed, so some family member at some point flipped the item over, the print being dark enough to still make a faint impression.

The Nashua Manufacturing Company of Nashua, New Hampshire had two Indian Head Mill locations, the original in Nashua and a second added in Cordova, Alabama, in 1898. (See link in sources.) Of course, the Mazie in this photograph doesn’t have to have been connected with either area, but we did find a Mazie Louise Jones, born 1889, who married Monroe Wesley Akins. He was born in Cordova, and his WWI Draft Registration in 1918 shows he and Mazie were there, farming.

Below, a couple of articles from Alabama newspapers in January 1898:

Sources:  “A Walk Through Time – Indian Head Mill, Cordova.” 78mag.com. (Accessed July 4, 2023.)

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34014225/mazie-louise-akins: accessed 02 July 2023), memorial page for Mazie Louise Jones Akins (21 Sep 1889–Oct 1956), Find a Grave Memorial ID 34014225, citing Union Chapel Cemetery, Union Chapel, Walker County, Alabama, USA; Maintained by Ed Stallings (contributor 46921758).

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Registration State: Alabama; Registration County: Walker County.

“Indian Head Mills.” The Vernon Courier, January 27, 1898. Thursday, p. 1. (Newspapers.com).

“Making Cloth For China – The Cloth’s Name.” The Birmingham News, January 25, 1898. Tuesday, p. 5. (Newspapers.com).

Little Campers, Rio Grande Canyon, 1930

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Old photo, white border, 1930.

Price:  $10.00            Size:  2 and 11/16 x 2 and 11/16″

“Billy Welsh and Lora Lou Mead at 6 a.m. by Campfire in Rio Grande Canyon near Taos N. Mex in 1930.”

Ha, Billy’s got that, “I need to adjust this campfire” look. Smoke’s probably getting to him a little. Lora Lou with that bonnet definitely has the old-time pioneer look. Pretty cute picture, for sure.

We’re not coming up with an exact match for Lora Lou in online records. (She was the hopeful.) And predictably, there are too many possibilities for Billy.

Ready For Breakfast

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Old photo, white border. April 1914.

Price:  $3.00           Size:  About 2 and 1/2 x 3 and 7/8″

“Vera & Geo just coming home from store. April 1914.”

No surnames or location for this one but perhaps someone will get a kick out a few old memories resurfacing, as I did. My own childhood definitely included going into stores barefoot. (Haven’t thought about that for years. In the summer, it was just about everywhere barefoot, wasn’t it?) And I remember being sent on a cigarette run (Newports in the green package) out of the vending machine mostly…. Anyway back to our photo, Vera’s got the tin of Quaker Puffed Rice and George has the milk – they just need bowls and spoons and they’re all set!

Siblings Argalus and Elizabeth Gray, Circa 1909

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Old photo. North Dakota, circa 1909.

Price:  $12.00             Size:  About 4 x 5″

More adorable kids:  Siblings, Argalus Walter and Elizabeth Lulu Gray. Their parents are Argalus Wilson Gray and Martha Lulu (Carr) Gray. Argalus was born in 1905 and Elizabeth in 1908, both natives of North Dakota. But it’s so sad to find early death dates, especially for children and that is case for Elizabeth, who died in 1918. Hopefully, this will be a meaningful photo for family members to find. Argalus, who died in Minneapolis in 1969, married Frances Steffen and they had a son Robert Steffen Gray.

As for the unusual given name of Argalus, the 1910 Federal Census records nationwide, show about thirty-eight entries for that exact spelling or a corrected spelling. Of course, there are likely some more that were spelled slightly differently on the census, but yes, as you’d think, it’s definitely an uncommon name.

Source:  Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/126419038/argalus-walter-gray: accessed 22 June 2023), memorial page for Argalus Walter Gray (3 Aug 1905–7 Feb 1969), Find a Grave Memorial ID 126419038, citing Acacia Park Cemetery, Mendota Heights, Dakota County, Minnesota, USA; Maintained by Mookie (contributor 47515129).

Clara Matilda Boyce, Albion, Michigan

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Carte-de-Visite. 1872 or 1873. Photographer:  L. J. Trumbull, Albion, Michigan.

Price:  $15.00            Size:  About 2 and 1/2 x 4 and 1/8″

A cutie in an 1870’s-style plaid dress, reclining (well, posed of course, but with that kicked back look 😉 ). Check out the animal-design on that very cool blanket with the face of what is probably a bear, at the bottom-right.

Clara Matilda Boyce was born November 22, 1871 in Albion, Calhoun County, Michigan, and is the daughter of C.W. Boyce and Mary (Holloway) Boyce. Clara married Frank Thomas Tindle in June 1893 in Buffalo, New York. They had four children, Harriet, Mildred, Clara and Frank. Clara (Boyce) Tindle died in 1911, at about age forty.

Photographer, L. J. Trumbull is Lyman J. Trumbull. He married Amy Austin in 1866 and they had two daughters, Rose May and Grace. His occupation on the 1870 Federal Census for Albion, Michigan is listed as “Dagguerian,” meaning he was taking images using the daguerreotype process. Of course, our image of Clara is an actual photo, of the carte-de-visite variety.

By the 1880 census, taken in Middleville, Barry County, Michigan, Lyman’s occupation is minister. From this, and lack of records for him as a photographer, we infer he may not have been in the photo business for very long. He died in 1913 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Sources:  Ancestry.com. Michigan, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1867-1911.

Year: 1880; Census Place: Buffalo, Erie, New York; Roll: 831; Page: 149D; Enumeration District: 163. (Ancestry.com).

“Boyce-Tindle.” The Buffalo Enquirer, June 29, 1893. Thursday, p. 4. (Newspapers.com).

Year: 1910; Census Place: Buffalo Ward 20, Erie, New York; Roll: T624_947; Page: 12a; Enumeration District: 0197; FHL microfilm: 1374960. (Ancestry.com).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111579767/clara-tindle: accessed 22 June 2023), memorial page for Clara Boyce Tindle (1871–1911), Find a Grave Memorial ID 111579767, citing Forest Lawn, Buffalo, Erie County, New York, USA; Maintained by Jay Boone (contributor 46889203).

“United States Census, 1870”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHH6-LPQ : 29 May 2021), Lyman Trumbull, 1870.

Year: 1880; Census Place: Middleville, Barry, Michigan; Roll: 570; Page: 68A; Enumeration District: 036. (Ancestry.com).

Daguerreotype. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daguerreotype (accessed June 10, 2023).

Carte de visite. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carte_de_visite (accessed June 22, 2023)

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12060275/lyman-j-trumbull: accessed 22 June 2023), memorial page for Rev Lyman J. Trumbull (1841–28 Mar 1913), Find a Grave Memorial ID 12060275, citing Tempe Double Butte Cemetery, Tempe, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA; Maintained by PhoenixAz (contributor 46628483).

Happy Kid in 1950 Buick

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Old photo, white border. February 1951.

Price:  $7.00             Size:  About 4 and 5/8 x 3 and 1/4″

Written on the back,  “Feb. 1951.”

A great shot of a young boy (we’re already thinking 1950’s with that striped shirt, right?) in the driver’s seat of this beastly-looking vehicle 😉 ……a 1950 Buick Special, and he’s looking back at the camera with a big grin. On the driver’s side quarter panel we can just about make out the lettering Dynaflow, which was Buick terminology for an automatic transmission.

Regarding the exact model, for comparison see:  Hometown Buick’s 1950 Buick Special Jetback Coupe – Model 46, and 1950 Buick Special Jetback Sedanet – Model 46S. I think it’s either of these. It’s a little hard to tell because of the angle in our photo and the back end being cut off.

Sources:  Dynaflow. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynaflow#:~:text=The%20Dynaflow%20was%20an%20

automatic,two%20forward%20speeds%20plus%20reverse. (accessed March 13, 2023).

“1950 Buick Special Jetback Coupe – Model 46” and “1950 Buick Special Jetback Sedanet – Model 46S.” hometownbuick.com. (accessed March 13, 2023).

Feeding the Pigeons, Atlantic City Boardwalk, 1939

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Old photo, white border. Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1939.

Price:  $10.00        Size:  2 and 1/2 x 3 and 1/2″

A busy street scene:  An older couple with the grandkids, feeding the pigeons. In the background, according to the source below, is the corner of S. New York Avenue and Boardwalk. This A. Schulte Cigars (one of numerous locations) address was 1645 Boardwalk and the Apollo Theater (most often spelled Theatre back in the day) was located at 180 S. New York Ave. The theater was a movie house and you can read the movie that was currently showing:  “The Women”, starring Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford. The year for this photo turned out to be an easy one thanks both to the movie marquee, and the vendor in his small sidewalk booth (check out his shoes) selling tickets to the Miss America Pageant, September 5th – 11th. The movie came out in 1939 and the pageant in Atlantic City for those September dates took place the same year.

To our left, of Schulte’s, we see a shop sign for what looks like, “Milano Linen.” It’s a little hard to make out. To our far right, next to Schulte’s, was Riley’s or maybe O’Riley’s Liquor. Or possibly, it was so-and-so and Riley’s – since the view is obscured we can’t tell.

Source:  “Apollo Theater.” (cinematreasures.org). Accessed March 6, 2023.

Jorgen aka Jergen Vind

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Divided Back, Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box. Circa 1922.

Price:  $15.00           Size:  5 and 1/8 x 3 and 1/8″

This one was slightly cropped it seems, but it’s almost full size for an RPPC. And a very cute portrait of one Jorgen Vind, age about five. Let’s see how many Jorgen Vinds there might be in records:

After a little searching, we can confidently say this is Jorgen aka Jergen Paulson Vind, born September 19, 1917 in Crockett, Contra Costa County, California. Crockett is located about 28 miles northeast of San Francisco. The 1920 Federal Census for Contra Costa shows parents, Jerry Vind, born about 1868 in North Schleswig, Germany, (now part of Denmark) native language Danish, and Elizabeth, born about 1885 in Ireland, and children, nine-year-old Anna and two-year-old Jorgen. From the CA birth records we learn that Elizabeth’s maiden name was Kerr.

Jergen P. Vind married Pat A. Peters, November 6, 1954 in San Francisco, California.

Jergen died in Reno, Nevada, January 21, 1998.

Sources:  State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.(Ancestry.com).

Year: 1920; Census Place: Township 12, Contra Costa, California; Roll: T625_95; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 26. (Ancestry.com).

Schleswig-Holstein. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schleswig-Holstein (accessed February 15, 2023).

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for California, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 1872. (Ancestry.com).

Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Marriage Index, 1949-1959.

Nevada State Health Division, Office of Vital Statistics. State Death Index. Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Carson City, Nevada. (Ancestry.com).