Amelia Kukiewicz, Chicago

Cabinet Card, circa 1905. Photographer:  Zacharias K. Urbanowicz, Chicago, Illinois.

Price:  $20.00              Size:  About 4 and 1/4 x 6 and 1/2″

A pretty young woman in a thoughtful pose, wearing a cotton or linen skirt, belted with a silver heart-shaped buckle; the blouse, with leg-of-mutton sleeves, is topped with a high collar of white lace, pinned to which is a brooch (we’re picturing the Italian micro-mosaic style or one of dried flowers); and the short necklace, of perhaps coral-colored beads, displays a silver cross.

This cabinet card was found at the Cannery Row Antique Mall in Monterey, California. The 1905 date on the back could be correct or could be just an estimate by either the family member who had it last or the antique dealer. The photographer’s address of 4841 S. Ashland Ave appears to have been a residence address and was found on his 1910 Federal Census record for Chicago. See the next post for more on Zacharias K. Urbanowicz.

From the marriage index:  Emilia Kukiewicz, born about 1883 in Lithuania, married Bronislaw Miczewicz, age 27, in Chicago. Illinois, August 15, 1909. Sometime prior to the 1940 census Bronislaw “Bruno” Miczewicz changed their surname to Mitchell.

From the 1940 Federal Census taken in Chicago:  Amelia Mitchell, born in Lithuania about 1883; spouse Bruno Mitchell, born Lithuania about 1883; son Medard Mitchell, born Illinois about 1924; married daughter Beatrice Malloy, born Illinois about 1912; son-in-law Thomas Malloy, born Nebraska about 1909; granddaughters Kathleen and Barbara, born Illinois, about 1934 and 1935. Also in household, lodger Peter Shusko.

Earlier census records were not found, though there’s a possibility that the following (a crop from the 1920 in Chicago) could be correct. This is from Ancestry.com and the surname here is transcribed as “Muizo” but as you can see it’s pretty hard to read. The occupation for the Bruno on this record is “gas fitter” at a factory, which is certainly in line with him as a pipe fitter on the 1940. The daughter on this 1920 record is listed as Bernice rather than Beatrice, however the ages of the family members and their places of birth fit the later record:

Sources:  Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois, U.S., Marriages Index, 1871-1920.

Year: 1910; Census Place: Chicago Ward 29, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T624_275; Page: 11a; Enumeration District: 1570; FHL microfilm: 1374288. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1920; Census Place: Chicago Ward 20, Cook (Chicago), Illinois; Roll: T625_331; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 1131. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-00945; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 103-800. (Ancestry.com).

Sophia Jane (McIntosh) Blake, 1892

Cabinet Card, 1892. Photographer:  McIntosh & Allen. Gardiner, Maine.

Price:  $20.00               Size:  About 4 and 1/4 x 6 and 1/2″

An adorable expression…..

If the date on the back is accurate, Sophia would have been about fifty in this photo.

She has accessorized here with a brooch fixed to a white lace collar, matching earrings (though only one is visible) and that’s perhaps a lace or net-type fabric head covering with fabric rosettes making her hair look a bit shaggy. (It only adds to the charm.) I’m picturing her with a good sense of humor.

Details….

Sophia Jane McIntosh was born September 3, 1842 in Hallowell, Kennebec, Maine, daughter of George W. and Hannah (Bayer) McIntosh. She was twice married. First to George William Webber, March 25, 1858, whom she divorced in October 1867. They had two daughters, Sarah, born 1858 and Alice, born 1861. She married Jeremiah Curtis Blake July 31,1870. He was born in Maine, about November 1846, and from the 1900 Federal Census for Winthrop, Massachusetts, his occupation was policeman.

Find A Grave lists Sophia’s maiden name as MacIntosh, though other records, including her birth record and her parents’ marriage record show McIntosh. You’ll have noticed the photographer’s surname is the same – it appears he and Sophia were brother and sister. (Rather a nice find!) Sophia died August 22, 1926 in Winthrop, Massachusetts.

The photographers….

No reference was found for McIntosh & Allen, and nothing for Allen in Gardiner, or its county, Kennebec. (Turn your head sideways slightly to see catch the “&” sign!)

McIntosh was George F. McIntosh, born April 26, 1849, Hallowell, Maine; and as indicated above, son of George W. McIntosh and Hannah (Bayer) McIntosh, and sister of Sophia. He married Elizabeth Blanchard in 1872 and they had five children. Sometime between the 1870 and 1880 Federal Census’ he went into the photography business. It’s unclear whether he may have had more than one studio at a time; records show him in various cities and towns:  Hallowell, Gardiner, Augusta and Richmond Township, Maine; Laconia and Dover, New Hampshire and Lynn, Massachusetts. The 1920 census in Laconia lists him as retired, however, a Hallowell city directory in 1923 has him still working. He died June 2, 1931 in Hallowell.

One last note….

This cabinet card was found at the Cannery Row Antique Mall in Monterey, California. It’s unknown who may have given the 1892 card date and without knowing, one wonders if it’s exact or more of a guess, though the 1892 city directory does confirm Gardiner, Maine for George F. McIntosh, photographer. As for the address penciled on the back of the card:  15 Ingleside Avenue was in Winthrop, Mass on the 1910 census but was 5 Ingleside on the 1900. (Maybe an error on the earlier census or a renumbering situation on the later.)

Sources:  Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124584840/sophia-jane-blake: accessed 28 November 2023), memorial page for Sophia Jane MacIntosh Blake (Sep 1842–22 Aug 1926), Find a Grave Memorial ID 124584840, citing Winthrop Cemetery, Winthrop, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Bob McLellan (contributor 47824019).

Ancestry.com. Maine, U.S., Compiled Marriages for Belfast, Hallowell and Pittsdon, 1748-1875. 

Ancestry.com. Maine, U.S., Divorce Records, 1798-1891. 

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/100617756/george-f-mcintosh: accessed 30 November 2023), memorial page for George F. McIntosh (1849–1931), Find a Grave Memorial ID 100617756, citing Hallowell Village Cemetery, Hallowell, Kennebec County, Maine, USA; Maintained by Maine 101 (contributor 47130320).

Maine State Archives; Cultural Building, 84 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0084; Pre 1892 Delayed Returns; Roll Number: 73. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1870; Census Place: Hallowell, Kennebec, Maine; Roll: M593_546; Page: 325A. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1880; Census Place: Hallowell, Kennebec, Maine; Roll: 481; Family History Film: 1254481; Page: 277B; Enumeration District: 096. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1900; Census Place: Winthrop, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: 690; Page: 22; Enumeration District: 1577. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1910; Census Place: Winthrop, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_626; Page: 1a; Enumeration District: 1691; FHL microfilm: 1374639. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1920; Census Place: Hallowell, Kennebec, Maine; Roll: T625_643; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 61. (Ancestry.com).

Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995.

Willie Joseph Brennan, May 1898, Orlando, Florida

Cabinet Card. May 8, 1898, Orlando, Florida. Photographer:  E. W. Jackson. “Ivory Finish.”

Price:  $10.00           Size:  4 and 1/16″ x 6 and 1/2″

Seemingly, the last name for this handsome lad is Brennan. (It’s so easy to scribble names when we know them.) Other possibilities were tried. Nothing showing up for him online, like his possible sister, Gertrude Brennan, in our prior post. Unusual, since we have his full name and that he was born in June of 1884. Both cards were found together in an antique store in California. City directories for this time period in Orlando are not available (in a quick search). Nothing showing in census and newspaper records, death records, etc., at least without getting into hours and hours of searching.

Some info and a photo (!) was found on the photographer, E. W. Jackson. He’ll be upcoming in the next posting…(well, almost next).

Gertrude Brennan In 1894

Cabinet Card taken October 13, 1894. Photographer: Howard. “Enameled Ivoryette.” Orlando, Florida.

Price:  $10.00           Size:  About 4 and 1/4 x 6 and 1/2″

A beautiful, young lass of Irish descent:  Gertrude Brennan, taken in Orlando, Florida on October 13, 1894. We’ll do some research this weekend for her. The next post will be a possible relative, a portrait of a young lad, Willie Joseph Brennan. They are possibly siblings but we’ll find out. Just getting this one up quick-like for Saint Patrick’s Day.

Well, very surprisingly, nothing was found for Gertrude in the usual search places online (census, city directories, newspapers, etc.) It’s possible, too, that the date on the back is Gertrude’s birth date, rather than date the photo was taken, but a broad search under dates was tried. Also, tried with potential brother, Willie or William Joseph Brennan (see next post). The photographer, Howard, is possibly Clarence E. Howard, born PA, about 1858. City directories for this time period in Orlando, seem to be unavailable. (This is just in a general, quick search.) And maybe the Brennan head of household exists in directories that are not digitized, at Orlando libraries, perhaps.

Source:  Year: 1900; Census Place: Orlando, Orange, Florida; Page: 11; Enumeration District: 0116; FHL microfilm: 1240175.

Detroit Woman By Marratt

Cabinet Card, circa 1880s. Photographer:  William Marratt. 131, 133 and 135 Woodward Ave, Detroit, Michigan.

Price:  $7.00

Here’s another Cabinet Card with no writing on the back, but at least we have the location and photographer or studio on this one. See our post on William Marratt. But the subject is a beautiful young lady, a Detroiter, we presume, posing with hands resting on the back of a wooden chair with brocade fabric (I’m guessing brocade). Note the wedding ring on her left hand. She bears a strong resemblance to a friend, which is neither here nor there, but it’s funny how closely someone can resemble someone else….The time frame is probably the 1880s due to the dress style, the type of sleeves (close-fitting) but this is a semi-educated guess from me, after consulting a lovely book from my shelf, Dressed for the Photographer, Ordinary Americans & Fashion, 1840 – 1900, by author Joan Severa, (a great reference, and I hope I’ve applied the correct interpretation for this photo.)

Young Man With Hat

Cabinet Card. Circa 1880s. Photographer unknown.

Price:  $5.00

No identifying info on this one for either the subject or the photographer, but it’s a nice photo with a nice rural backdrop. The young man wears a sack suit and bow tie, holds an open book in one hand and his low-crowned hat with upturned brim in the other, and by virtue of the fake stonework, gets to strike a casual pose. The headgear might remind one of a parson’s hat because of the short crown but from a quick online search it appears the parson’s hat has a much wider brim.

Anna (Gibson) Ely, Ypsilanti, Michigan

Cabinet Card, circa 1883 – 1885. Photographer:  Lewis & Gibson, Ypsilanti, Michigan

Price:  $15.00

Photographers, Jefferson Gibson and Emerson Lewis, had reportedly teamed up for only about three years, giving us a very good estimate for this Cabinet Card date, 1883 to 1885, with this portrait of the beautiful Anna Gibson (no relation to the photographer that we know of). Though she wears a ring that might indicate that the photographic duo continued into late 1886, just as likely, this image was taken before her marriage to John Young Ely, December 22, 1886. The marriage record lists both bride and groom as being native residents of Farmington, Michigan, he age 22, occupation farmer, and she age 20. John, died very young, we’re sorry to report, at age 32 of peritonitis. Anna was the daughter of Joseph Gibson who was born in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland (an inadvertent Irish connection with our last few web posts) and Martha Morrison, of Michigan.

The 1900 Federal Census shows Anna, widowed, with her three children, Martha, William and Joseph, renting at 304 N. Hamilton, Ypsilanti, with her sister, Mary Gibson and three lodgers, though numerous later records show a longer residence at 307 N. Hamilton (including some that show Anna’s occupation as nurse).

Sources:  “Jefferson Gibson.” Portrait and Biographical Album of Washtenaw County, Michigan. Biographical Publishing Co. Chicago 1891. pp. 228 – 229.

“Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3K4-MP8 : 10 March 2018), John Young Ely and Annie Jennie Gibson, 22 Dec 1886; citing Farmington, Oakland, Michigan, v 2 p 38 rn 1121, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2,342,479.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Ypsilanti Ward 3, Washtenaw, Michigan; Page: 6; Enumeration District: 0112. (Ancestry.com).

Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 27 March 2018), memorial page for Anna Jane Gibson Ely (27 Jan 1867–22 Jul 1956), Find A Grave Memorial no. 11715472, citing Oakwood Cemetery, Farmington, Oakland County, Michigan, USA ; Maintained by Kätzchen (contributor 47304829) .

“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVD-GQWR : 13 December 2015), John Young Ely, 1897; Burial, Farmington, Oakland, Michigan, United States of America, Oakwood Cemetery; citing record ID 11715471, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

Death Records. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing, Michigan.

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ypsilanti City Directory, 1931. p. 84. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Cabinet Portrait By W. A. Armstrong

Cabinet Card. Circa 1879 – 1896. Photographer:  W. A. Armstrong, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Price:  $7.00

A photo of a clean-cut young man, wearing a suit jacket with short lapels and a bow tie. The tie has a diamond (or maybe “paste” – hand-cut glass) cross pinned to it. The photographer was W. A. Armstrong; studio address:  389 Broadway, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

That the photographer at the above address shows up in city directories from 1879 through 1896 would seem to be a sure sign of his success:  He was in business for at least these number of years, and did not incur the necessity of changing locations. From the 1880 Federal Census, he is listed as William A. Armstrong, born in Pennsylvania about 1838, of Pennsylvania-born parents. His wife’s name was Sarah, and they had a 3-month old daughter. But to do justice to Mr. Armstrong, we’ll need to put up a separate posting for him, as a quick search has his name appearing in several photographic journals of the day.

Sources:  William Hogg’s The Milwaukee Directory for 1879, Vol. XII. p. 606. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Wright’s Milwaukee Directory, 1896. p. 1112. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Year: 1880; Census Place: Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: 1436; Page: 28C; Enumeration District: 104. (Ancestry.com)

Dad And Kids, Darlington, Wisconsin

Cabinet Card, circa 1870s – 1880s. Photographer:  J. Polkinghorn, Darlington, Wisconsin.

Price:  $7.00

A Cabinet Card by photographer J. Polkinghorn in Darlington, Wisconsin of….surely this must be the dad in the photo with his young daughter and son. He wears no wedding ring, but perhaps there was none, or he was a widower. An interesting detail in this image is the man’s shoes which show dirt and general wear on the half over the toes, as if he was accustomed to wearing gaiters. No names for this family, unfortunately, but we hope they will be recognized by someone with Darlington or Lafayette County roots. The photographer’s backdrop is interesting, quite vague with that blank expanse in the middle and something tall and carved on our left, what it’s depicting is anyone’s guess, and then on our right a fancy, curved railing leading off to somewhere in our imaginations.

The photographer

Nothing definitive comes up for J. Polkinghorn but he could well be the John Polkinghorn born in England about 1857 who appears on various census record in Darlington, or Lafayette County. This person’s census records show no connection whatsoever to photography (dealer in musical instruments) but it still could be him, and likely, whoever he was, he would have listed himself in the city directories, but we’re not finding the city, or even the county records, online at this time.

That Faraway Look, Detroit, 1894 or ’95

Cabinet Card, 1894 – 1895. Photography by Burton J. Holcombe & Co.

Price:  $6.00       Size:  4 and 1/4 x 6 and 1/2″

The above photo of the beautiful woman with the faraway gaze looks over-exposed or faded, but to me, this enhances the dreamy quality. I think it’s true that the more you study a photo, the more it comes to life for you. Was the photographer experimenting with different poses?…the glimpse of the gloved hand, index finger slightly pointing…for depth, a little mystery perhaps, even some subtle humor….“Get on the right track, at Nine Mile and Mack…”  keeps coming to mind – I know, different era, but still!

Here’s our Photoshop version below, to try to put ourselves in the photographer’s place…maybe better to have her left hand appearing somewhere, since we get the fact that her right holds….no, wait…that’s maybe not the muff (to match the fur jacket) that she’s holding but a prop she’s just standing next to that was then touched up? Though from afar the impression is of someone carrying something, about to go on a short journey.


And yes, it’s obvious the card’s in somewhat rough shape, but after you time travel back to that point it’s funny how you really don’t regard the condition. Though we have no i.d. for the woman, we, thankfully, have half a name for the photography studio, along with the address and from this we discover that the bottom of the card read as:  B. J. Holcombe & Co.   212 Woodward ave., Detroit.

B. J. was Burton J. Holcombe. The 1894 and 1895 Detroit city directories show the same address as the one on the card. Multiple directories show that Burton Holcombe had moved frequently, and more detailed information about him will be found in the next post.

Sources:  R. L. Polk & Co.’s Detroit City Directory, 1894. p. 673. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Detroit City Directory, 1895. p. 698. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.