Siblings Argalus and Elizabeth Gray, Circa 1909

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).

A Photo of Miss Pansy

Old photo, circa 1900 – 1920s.

Price:  $6.00       Size:  2 and 3/8 x 3 and 5/16″

Even though there is no last name on the reverse for this young girl, her given name, Pansy, is unusual enough to maybe help anyone searching for any additional photos (she is someone’s grandma or great-grand or great-aunt). And we love out-of-the-ordinary names. Wondering then, how uncommon was this name in say, 1910? Just looking in the U. S. alone, on the 1910 Federal Census, the given name Pansy shows up 7,109 times. More popular than the name Poppy (only 28 Poppies in 1910) and more popular than the name Iris, which was surprising (6,219) and also surprising, much more popular than the name Dahlia (only 426). For perspective, the name Rose shows up 293,403 times. How about……Carnation? Yes, there were 14 Carnations on the 1910 census.

Source:  Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

Joseph Northrup and Olive Branch Marriage Record

This post is under our “Unusual First Names” category. Olive, of course, is not an unusual given name, but along with her maiden name Branch…..well, one can’t help but do a double-take. We came across this record while researching the spellings Northup versus Northrup for the prior post. I’m guessing the name was chosen, how would one say, to sort of have biblical connotations rather than whimsical, but this is just a thought. And in Ancestry.com searching for the name Olive Branch in birth records yields 134 results. Of course, some of these will be duplicates, but that gives us a rough idea. Their birth years range from 1727 to 1931.

Below, from the Massachusetts Town and Vital Records compilation, this particular Olive Branch married Joseph Northrup May 22, 1785.

Happy New Year To Chillon Carter

Divided back postcard. Postmarked December 31, 1914 from Joplin, Missouri. Publisher unknown. Printed in Germany. Series or number 1154/1.

Price:  $8.00

Here’s another card, like the previous one we posted, that’s tinted (or colored, if either is the right term) and also so cute. On this one a little girl is surrounded by good luck/prosperity symbols – piggies (two), a four leaf clover, a horseshoe, and what looks like bags of money. (Well, that last is not so much “a sign of” but more prosperity itself, it seems.) And one interesting rendition of why pigs are good luck, specifically on New Year’s Day, comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch, and it’s because pigs root forward, and we want to go forward in the new year. See the link in the sources listed below for the online article.

This card is addressed to a gentleman with an unusual first name. It reads:   “Chillon Carter, R F D # 1 – Galena Kansas.”

And the sender wrote:   “Your xmas gifts rec’d ok. Many thanks. Have some for you. Will come over soon. Probably Sunday. I was in Columbus between trains one day last week at Carthage yesterday. Hope you had a nice time xmas, we were sorry that we could not come over there I had a severe cold & Johnnie thought the weather to cold to make the drive. am all ok, now. Mabel[?]    Rec’d New Year box all O.K. this a.m.”

From the 1920 census and Find A Grave, we find that Chillon E. Carter, born 1902 in Kansas, was the son of Chilon Carter and Sadie (Stanley) Carter.

Sources:  Stoneback, Diane. “Why eat pork and sauerkraut for New Year’s day?”January 1. 2018. 12 a.m. (accessed January 1, 2020).

Year: 1920; Census Place: Spring Valley, Cherokee, Kansas; Roll: T625_526; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 40. (Ancestry.com).

Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 01 January 2020), memorial page for Chillon E. Carter (28 Oct 1902–29 Mar 1939), Find A Grave Memorial no. 27017873, citing Oak Hill Cemetery, Galena, Cherokee County, Kansas, USA ; Maintained by JFI (contributor 47211966) .

Lizzie And Mizpah

Divided back, unused, Real Photo Postcard. Circa 1902 – 1910.

Price:  $12.00

“With Love & affection to add to your collection.   Mizpah.   Lizzie.”

Addressed to:   “Miss Dora Dixon, 10 Glenfield St. Glasgow.”

Which young lady in the postcard photo is which is unknown, but Dora Dixon, was found on the 1901 Scotland Census, listed at the above address, born in England, about 1882, living with her parents, William and Margaret Dixon, and siblings Mary, Elizabeth, John, William, Henry and Robert. Dora in 1901 was age 19 and working as a waitress.

An emotional bond

The given name Mizpah, sometimes spelled Mizpeh, is one we’d never hear before. The word means “watchtower” in Hebrew and denotes an emotional bond between two people who are apart. The ancient settlement of Mizpah is thought to have been in one of two locations, both just north of Jerusalem, though several other possibilities exist. There is also a Mizpah, Montana, New Jersey and Minnesota, as well as a whole category of jewelry which began in the early Victorian Era, and enjoyed a resurgence during WWI. See Michelle Graff’s article on the history of Mizpah jewelry. In the screen shot below you’ll see one or two pieces of Scottish origin, with the thistle, but many more can be found online.

Sources:  Parish: Glasgow St Mungo; ED: 64; Page: 20; Line: 4; Roll: CSSCT1901_276. (Ancestry.com).

Mizpah. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizpah_(emotional_bond). (accessed July 15, 2018.)

Mizpah in Benjamin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizpah_in_Benjamin. (accessed July 22, 2018).

Graff, Michelle. “The History Behind … Mizpah jewelry.” (https://www.nationaljeweler.com/independents/2059-the-history-behind-mizpah-jewelry). Accessed July 29, 2018.

“images of mizpah jewelry” Google.com search, July 22, 2018.

The Taylor Family At Home, Endicott WA

Divided Back, Real Photo Postcard. Postmarked July 20, 1908, Endicott, Washington. Photographer:  Hutchison, Endicott, Washington.

Price:  $15.00

“The old Lady is Mrs. Taylor. the Babe belongs to Fannie. I hope you are feeling better. Lovingly, Orpha.”

Addressed to:   “Mrs. A. H. Anderson. Coeur d’ Alene Idaho.”

Figuring out who is who

Orpha, the postcard sender, is Mrs. Thomas F. Taylor, born in California, about 1866, to Edward Irwin and Leah Stark. She and Thomas (that’s likely him in the image above) married in Diamond, Washington (about 13 miles east of Endicott) on April 18, 1896 (it’s April 14th as I’m typing this…so almost 122 years ago.) Thomas, born in Illinois about 1872, was the son of William J. Taylor and Sarah Barnett. His occupation was farmer, at the time of his marriage to Orpha, and it’s possible that the farmhouse we see here is Tom (let’s just say Tom from here on out) and Orpha’s. They had a daughter, Frances, born January 1897, near Endicott, so her age would fit perfectly for the young girl standing on the porch. If she’s Frances, then the dark-haired woman in the photo is probably Orpha, since the girl resembles her so much, and because we see the photographer’s embossed stamp on the side of the card, so in other words, Orpha may have been in the photo, definitely not taking it. The older lady (let’s not say old!) on our left must be Tom’s mother, Sarah (Barnett) Taylor. Last, but not least, what was the babe’s name?

Orpheus C. Taylor on the 1910

An unusual female name, either way, Orpha or Orpheus, but the 1910 Federal Census shows Tom, Orpheus and Frances, living in Garfield, Washington, near the border of Idaho. Tom, at this time, is running his own blacksmith shop.

Who was Mrs. A. H. Anderson?

Possibly Jessie, maiden name Dobbins, that married Andrew H. Anderson. In 1910 the couple was living in Coeur d’ Alene with their daughter, Fern (or Sweet Fern, as she is officially named on one of her records. Love these names! And, we’ll add this post to our Unusual First Names category, on account of both Sweet Fern and Orpheus.)

Sources:  Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Collection Title: Washington Marriage Records, 1854-2013; Reference Number: eawhmr350. (Ancestry.com).

Original data: Washington Births, 1891-1929. Various county birth registers. Microfilm. Washington State Archives, Olympia, Washington. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1910; Census Place: Precinct 42, Whitman, Washington; Roll: T624_1674; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0264; FHL microfilm: 1375687. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1910; Census Place: Sherman, Kootenai, Idaho; Roll: T624_225; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 0173; FHL microfilm: 1374238. (Ancestry.com).

“Sweet Fern Cruze.” California, Death Index, 1940-1997. (Ancestry.com).

To Ilma From Edna

Divided back, embossed postcard. Postmarked April 12, 1911, San Francisco, California. Publisher:  International Art Publishing Co. Series 1262. Printed in Germany.

Price:  $7.00

Fond Easter Greetings

“Hope and gladness, peace and rest

Make your Easter truly blest.”

Wow, where did the time fly? Easter already! Here’s the first offering for this year, and we’ll try to get a few more up today. This one hearkens back to 1911, a beautiful card of a bunny in an Easter egg, framed by lilies of the valley and a few violets, from the International Art Publishing Co. It was sent by Edna Steacy to Miss Ilma Rogers of 3651 20th St., San Francisco, CA.

Ilma, an unusual name (I kept trying to type Alma) was found on the 1900 Federal Census, born in California, January 1893, the daughter of Charles S. and May C. Rogers. In the household are the parents Charles and May, Charles’ mother Jenny M. Rogers and children Oris R., Ilma F. and Charles S. Rogers, address 227 Chattanooga, San Francisco. So, Ilma was eighteen when she received this card.

Source:  Year: 1900; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Page: 11; Enumeration District: 0108. (Ancestry.com).

Rany Lammers Calling Card

Calling card, circa late 1880s – early 1890s

Price:  $10.00            Size: about 3 and 7/16 x 1 and 7/8″

Here’s an old nautical-themed calling card for Rany Lammers, which is probably from the late 1880s to the early 1890s. It’s certainly not in the best of conditions, but could be the only card for this gentleman still in existence, and is a wonderful piece of family history.

Venus Loraine Lammers

A good number of records can be found for Rany, whose full name was Venus Loraine Lammers. (Middle name also spelled Lorraine, Lorain, Lowreen). Most records show him under Venus L., however, the 1880 Federal Census, when he was age eight, shows him as Rany. He was born in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, May 3rd 1872 and died September 21st 1944 in Los Angeles County, California. He married Charlotte Swanman around 1884. The 1900 Federal Census shows Venus L. Lammers, salesman at a department store and wife Charlotte living in Luverne, Rock County, Minnesota. By 1912 the couple had made their way to California and were living in San Jose.

Lammers importance to Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

Rany’s parents were Garret Lammers (1844 – 1917) and Anna Mary Zeeveld (1848 – 1874). (By the 1880 Federal Census Garret is remarried to Harmena “Mena” Claerbaut.) Garret Lammers twice visited his native Holland, both times bringing back with him a large number of Dutch emigrants.

Venus in the U. S.

The boy’s given name, Venus, is not as unusual as one might assume:  For instance, federal census records in the U. S. for year 1900 show about 130 males under this name.

Sources:  Year: 1880; Census Place: Holland, Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Roll: 1447; Family History Film: 1255447; Page: 45D; Enumeration District: 203 (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1900; Census Place: Luverne, Rock, Minnesota; Roll: 787; Page: 17B; Enumeration District: 0256; FHL microfilm: 1240787 (Ancestry.com).

Minnesota Historical Society. Minnesota State Population Census Schedules, 1865-1905. St. Paul, MN, USA: Minnesota Historical Society, 1977. Microfilm. Reels 1-47 and 107-164. (Ancestry.com).

Zillier, Carl (ed.) History of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, past and present, Vol. 2 (1912) pp. 567-569.

Venus Lowreen Lammers. Find A Grave Memorial# 85446771 (Findagrave.com).

Charlotte Swanman Lammers. Find A Grave Memorial# 85446768 (Findagrave.com).

Ucilious Calvert Sterquell

A male given name we hadn’t encountered yet:  Ucilious. From research for the Necks To Nothing post, Ucilious Calvert Sterquell was married to Mary Louise Henley. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1891, was a veteran of WWI and died in Waco, Texas in 1947. How many others were found named Ucilious? From a brief search online at Ancestry, all entries are for the man himself, other than another gentleman with Ucilious as a middle name. This is proving to be an interesting sideline…the unusual first names category. Probably we could keep going forever, for in looking for one person you come across others…

Source:  Find A Grave. Memorial #54015646. Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi.

Shenandoah V. Gray

Our “Unusual First Names” category has been a little neglected….so, here’s an entry for a beautiful given name, found on the 1920 Federal Census, Pittsburgh, PA:

Shenandoah….

Curiously, no other records were found for Shenandoah V. Gray, who was born in Virginia, about 1870, and married to Charles D. Gray sometime before the 1920 census was taken. Possibly she went by her middle name, but even so, nothing was located, though a more exhaustive search could definitely be made.

Source:  Year: 1920; Census Place: Pittsburgh Ward 4, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1519; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 378; Image: 1059. (Ancestry.com)