2 1923 Eastport Maine bandstand postcards addressed to Margaret Henderson, Eastport, Maine

Two postcards showing what appear to be patriotic gatherings at the band stand in Eastport, Maine.

The postcards are from the same person, Edward Lowe, who I believe is George Edward Lowe of Eastport,  who was apparently working and living in Calais, Maine, about 25 miles away, at the time the cards were sent.  Both are addressed to Miss Margaret Henderson of Eastport, Maine, and they both convey the message that he will be visiting Sunday at 2:30 PM.

I checked the Maine Marriages Online Database and didn't see a marriage between George Edward Lowe and Margaret Henderson.  Perhaps they were simply friends, or drifted apart or married out of state, to each other or to someone else.  I did see a marriage between a Margaret Henderson of Eastport and Pearson R. Brown in Eastport in 1942, though it might be a different Margaret.

Margaret Henderson was born in September 1897, the daughter of Benjamin and Annie Henderson of Pembroke, Maine and Eastport, Maine.  Benjamin Henderson, born in 1871 in Maine, was the son of Ezra Henderson, born about 1840 in Maine.   It's possible that Ezra was the son of Benjamin  and Mary (Hitchings) Henderson of St. George, New Brunswick, Canada, and Cooper, Maine, but more research needs to be done.  I have no information on Margaret's mother Annie at present.

Margaret had two sisters, Mabel and Madeline.  Checking the Maine Marriages Database, I see that Mabel married James Emery Hooper in 1916.  There are two listings for a Madeline Henderson; Madeline and Madeline V., both of Eastport, Maine; whether they are the same person or not, I don't know.  Madeline V. Henderson married Winfield R. Trott in 1928; Madeline Henderson married Kenneth Brough in 1945.

George Edward Lowe was born in Maine in 1894, the son of William and Mary Lowe of Eastport, Maine.   I believe this is a photograph of Edward Lowe, assuming he is the Edward Lowe with the nickname Buster.  http://downeastmainegenealogy.ning.com/photo/edward-buster-lowe/next?context=user

I don't have further information on Edward's parents William or Mary.  Hopefully one of you will contact me to fill in the blanks.

George Edward Lowe had two siblings, a sister Carrie and a brother Albert.  According to the Maine Marriages Database, Carrie Lowe married Frank R. Wilson of Waterbury, Connecticut in 1920.

I don't see an entry for Albert Lowe; he may have married out of state or in Canada, but I believe this is a photograph of him, his wife and daughter, assuming he is the Albert Lowe who had the nickname Huggie.  http://downeastmainegenealogy.ning.com/photo/albert-huggie-shirley-janet

Found with the same photographs was a photograph of someone identified as Huggie's father, so it's possibly a photograph of the William Lowe we are researching.  He's the man at extreme right.  http://downeastmainegenealogy.ning.com/photo/huggies-father

If you have some information to add to the genealogy of the Henderson or Lowe families, I would most appreciate hearing from you.  

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Two cabinet photographs: Ariel Lowe Varges, famous photographer & correspondent, and his engineer father Adolph Charles Varges

Cabinet photograph of Ariel Lowe Varges, who was born 11 June 1890 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Adolph Charles Vargas (3rd image) and his wife Anna Katherine Wagner.   The identification on reverse is very faint, but it reads" "Ariel infant".

Ariel Lowe Varges became a famous still and video photographer of conflicts and hardship around the globe. Can't you just tell from his wide-eyed expression that he would grow up to be a curious fellow?


Here's a link to a newspaper article in the Miami News of August 18, 1929 in which Varges vividly recounts the strife for control of China in the late 1920s.   The article seems to be the same one that appeared in the North American Review, entitled "Under the Wall of Chochow".  


The Miami News article contains some of Varges' photographs and a couple of the photographer himself, in addition to a brief bio of Varges for the reader's benefit, a bit of a sensationalist one; in fact, the headlines throughout the article, not the author's own, seem equally sensationalist. 


Judge for yourself:  http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19290818&id=YVctAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VdgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3683,6287263


At the beginning of the article, Varges recounts he is riding on a train with General Tsur's army when he hears a woman screaming.  Once General Tsur finds out that a soldier has attacked her, he condemns the soldier to death on the spot - beheading, by way of an implement that cuts straw - though he is allowed a cigarette, some Chinese wine and a chance to write a letter to his parents.   


Searching for Ariel L. Varges or A. L. Varges online will point you to some of his famous and unsettling images, in far-flung places such as China, Russia, Serbia and Iraq.   In the credits for one of the photographs, he is identified as Capt. Ariel Varges.  I haven't been able to find out if he served in the US military in World War I or after.  There's a record online of his World War II draft registration card.  


Ariel Lowe Varges died in Norwich, Connecticut in 1972.  His Connecticut death record notes that he was married; his widow's name was shown as Jess; other sources show her as Jessica.  Her maiden name is unknown to me as yet.  She was born in 1896 and died in Plainfield, Connecticut in 1989.  I found a New York passenger record showing her name as Varges in 1948 when she and Ariel sailed together from Bermuda to New York.

Ariel Lowe Varges' father, shown above, was Adolph Charles Varges, born April 1858 in Chicago, the son of Charles and Emiline (Bertram) Varges.  I found references online indicating that he was an engineer at the Horace Greeley School, Chicago.  Adolph's father, born in Germany about 1835, served in the US Civil War.  Unfortunately, the hand writing identification on the reverse of the photograph is very faint; it reads: "Adolph Varges, Ariel's Father".

I haven't been able to find anything about the parents of Adolph Charles Varges' wife, Anna Katherine Wagner, or his mother Emeline Bartram.

                                                 
Hopefully these two photographs will have some meaning for you.  If you have any insights into the Varges, Wagner or Bartram families, I would most appreciate hearing from you! 


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1910 Photograph Album of Maine Family, Farm, Boating, Horses

Wonderful photograph album, approx. 5-1/2" x 4-1/2", with "Maine 1910" written on inside front cover.  It makes me wonder if someone possibly made the album as a result of a trip back from out of state to the home farm in Maine.  Some of the pages of the album have been cut out, and some of the photographs appear to have been removed, with partial success.

The album is filled with wonderful photographs of Maine people, farm(s), horses, lakes and possibly the seashore.  Identification is maddeningly skimpy, with no surnames or places names given.   My only hope is that someone will recognize some of the given names and the horse's name, and perhaps a nickname "Spider". 


The first photograph in the album shows a man standing in front of his barn and attached shed.  There's a wagon wheel in the foreground and a buckboard in the background, with what appears to be a cistern next to the man.

The next photograph has been torn away, with only an unrecognizable portion remaining and the name "Hazel" off to the right.

The next photograph shows a man doing chores, with the caption "Caught".

The next page, not shown, has the remnant of the back ply of a photograph, identified as "Bud".  Whether Bud is man or beast, I have no idea.


The next photograph shows a man and his horse, a light horse, not a draft horse, with the amusing caption "Two Animals, a lamb & horse".

The next photograph is of the same man and horse, with the caption "Sam & Speedy".

The next photograph shows two men doing farm chores, with the caption "Dick & Sam"

The next photograph is a repeat of the first one, with the caption "The Boss"

The next photograph shows a man in the barn doorway, captioned "Dick"

The next photograph shows a man working his two-horse team in the field; captioned "Dick & Team".  Again, the horses look more like light horses than draft types.

The next photograph shows people and a couple of boats.  The caption looks like "Two Sights", but I wonder if it is "Two Lights", which is a lighthouse, a popular picnicking spot in Cape Elizabeth, in Cumberland County, Maine.  What do you think?

The next photograph shows three people in the water, perhaps at the same site as the previous photograph; captioned "Picnic".

The next photograph is captioned "Boating".

The next photograph is partially removed and damaged.  What remains is a woman dressed in white with fancy hat.  The caption is, intriguingly, "Spider".  Was there something else relating to a spider in the missing portion of the photograph, or is "Spider" the nickname of the lady or perhaps of a pet, now unseen?

The next photograph shows cows in a pasture.

The next photograph shows a team of horses pulling some kind of machinery.  Hay-making machinery, perhaps?

The next photograph show a young woman, with a tent in the background; no caption.

The next photograph shows a young woman in white sitting in a stone or log; no caption.

 The next photograph shows the only winter scene in the album; a woman in her hat and coat; no caption.

The last photograph shows a child sitting on a ladder propped up against a tree.

If these photographs with their skimpy captions remind you of a particular Maine family, I would most appreciate hearing from you.   

CDV of Samuel & Ann Maria Kelley & daughter Fanny, Pelham, New Hampshire

Carte de Visite of Samuel Kelley, his wife Ann Maria (Woodbury) Kelley and their daughter Fanny Ella Kelley.  The Kelleys resided in Salem and Pelham, New Hampshire, though this CDV was made by Potter & Russell, Photographers, 92 Essex Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Samuel was born in Salem, New Hampshire, in 1832.  His wife was born Ann Maria Woodbury in Pelham, New Hampshire, in 1835.  Their daughter Fanny Ella was born in Pelham, New Hampshire, in 1854.   


In 1876 Fanny Ella married Timothy Roberts, who was born in 1846, possibly on Vinalhaven Island, Knox County, Maine, where, according to the 1850, 1860 and 1870 Censuses, he was living with his family.  After Fanny and Timothy married, they lived in Pelham, New Hampshire, Utica, New York and Quincy, Massachusetts, according to the 1880-1920 Censuses.  Timothy listed his occupations as Clerk on Steamboat (1880) and Director of Music (1900 and 1910).


Interestingly, Samuel Kelley operated a granite quarry in Pelham; perhaps it was the granite business that brought these folks from Pelham, New Hampshire, and Vinalhaven, Maine, together.


In the 1900 Census, there is a daughter Alice M. born 1872.  On the same Census, it's recorded that Timothy and Fanny married in 1876, so I'm not sure if they had a child before they were married, if Timothy was married before and he and Fanny were raising his daughter from that marriage, if Alice were a niece or other relative instead of a daughter, or if the Census enumerator made a mistake on Alice's age.  Alice isn't living with them in the 1880 Census when they were enumerated in the house of Samuel and Ann Maria Kelley, Fanny's parents.   I did notice an Alice E. Roberts, born in 1872, living with her parents Ezra and Susan in Brooks, Maine, on the mainland, not far from Vinalhaven.  


Hopefully you will find this CDV meaningful.  If you have any insights into the Kelley or Roberts family, I'd very much appreciate hearing from you.


Thanks for stopping by!




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Photograph of Annie C. P. Larsen of Rio Vista, California

26 April 2013: This post has been amended from the original to reflect information provided by Annie's great granddaughter.  Be sure to read her comment as she brings her great grandmother to life.

Old photograph of young woman identified on reverse as Annie C. P. Larsen.  No photographer's imprint to give an idea of locale.

From online research and with help from Annie's great granddaughter [see comments below]:  

Anne Christine Petersen was born in California about October 1862, the daughter of Marcus Petersen of Ballum, Denmark, and Ane Kristine (Dankel) Petersen of Ottersbol.   

According to the 1900 Census, Annie married her husband Lars Peter Larsen about 1886.  He was born about July 1855 on the Danish island of Laeso.  I found a reference online to the title Captain for Lars Peter Larsen.

Lars had apparently died before the 1930 Census, which shows Annie living with her son in Rio Vista.  

Here's an interesting tidbit I found on Google books, which has digitized the book Images of America, Rio Vista, by Philip Pezzaglia a photograph of Lars Peter Larsen, in the middle of a group of three men, all movers and shakers in Rio Vista, with a caption stating that  Lars was the first president of the Bank of Rio Vista and the town's treasurer.  Clicking on the title of the book should take you to the page with Lars' photograph.

Below, a photograph of the Larsen home, considered to be one of the most beautiful in Rio Vista.

Lars designed and built his Queen Anne style home in 1897.  The property includes a barn and carriage house and covers 1/4 of a block. The widow's walk on the roof of the home was designed to afford a view up and down the Sacramento river.

If you have corrections to the information above, or additions to it, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

Ballum, Denmark [A]; Ottersbol, Denmark [B]

Laeso Island, Denmark

Rio Vista, California


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RPPC of Frank Benton Parker, as a baby; possibly son of Everett & Frances (Hunter) Parker of Westbrook, Maine

Real photo postcard of Frank Benton Parker as a baby.  No locale or photographer's name is given.   The card was purchased in Maine; but perhaps it was in Maine only because it had been sent to a relative back in the day.

                                              

I didn't have any immediate luck finding a Frank Benton Parker in my usual online sources.  

That said, there is a very intriguing possibility that Frank Benton Parker may be the son of Everett Parker of Maine.  There's a Frank B. Parker born in 1921 in Maine, the son of Everett Parker and wife Frances (Hunter, either maiden name or name from previous marriage) Parker of Westbrook, Maine.  Here's the intriguing part: Everett's father's name was either Isaiah Benton Parker or Benton Isaiah Parker.  

If you have a Frank Benton Parker in your family who fits the bill, or if you know of someone who does, I'd very much appreciate hearing from you.

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Email: Heirlooms.Reunited@gmail.com

Twitter ID: ToddHouse

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Photo of N. Fannie Flander, for her "Aunt Permelia"; Oconomowoc, Wisconsin Studio

Circa 1910 photograph of N. Fannie Flander, which was given to her "Aunt Permelia.  There's a handwritten notation, which I think reads:  "Grandmom's sister Nancy's Granddaughter".   Photo by F. R. Poe (I think).

 I haven't been able to find any definitive information on N. Fannie Flander.   If you have any insights, I would be most appreciative if you would contact me.

 The best I've come up with is a 1905 Wisconsin Census dated June 1, 1905, showing a Fanny Flander in Ashippun, who was born in 1889 in New York.  She's enumerated as a servant in the household of Thomas and Harriet Steele.  The 1900 Census for Cape Vincent, Jefferson County, New York, shows what appears to be this same Fanny, though she's listed as Yannie or Fannie, living with her grandparents, Henry and Anna, whose surname, I believe, starts with Van.  The original Census image is plagued with strikeovers and faint print.

Also in the 1900 Census is a Fanny Flander, born September 1891, living in Trenton, New Jersey with her parents Thomas and Agnes.  Their surname is listed as Flandys, with an alternate spelling of Flander.  The other Fannie seems more apt, but you just never know.  The birth date could be off on the Wisconsin Census, and  New Jersey is just over the border from New York.

And perhaps the Fannie in the 1905 Wisconsin Census is not the Fannie in the photograph.  She's a mystery - I'm counting on one of you out there to clear it up.

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Email: Heirlooms.Reunited@gmail.com

Twitter ID: ToddHouse

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Downeast Maine & Maritime Canada Genealogy