Marvin Davis Cartwright and Loren Walter Cartwright

Found Photo: Marvin Davis Cartwright and Loren Walter Cartwright of Boone County, Iowa

Marvin Davis Cartwright was born in 1904 in Boone County, Iowa. His brother, Loren Walter Cartwright was born in Boone County in 1909. They were the two eldest children of Walter Dudley Cartwright (b. 1880) and Myrna (Mernie) Lorena Davis (b. 1884). Their siblings, Eileen Cartwright and Duane Cartwright, followed in 1921 and 1923.

Marvin married Mary Elizabeth Johnston and they had two children, Barbara Cartwright (b. 1928) and Walter Cartwright (b. 1932). Marvin was living in San Diego at the time of his death in 1975.

Loren married Ethel Mae Zanker in Iowa in 1933. They had three children together, Richard Lin Cartwright, Roger Loren Cartwright, and Mary Jane Cartwright. Loren died in 2011 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Otto Failmezger and Metta Kleinsteuber

Found Photo: Otto Failmezger and Metta Kleinsteuber of Milwaukee

Despite the lovely handwriting on the back of this photo, this young couple was hard to place. There seem to be multiple spellings of each of their names. Here are some of them:

• Otto Falmezger
• Maria Meta Kleinsteuber
• Meta Kleinstuber 

I believe that I've found the correct couple, though. Metta was born in 1861 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her parents were Carl or Charles Kleinsteuber and Carolina Just, both of whom were born in Germany but met and married in Milwaukee. Metta was one of eight children born to Carl and Carolina, and she was their youngest daughter. Metta married Otto in August 1881, but sadly died just two years later, in 1883. It does not appear that they had any children. Otto married again some years later, to Ida Struebig. They had two sons, Adolph Failmezger (b. 1901) and Carl Walter Failmezger (b. 1904).

Carl Failmezger married Viola Groskopf, and they had two children. He died in Florida in 1993. Adolph also married and had a child. He died in 1953.

Metta left behind many nieces and nephews. Perhaps one of their descendants would be interested in this photo.

James Barroll of Baltimore, Maryland

Found Photo: James Barroll of Baltimore, Maryland

The text on the back on this photograph reads:

James Barroll of Baltimore
Son of Rev. William Barroll and Ann Williamson his wife - she was daughter of Rev. Alexander Williamson.
James Barroll married Mary A. Crockett and was the father of twelve children of whom only one is living, Benjamin C. Barroll.
Charles Barroll, my father, was next to the youngest son.
This photograph after the portrait by Hardy and was a sparkling likeness.
[illegible] Sept. 21, 1906

James' father, William Barroll, was born in 1734 in England. He attended St. John's College at Cambridge, and emigrated to the American Colonies in about 1760. He became the reverend at St. Stephen's Church in Cecil County, Maryland and married Ann Williamson in 1761.

Their youngest son, James Barroll, was born in 1777 in Maryland and married Mary Ann Crockett on December 15, 1812 in Baltimore, Maryland. The twelve children of James and Mary Ann were as follows:

James William Barroll, 1813–1887
Edward Barroll, 1814–1814
Jane Barroll, 1815–1887
Edward Barroll, 1816–1854
Mary Ann Barroll, 1817–1844
Benjamin Crockett Barroll, 1819–1908
Elizabeth Hands Barroll, 1820–1899
William Barroll, 1822–
Richard Barroll, 1823–
Charles Barroll, 1825–1905
Henry Barroll, 1827–1865
Serena Barroll, 1830–1879

Charles Barroll, the second youngest son who is referenced on this photo, married twice. His first wife was Elizabeth Virginia Reed. They had two children:

Mary Jane Barroll (b. 1853)
Edward Reed Barroll (b. 1855)

Upon Elizabeth's death, Charles married Nancy Bingham Cowden. They had three children:

Victoria Barrell (b. 1858)
Isabella Maude (b. 1860)
Elizabeth Virginia (b. 1863)

It appears that Mary Jane and Victoria died rather young, so it was likely Edward, Isabella or Elizabeth who wrote the description on the back on this picture in 1906.

The Hardy mentioned as the artist who created James' portrait was likely Jeremiah Pearson Hardy (1800–1887), who is known for painting many portraits of notable colonial men, particularly in New England.

Mrs. Ellis A. Davidson (Catherine) with Stanley Kisch

Found Photo: Mrs. Ellis A. Davidson with Stanley Kisch

  

Name(s): Mrs. Ellis A. Davidson with Stanley Kisch
Date: Probably about 1879
Location: England

The text handwritten on the photo reads as follows:

Mrs. Ellis A. Davidson
(mother of Annie Kisch wife of Albert Kisch)
and
Stanley Kisch who later married Gertrude Gisborne and had two
daughters -- Noelle and Marcelle
Noelle married Sydney Woodford (no issue)
Marcelle married Gerald Driuff
-- two children; Caroline and David
7/2/53

Additional information about this family:

Mrs. Ellis A. Davidson (Catherine) was the mother of Annie Davidson. She is pictured here with Annie's son Stanley, her grandson.

Catherine was born around 1829 and lived her whole life in England. Her surname may have been Levy or Woodrich. She and her husband raised their children in Cheshire and later moved to London.

Annie, daughter of Ellis and Catherine Davidson, was likely born in Cheshire, England, around 1856. Around 1876, as a woman of around twenty, she married Albert Joseph Kisch, a prominent doctor, in London. Albert was the son of Joseph Kisch, an obstetric surgeon in London, and his wife, Louisa.

Annie and Albert had four sons:

Stanley Albert Kisch (1877)
Ellis Abraham Davidson Kisch (1879)
Percy Albert Kisch (1880)
Harold Albert Kisch (1880) - twin of Percy Kisch

They also had a daughter, Muriel Kathleen Kisch (1883).

Stanley married Gertrude Mary Gisborne and they had two daughters, Audrey Noelle Gertrude Kisch and Marcelle Muriel Gertrude Kisch. The family settled in Marylebone and then St. John's Wood, posh areas of London. Stanley was the manager of a fine arts warehouse.

According to Grace's Guide to British Industrial History, Ellis was "sent abroad by his father to learn business practice, first at Sandeman in Portugal, and then to the Apollinaris spring water bottling plant located on the banks of the Rhine in Germany." He became the manager of Putney Motor Co. by 1902, and the general manager of the Ailsa Craig Motor Co. by 1910. He married Dorothy Primrose Johnston. She was the daughter of Robert Ernest Johnston, a motor engineer, and his wife, Florence Lenora Johnston. Ellis and Dorothy had a son, Robert Kisch (1932).

Percy married Estella Kisch. They had three sons, Richard Percy Kisch, Edward Ellis Kisch and Norman Frederick Kisch. Percy became a merchant with a shop at 75 Mark Lane in London.

Harold married Sybil Hyman. They had no children. Harold served in World War I and became a distinguished ear, nose and throat surgeon in London. The details of his illustrious career can be found here. 

Milada Borecky

Found Photo: Milada Borecky of Little Rock, Arkansas

Name(s): Milada Borecky
Date: 1886
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

Milada Borecky was born in Racine, Wisconsin in 1869, the daughter of John (possibly Johannes) Borecky and Anna Schula. She may have gone by the nickname Minnie. Her parents were born in "Bohemia," which is likely a reference to the region that is now the Czech Republic. Milada was one of about thirteen children born to John and Anna Borecky between 1857 and 1884. The family appears to have lived for many years in Wisconsin before moving briefly to Kansas and then on to Arkansas, in about 1881. They settled near Little Rock, which is where Milada's portrait was taken in 1886. She would have been about sixteen years old. This may even have been an engagement portrait, for young Milada married Charlie Lacik in Little Rock in 1887.

It's not entirely clear how many children Milada and Charlie had together. They may have had the following children between 1887 and 1900: Annie Lacik, John Frank Lacik, Silvia Lacik, Charles G. Lacik, Rosie Lacik, Willie Lacik.

Milada died in Oklahoma in 1907, at the age of 37. Her youngest child would have been just seven years old.

Hazel and Esther from Lawrence, Kansas

Found Photo: Hazel and Esther, Sisters from Kansas

Name(s): Hazel and Esther
Date: unknown
Location: Lawrence, Kansas

The picture is inscribed to "Mintie."  Mintie is sometimes a nickname for Araminta.  This may have been a relative of Hazel and Esther.

This photo could be of Hazel and Esther Collins, daughters of William and Calla Collins of Leavenworth.  Hazel b. 1901, Esther b. 1903.

It might also be of Hazel and Esther Harbaugh of Sherman, Kansas, the daughters of John and Anna Harbaugh.  Hazel b. 1895, Esther b. 1897.

The Garis and Leifheit Families from Iowa

Found Photos: The Garis and Leifheit Family of Iowa and Minnesota

I came across a collection of photos that had been abandoned and ended up in a flea market. A few of them were labeled, and there was some indication that the family might have been from Iowa. Several of the photos turned out to be of Garis and Leifheit family members, connected by marriage. Images and details below.

This is Amos Garis. He was born in 1872 in Indiana, the son of Peter Garis. In 1899, he married Emma Maria Elizabeth Leifheit, daughter of William and Maria Leifheit. The couple were married in State Center, Iowa, where Emma's family lived. Amos worked as a carpenter in State Center until sometime between 1910 and 1920, when he moved his family to Minnesota. Amos and Emma had four children: Theora Garis (b. 1901), Kenneth Garis (b. 1904), Carrie Garis (b. 1907), and Earl Garis (b. 1910). Amos died in Madelia, Minnesota in 1957. Emma died there in 1954.

At left is William Wilson Garis (b. 1900), son of Walter Anson Garis and Mary Wilson. Walter was Amos Garis' brother. Young William Garis is seen here with his cousin, Theora Garis, at right. Theora (b. 1901), daughter of Amos and Emma Garis, was an infant in this photo, which was likely taken in the year of her birth, according to the writing on the back of the photo. Walter and Mary had two other children, Leonard Garis and Lois Garis. They lived in Claresholm, Alberta, Canada.

It never fails. You get your toddler all dressed up for photos and they just aren't having it. This classic shot of a child who really doesn't want to take a picture was in terrible shape when I first saw it, and I've tried to clean it up a bit. The back is labeled "Millie Leifheit Schaper."

Millie's full name was Amelia Katherina Johanna Leifheit, and she was Emma Leifheit's sister, the sister-in-law of Amos Garis. Born in 1875 in Iowa, she married Louis H. Schaper in December 1926, at the age of 50. They lived in Marshalltown, Iowa. It does not appear that Millie had any children.

This photo had a treasure trove of information on the back. This image is of William and Maria Leifheit, the parents of Emma and Millie Leifheit, in-laws of Amos Garis. Maria's maiden name was Bader. Maria was born March 26, 1857, according to the photo, and died in July 1928. William was born in August 1848 and died February 11, 1929.  William was born in Germany and Maria was born in Illinois. In addition to Millie and Emma, they had a third daughter, Alma Leifheit, born in 1884. Alma married Rudolph Jahnz and had a son, Elmer Jahnz.

It appears that William and Maria may have been the first in their family to move from Iowa to Minnesota. They were living there by 1910, after many years in Iowa. They settled in Madelia, near their daughter, Emma, and her family.