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.

Elwood B. Love and Vina Cunningham

Found Photo: Elwood Bert Love and Lavina Ella "Vina" Cunningham

Name(s): Elwood B. Love
Date: N/A
Location: N/A

This may be Elwood Bert Love, who was born in October 1881 in Sutherland, Iowa and died in February 1956 in Harrison, Pennsylvania. His father was Herbert Love and his mother was Mattie A. Lane. He may have had siblings named Mabel Love, Arment B. Love, Seymour Lloyd Love and Herbert Hunter Love.

Elwood married Lavina Ella "Vina" Cunningham. It appears that Elwood worked at a power plant as a laborer, sometimes a "stoker." The couple lived in New Kensington, Pennsylvania (1927), and Springdale, Pennsylvania (1942).

Vina Cunningham was the daughter of Thomas Cunningham and Sarah Duval. She was born in October 1884 in Burlington, Iowa. She died in February 1962 in Springdale, Pennsylvania. Her siblings were Gloria Elizabeth Cunningham, May Violet Cunningham and Harry Winfield Cunninghan. It does not appear that Elwood and Vina had any children.

The Briggs / Black / Rowe Family

Found Photo: The Briggs, Black and Rowe Family of Ohio

Name(s): Malinda Briggs, John Briggs, Netta Briggs Black, Nora Briggs Rowe, Grace Black Maxwell, Wanda Briggs Mellick, Earl Rowe, Virginia Maxwell
Date: About 1921
Location: N/A

This is likely the Briggs family from Richland County, Ohio. 

Jacob Briggs (1846-1919) married Mary Melinda Whitney (1850-1927). They had ten children, including John Henry Briggs (1869-1958), Nora Catherine Briggs (1875-1955, married Lewis Rowe), and Mary Briggs (1867-1948, married David Black). Mary Melinda, identified here as Malinda, is the eldest member of the family in this photo.

Mary Briggs and David Black had a daughter, Netta Grace Black (1892-1986). She is pictured in this photo, and is the grandaughter of Melinda Briggs, not her daughter. Netta Grace Black married Lynn Maxwell and they had a daughter, Virginia Maxwell (1918-2003). Virginia is also pictured in this photo.

John Henry Briggs and his wife Sarah Lucinda Brown had a daughter, Wanda Briggs (1901-1963) who is pictured in this photo. Wanda married Forest Mellick.

Nora Catherine Briggs and her husband Lewis Rowe had a son, Earl Rowe (1899-1931) who is pictured in this photo.

Gwendolyn Hunsicker Mason

Found Photo: Gwendolyn Hunsicker Mason of Pennsylvania

Name(s): Gwendolyn Hunsicker Mason
Date: N/A
Location: N/A

The back of this photo is labeled Gwendolyn Hunsicker Mason, 6 months, 16 1/2 lbs. The flap that folds over the photo is labeled with the photographer's information: Sarony Incorporated, 1206 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.

Gwendolyn was born in 1928 in New Jersey, the only child of James Bryant Mason and Mary Gwendolyn Hunsicker. The family moved to Perkiomen, Pennsylvania by 1935, where James worked as a surgeon in a private practice. Gwendolyn attended The Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, an exclusive private high school.

Ernest P. Nelson and bride Emma Anderson

Found Photo: Ernest Nelson and Emma Anderson of Iowa

Name(s): Ernest Nelson and Emma Anderson
Date: 1898
Location: Mt. Pleasant, Iowa

An inscription on the back of this photo reads, "Ernest Nelson, died April 26, 1901."

An Iowa death record reveals that Ernest was just 28 years old when he died, although the record gives the date as April 26, 1900 rather than 1901. Ernest was born in Sweden in 1872, the son of Osjan Nelson and Anna Marie Erickson. He was working as a farmer in Lockridge, Iowa at the time of his death. His parents and four siblings appear to have also emigrated to Lockridge, as they are all buried in the same cemetery as Ernest.

Ernest's wife, pictured here in their wedding photo, was Emma Anderson. She was the daughter of N.P. Anderson and Lottie Isaacton. Ernest and Emma were married on March 25, 1898 when Ernest was 27 and Emma was 22. Ernest died just two years later. Emma died in 1911. Ernest and Emma had one child, Vivian Nelson, who was born in 1899, and died of tuberculosis at age 20, in 1919. Since the untimely death of her parents, Vivian had been raised by her aunt, Tillie Nelson, in Sierra Madre, California. 

Bertha Preggen of San Francisco

Found Photo: Bertha Preggen of San Francisco

Name(s): Bertha Preggen (possibly Preggena or Praggen)
Date: N/A
Location: San Francisco, California

Bertha is likely found in this 1900 Census record, living at 2202 Powell Street in San Francisco with her widowed mother Annie, brother Henry and sister Louisa. Her father was Louis Preggen, a brewer. Both of Bertha's parents were born in Germany. Bertha was born in October 1877, and she and both her siblings were born in California.

Interestingly, Bertha can be found in a second 1900 Census record, in the household of her employers, Charles and Francisca Bundschu. Bertha worked for them as a domestic servant. The Bundschu family lived at 245 Chestnut Street, just a few blocks from the Preggen home on Powell. Charles Bundschu was a wealthy man and a notable figure in San Francisco society. In 1868, he partnered with Jacob Gundlach in a wine business, and married Gundlach's sister. The brothers-in-law operated their business from San Francisco, but both that business and Bundschu's home on Chestnut Street were destroyed in the fire that followed the 1906 earthquake. They moved the operations to Sonoma, where the popular Gundlach Bundschu Winery still thrives. It is now run by Charles' great-great grandson.

I cannot find any records for Bertha after 1900. The 1906 earthquake killed 3,000 people and displaced nearly half a million. It's possible Bertha was killed, and also possible she had to relocate after the fire destroyed her neighborhood.

Bushnell Photography Studio was founded by Frederick Bushnell. A successful entrepreneur, he owned multiple studios in several California cities. After Bushnell's death in 1903, his San Francisco studio carried on under his name, but with new owners, for about two decades.

Esta Ruth Grooms

Found Photo: Ruth Esta Grooms of Oklahoma

Name(s): Esta Ruth Grooms
Date: February 2, 1909
Location: Mountain View, Oklahoma

The handwriting on this one was difficult to decipher, but I think I finally did it. The text on the back of the photo reads:

For Grandma
Esta Ruth Grooms
Aged 3 mos 1 wk
Taken Feb 2, 1909

The photo was taken at Barker Hobart Studios in Mountain View, Oklahoma.

The baby in this photo is likely the Esta Ruth Grooms who is found in the 1910 census with her family in Dill, Oklahoma, about a 45 minute drive from Mountain View. Her parents were Frank H. Grooms and Ida P. (maiden name possibly Inlow). Her siblings were Harold Grooms (b. abt. 1905) and Clarence Grooms (b. abt 1907). All family members were born in Ohio, except Esta, who was born in Oklahoma. This reflects the family's recent move to the state. Frank was working as a farmer in 1910.

Esta married Harry Farrar and moved to Albequerque, New Mexico. There, they had three daughters, Ruth Ann Farrar, Anita Mae Farrar and Betty Jo Farrar, and a son, James Farrar.

This photo card was found in an antiques shop in Auburn, California.