Mystery Monday

Today we have a bit of a puzzlement. (Nothing new there I know.) This is an unknown couple, surprise, surprise. Obviously there is a man on the right and a woman on the left and there is a possiblity of a great age difference considering his hair is 100% snow white and she doesn't appear to have a touch of gray or a wrinkle anywhere to be seen. Not necessarily accurate since everybody balds, wrinkles and grays in their own time. Here is where it gets a little tricky. Since you can't see their entire outfits nor is there a background you haven't very much go to on. Let's break it down a little more.

Men's fashion hasn't changed much over the course of time and there is very little you can tell about him. You can't see his collar or tie due to the beard. He is wearing a vest but that doesn't mean much as men still wear them today. In going through an old book I have on Ottawa & Sandusky counties the beard he has seems to be rather popular for men in the late 1880's that are about 60 or over. They appeared on men born as early as 1804 so really any older man in the late 1880's appeared to like the style. He pretty much offers no clues. If you judge strictly by the clothing and the facial hair, he is in vogue for the 1840's but men have never really been huge followers of fashion have they? More so older men.













On to the woman. Her hair is parted in the middle and tight to the head. No braids, ribbons, combs or decorations of any kind. That gives me nothing to work on.

If you look at her clothing you will see that her sleeves are starting to puff out at the top. This started in the 1890's or so and I found almost identical sleeves in the fashion plates of September, 1893. The gathers are on the same plates. None of the plates however have the women wearing jewelry. If you look down towards the bottom of the image you will see the chain of a pocket watch or possibly some other form of jewelry.

Timeframe: I basically said all that to say I haven't a clue when this picture was taken. Due to the lack of any solid information and conflicting clues my best guess is in the 1890's but pretty much anything is possible.

Young actors/actresses?

This was taken at Smith Studio in Oak Harbor, Ohio. There are twelve faces in this picture . . . and eight names on the back, kinda. In the back row we have Merle Fritsche, Bess Seifield and Opal & Olive Bordeaux. In the "center row" you will find Florabell Tschumy, Rose Linder, Gertrude Campbell & Edith Rice. Also according to the back Merle married Leon Leutz. Bess married Graydon Rymers, Opal married Zehner Grover Bahs, Olive married Harry Wheeler, Florabell married George Miller, Rose married Wm. Schultz & Edith married David Fall. Gertrude died in 1918. Sure enough, when you look in the Ohio Death Certificates you will find Gertrude Campbell, daughter of William Campbell and Julia Franck, died October 29th of pneumonia & influenza. At the time she was working at the assistant port minister, whatever that means. Since I was already digging I found Opal was born in January 1893, Gertrude in August 1892, Edith in October 1882 and Merle was born in September 1894.

Timeframe: Since Gertrude died in 1918 I sincerely hope this picture was taken before the fall of that year. Merle is the youngest I have a birthday for so it is going to be after September 1894. Merle looks to be between 13 & 16 so that would make it about 1907 - 1909.

Where It Fits: Merle Fritsche married Leon Leutz and had Mary Caroline, Robert & A.J. Bess Seifield married Graydon Rymers. Graydon is the son of Ruben Rymers & Lavina Kleinhans.

Mary Caroline Leutz Rudes

Today we have a picture of Mary Cary. I don't know for sure when this picture was taken but she looks rather young. I do not know where it was taken either. I do think the bird off to the left and the unusual benches should tip somebody else off. Today would have been her 92nd birthday.

Timeframe: Good question. I am guessing the 1930's.

Where it Fits: Mary was the mother of Diane, De Ila, Merrill & Terry.

Mother & Daughter

This picture has no photographers imprint but somebody took great detail in labeling the back. It identifies the two women in this picture as "Merle, born Sept. 18, 1894" & "Caroline Fritsche - Died Dec. 1910". It also gives the date of the picture as "7/14 - 1910".

Timeframe: Apparently July 14, 1910. On that date Merle would have been 15 and Caroline just shy of her 46th birthday.

Where it Fits: Caroline was the daughter of Charles Hopfinger & Fredericka Richardson. Caroline Hopfinger married J.R. Fritsche. Caroline Fritsche is the mother of Merle. Merle Leutz is the mother of A.J., Mary Caroline & Robert.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Since today is Thanksgiving I thought I would post an "easy" photograph. According to the back of this photograph it was taken October, 1952. Here is what the back says:

Taken October 21, 1952
Diane broke out with chicken pox that morning. MB's chin was chapped raw and the baby's cheeks were covered with a rash - but powder covered it all.
(Nelda also went to hospital that day - and I took mom to chiropractor at 1 p.m.) What a day

Diane - 8 years
Merrill B. 5 "
Terry 4 "
De Ila 6 weeks 5 days

I am sure we have all had days like that. Here's hoping your Thanksgiving isn't one of them. :-)

Timeframe: October, 1952.

Where it Fits: Diane, Merrill, Terry & De Ila are the children of Merrill B. Rudes & Mary Caroline Leutz. They are the grandchildren of Leon & Merle Leutz and Merrill & Della Rudes.

Mr. Chas Hopfinger

Unlike some of the other pictures that are short a name or two this picture actually has THIRTEEN names on the back. Now, it is possible that this man had a very, very long name or it could be that somebody was label happy. I am going to go with label happy as this is a very specific label. If you were to flip this picture over you would see:

Mr. Chas Hopfinger

Phillia + Fred Nieman Mike + Rose Tilton
Clara + Nissen Fred single
Rosa Carsten August + Mary Goodeman
Caroline Robert Fritsche Leonard died at 18 years

The married names/spouses were added at a second time and Leonard was completely left off the original labeling. So, who was that masked man?

Since Leonard died at 18 and the man in the photograph is obviously over 18 I think we can eliminate him from the line up. Phillia, Clara, Rosa and Caroline can be eliminated out of the hope that none of those ladies have a beard. :-) That would leave Chas., Mike, Fred, August and the spouses of Phillia, Clara, Rosa & Caroline.

J.E. Duigan operated a photography studio in Port Clinton from 1888 - 1897. The age range for Fredrick would be 33 - 42. While it would be possible I doubt a 33 year old man would have gray facial hair. Since Fred is the oldest of the men listed (that I have a DOB for) it would be safe to assume he isn't any of the younger men either. That leaves us with Charles who would have been 60 in 1888. A very reasonable age for the man in the photograph. Since his name was the first name on the list and it was not over the list of males, it would stand to reason that whoever labeled the picture wanted to include how he was related so they listed all his children on the back.

Timeframe: J.E. Duigan operated from 1888-1897. I see no reason to disagree with this time frame. Since Chas. Hopfinger was alive that entire time frame his age could be from 59 to 68, depending on what time of year the photograph was taken.

Where It Fits: Charles was the father of Caroline Hopfinger Fritsche. Caroline was the mother of Merle Fritsche Leutz. Merle is the mother of Mary Caroline, Robert & A.J..

Merrill & Della

This picture is very large, I couldn't manage to get all of the image on my scanner. It was taken by Livingston in 1919 according to the autograph on the bottom corner.

Timeframe: Since it is dated 1919 that would make Merrill roughly 29 and Della 28.

Where it Fits: Merrill Rudes & Della Meyer are the parents of Merrill B. Rudes & George H. Rudes.

Mystery Monday: General Store

Here is a picture from a store. Probably a general or grocery store. Behind the two men kneeling is a box of "Foulds' Noodles". (Foulds' opened in Cincinnati in 1885.) There is another box labeled "Foley's" and something about Union Smoke & Chew. Union World maybe. How about something called "Yeast Foam"? The earliest reference I can find is the early '20 and the last I can find is early 30's. That is more or less all I can make out from the background. I don't see any calendars or anything that might narrow down a date. There are hangers, clothing and birds in the background. I choose to ignore the large bucket of lard in the middle of the picture. :-)

Does anybody recognize the men or the location?

Ambrotype

Today I am showcasing the oldest image I have found, so far anyway. Today we have an ambrotype from roughly 1853 - 1859. The image is still in the case, the case is a little worse for wear but considering the age it is in beautiful shape. The inside has a stamped velvet cushion of a very deep red.


The outside of the case is starting to wear away. The cover feels almost like a very thin leather but I can't make out the original box materials. It does not appear to be made of wood so maybe the 1850's card board? It feels very papery. You can also see the metal hook and eye closure on the side. Please keep in mind all the details on this "giant" box is about 2.5 inches wide and shy of 3 inches tall. Our current wallet sized photographs are bigger then the entire box.


Timeframe: The hay day for the ambrotype was the 1850's. Judging by the hair styles and clothing of the lady I can narrow it down to 1853-1859.

Where it Fits: I haven't the slightest idea. Assuming she is related and not just a novelty that somebody picked up along the way we are looking for a woman born in the 1820's or 1830's. There are no imprints to narrow down the geography so I can't suggest where she might have been living at the time. I just found this to be highly fascinating so I thought I would share.

Baby Fritsche

This little girl is labeled. According to the back of the photograph this is Verneda Fritsche and appears to have been taken at the Nichoson studio in Toledo, Ohio. The photographers imprint is a little hard to read but that is what it looks like.

Funny little tidbit of the day, while all the babies of the time did wear gowns as long as they have hair you can tell the gender. Girls hair was parted in the middle and boys parted their hair off center. The hair on this baby is obviously parted in the middle.

Timeframe: Verneda was born Christmas Eve, 1904 so this picture would have been taken in 1905. Possibly early 1906.

Where It Fits: Verneda is the daughter of Charles Fritsche and Anna Hall. Charles Fritsche is the older brother of Robert Fritsche. Verneda married Burdette Floro and they had Keith, Darrell and Kent.

Rudes babies?

There were two babies on a double matting. The one on the left is printed on a post card. This was a very popular occurrence and I believe it would have been a very handy idea. The pictures are thicker and tend to hold up better and it also gives me "postage". Even if it wasn't mailed and/or didn't have a stamp on it you can use the "place stamp here" symbols to figure out about how old it is. Very handy for me.

On the back of this photograph/postcard it says "Junior Rudes, 4 ms old". The stamp on the back dates it between 1910 & 1930. If this is Merrill Rudes it would have been taken in April/May, 1920 so the stamp fits. (Although with that range it would be hard to miss.)










This brings us to baby #2. On the right hand side was another picture. There are no labels on this photograph but since it was literally attached to the first one I assume it is also a Rudes baby. Is it a picture of George or is it Merrill a couple months older?

Timeframe: The first picture would be in about May 1920. The second picture, if it is Merrill, would also be taken in the 1920's because he appears to be sitting independently and he is wearing shoes that do not appear to be scuffed from crawling and/or walking which would put him under a year. If the second picture is of George it would have been taken in 1924.

How It Fits: Merrill & George are the sons of Merrill Rudes & Della Meyer. They are the fathers of Diane, Merrill, Terry, De Ila, Randy, Jackie, Connie & Amy.

When you marry in November?!?!

Sorry, I was planning to post this one on Tuesday but it completely slipped my mind until today. I figured better late then never so here goes. This picture was taken November 17, 1941. Mary Cary was just shy of 24 and Merrill was 21. Happy Anniversary!

Timeframe: November 1941.

How it Fits: Merrill was the son of Merrill Rudes & Della Meyer. Mary Caroline was the daughter of Leon Leutz & Merle Fritsche. Together they are the parents of Merrill, Terry, Diane & De Ila.

P.S. -- Today is Terry & Kym's anniversary but ssshhh, you didn't hear it from me. 26 years in case you are interested.

Label problem

I noticed something yesterday and thought I would share it with you while it was still fresh in my mind.

There are a couple basic things I like to know about each photograph. Who/what is in it, when it was taken and where. This adorable little guy is labeled. On the back it says "William Michel son of Frank & Amelia Michel". Now we have the who. When it was taken is where this gets a little tricky. There is a William Michel that is the son of Frank Michel. He was born April 1888. It shouldn't be to hard to figure out when this was taken since he doesn't appear to be very old. When I looked up Hoover in Oak Harbor in "Ohio Photographers" I found a Jacob Hoover that was operating in Oak Harbor in 1881 & 1882. In 1882, Frank Michel was only ten so I doubt if this picture was taken in 1881/1882 that it was of his son. So, is this picture mislabeled? Was there another Hoover photographer in Oak Harbor? Any suggestions? Please, if you notice anything mislabeled please speak up.

Timeframe: Good question!

Where It Fits: Assuming that this is in fact William Michel he is the son of Frank Michel & Emilie Fritsche. Emilie is the sister of John Robert Fritsche.

Nonpareil Club

Today we have a group picture of the Nonpareil Club of 1968. When I was looking through grandmas books I found a copy of "Some of Oak Harbor, A Little of Salem Townsip & a Wee Bit of Ottawa County" by George Thierwechter. I am not sure if this was ever published since the copy I found was being proof read by, I believe, Merle Leutz. There are a couple letters to her in the book announcing corrections made and thanking her for making identifications, etc. Not only is this picture of personal interest but the history contained in the book was of great interest. According to the history of the club it was founded on July 28, 1897 by Mrs. Sid Aue, Mrs. Carl Bauch, Mrs. Charles Bredbeck, Mrs. George Bredbeck, Mrs. William Bredehoft, Mrs. William Campbell, Mrs. John Duff, Mrs. John Echoff, Mrs. William Franck, Mrs. Fred Jordon Sr., Mrs. Jacob Kneipp, Mrs. George Meyer, Mrs. Charles Roose Jr., Mrs. George Smith & Mrs. August Vogel. Does anybody know if that Mrs. George Meyer happens to be Maggie Schnackenberg Meyer the wife of George Meyer? Wouldn't that be an interesting coincidence?

Now, on to the picture. We have from left to right and in the back row:

• Dorothy Franck
• Merle Leutz
• Ella Hay
• Rose Conrad
• Mary Revenaugh
• Marie Lytle
• Cora Hetrick
• Cora Scheuerman

Now, left to right and in the front row/sitting:

• Dorothy Mylander
• Hazel Scheuerman
• Minnie Herring
• Lena Nehls
• Ruth Merrill

Timeframe: Since it was a picture of the 1968 Norpareil Club I assume it was taken around 1968. According to the notations it was taken by Mr. Mylander.

How It Fits: Mrs. George Meyer is the mother of Della (Meyer) Rudes. Della is the mother of Merrill & George Rudes. Merle Fritsche Leutz, the mother of Mary Caroline, Robert & A.J.

For the record . . .

Two things that might make this a little easier for everybody.

1) If you click on any of the posted images they will blow up. The originals are huge so when you click on the image it will enlarge to roughly the size of your screen. Some of the images are even bigger.

2) In order to comment on a post scroll down to the bottom of the post and click comment. You do NOT need an account to post. You can simply enter your name and post a comment on the bottom of the post. I have the problems I have heard about fixed, so far anyway. If you have problems please let me know.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled blogging. :-)

Reprint?

This picture baffles me. The back says "Mrs. Chas. Hopfinger, mother's mother". In another hand writing in a different colored ink it adds "She was a Richardson". J.E. Duignan operated a studio in Port Clinton from 1888 to 1897. That leaves a three year window for Mrs. Hopfinger to have had her picture taken and she would have been between 61 & 63. While it is possible this woman doesn't strike me as a woman in her 60's, especially one that had eight or so children. I would expect gray hair after 8 children. :-) So out of curiosity I pulled out the guide from 'Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs' and looked at the few visible clues. If the picture was taken between 1888 & 1890 you would expect to see her hair frizzy with curls around her face. You also expect to see a very high stiff collar. Neither are present. If you look at the 1853-1859 time frame you would expect to see her hair parted in the center & drooping over her ears. Jewelry, just look at those long dangly earrings. It also mentions items in the hair such as combs, ribbons, bows, etc. My guess is this was a picture taken in the 1850's and reprinted by J. E. Duignan between 1888 & 1897. If it was taken in 1853 it would have been before she was married and a mere 26. If it was taken in 1897 she would have been 32 and only had three children at the time. Of course it also could have been taken anytime between. Was this for her funeral in 1890? That would also explain why/how she was printed on a scroll and the flowers were added.

Timeframe: My guess is 1853-1859 but printed between 1888 & 1897.

How It Fits: Mrs. Hopfinger was the mother of Caroline Hopfinger Fritsche. Caroline Fritsche is the mother of Merle Fritsche Leutz, the mother of Mary Caroline, Robert & A.J.

Confirmation?

A nice Sunday mystery. This was taken at Northland Studio in Toledo, Ohio. There is no label saying who, what, when, or why. I am assuming it is a confirmation but I'm not sure.

Timeframe: The skirts are short enough that it is fairly safe to assume this was taken after 1908. Since all the girls have a bob cut, which didn't become popular until the 20's, this was taken after 1920. They started to get longer then the jaw length in the 30's and all these girls have the shorter bobs so I am guessing this was taken between 1920 & 1930.

Where It Fits: I don't know. Can you tell me?

LaCarne Concert Band

Here is another one of those anomalies. I have found two copies, one is printed on a postcard and simply says "Will" on the back. The second is a much larger copy and actually has a list of names on the back. Assuming it is labeled correctly we have in the first row from left to right William Michel, _____ Floro, Lowell Rymers & Bartell Moore. In the second row there is Milton Floro, Burton Opper, Graydon Rymers, John Tettau, Otto Balduff, Forrest Moore & Marion Opper.

Timeframe: There are no dates on either image. The postcard on the back doesn't have postage so I can't date the stamp. William Michel was born in 1888. Lowell Rymers was born in 1891. Milton Floro was born in 1884. Burton Opper was born in 1883. Graydon Rymers was born in 1891. John Tettau was born in 1892. Since the guys look to be in their late teens or twenties I am guessing this is between 1910 & 1920.

How It Fits: William Michel is the son of Frank Michel & Emilie Fritsche. Emilie is the sister of Robert J. Fritsche. Milton Floro is the son of Jacob Floro & Julia Finken. Graydon Rymers is the son of Ruben Rymers & Lavina Kleinhans.

Cousins

This picture is labeled "cousins" on the back. Left to right we have Beetrice, A.J., Robert, Mary Caroline, and Monabell Leutz.

I have no cute stories about this picture specifically but I would like to point out that Uncle Bob has a big boy haircut. As we were going through the pictures he spotted one of himself that reminded him of a childhood stunt. It seems he went to the barber to get his hair cut and told the barber that his mother said he could get a big boy hair cut. The barber doubted this but when Uncle Bob told him to call his mother and ask if he didn't believe him the barber yielded and gave Uncle Bob the requested cut. Uncle Bob neglected one minor detail. At some point he was going to have to go home and his mother was going to notice. It seems he walked around for quite a while before getting the nerve to go home.

Timeframe: According to the writing on the front of the picture it was taken in 1926.

Where It Fits: Mary Caroline, Robert & A.J. are the children of Leon Leutz & Merle Fritsche. Beetrice & Monabell are the children of Berlin Leutz & Lilly S. Scholt. They were indeed cousins as Leon & Berlin are brothers.

Grandma & Grandpa Meyer

Today I doubt the point of interest will be the photograph. While it is a very nice photograph from Rogers Studio of Marguerite Schnackenberg & George Meyer there is something else of interest today too. It is a rather poor scan since it was rather tricky but . . .


George Herman Meyer, born November 4, 1867 was confirmed at Solomon's German Lutheran Church, Woodville, Sandusky County, Ohio on March 1, 1881.
If anybody else can translate the rest I would be interested in seeing what it says.

Timeframe: Since George died in the 1940's at 78 and he looks much younger than that to me I am guessing about 20's or 30's. Any ideas? The document is obviously from 1881 or so. I am guessing late February or early March.

Where It Fits: George Meyer & Marguerite Schnackenberg were the parents of Della Meyer Rudes. Della was the wife of Merrill Rudes and mother of Merrill Rudes & George Rudes.

Bethel Madison

Here is another picture I took to Uncle Bob for identification. Without hesitation he proclaimed her to be Bethel Madison. He then told me to look in 'A History of The Oak Harbor Public School and the Benton-Carroll-Salem Local School District' by George Thierwechter. He had recently given my father a copy and I was slowly working my way through but he mentioned a picture so when I got home I started looking in earnest.

Sure enough he was right. (Not that I doubted him.) On page 175 you will find a picture of the Oak Harbor High School Graduates - Class of 1920. There, sitting in the "bottom row", almost front and center is Bethel Madison. For those of you who don't have the book the rest of the people in the picture are as follows:

Bottom Row: Frederick Heller, Margaret Boylan, Francis Claser, Bethel Madison, Helene Schimansky, Martha Schuster, Esther Schutte, Orlena Miller, Walter Kern

Second Row: Marie Schuster, Gertrude Peters, Ruth Linder, William Roose, Walter Meyer, Lester Peters, Arthur Atwater, Agnes Mulligan

Third Row: Pearl Price, Raymond Steinmiller, Vernon Getterman, Milton Atwater, Herbert Fitch, William Mylander, Orland Humphrey, Franklin Yingling, Nellie Bearss

Top Row: Pauline Rice, Helen Nehls, Alice Blatt, Frances Auxter, Adelyn Neipp, Martha Peters, Dorothy Nehls, Minnie Goodsite, Florence Ludwig, Freda Hoedt & Grace Glecker.

Timeframe: Since the two images are very similar and one is the class of 1920 I am guessing both images hail from 1920 or there abouts.

Where It Fits: Bethel Madison is the daughter of Myrtle Leutz. She was later adopted by Peter Madison. George Thierwechter is the husband of Florence Hopfinger. Florence is the daughter of August Hopfinger. August Hopfinger is the brother of Caroline (Hopfinger) Fritsche.

The Little Brown Box

Today the post comes from a little brown box. On the top of what feels like glorified cardboard is a pewter image. There are three pictures tied together with a ribbon that says "Nurnboro". The images appear to be a church, a crest and a castle. Inside you'll find some photographs and news paper clippings. Of the eight photographs I do believe six are from George Rudes' wedding to Marian Bringe. At least that was my guess from the one picture of a woman getting riced within an inch of her life.

The rest of the pictures strike me as the classic wedding poses.

I am assuming the couple on the left are Marian's parents and the woman on the right is Della (Meyer) Rudes. Can anybody confirm Mr. & Mrs. Bringe? Or maybe have names for the maid/matron of honor & best man?

Now, for the mystery part. There were two pictures in the box that I couldn't identify. One was another wedding photograph. On the back I can't make out the first word but the rest is:

Jean
---------------------
Bristol England
--------------------
15/6/45

The second is a picture of a house. The back says "The Haar House formerly The Druyer Home We just bought." There is a stamp on the back that says it is a Gross Process print from The Gross Photo Supply Co. in Toledo, Ohio.


I assume this box belonged to a member of the Meyer family because the clippings in the box include four obituaries for Augusta R. Meyer, an obituary for George H. Meyer, an obituary for Carole Ann Elwell (age four), a notice in The Ottawa County Exponent announcing Della Rudes selling something to Gailen R. Drummond and a clip announcing Clay Center is dedicating their new street lights. (Maggie Meyer was being honored at the dedication as one of the oldest citizens at 81.)

Timeframe: 1944 and 1945 for the weddings. I assume the house was purchased in the same general time frame.

Where It Fits: George Rudes is the son of Merrill Sr. & Della (Meyer) Rudes. He is the brother of Merrill B. Rudes.

Slightly labeled

For the first mystery we have this picture of ten. The back is beautifully labeled in black ink pen as follows:

• Cora - August Boysen
• Bess - John Gauthier
• Elmer -
  
• John -
  
• Edward -
  
• Frank -
  
• Fred
• Clara - Arthur Hasselbach
• Phylia

Does anybody else see a problem with this? First, there are only nine names but ten faces in the picture. Second, what name goes with what face? Third, does this family have a last name? If the names follow and go left to right the back row would be Cora, Bess, Elmer, John, Edward & Frank. Is the younger male on the far right side Fred or does that make the older man sitting Fred, the young woman in the middle Clara and the woman on the right Phylia? That would leave the youngest male unnamed. Does anybody have any more information on this family?

Timeline: The photographers mark on the bottom right hand corner says "Banister". There is some writing below that but I can't make it out. When I look in "Ohio Photographers; 1839-1900" I find nothing. That isn't surprising because judging by the girls clothing on the far left I was guessing it was taken after 1900. I pulled out my trusty "Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs" and looked at the listing for female clothing after 1900. The listing for 1908-1914 is the last listing and it is the first to include the notation for skirts as "feet show". Since you can clearly see the girls feet I assume this was taken after 1908.

George Meyer

Every once in a while I run into a true treasure. Not as good as meeting new people over a stack of photographs and old stories but close. The ever elusive labeled photograph. On the back of this image is the name "George Meyer". Also according to the back it was taken by "VanLoo Photographer" at the new studios on Nos. 149 & 151 Summit Street, Toledo. It also declares that duplicates can be had at any time, I wonder what would happen if I tried. :-)

Timeframe: According to "Ohio Photographers; 1839-1900" William F. VanLoo operated as a photographer in Toledo from 1876-1899. He operated at 149 & 151 Summit Street from 1884 to 1889. That would put George Meyer between 16 and 21 years of age.

How It Fits: George Meyer is the father of Della (Meyer) Rudes. Della is the mother of Merrill & George Rudes.

Military Men

This is another picture I took when dad and I went to visit Uncle Bob. According to Uncle Bob this is the C. Company, 467th Chemical Mortar Battalion. Uncle Bob started rattling off names so fast this whippersnapper could barely keep up and I had to ask him to repeat a name or two. Please pardon any misspellings but starting on the left, front row we have Allen Dykeman, Joe Cleary, Raleigh Qualman, Paul Lockwood, Merrill B. Rudes, Carl Alamo, Robert Leutz, Bill Richie and Kurt Brough. In the second row, fourth from the left stands Roy Cooley. Do any of the other faces look familiar?

Timeframe: World War II

How It Fits: Merrill B. Rudes is the son of Merrill Rudes & Della Meyer. Robert Leutz is the son of Leon Leutz & Merle Rose Fritsche.

Grandpa & Mom

This is one of the pictures that really makes me enjoy name hunting. Dad and I took a bunch of pictures over to Uncle Bob's a week or so ago. As we were looking through the stack of pictures I brought a big smile crept across Uncle Bob's face. I instantly knew I was in for a story. It seems this is a picture of his mother, Merle. The gentleman in the picture is none other than Merle's father, Robert. According to Bob, Merle loved this picture and it was always on display somewhere in her home. Shortly after Merle's death Bob went looking for it and it was nowhere to be found. He has wondered what happened to it ever since. He requested a copy and I will have it ready the next time I see him. I hope I get the same smile when he sees it again.


Timeframe: Judging by the lack of wedding rings on Merle & Robert neither were married at the time. Robert was married from 1889 to 1910 and again after June of 1916. Merle married Leon in 1913. I therefore assume this was taken between 1910 & 1913. That would make the age of Merle between 16 & 18 and Robert between 48 & 50.

Where It Fits: Merle is the only child of Robert Fritsche & Caroline Hopfinger that survived to adulthood. Merle married Leon Leutz and is the mother of Mary Cary, Robert and A.J.