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A treasure trove
of photos have been passed down through my mother's family. We are luckier than many, having images that
stretch back into the nineteenth century.
Among the earliest
examples are the items pictured here, probable members of the Burgard family of
Pennsylvania and Astoria, Fulton County, Illinois. My ancestor was Hester Burgard, born to John
and Susannah Hollinger Burgard in Pennsyalvania in 1844. Hester (Hetty) married Isaac L. Myers in
Astoria in 1865. These photos may show
several of her siblings. This was told
to me by my grandmother, who knew Hetty well.
My grandmother was an adult of 28 when Hetty died in 1932.
Offspring though
to have been born to John & Susannah Burgard, with births years, are: Mary, 1828, John, 1830, Jacob Hollinger,
1834, Catherine, 1836, Peter Henry, 1837, Joseph E., 1838, Daniel 1840, Hester,
1844, Michael, 1846, and Susan M., 1848.
The ages of
Hetty's siblings, together with the style of dress and type of image, might
give a hint as to the subjects. Not
being a photography expert, I can only guess at these being daguerreotypes,
which were produced beginning in the 1840s, and on into the early 1860s. The next process which came into use was the
ambrotype, which appeared between 1854-1866.
My examples are in
fragile condition. Some are missing
their leather covers, or the covers have become separated from the side with
the image. The one on the upper left depicting
a male can’t be seen with the naked eye very well. It comes to life through the scanning
process. At first glance, it looks like
a piece of old mirror. You can faintly
see a face when you hold it sideways in the light.
An excellent
resource for studying this type of question is found at phototree.com, which
offers background on the types of photographic processes we are likely to
encounter when researching our ancestors.
The have a large library of over 1,000 images for comparison to our own
samples, and offer other tips for determining what kind of example we have.
The Burgard family
were members of the Church of the Brethren, which kept to a “plain” style of
dress. Because of this, the young woman
pictured in this collection wearing the elaborate hat, and carrying a fur muff,
seems to be an anomaly (unless she was the family rebel!). Perhaps she's a friend or an in-law? Or the image was mistakenly delivered to the
wrong customer? This leaves six other
separate individuals in this grouping of images. If the photos were taken at around the same
time, one might assume that the older two men are among the siblings born the
earliest, John, Jacob, or Peter. Perhaps the beards indicate marriage? The two
younger males in the images might represent Joseph, Daniel, or Michael. I have pictures of Hetty as an older adult,
and I wouldn't say that any of these show the same woman. This leaves Mary, Catherine, and Susan as
potential candidates. Or, perhaps some of these individuals aren't that close: in-laws, cousins, or friends.
This is a fascinating puzzle, and I'd love to
know more. Perhaps you have another copy
of one of these images that you know is your ancestor. If anyone out there can identify one or more
of these people more definitely, please let me know at jfproots@gmail.com. Images can be snagged or saved by right-clicking, and enlarged for further study.
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| All images in possession of the author, 2015 |
