A nice collection of old photos was donated to me in Hamburg recently. There were only a few photos in the lot that were labelled with names, and I could determine these 5 RPPCs to have belonged to one family Stoffers from Blankenese in Hamburg, Germany – my hometown! This photo of a couple in … Continue reading Willy and Frieda Stoffers from Blankenese, Hamburg
Category: Family Stories
Harry Schachner with parents Isaac and Sylvia, New York
These two larger cabinet cards managed to stay together, despite travelling almost around the world from the United States to Spain and then to me in Germany. Luckily, the persons in the photos are identified, how wonderful! Let’s get to work, shall we! The first one shows baby Harry Schachner, 6 months old. The photo … Continue reading Harry Schachner with parents Isaac and Sylvia, New York
PWF Special: William “Billy” Post from Fennville, Michigan
Today I have a very special blogpost for you. Mandy from Paper of the Past reached out to me with this photo diary of little Billy. If you don’t know Mandy’s website paperofthepast.com or her instagram @paperofthepast, you’ve missed out on something fantastic. Her collection of 500+ vintage scrapbooks from as early as the 1840s … Continue reading PWF Special: William “Billy” Post from Fennville, Michigan
Fritz, Johanna and Marie Schoedel
UPDATED - I received some new information about the Schoedels from one of our amazing readers, so I've adjusted the text below accordingly. Oh how I love this community, thank you for your feedback and help! I bought these photos and RPPCs from German ebay a while ago. Only after they arrived by mail, I … Continue reading Fritz, Johanna and Marie Schoedel
The Maxam Sisters from Shelburne Falls, Mass.
These sweet girls were sisters Blanche and Bessie Maxam from Shelburne Falls, Franklin County, Massachusetts. They were born to parents Hardy Eskridge Maxam (1855-1942) and Florence P. née Phillips (1862-1955). Blanche was the older one, born on May 20, 1886. Bessie Florence was born 3 years later, on September 10, 1889. Their father was a … Continue reading The Maxam Sisters from Shelburne Falls, Mass.
Thomas Hamilton Ormsbee
Sweet child, believe in yourself, your future looks very promising! I asked my Instagram community their opinion about the surname - they suggested Ormsbee, and they were right once again! Meet Thomas "Tom" Hamilton Ormsbee from Brooklyn, N.Y., 2 years old in this diamond shaped cabinet card photo. Tom was born on August 25th, 1890 … Continue reading Thomas Hamilton Ormsbee
Emma and Mamie “Minnie” Kline
These two photos came to me from the United States, and upon receipt I was happy to discover that the young ladies shared the same surname – Emma and Minnie Kline - and both had had their photo taken in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Could they have been sisters? The answer was not hard to find – … Continue reading Emma and Mamie “Minnie” Kline
Julie Cossmann née Cohn
Today's blogpost is a follow-up to my last blogpost about cousins Felix Cohn and Heinz Cossmann. Today I write about Heinz' mother and Felix' paternal aunt Julie Cossmann née Cohn. Julie Charlotte Cohn was born on February 16th, 1861, in Neustrelitz in Mecklenburg, Germany, to Jewish parents August Cohn and Charlotte Anna née Hahn. Julie … Continue reading Julie Cossmann née Cohn
Cousins Felix Cohn and Heinrich (Heinz) Cossmann
This photograph came to me in a lot of random photos from German ebay. What an unusual photo, I thought. The hair of these Victorian-era children is kind of untypically short and freshly cut. If it hadn't been for the hand-written names on the reverse, I would have thought these were two sisters (or two … Continue reading Cousins Felix Cohn and Heinrich (Heinz) Cossmann
Siblings Gladys, Gertrude, Willie and Sydney Valentine
Here's one of those found treasures that is my favourite kind! It has all the important clues to make our search successful. It states the names of the children Gladys, Gertrude, Willie and Sydney, and the names of their parents W.S. Valentine and Grace Edna Clark Valentine, as well as the photo studio location in … Continue reading Siblings Gladys, Gertrude, Willie and Sydney Valentine
Photos Without Families 