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Photo Links To The Revolutionary War

If you are lucky enough to have some old tintypes, you are lucky enough. But you might not realize that some of the people in those photos might have seen or participated in the American Revolutionary War first hand. An article in Reunions magazine (Feb/Mar 2008; page 16) that arrived in my mailbox this week alerted me to a book project by Maureen Taylor The Photo Detective and David Lambert of the New England Historic Genealogical Society entitled "The Last Muster". The article details the project by Maureen and David in which they are endeavoring to publish a book that will include photos and background information about America's Revolutionary War generation. Unless you are a photography history expert (which I am not) your first thought was probably that I am one flash short of a bulb. But, you would be wrong. Here is what Maureen has to say on her blog:

 

If an image in your photo collection fits the following criteria, it could depict a member of the Revolutionary War generation:

Type of photograph

Look for these types of images:

* Daguerreotypes (1839 to 1860s): The first photographs, daguerreotypes have reflective surfaces. You must hold the photos at an angle to see their images. Daguerreotypes are often found in cases. * Ambrotypes (invented in 1854): Often placed in cases because of their fragility, these glass images are backed with dark material. * Tintypes or ferrotypes (invented in 1856): This third type of cased image is produced on thin sheets of iron. * Cartes de visite (CDVs) (introduced in 1854): Inspired by 19th-century visiting cards, these small paper prints usually measured 2x4 inches.

The Subjects' Ages

Are the people in your pictures old enough to be part of the Revolutionary War generation?

* Patriots, soldiers, and loyalist adults: Anyone who was an adult during the American Revolution would have been at least 80 years old by the advent of photography. * Children: Anyone who was a child during the American Revolution would have been in his late 50s or older when he had his picture taken. * Wives and widows: The last surviving widow of a Revolutionary soldier died in 1906! Esther Sumner married Noah Damon when she was 21 and he was 75. Finding pictures of wives and widows means looking at pictures taken between 1840 and the early 1900s.

I am currently the caretaker of our family (Yates, Holmes, Morrison, etc) tintypes and this article really had me wondering if we had any that fit the criteria. Sadly, some of them are not in good shape, and to add to the frustration, I am not able to prove which family they are.

Here is what I know, and suspect. Before 1918 my grandfather Will Yates took his father James William Milburn Yates from Howell County, Missouri back to where Jim was born in Roane County, Tennessee to visit Jim's father James Knox Polk Yates. I think that at that time these tintypes were given to Jim Yates by his father JKP Yates because he was in frail health. Jim and Will went back to Missouri and JKP Yates died in 1918.

In 1937 Jim Yates, now a widower, came to live with his children who had moved to Washington State. I believe that he probably brought the tintypes with him and when he died in 1938 his possessions passed back to my grandfather Will. Here are a few of the photos that may fit the bill for this story.

two-men.jpg yates-man.jpg

It's too bad that the faces of the two men together are so badly marred, but considering the age of these tintypes, we are lucky to have them at all!

 

lydia-yates-possibly.jpg

This might be my GG-Aunt Lydia

 

 

two-boys.jpg

 

 

young-boy-alone.jpg

Maybe an early photo of Jim Yates

 

unknown-lady-in-yates-pics.jpg unknown-man-in-yates-pics.jpg

 

The tintypes of the couple above were in a black leather-bound case with a hook closure. That could be the reason for their good condition.

~~~

If you have information or images to contribute to Maureen's Revolutionary War project, please contact her.

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1904 Death on the Tracks in Bordeaux, Washington

Bordeaux, Washington

It was an early spring morning in the rural Thurston County logging town of Bordeaux, Washington. Located in the Mima Creek valley, it is likely that the little town was abuzz with the sounds of the mills and logging trucks delivering their loads of timber from the Black Hills. Young mother of two, Blanche Philby who was expecting her third child very soon, set off for the company store to buy some new clothes for the baby. Her house, like many others in the town was perched on the hillside and so she was obligated to come down a flight of steps in order to cross the railroad tracks so she could get some money from her husband Charles who was working in the mill.

The Store at Bordeaux, WA circa 1940

Blanche got as far as the tracks when a friend hailed her from one of the houses above, and she was distracted for just a moment. It was in that moment that a lone engine blasted around the bend behind her. Glen Whipple picked up what was left of Charles Philby's wife and unborn child. Two little tots were left without a mother, and tragedy had again visited the town of Bordeaux.

Mumby Lumber Trucks at Bordeaux, WA

Photo credits and background information:

The town of Bordeaux is a copy from the Mason County Historical Museum, Shelton, WA.

Mason County Historical Museum

Shelton, Downtown 427 Railroad Avenue 360-426-1020

Historic photos, displays, books, diaries, logging tools, pioneer clothing, wood carvings, World War I era memorabilia, military uniforms, official documents

~~~~~

The photo of the store is part of my own personal collection. My grandfather Elvin Moline is in the far right of the photo, one row back near the window.

The photo of the Mumby Lumber Company Trucks is also in my personal collection. This was a promotional photo for the company. My grandfather Moline was a lumber salesman for Mumby; my grandfather Will Yates worked in the mill from around 1926 to 1941 when it closed.

Please, do not copy the photos without permission.

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How To Make Your Own Genealogy Site

Genealogy bug

I know that many times blogs are referred to as sites, but of course they are more transitional than actual websites that remain pretty much static. If you have been considering, or wishing you had your own genealogy-based website, Family Tree Magazine's Site of the Week is Genealogy Web Creations - Web Site Design for the Genealogist. Pat Geary has a step by step guide for planning, designing and hosting your genealogy website that should have you up and running in no time. Looks like she has done all the hard work for us, and all you have to do is pay a site design service fee. I haven't explored Genealogy Web Creations thoroughly enough yet to be sure what all is offered, but the site map was chuck full of goodies you might want to explore like CSS Based Layout Templates , how to organize your site, and get some SEO going. It might be something a little beyond me at this point, but if I want my own genealogy site someday, I know now who to ask for help. I think I like Pat Geary already! Thanks for paying it forward Pat. :)

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