Orphan Photo #75

This CDV includes two children, with one appearing to be Lisle Washborn/Washburn.  The photographer imprint on the back reads:  “Mrs. M. J. Wyatt’s Art Gallery Roseville, Ill.”  The photographer is actually Mary Jane (Sears) Wyatt, who started her business back in the early 1870s in Roseville, Warren, Illinois. [1]  There is even a book written about Mary Jane (Sears) Wyatt entitled, She Rode the Rails, by Beverly S. Adam.

Mrs. Wyatt was still living in Roseville, as a photograph, in 1880.  By 1885, she was living in Nebraska, still working as a photographer. [2]  Therefore the photo was taken between the early 1870s and 1885 at the latest, which also fits to time period of the production of CDVs.

Moving on to the identifying information on the back of the photo, at first I thought Lisle Washburn was the young man in the chair.  But after I found a 1900 census record for a Lisle Washburn, wife of W R, in Lee County Florida, I wondered if perhaps Lisle was actually the young woman in the photo.  This is how the name was indexed on Ancestry and to be honest, looks like it could be the name written, but the writing is pretty bad.

Finding no other viable options using various search criteria and alternate spelling of names, I continued to work under the assumption that this was the person in the photograph.  However, after tracing the family, I’m no longer so sure.  In fact, after reexamining the handwriting on the photo, I even wondered if the name was Lisle or perhaps Liale (comparing the “a” and “s” in Washburn makes me wonder).  At any rate, here is what I uncovered and why I don’t think “Lisle” Washburn, wife of W R, is not the person in the photograph.

As mentioned, a search of censuses uncovered a “Lisle Washburn,” born in Illinois in 1864, wife of W R,, living in Ft. Myers, Lee, Florida in 1900. [3]  Fortunately, they had children listed, so it was easy to find the family throughout the 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses, since the initials “W R” were vague and “Lisle” was not to be found.  Instead, her name was Laura, as she is enumerated in all the post-1900 federal censuses and the 1935 and 1945 Florida state censuses.  And, as it turns out, “W R” is William R. [4]

Based on the accumulated information from the censuses, it was suspected that the couple was married in Illinois (their first daughter was born in Illinois in 1884, the second daughter was born in Florida in 1887).  A search of the Illinois State Archive state-wide marriage index was conducted.  Since the photograph was from Warren County, I expected to find a viable Washburn marriage in that county or surrounding counties, but no such luck.  I did find a probable match for a Wm R Washburn and Laura M Brown in Jersey County, Illinois, with a marriage date of 31 January 1883. [5]

I located Laura Brown in the 1880 census and then 1870 census in Jersey County, and given the previously known information about Laura Washburn (age, birthplace, parents born in Tennessee), it was a probable match. [6]  Seeing as William was born in Indiana, I wanted to place him with his family either in or near Jersey County to be sure.  I knew from the Florida death index record at FamilySearch that his parents were L C and Mary (Milligan) Washburn.  L C was born in Ohio and Mary in Indiana, which is consistent with the 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses for William.

The Washburn family was found in Jersey County in the 1880 census [7], which for me, solidified the connection between Wm R Washburn and Laura Brown being the same couple found in Florida from 1900 onward.

This brings me to the conclusion that Laura/Lisle is probably not the person in the photograph.  Her family was found in Jersey County in both 1870 and 1880.  Jersey County is about 140 miles south of Warren County, where the photo was taken.  Since I cannot place her family in Warren County during the period when the photographer was in business, I conclude that this is not the correct person.  Furthermore, I believe her parents and two older sisters were living in Waverly, Morgan, Illinois in 1860, [8] which is 110 miles southeast of Warren County.  It appears this family has no connection to Warren County.

So who is actually in this photo?  There are no Washburns in Warren County in 1880 and only one unlikely subject in 1870.  There are a few in surrounding counties, but no Lisle.  It is possible that Lisle left the area before 1880, although no viable options exist in later censuses.

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Sources

1.  Beverly S. Adam, She Rode the Rails (Lincoln:  iUniverse, 2005), 84-87; Preview version at GoogleBooks.

2.  1880 U.S. census population schedule, Roseville, Warren County, Illinois, enumeration district (ED) 296, p. 34, dwelling [blank], family 286, Mary J Wyatt; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 March 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T9, roll 256.  Also, 1885 state census, Nebraska, population schedule, Sheridan County, p. 11, line 13, Andrew Wyatt; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 March 2011).

3.  1900 U.S. census population schedule, Ft. Myers, Lee County, Florida, enumeration district (ED) 77, sheet 1A, p. 11, dwelling 8, family 9, W R Washburn; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 March 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T623, roll 172

4.  1910 U.S. census population schedule, Ft. Myers, Lee County, Florida, enumeration district (ED) 79, sheet 1A, p. 17[?], dwelling 6, family 6, William R Washburn; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 March 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll 163.  Also, 1920 U.S. census population schedule, Ft. Myers, Lee County, Florida, enumeration district (ED) 108, sheet 19B, dwelling 365, family 441, William Washburn; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 March 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T625, roll 221.  Also, 1930 U.S. census population schedule, Ft. Myers, Lee County, Florida, enumeration district (ED) 8, sheet 3A, p. 106, dwelling 38, family 38, William R Washburn; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 March 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T626, roll 323.

5.  State of Illinois, “Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763–1900,” database, Illinois State Archives (http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/databases.html), Wm R Washburn and Laura M Brown (Jersey County, 1883).

6.  1880 U.S. census population schedule, Ottervile, Jersey County, Illinois, enumeration district (ED) 99, p. 11, dwelling 96, family 98, E F Brown; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 March 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T9, roll 216.  Also, 1870 U.S. census population schedule, Township 8 Range 13, Jersey County, Illinois, p. 17, dwelling 125, family 125, Elias F Brown; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 March 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M593, roll 233.

7.  1880 U.S. census population schedule, Fiedon, Jersey County, Illinois, enumeration district (ED) 102, p. 5, dwelling 46, family 49, L C Wasburn; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 March 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T9, roll 216.

8.  1860 U.S. census population schedule, Waverly, Morgan County, Illinois, p. 272, dwelling 1863, family 1831, Franklin Brown; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed January 21, 2009); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M653, roll 213.