RELAY FOR LIFE!! Help!

I recently came across a photo album in an antique shop which had the rare fortune to have names on nearly all the photos, only two out of about 26 were illegibly faded, and all the photos are wonderful. Some of the tintypes are a bit rusty on the surface. The photos look very grainy on the website, to get a high-resolution download, right-click on the pictures and do a “save as” to your own computer. The resulting file will be much higher resolution (and on your own computer). This will yeild a much better picture than printing out the website page!

To view the Burt photos, go to the Burt page.

To view the Underwood photos, go to the Underwood page

At the end of this page, I've listed an email that ties together most of the folks in this album, a letter I received from Carol Richards who researched this album. My thank to her for clearing up many mysteries, since she tied together the Woodgates, Minors, Huffords and Burts.

Here is a listing of Mariah Underwood’s photo album;

Cover is impressed leather with a metal clasp. It’s about 4x5”, and 1 inch thick.

The front plate in the album (no picture) says; Mariah Underwood Album, 1867. In order of their appearance in the album;

Daniel Minor (maybe Meinar, but handwriting is rather fancy and I think Minor is correct) Photo taken in Chllicothe, Missouri, by L. Moberly.

Mary Hufford (maybe Huffard) Photo taken in Lexington, Kentucky, at the Magnolia Gallery, by Carpenter and Mullen. Note that Mary Hufford and Delilah Woodgate had their pictures taken at the same time; the backdrop for both pictures is the same. Is Delilah a daughter?

Delila Woodgate (Delilah for all you search engines out there, but it’s written as Delila) Photo taken Lexington KY, Magnolia Gallery.

John W. Wiseman No data on where photo was taken. Tintype.

John W. Mitchell (written as “Mitchll”) Photo taken in Peru, Indiana, by E. Homberger.

Preston H. Minor (about 25 to 30 in this picture) Photo taken in Chillicothe, MO, by Moberly. Note that the Burt family and the Minor family had their pictures taken with the same backdrops, and were probably all taken at the same time.

Ann Minor (ditto, same photo studio)

Mary Minor (kid, probably Preston & Ann’s child, same studio)

Elizabeth Minor (ditto, same photo studio)

Gorge (George) D. Minor (kid, same photo studio)

John Minor (kid, same studio)

. Eli H. Minor (baby, same studio)

Franklin Howe? (first letter hard to make out, Granklin? Cranklin, perhaps? Eranklin?) No photo studio listed on back, but it does appear to say “F. Howe”.

Next picture, male, 25-ish, faded writing, maybe J.W. something, maybe a W in the last name. Perhaps another Woodgate. Of course, the reason the writing is so faded could be because it was erased and the correct name was never written in. There is evidence for this, in that this picture, like John Mitchell‘s before, was taken in Peru Indiana, by Homberger. They also look a lot alike, which tells me this guy is probably another Mitchell, probably a brother to John. These are the only pictures in the album taken in Peru, Indiana.

Next picture, female, 25-ish, maybe Adda? Anna?, Ella? last name ends with “...igan” or “igon”, maybe Cardigan, or Corrigan since the first letter of the last name looks like a “C”. This, too, could be misleading, and it could be that the text was erased on purpose. Her picture was taken at the same studio (Marrs, Lexington, Kentucky) as Eli Hufford, which tells me it might be his wife, Elizabeth Hufford since her picture is “missing” later in the album. Note also that Eli and Elizabeth? are leaning on the same pillow in their pictures. Of course, she might be his daughter.

Wm. T. Underwood (William, maybe T. or J. , tintype a bit rusty) No studio listed on back.

Huldy Jane Underwood (I think it’s Huldy, prob William’s wife) Same photo frame as Willaim. No studio listed on back.

Maria Jane Underwood (prob. child of William and Huldy) Same photo frame as Willaim. No studio listed on back.

J.M Underwood, no picture, just written name. Probably child of William and Huldy, based on photo album layout, most likely very young, based on Maria’s apparent age (maybe 12). This album appears to put children in chronological order.

Benjamin Burt Photo done in Chillicothe, by L. Moberly.

Nancy Jane Burt Photo done in Chillicothe.

Mary E. Burt (prob. child of Ben and Nancy) Photo taken in Chillicothe.

Susan L. Burt (child) Photo taken in Chillicothe.

Alice Burt (child, same place.)

Minor Burt (4 yrs. old, same place.)

Eli Hufford Photo’d at the W.R. Marrs studio, Lexington, KY.

Elizabeth Maria (Maris?) Hufford, no picture, just a written name, prob. Eli’s wife. Her picture might be the Mystery Picture I mentioned earlier, since Eli Hufford and she were snapped in the Marrs studio in Lexington KY, and they are the only ones in this album taken there.

Fannie and Ellen Pitts (both in one picture). No studio listed, but the frame looks the same as the rest of the Chillicothe pictures. Don’t know why two “Pitts” kids would be listed alone in the album.

Johnathan Underwood No studio listed, but same odd photo frame as other Underwoods.

Joshua Underwood (labelled “dead” in album). Large tintype, rough cut. No border on it like the others.

That’s it. Many of these people are labelled “dead” in the album, and since the album was done in the late 1800’s, some of these are really, really, old people. There are also obviously some entire families in here, too, like the Burts and Minors and Underwoods. Oh, yeah, most of the photo studios on the pictures are in Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky.

Email from Carol Richards about how the families tie together;

Hi Tom,
I found your site by doing a search for Moberly photo.  
I'm related to the L (Lewis) Moberly who took the photos in your book.  
He was in Chillicothe but later moved to Webb City, MO then McCune Kansas.  
I love mysteries and have been working on yours.

Daniel Hemingway Minor born 8/28/1796 in Virginia died 1879 Chillicothe 
married 1819
Elizabeth Vance b 1793 
    children
       Threesivellus Minor b 1824
        Preston Hemingway Minor Sr b 1826
        Elizabeth Mary Minor b 1829
        Nancy Jane Minor b 1833 


Preston Hemingway Minor Sr born 12/4/1826 in Bourbon Co., KY
 married 2/14/1856
Lydia Ann Pace born 1/2/1841 Chillicothe, MO
    children
        Mary Jane Minor 1858 Livingston Co., MO
        Elizabeth Minor 1859 Livingston Co., MO
        John B MInor 1863
        William Eli Minor 1865
        Susan Minor 1867
        Jimmie Minor 1869
        Preston Hemingway Minor Jr 1872
        Annalee Minor 1873
        Decimund Minor 1876
        Era Minor 1878

Elizabeth Mary Minor b 1829         (Preston's sister)
married in Harrison Co. Kentucky Eli Hufford b 1816  

Delila Hufford born 1815        (Eli's sister)
married William Woodgate 11/5/1846

Mary Ann Hufford born 1810        (Eli's sister)
never married

Nancy Jane Minor b 11/3/1833        (Preston's sister)
married 10/25/1849 in Harrison Co., KY Benjamin Burt b 5/20/1829
    children
        Mary Elizabeth Burt 1853
        Susan Link Burt 1856
        Alice Jane Burt 1859
        Benjamin Minor Burt 1862
married 12/29/1870 in Livingston Co., MO William Giles Frith b 1816
    children
        Preston A Frith 1872

Here is the biography of Preston H Minor from a genealogy site 
http://www.lcl.lib.mo.us/~lcl/History/County/1886/1886chapt21.htm


I've found a 
Joshua D Underwood b 1815 Jennings Indiana, married 1839 Grecitia 
Gorbett in Jennings Indiana and a
Jonathon Underwood b 1819 Jennings Indiana, married 1843 Elizabeth 
Smith in Jennings Indiana


Finally, there is a site by Patrick Hufford with lots of information 
about the Hufford's although he is from a uncle of Eli I think, 
I wrote telling him of your photos and thought you might like to 
see his genealogy pages.
http://www.hufford.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=1

I had fun with your mystery, thanks for sharing it.
Carol Richards
  

Oct 4, 2002