#52Ancestors, Week 34, Newest (Photo) Discovery

Now, my actual newest discovery is that Joseph M. Miller/Pierson McClure was a merchant marine.  However, that statement alone makes for a rather boring blog post.  Unfortunately, while I have paid for Joseph's file from the NARA, they are 3-4 months behind on redacting, scanning, and sending records.  I paid for his file in mid-July, but I don't expect to see it until October/November.  As such, this particular post will only negligibly relate to my Pearson relatives (the original inspiration for this blog).

When my grandfather passed away in April 2022, I was the recipient of a large tote of pictures and documents.  My grandmother had passed away in January 2018, so the tote contained pictures of both her side (Swansons) and my grandfather's side (Pearsons).  Separating the sides has been something of a chore.  I'm still not finished (I probably never will be), and I'm certain to have misidentified a picture or twelve.  A frustratingly small number of pictures are labeled, but I did come across one envelope that said, "Swedish Relatives - Signe Elizabeth's family."  Signe Elizabeth was my great grandma Thelma's mother, but I had never seen a picture of her.  Alas, I didn't find one in the envelope.  However, I did find a few (labeled!) pictures of her sisters.  

Elsa (left) and Ruth - Signe's twin sister (right)

I put them back in the blessedly labeled envelope and continued digging.  Some time later, I came across a picture of a woman with a little girl.  The little girl looked oddly familiar and so did the woman, but I couldn't immediately figure out why.  

I'm sure you've already figured it out.  If you look at Ruth and then down at this photo, it looks like you're looking at a slightly older version of the same woman. And the reason the little girl looked familiar to me is because great grandma Thelma had eyebrows that gave her a slightly quizzical look in many of her pictures.  You can see that very look in the little girl.  Not one to jump to conclusions where photos are concerned, I went to one of my favorite Facebook groups: Genealogy CLUES - Dating Old Photographs.  I posted the photo and asked for their expertise in dating both the age of the photo and the age of the people in the photo.  The comments had me head over heels:

"I would say child is 3 or 4. Mother in her 30's?"

"1911-1912 ish Girl is about 3 1/2."

1911-1912 would put my great grandmother at 3-4 years old.  Her mother would have been 25-26, and she does look a bit older, but I have a theory.  In early 1911, her husband died from tuberculosis.  Tuberculosis is not a fast-moving disease, so Signe could have been caring for him for months, if not years.  She also would have been caring for her toddler at the same time.  I think she looks a little older because of that.

And so, I present to you:

Signe Elizabeth (Johnson) Robertson Erickson and her daughter

Thelma Linnea (Robertson) Swanson

Circa 1911

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