Maggie the Mystery Woman 2

As we continue with the Maggie the Mystery Woman of the Armstrong-Davis Family Album, I couldn’t help but see a resemblance between her and Annie Graham Davis. 

 

But, I’m flummoxed by Maggie’s identity.  I haven’t found any Maggies (or Margarets) in this Davis line so far.  Some possibilities: 

1.  She could be a cousin of W. Hunter Davis. 

2.  Her resemblance to Annie makes me wonder if she’s a Graham who could have married a Davis also. 

3.  Maybe her photo was mislabeled. 

In an attempt to date the photo I’ve been going through Savannah City directories to determine the years the photographers (Launey & Gloebel) were in business.  The engraving on the back of the cabinet card print provides an address:  141 & 143 Broughton St.

It's pretty time consuming to go through the Savannah City directories on Ancestry.  I'm lucky that some of the photographs in my album show photographs from the late 1890s that were taken by Launey's studios without Goebel.  By the look of the rather puffy sleeves on Maggie's dress, this photo was most likely taken in the early 1890s.

Still, it will take a lot more research to figure out the identity of Maggie the Mystery woman.

Mystery woman, Part 1

My Armstrong-Davis photograph album contains several unidentified photos, but two that are labeled contain a mystery I have yet to solve.

I have two photos I’m pretty sure are of the same woman:

 

The handwritten label for the first photo appears to say "Maggie Davis."  It's possible it could be a different last name.  I'm pretty sure my mother wrote "Maggie Davis" on the second photo (a paper print on a cabinet card) as I recognize her handwriting.  There is nothing on the back except for the photographers engraving, so she probably labeled the photo based on the subject's resemblance to the lady in the ferrotype.  Even if the name is correct, I have no idea if she is related or how she fits into the family tree.

I’m pretty sure the first photograph, a tinted ferrotype (tintype), was taken around 1871 for two reasons:  the clothing and the photographer.

Maggie’s dress and hair are very similar to a girl in a photo from 1870 that appears in Joan Severa’s book Dressed for the Photographer.

Maggie’s dress has very similar sleeve style and ruffles.  Also, the young ladies’ hair styles have almost identical “temple rolls” drawn up from a center part, along with ribbon bows that are “arranged to lay flat on the crown.”

In Maureen Taylor’s Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs, she lists some style details from 1869-1874 women's fashions that show up in this photo of Maggie:

“Black velvet neck ribbon with brooch or charm…earrings and necklace matched.”

“Armhole over shoulder.”

The photographer's name shows up on the back of the paper sleeve:

J.U.P. Burnham shows up in the 1870 Savannah City directory on Bull Street and then in the 1871 Savannah directory at 158 St. Julian, the same address on the back of the photo sleeve.  He doesn't appear in the 1874-75 directory, but shows up listed in Richmond, Virginia's city directory.  From a search of city directories from the 1860s-1870s, he seemed to be based out of Portland, Maine, but lived in southern cities at various times.  

So the combination of the dress style and photographer's clues lead me to believe that 1871-1873 could be the most likely time range for the first photo.  Unfortunately, Ancestry didn't have Savannah city directories for 1872-1873, so I couldn't check for Burnham in those directories.

In the first photo Maggie appears to be in her twenties.  In the second photo she is obviously older.  Look at the ears of each lady.  Along with the facial resemblance, the ears help in concluding that these are probably photographs of the same person.

  

I’m guessing the second photo is from the 1890s or early 1900s.  Using hairstyle, costume clues and the photographers’ names (Launey and Goebel) I might be able to narrow the time period.  I’ll save that and discussing the possible relation to Annie Graham for next week’s blog.

The Graham Women Finally Get Some Attention

As soon as I think I don’t know any more about Annie Rebecca Graham Davis, I then rediscover information that’s been sitting under my nose.  I knew I had census records showing her living with younger son Bart in Louisville, Kentucky in 1900 and then living with her older son Will in Montgomery, Alabama in 1910.  

But, I FORGOT that I had photographs of Annie’s mother and sister! Again, it pays to just go back and review photos and records, especially as one continues to learn more from other research.

Here is one photo from the Armstrong-Davis photo album that appears to be of Annie’s mother. 

The oldest writing on the photo says “Grandmother Graham, Grandmother of W.A. Davis.”  

The caption that looks to be in my mother’s handwriting states:  “Mother of Rose Graham Davis who is mother of William Albert Davis and Bart Davis.” 

My mom may have gotten the name “Rose” from a copy of Annie's photo.  I’m guessing my grandfather (George L. A. Davis) may have made this error.  Another copy of Annie's photo is labeled in a different hand (I’m guessing by my great-grandfather W. A. Davis):

Annie R. Davis

Mrs. Wm. Hunter Davis

The Mother of W A Davis

Born Annie Rebecca Graham

Many records (Marriage certificate, census records, city directories) support that her name was Annie.

The other find is of Annie’s sister.  It doesn’t indicate the name. 

On that back is written

“A Merry Christmas to my dear sister and all” in rather distinctive back-slanted handwriting.

Underneath, another hand labeled it: 
Sister of Annie R. Davis

Aunt of W.A Davis

(of NY)

Annie was born in New York.  The incorrect use of the name “Rose” could be a clue to another name in her family, possibly her sister or her mother.  This could be useful in census searches.  If the sister never married she could turn up, and possibly lead us to a hometown in New York.

So many research leads!  So little time!

I also thought there was a bit of a family resemblance between mother and daughter:

 

I see it in the nose and possibly the eyes and mouth.