What family historian doesn’t
love a mystery? Of course, it’s nice to solve one from time to time! I’ve been
mulling this one around for awhile, and thought I’d reach out to you, my
readers, for help.
This unidentified tintype was
passed down from my grandmother, Wilma Steele Herrel. Wilma inherited some
photos of her King and Steele relatives from her grandmother, Minnie King
Steele. As I wrote last week, Minnie was the daughter of Civil War soldier
Newel King. I’ve long wondered if he is the man pictured in this tintype.
Tintypes were introduced in
1855 and hit their peak of popularity in the 1860s and early 1870s, in the
decade surrounding the Civil War. Gary Clark of PhotoTree.com, who I spoke to
at the 2013 FGS Conference in Ft. Wayne, notes on his website that tintypes
produced into the early 1860s were usually enclosed in metal cases. But as they
became more popular and less expensive, paper sleeves or envelopes replaced the
cases. This one looks as though it might have had a case around it at one time.
Perhaps someone removed the case in hopes of finding a name or other
identification.
Newel King was born 17
January 1838 in Gallia County, Ohio. (1) He would have been 22 years old in
1860. The young man in the tintype looks to be in his twenties to me. The long side
hair is a particularly distinctive feature. I’ve noted other men with similar
hairstyles in Maureen Taylor’s book, Fashionable Folks Hairstyles 1840-1900. I’ve also found examples of similar cuts on men
in the 1860s in the Family Chronicle publications, Dating Old Photographs 1840-1929 and More Dating Old Photographs 1840-1929. The examples seem consistent
with a young man about 1860-1865.
My working theory is that
this is a photo of Newel King of Gallia County, Ohio, taken before he mustered
into service for Co. B, 91st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in September 1862. The
age seems right, the hairstyle seems right, and the type of photograph is
definitely right. In addition, there was the added motivation for a young man
going off to war to have his picture taken to leave behind with his mother or
girlfriend.
Newel King not only survived
the war, but lived until 1896, although he suffered from epilepsy and declining
health. This means it’s very likely that there’s another photograph of him,
somewhere out there (cue to song lyrics now going through my head). A picture
might also include his wife, Electa Roush King, and/or children Wesley Berlin
King, Curtis Walden King, Minnie L. King Steele, or Bella King Stickelman. If
you think you might have one, please get in touch with me and let me know by
emailing me at the address under the mailbox in the sidebar or by leaving a comment below. And if
you have any tips or thoughts for dating or identifying this tintype, I’d love
to hear them. Maybe by working together we can wrap this mystery up!
--Shelley
(1) Ohio Gravestones, database and images (www.ohiogravestones.org: accessed 8
Sep 2010), data and gravestone image for Newel King (1838-1896) and Electa King
(1845-1932), contributed by W. A. Anderson on 23 September 2009, citing Gravel
Hill Cemetery, Gallia County, Ohio.
© Shelley Ballenger Bishop 2014
This is one of a series of
family history stories written for “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks,” coordinated by
Amy Johnson Crow, CG, author of No Story Too Small.
Related Posts:
Shelley, here's hoping crowdsourcing your family photograph mystery will be just the thing to bring you some answers. It certainly seems plausible that this is your man, based on the reasons you've already provided. But I know what you mean: finding another photo of Newel King would provide some confidence to this theory.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jacqi, that's exactly what I'm hoping. You never know!
DeleteAn intriguing post and I think you are right - the photograph could be of Newell King - and what a handsome young man he was. Good luck in your search - I had to wait 10 years before one of my key unidentified photographs was named - with my blog providing the link to a newly found third cousin in America.
ReplyDeleteTen years! That's amazing--glad you were able to get an identification in the end. How wonderful that your blog was the gateway to your new cousin. That gives me hope :) Thanks for reading and letting me know of your success, Sue!
ReplyDeleteShelley, I don't have any help for you in knowing if your photo is a portrait of Newel King but I'm remembering a RootsTech session Dave Barney gave 2 or 3 years ago about using google for family history. He had a photo of himself and his wife in front of a church which he uploaded and then asked google images to find similar photos. He already knew the location of the church but google images identified it for his audience (who didn't know the location). I don't know how closely it looks at faces to determine differences but it might be worth a try, just in case there's another image of Newel King somewhere on the internet. I'm sorry I don't remember the process but you could probably find it using google. I hope someone sees your post and contacts you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nancy! That sounds like it'd be worth a try. I'll look for Dave's process.
ReplyDeleteShelley, I was just browsing my 52 Ancestors emails from last year. I'm trying to sort out my KING ancestry for this week's topic. Do you have KING ancestry as well as BALLENGER ancestry, and if so, is it on the same "branch" of your tree, and if so, were they once in Kentucky?
ReplyDelete