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| Probably the Oldest Photos in the Collection - no Labels on Any of Them |
In the collection of photos that came by way of Ida Averill and then Eleanor Averill, there are many that are a mystery. Mostly because they didn't have any labels. These are summarized in this post. I would LOVE to hear suggestions about who the subjects might be.
First up, above at the beginning of this post, are a trio of really OLD tintype photos, probably from the period before the Civil War. I have no idea who these people are or where they lived. They were in the collection that was put together, first by Charles Henry Averill and his wife, Marial Louise (nee Elliott), and then passed to Ida Averill and Eleanor Averill, from whence Robert L Averill got them and now they appear here.
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Painting of Frederick Averell
from Clara Avery book |
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| Lewis Averill or? |
Among Connecticut photos, the one at right is intriguing. It was shot at a studio in Putnam, Connecticut. Putnam. Putnam was named after the Revolutionary War General Israel Putnam and is about 10 miles east of Pomfret, where most of the Connecticut Averill family lived. Many of Maria Louise Averill's (nee Elliott) relatives lived there as well. Perhaps it is a photo of Lewis Averill (1798 to 1869). Perhaps it is a photo of Maria Louise's father, Ira Elliott (1805-1871). Perhaps it is a photo of someone else. Lewis was the son of Frederick Averill and the family of Charles Henry Averill. There is a painting of Frederick, painted around 1830 and shown at left, that was published in Clara Avery's excellent 1914 book on Averill family history. If the photo WAS of Lewis, it would have been taken after the Civil War and shortly before Lewis passed away. I don't have any known photos of Ira Elliott or his father. His son (Maria's brother), Thomas Elliott doesn't look much like the photo and I have a number of known photos of Thomas.
Putnam was incorporated in 1855. As an interesting historical note, both Frederick and Lewis lived for periods of their lives at Wolf Den Farm, and one of Frederick's brothers (Stephen), who died during the Revolution, is buried at the State Park there. That, however, is another post for another time.
Next are some photos that were all taken in Connecticut. Well, maybe they were taken in Connecticut, or maybe some were from Massacusetts or Rhode Island. Regardless, none of them have any labels on them whatsoever - front OR back. They were taken in mid 19th Century based on the clothing and type of photo. Perhaps, after I discover more about older Averill history, I'll learn who a few of these people were and our relationship to them. Certainly, they were worth keeping on the trip from Connecticut, and then on to Nebraska and Illinois.
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| No Labels on THESE New England Mystery Photos |
The following group might be easier to identify people. You see, all three of these photos were shot by photo studios based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. I may make another post, later, about photo studios that took pictures of the Averill family, but again, that's another post for another time.
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| Mystery Photos from Pawtucket, Rhode Island - but WHO? |
Anyway, the list of people connected to the Averills that lived in Rhode Island for at least PART of their adult lives include:
- Eliza Jenks Averill (1830-1905) who was the wife of Rufus Burton Averill and who is buried in Pawtucket
- Rufus Burton Averill (1826-1907) who lived most of his life around Pawtucket and who is buried with Eliza
- Susan Elizabeth Young (nee Elliott, 1838-1928) was a sister of Maria Louise Averill (nee Elliott) and lived most of her adult life in Rhode Island is buried in Pawtucket. She married George Young.
- Hundreds of Averills, Elliotts and related families that lived in Windham County, Connecticut, which is only 30 miles from Pawtucket. One of Charles Henry's daughters, Anna, was actually BORN in Rhode Island.
Perhaps the most intriguing mystery photo of all is the one below. It was taken in October or November of 1865 by the Black and Case Studio of Boston, Massacusetts. The studio is identified on the back of the photo and the Civil War-era tax stamp is dated November 15, 1865. The studio owner, James Wallace Black, was famous for taking the first-ever aerial photographs of Boston.
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| Photo Taken in Massachusetts in 1865 |
The list of Averill or Elliott men who lived in Massachusetts in 1865 is more limited. Candidates include:
- Joseph Warren Averill who would have been 40
- William Coe Collar (a brother-in Law of Charles Henry) who would have been 32
- Someone who went up to the Boston area for some reason
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| William Coe Collar Photo from Ancestry |
I DO have a photo of William Coe Collar in later life. It is shown at the right. I ALSO have a photo of Joseph Warren Averill in later life. That photo is below. His photo is one of the two shown in my earlier post,
here.
