Wordless Wednesday ~ Jim Pyle

Thank you to my fourth cousin (descended from the sister of Esther Abigail Whitman) who found my blog and shared the following with me.

and on the back:

Without extensive research, I'm theorizing that "Grandpa Bruce" is William Wallace Bruce (1863 - 1906), and the first cousin of James Tolman Pyle (1855 - 1912), which makes sense as this looks like the photo of a young man (see a photo of my grandfather for a family resemblance) perhaps in his 20's, so taken around 1880. (I'll take advice on dating of the photo in the comments below.)

In checking a few New York City directories on Fold3, I find that Frank or Francis P. Macnabb was a New York City photographer from about 1875 until after 1900. He was at 815 Broadway from 1875-1883, which helps in dating this photo. His address changed to 813 Broadway in 1884.

I never knew that my great grandfather was called "Jim."

An 1873 Wedding Invitation ~ Wedding Wednesday

Mr. + Mrs. John Alston

request the pleasure of your company

at the Marriage of their daughter

Marion H. Alston

and

George Lysle Jr.

Wednesday Evening. October 13th 1875.

Ceremony at half past nine o'clock.

127 North Avenue, Allegheny City, Pa.

Holyland Engraver
43 Fifth Ave. Pittsburgh

Two copies of this wedding invitation of my second great grandparents have been saved and handed down. I am descended from this couple as follows:

George Lysle, Jr. and Marion Helen Alston

|

Marguerite Lysle

|

Helen Lysle Hunter

|

My mother

|

Me

Wordless Wednesday ~ At the fireside

Samuel Sewall Greeley (1824-1916)

According to the back of the photo, this is my second great grandfather at about 85 years old sitting at the fireside of the home of his daughter's parents-in-law: Henry Clay Copeland (1832-1912) and Sarah (Lowell) Copeland (1833-1916), who lived on Main Street in Calais, Maine.

Following shows how I descend from my maternal grandfather's grandparents:

       Samuel Sewall Greeley m. Eliza May Wells             Henry Clay Copeland m. Sarah Lowell

|                                      |

Ethel May Greeley    m.    Lowell Copeland

|

Lowell Townsend Copeland

|

My mother

|

Me

Tuesday's Tip ~ FindAGrave and Linking Memorials

I have been a member of Find A Grave for several months. There is no charge to be a member. The description of Find A Grave at its website is as follows:

Find a Grave's mission is to find, record and present final disposition information from around the world as a virtual cemetery experience.
Memorial contributions to Find A Grave should fulfill that mission - registration of the final disposition. If the memorial contribution corresponds with only the main mission, then the memorial fulfills its purpose as part of Find A Grave's mission.
Find a Grave memorials may contain rich content including pictures, biographies and more specific information. Members can leave remembrances via ‘virtual flowers' on the memorials they visit, completing the virtual cemetery experience.
Find A Grave is a resource for anyone in finding the final disposition of family, friends, and ‘famous' individuals.

I have added memorials; I have had several memorials transferred to me (Lysle family in Pittsburgh); I have requested photographs of gravestones in cemeteries far from me; and I have taken photographs of gravestones in cemeteries local to me for others who live far from Massachusetts.

Just recently, with the discovery of my grandfather's obituary, indicating where he is buried, I have been working on linking my ancestors' memorials on FindAGrave. A list of my ancestors' memorials can be found at this link. There are also some memorials (Copeland relatives in Maine) which were set up by someone else, but I can still link to them. Some memorials have photographs of the gravestones and some do not; this depends on whether or not a photo request has been fulfilled.

For my paternal side, start at the memorial for my brother, Duncan Adsit Pyle, and click on the link for our father, Charles McAlpin Pyle, Jr. You then see links for my grandparents (who were divorced in 1933 and are buried with subsequent spouses; multiple spouses can be linked). And so on and so on. (If I've missed a link, let me know.)

On my mother's side, start at the memorial for my Aunt Caroline, and you can see links to her parents (my grandparents). And so on and so on.

This is a work in progress as I discover where ancestors are buried and obtain enough information to set up memorials and link family members properly. Linking family members in Find A Grave is a great way to follow migration patterns if family members have moved around the country.

Family members: let me know if I've made any errors or if you can provide me with additional information.