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Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Favorite Photo of Percy and Marguerite ~ 52 Ancestors #2

I am participating in this year's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge from Amy Johnson Crow. Each week has an optional writing prompt and this week's writing prompt is Favorite Photo.

I have shared many favorite photos on this blog (the tag Wordless Wednesday brings up those posts). Today's photo is of my great-grandparents, Percy Earle Hunter and his wife Marguerite Lysle.

Ya gotta love that hat! I wonder how heavy it was.


This was taken while they were vacationing in Atlantic City. (They lived in Pittsburgh with five daughters who were born between 1899 and 1907.)


The photographer was Myers-Cope Co., 1635 & 1521 Boardwalk, Atlantic City. By exploring the Atlantic City directories at Ancestry.com, I can narrow down the dates that this photograph was taken to between 1909 and 1913. (In 1908 and in 1914, Myers-Cope Co. was at only 1635 Boardwalk.)

However, since I know that they were in California in 1912, when they were listed in the California Voter Registrations for that year, why they were in California, and also that they were back in Pittsburgh by the fall of 1913, I believe this photo was taken between 1909 and 1911.
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6 comments:

  1. Marian B. WoodJanuary 11, 2018 at 8:46 AM

    A very handsome couple. I also like the way you narrowed down the time frame for when this photo was taken. I have to say--visiting Atlantic City and then going to live in California makes them quite a busy couple indeed. Did his work take them out west?

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    1. Elizabeth HandlerJanuary 11, 2018 at 2:58 PM

      Marian, the story is that their oldest daughter was sickly and they hoped the California air would help (and Percy was able to get a job there). However, they returned to Pittsburgh and their daughter died in November 1913.
      Thanks for the comment.

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  2. Dana LeedsJanuary 11, 2018 at 12:23 PM

    I love the photo and especially love the hat! And, you did a great piece of detective work narrowing down the date of the photo. :)

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    1. Elizabeth HandlerJanuary 11, 2018 at 2:59 PM

      Dana, the hat just fascinates me! And browsing through city directories can be so informative. Thanks for reading and commenting.

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  3. Kim WoltermanJanuary 15, 2018 at 2:07 PM

    I love the hat as well. I wonder if she owned it or if it was a prop at the photo studio? Did they even have props back then? Now I want to know more about photo studios in the early 1900s!

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    1. Elizabeth HandlerJanuary 15, 2018 at 3:00 PM

      Kim, it's very possible that this was a prop at the photo studio. Thanks for reading and commenting.

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