Another Lost Faces Civil War Era Photo Album

Another Civil War era photo album has been added to the Lost Faces Collection. It isn't online yet as I am still processing it. But it has some gorgeous old photos of ancestors in it! Perhaps they're yours?

The album itself is in less than perfect shape. Part of the interior album pages have been torn loose from the binding and the two brass clasps that held the album closed are missing. But the album pages are in excellent condition (often they are torn or pulled loose) and the photos are very nice.

CDV in an album page

My first step was to go through the album page by page and take a photo of each page with its photos intact. That helps me preserve the album's integrity and positioning of each CDV or tintype.

I've just begun carefully removing the CDVs and tintypes to scan them and to see what is written on the verso (back) of each photo. I mark each photo on the reverse (in pencil) with the designation I've assigned for the album, and the number as it appeared in the album.

In this case I've assigned MI (for Michigan) and am adding a sequential numbering system to each photo as it is removed.

Usually I assign a 2 or 3 letter designation referring to the surname found most often in the album but this album doesn't have a clear surname "winner". So my choice of Michigan is based on the faded inscription inside cover and the location where many of the CDVs were taken.

It took me quite awhile to decipher the faded writing on the inside front cover. After making it darker and enlarging it on my photocopier (I'd also tried scanning and enlarging) I was able finally to read bits and pieces - such as Newcastle; C. W.; W. W. ......; Springforth; Michigan; ... Wellington. But it made no sense until it dawned on me that it was two names and addresses!

Writing inside front cover of photo album

 The first is W.W. Tamblyn? and under that name, indented, is the word Newcastle. Under that, also indented, is C. W. which usually means Canada West but in this case I'm not yet sure of the meaning.


Beside that name is E.? Wellington. Under that, indented, is Springport. Under that, indented, is Michigan.

And this is what I love about these albums and genealogy research! I mulled over the W.W. Tamblyn and Newcastle. There is a Newcastle in Ontario which was at one time in the early 1800s called Canada West (C. W.) My curiousity got the better of me and I decided to search for the Tamblyn name in Newcastle.

Bingo! I found something that looks very very promising. A William Ware (W. W!) Tamblyn was born in Newcastle Canada West in 1844 to parents Thomas Tamblyn and Sarah Ware. I'm cautiously excited because in an index on the last page of the album are the names "Will Tamblyn" and "M?/Mr.?  H? Ware"

An index! Yes, but I can't get too excited about it because even though 29 names are recorded, they don't appear to match the order of photos in the album. I'll be spending more time on this as I try to figure out what the starting photo is that matches the first name in the index. But for now I'm kind of excited about the Tamblyn-Ware connection.

More searching using the indexed names brought me more information but I'm still working on piecing it all together. Usually it  becomes  apparent after a bit of searching how the individuals relate to one another - but not this time!

I am finding a lot about certain names - for example the index includes a Charles W. Delbridge and a Miss Oyer. Searching on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch revealed that Charles Ware Delbridge married Lucy Ann Oyer in 1867 in Jackson Michigan. Lucy was born in Springport so that ties in with the inscription on the inside front cover. And we see the Ware surname again, but no idea  how it all fits - but do I love a challenge!