GEORGE E. BOWEN and the lovely young lady

This lovely young lady is from Fat Hill, Illinois. Yes, you read that correctly, Fat Hill. The actual name of the town is Cerro Gordo which is Spanish for fat hill. The town was named for a battle between U.S. troops and Mexican troops in April 1847.

Battle of Cerro Gordo, (April 1847), confrontation at a mountain pass about 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Veracruz, Mex., where the U.S. Army under General Winfield Scott first met serious resistance in the Mexican War. Advancing to the interior, Scott’s 8,500 men reached Plan del Río, a few miles from Cerro Gordo, where they met a Mexican force of 12,000 men under General Antonio López de Santa Anna entrenched in the pass. A flanking maneuver to gain the enemy rear, suggested and guided by Captain Robert E. Lee (later commanding general of the Confederate Army), was in progress when fighting began on the front, and the Mexicans broke. Santa Anna escaped, leaving about 1,130 casualties and about 3,000 prisoners. The American loss was 431, including 63 dead. Scott moved on to Puebla, the second largest city of Mexico, and later to Mexico City. (SOURCE: Britannica)

So why name your town after a battle? What was the connection? I have not found an answer.

As to the young lady...mother, sister, lover, or wife? We’ll never know how this lovely young lady defined herself. I have no information about her. Was she a pleasant person or a “mean girl” whose words could cut like a knife? Looks can be deceiving.





The photo was taken at the Bowen studio in Cerro Gordo, Illinios. The photographer was George E. Bowen who was born on Nov. 25, 1874 and died in Cerro Gordo on Jan 19, 1939. His wife, Katherine A., was born on Aug. 18, 1879 and died on May 10, 1977. Their son, Harold D., was born on April 9, 1910 and died on March 11, 1932.

In the 1910 census George is listed as an artist. In the 1920 census he is listed as a photographer.

Looking at the 1880 census there is only one boy age 6 named George Bowen so I’m taking a wild guess that it is George and his family. They resided in Chalmers Township with his father, JL (?), and mother, Lydia A. There were 3 sons besides George and 1 daughter.

In 1913 George bought the Medaris Studio at Bement, Iowa. No other information is given about this purchase. (SOURCE: Bulletin of Photography, No. 13; published in 1913)

At some point this young lady and George crossed paths in his studio.Were either of them rushed just wanting to get it over with, having someplace else to go? Or was it a quiet sitting with George wanting to show the young lady at her best?

We’ll never know what became of this lady, but we do know that on April 9, 1932 George and his wife lost their only son, Harold Dale. He was 29. Was it an accident or illness? George was only alive for another 7 years. Katherine lived for another 38 years. What was Katherine’s life like? All mysteries.

In this post George and the young lady are again reunited for those moments when they met, not something they could have ever imagined.

This is another photo from my friend Bert's collection. You can see more from his collection by clicking on the "Bert's collection" below.

UPDATE: Reader WJY has kindly provided the following fascinating information about the town Cerro Gordo in Illinois:

General Santa Ana lost his leg during the French Pastry War between France and Mexico. At the battle of Cerro Gordo, a group of Illinois militia captured Santa Ana's headquarters, and seized his cork leg. They returned to their home in Piatt County. The small village of Griswold was renamed Cerro Gordo to honor the militiamens capture of Santa Ana's cork leg. The leg can be seen in the state historical museum in Springfield. Hey, I couldn't make this stuff up.

The MYSTERIOUS WOMAN from Elgin, Illinois

No information about this lovely lady with the Mona Lisa smile or the photographer, S. M. Adams, in Elgin, Illinois. She reminds me of the character Alma Garret from the tv show Deadwood. The part was played by actress Molly Parker. I briefly met Molly Parker at an event held for Deadwood. She was beautiful with delicate features; really stunning.


Click on image to see it larger.

I look at this woman and think about the life the character Alma lived. She was married to a wealthy man from New England who imagined himself capable of striking it rich in the lawless town of Deadwood. Alma did as she was told, but dealt with her life by taking laudanum.

In the book Deadwood: Stories of the Black Hills by David Milch, Molly Parker wrote the following about Alma:

“Alma comes to Deadwood and is reborn. She is very smart. She doesn’t think she’s very smart. She comes thinking that this is the end of her life, thinking that she’s married to this man that she hates, and she’s just going live out her days high. She comes to this place thinking her life is over and she is given this opportunity to reinvent herself, and she is born again.”

What became of this woman? Did she marry wealth, someone prominent in Elgin? Did she travel great distances in hopes of finding herself, or did she live her entire life within the small world of a small town? It would be very easy to write a variety of stories about her. That’s now her lot in life. She’s nothing more than an image from the past which stimulates my imagination.

To see a few other photos by the photographer, S. M. Adams, click here, here, and here. And here and here are shots he took of a home called the Bowen House. I could easily imagine this woman living in this house, a mystery behind the curtains.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your pencils. There's a gold mine just waiting to be found in her stories.

UPDATE: From reader WYJ comes the following about S. M. Adams. Thank you!

Your photographer is most likely Spencer M. Adams. He was born in Elgin, Illinois in 1852. His father, John M. Adams was also a photographer. There was a J.M. Adams and Son studio in Elgin from 1884 to 1885. There was either an S.M. Adams or Spencer M Adams studio, in Elgin, from 1885 to 1922. Don't know when he died.

It's OH SHOOT, I FORGOT TO TAKE THE CURLERS OUT Thursday

Add this date to your calendar so you'll remember to celebrate next year. I'll call it "'Oh Shoot, I Forgot to Take the Curlers Out!' Thursday" which of course next year will actually be "'Oh Shoot, I Forgot to Take the Curlers Out!' Friday." I think you can see where this is going. Only we will know it's a holiday. A very moving holiday.

Click image to see it larger.

Seriously, doesn't this woman look like she went out with the curlers still in? I had a friend that did this. I can remember going to a Chinese restaurant with her and she had 4 curlers in, the pink plastic type. I didn't say anything because she often walked around the house with a few pink curlers at all hours of the day. I guess maybe she saw her reflection in the window and suddenly said, "Oh shoot!" and began pulling the curlers out. She placed them on the table next to the film cans she kept quarters in. She owned an apartment building and used to empty out the coin boxes from the washing machines and dryers, all quarters. She kept the quarters in the film cans and when it came time to pay for the meal she'd start stacking quarters on the table. I miss her. She died in 1999.

Obviously this woman died a long long time ago. There is no information about her and I'm not finding anything about the photo studio. There appears to have been many photographers in Joliet, Illinois because when I search I find other studios, just not this one.

So go stick a curler in your hair and carry it proudly through the day. Guys too. Believe me if your friends have to ask they don't know you all that well. And if a stranger looks at you strangely just say, "Happy 'Oh Shoot, I Forgot to Take the Curlers Out! Thursday" and they'll give you wide berth.

Another photo from Bert's collection.

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For those of you who love cabinet cards I have added another site to my "Other Sites, Other Worlds" list to the left: The Cabinet Card Gallery. No information if the person running the site is the owner of the cards. In fact, no information at all about the site owner.

C. H. MASTERS in Kansas and Illinois and CLARENCE ROOD

"Oh please!!! How much longer must I hold this pose? Really, my eyes are starting to dry out. I'm gettin' panicky. I'm tellin' ya, I'm gettin' light headed."

"Take quick breaths through your mouth. We're almost done."

And so this is how we end up with this unknown fellow who looks on the verge of passing out while having his portrait taken. Of course, there is the possibility that he always looked like this, a deer caught in the headlights. I have no information as to who he is.

Click on image to see it larger.

As to the photographer, C. H. Masters, I have very little information. I can tell you he once lived in Atchison County in the Kansas Territory. You can see photos of the town here, here, here, and here taken by Masters. You can find the references to these photos here. Click here to see another photo of Atchison taken by Masters. Interestingly all of these of the town were taken in 1860; the town was founded in 1854. I'm not finding any portraits with that date, which doesn't mean there aren't any. I'm just not finding them.

If you click here you'll see a portrait of famous abolitionist John Brown with "Masters" written on the card stock. It looks like a photo of a drawing or painting, not an actual portrait of Brown. Then again, what do I know?

To see 16 portraits taken by Masters click here to go to a Flickr account run by a woman named Shaniee.

The only real biographical information I've found is in this article from the Decatur Daily dated May 26, 2008:

Pictures chart 1895 journey from Decatur to Muscle Shoals
By Deangelo McDaniel

Of all the pictures in the Morgan County Archives, these may be the most intriguing.

Sometime in 1895, a group, including Decatur residents and former Union soldiers, ferried down the narrow Tennessee River to the Shoals.

With them was famed photographer C.H. Masters, who before the Civil War owned a photography studio in Atchison, Kan.

At different points, and especially at the locks on the river, the travelers stopped and posed for pictures.

And you can click here to see another from this trip.

Not much to go on, I know. We've just hit the dead end of the net. It's at times like this I wish I had the ability to go through archives at libraries. Certainly there must be more information about C. H. Masters.

Another photo from Bert's collection.

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UPDATE: I've discovered a second copy of this photo, a much dirtier copy. On the back there is writing which can't be read without taking it into Photoshop. I now know that this is Clarence Rood and he lived in Dover, Illinois. This image was sent to Lillie Viola Overton in Ladd, Illinois. Maybe this will lead to some information about this man and the lady it was sent to.

Click on the black/white image to see it larger.
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UPDATE: I have been remiss in not posting the information about C.H. Masters sent to me by AnyJazz:

I found some things on Ancestry.com. There were quite a few Masters during that time frame. I found a family living in Atcheson Kansas Territoty mentioned in the Kansas Census Collection 1955-1925 and in the 1960 US Federal census. They list a Charles H. Masters (b abt 1843), a Casius H. Masters (b abt 1847), a Harlan C. Masters (b abt 1849) and a Harvey C. Masters a (b abt 1845) all in the same family. The father was named A. C. Masters (b abt 1811).

Charles H. is the likely candidate as there is also an entry for his enlistment into the Civil War in 1861. The Kansas census shows beside his name that he was in company B as does the enlistment records. One entry shows he was wounded in Nashville, TN, and left the service in 1965.

The Kansas census reports Chas. H. was born in Illinois which supports this account I found at:



http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1860s-cdv-farm-scene-atchison-kansas-unlisted



Also this photo credited to C. H. Masters taken in 1860 suggests also that he was a photographer before entering the Civil War in 1861.

http://www.legendsofkansas.com/atchison.html



Then today I received an anonymous comment containing the following:

Here is some information about a photograph of Abraham Lincoln published by C. H. Masters after the original by W. H. Masters. Hope this helps.



http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.history/2006-01/msg00032.html


Here are some portraits taken by C. H. Masters, Princeton, Illinois:

And a full bio of C. H. Masters that confirms the information by others:


Source: http://archive.org/stream/historyofbureauc00brad/historyofbureauc00brad_djvu.txt



C. H. MASTERS, Princeton, was born in Bureau County, 111., February 4, 1843. His early life was spent in this county till 1852, when he went to Missouri and Kansas with his father, and resided in different places till 1861, when he enlisted in Company B, Tenth Kansas Volunteer Infantry, and served in the army till September 30, 1865, when he received his discharge. His service was rendered mostly on the frontier. In 1861 he was in Gen. Lane's famous brigade, but most of the time was under the command of Gen. Blunt, but was under Gen. Thomas at the battle of Nashville, December 15, 1864, at which battle he was wounded, and was confined to the hospital for six months, but returned to his regiment as soon as able, and served till its discharge. During his service he did 
provost duty in St. Louis for nine months, while Gen. Rosecrans was commander of the 
department. In 1866 Mr. Masters came again to Princeton, and began learning pho- 
tography with his uncle, W. H. Masters. In 1869 he started a gallery for himself, and 
with the exception of a short intermission has continued in the business ever since, and has met with the success he so evidently deserves. In politics he is identified with the Repub- 
lican party. He is a member of the Ferris Post, No. 309, G. A. R. He was married, in 
Princeton, 111., September 3, 1867, to Miss Mary Mathews, a native of Vermont, and a 
daughter of Henry Mathews, deceased. Our subject's father, A. C. Masters, was one of 
the early settlers of Bureau County. (See sketch of his brother, John Masters.) By 
trade he was a cabinet-maker, but most of his life in this county was spent on the farm. 
He died in Buda, about 1878.

Thanks for providing all of this information. We get a better mental picture of who took this shot of Clarence Rood.

Virden redux

Many months ago, June 9th to be specific, I did a post about small town America featuring a real photo postcard of downtown Virden, Illinois. Several months later I received an email from someone who grew-up in Virden and I promised to post another shot when I returned from vacation. I forgot, but I've finally remembered.

This is a real photo postcard of what looks to be a really lovely street in Virden. The card was post dated on July 11 at 9:30 am but there is no year on the postal cancellation. I'd imagine it's around 1905 to 1910. Purely a guess. 

I wish I'd posted this during the summer because it has such a glorious summertime feeling to it, but I did promise this person I'd post it. I hope you and your folks enjoy this.

Click on image to see it larger.

SMALL TOWN U.S.A.

Recently Turner Classic Movies ran Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) starring Jimmy Stewart. I had to sit down and watch it. I love that movie. It always makes me think of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) starring Gary Cooper, another favorite. Each a Frank Capra movie, each about someone from a small town that has to deal with the corruption found in a big city when powerful people gather only listen to the voices of other powerful people. Fiction? Sure, but don't we all recognize the stories as ones played out day after day all over this country? Small towns still exist, but I think the burden they carry is far from the romantic idealization many people have of them.

I found this photograph, a portion of an RPPC, at an estate sale. It dates most likely from the mid 1920s and shows N. Side Square in Virden, Illinois. I did a little bit of googling about Virden and unfortunately not much shows up. The town still exists and is still a small town with a population around 3400. It's mainly a coal mining and agricultural area. The following comes from the Brittanica site:

Laid out in 1852 along the Chicago and Mississippi Railroad, it was named for John Virden, a local innkeeper. A coal-mining town, Virden was the scene of a mine riot on October 12, 1898. Violence erupted between guards and miners following the arrival of some 200 African American workers from Alabama who were hired by the Chicago-Virden Coal Company in an attempt to break a strike by local workers affiliated with the United Mine Workers of America. Some 15 people (mostly local miners and guards hired to protect the train carrying the arriving workers) died. The city was under martial law for several days, and the union movement credited the incident as an important milestone, especially in the winning of the eight-hour day. Virden is now the centre of an agricultural area with corn (maize) and soybeans as the chief crops. Livestock raising is also important. Macoupin county remains one of the state’s largest producers of coal. Inc. (Source: Encylopedia Britannica)

In October of 2006 a memorial was placed in the town in recognition of this history.

With this photo, as usual, it's all in the details. Details I'd have never noticed without the aid of my trusty scanner.

In this one shot there are two restaurants serving fried chicken, one on each side of the street. There are two ice cream parlors just a stone throw from each other. But best of all is the family crossing the street. A man wearing a straw boater and a woman and child who each look to be holding their right arms up as if eating ice cream cones. Could it be more perfect? Do click on the photos so you can see them larger at Flickr. You really have to just sit back and visit Virden.

Click on images to see them larger.

And before I go I'll give a shout out to two other things I found while googling. Always wanting to support small independent book stores I see where Virden has one called The Sly Fox. I don't know anything about the shop, but if you're passing through Virden you might want to check them out. I see where they specialize in children's books, mysteries, and history of Illinois.

The other bit of information is that according to the Virden town website they'll be having a city wide garage sale on June 20th. Ohhhhh, wish I was there. Instead I'll have to settle for a bit of Longfellow Deeds in Vermont.

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