Wedding Wednesday ...& A Confession

Wedding Wednesday

 Daisy Belle Dyer and Lucas Hammond Kerr

Wedding portrait of Lucas Kerr and Daisy Belle Dyer married in the early 1890s. Luke was a widowed butcher from Crosby, Ontario, Canada. Daisy was my maternal gr-grandfather's sister. While Luke was traveling, he stayed at Daisy's family's hotel in Redwood, Jefferson County, NY, USA. This is where he met Daisy, married and moved her to his home in Crosby. After Luke died in 1912, Daisy remarried; but when Daisy died in 1945, she was buried with her first husband Lucas as a Kerr. In the photo, behind Luke is Daisy's older sister Cordelia Dyer. Cordelia didn't marry until much later. The standing gentleman is unidentified and unknown. 

And A Confession...

Yesterday I intended to prepare a post in honor of the occasion of the State of the Union address. I wanted to share some of my family's history in politics. I have many ancestors who have been elected to office at Federal, state and local levels. Others never served in elected office, but were active politically. Although the political parties differed, the dedication was evident.

When I went to compose my post, it was only then that I realized how truly tangled my digital files have become. What a headache to sift through to find the specific information that I wanted for my post. I admit, I threw up my hands in frustration and never did write the post.

It looks as though I have a new project on my hands...organizing and untangling my digital files. I don't know exactly when this got away from me and out of control, but I need to straighten it out ASAP. Saved information is useless if you can't find it when you need it. Arrggghhh!

Wish me luck and thanks for passing on any tips and tricks you use.

Mystery Monday - Help With Afro-American Man Photo

This photo was found among the belongings of my gr-grandfather's sister, Daisy Belle Dyer, b.1869 d.1945. She married 1) Lucas Kerr, and moved to Crosby, Ontario, Canada where Lucas was the town butcher; and 2) Hilliard Thomas, Smith's Falls, Ontario, Canada. Daisy Dyer was born and raised in Madison County, NY and Daisy and the Dyer family lived a short while in Redwood, Jefferson County, NY where they ran a hotel/boading house in the late 1800s/early 1900s.

The Dyers were from an early New England family, arriving in America in the 1600s. Daisy's father had fought in the Civil War for the Union and unsubstantiated family stories say that her father and grandfather had aided in the underground railroad, providing refuge on their farm as a stop on the route to Canada.

Daisy left a trove of many photos behind, many of which are unidentified. But one unidentified photo stands out - the only photograph, much less a studio portrait, of an African American in her collection! Who was this man and his connection to her families? The photo was taken at Sprague Studio in Walton, NY. There are serveral other unidentified photos in her collection that were taken at the same studio, but they are all fair haired and very light skinned Caucasian men and women.

Who is this man? And what was his significance to my family that they would have his photo saved?

Look at this picture please and tell me what you see. Are there any hints or items of interest in the picture that might date it or shed some light in general about this man? I'm open to any and all input and help. This has really piqued my curiousity!

Thanks,