Welcome to 2018

Wallace A. Dixon, circa 1926, in the lap of unidentified woman.
Elizabeth, New Jersey. Personal collection,
E. Ackermann, 2018.

Happy New Year!

I generally start my year on the blog with a baby, a traditional icon of new beginnings in the New Year. This year's New Kid on the block is my dear Uncle Wally [Wallace A. Dixon, 1926-1988] in the lap of someone I don't know. Not his mother, not any of his maternal aunts. Possibilities include paternal aunts, or possibly a cousin or family friend. If you recognize her, give me a shout. [Hey! It's a two-for-one! New Years baby and a Mystery Photo! Yippee!]

The Payne Family : Part of the Merry Group

Back in 2016 I wrote a Mystery Photo post, "The Mystery of the Merry Group," where I pondered the possible identity of a group of people who appeared in some photos that all seemed to have been taken at the same event. The older lady in the group looked a bit like my great-grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Klein (Dixon) Payne, and the older gentleman certainly resembled her second husband, Thomas Payne. But I wasn't sure, and I had no clue who the other people were.

In recent months I've been in contact with three people who are connected with the Payne family in one way or another. Last week the granddaughter of Thomas Payne, Jr. contacted me. She was able to identify some of the people in these pictures. In fact, she wrote that she has a photo taken on that same day.

My step-cousin said that the photos were taken at Thomas Payne, Sr.'s farm in Massachusetts. I never knew he had a farm in Massachusetts! She also commented that he was very well-off and that at one time he owned a restaurant in New Jersey, and that my Great-grandmother, who she called Mrs. Dixon, ran the kitchen. [I've done some  preliminary research on the restaurant and will report on that eventually.]

So, a photo mystery gets closer to being solved, and I've got more fun things to research.

Here are the photos in question. My Great-grandmother died in 1938 at the age of 70. Andrew was born in 1905, and Thomas was born in 1910 and I would say that they look in these photos like they could be in their mid- to late-twenties. I'm going to guess that this was taken some time in the mid-1930's.

As far as I know, these are the only photos I have of my Great-grandmother that were taken after her marriage to Thomas Payne in 1927. According to my source, Great-grandmother raised Thomas, Jr. and he called her "Mother," and she remembers her father talking about my grandfather, Wallace B. Dixon, and his sister, Hazel. They would have all been children in the combined Dixon/Payne household at the same time.

Standing, from left: unknown; Mrs. Thomas Payne, Jr.; unknown; unknown; Andrew Payne; Mary E. (Klein Dixon) Payne.
Kneeling, from left: unknown; unknown; a dog; Thomas Payne, Jr.

I don't know who the fellow in the white shirt, standing third from the left, is but every time I see him in a photo I think "he sure looks like a Dixon!" He's in a good number of photos that I have with the woman standing on the far left, also unidentified.

From left: Thomas Payne, Jr.; Andrew Payne; unknown; unknown;
Mary E. (Klein Dixon) Payne; Thomas Payne, Senior.
And the dog.

From left: Thomas Payne, Jr.; Andrew Payne; unknown; unknown;
Mary E. (Klein Dixon) Payne; Thomas Payne, Senior.

Thomas Payne also had a daughter named Mary, from his first marriage, and I wonder if the young woman in this photo might be her. And then there's that Dixon-looking fellow in the back again! Who are you?!?
 

Andrew Payne

Still unidentified

 As always, if you recognize anyone in these photos, I'd love to hear from you!

Sources

Private E-mail correspondance with descendant of Thomas Payne.

All photos from Wallace B. Dixon Collection, privately held by the author. 

The Mysterious Buddies at the Beach

 You may recognize some of these fellows from last week's edition of Mystery Photo Monday.

Apparently that pyramid they made impressed some of the girls at the beach. Three couples? Who's taking the photo? And that eternal question - who the heck are these people?

Just like last week, these came out of an album belonging to my Great-Aunt Estelle Karvoius. Looks like maybe the 1920's? In the second photo, two of the people are wearing shirts with large letters on them. Can you decipher what those initials mean? Help!

Six unidentified beach buddies. From Estelle Karvoius's photo album.

What do the letters mean? Who are these people?
They look like they are having fun.

Photos from Mary Dixon Traina Colleciton, privately held by E. Ackermann, 2016.

The Mystery of the Boys at the Beach

Hello Friends! I hope you're enjoying this last bit of July. It's Monday so we're back at Mystery Beach, where the boys are.

These fellows came from an album owned by my Great-Aunt Estelle Karvoius. Were they school-mates, neighbors, friends, cousins? I don't know. But if you do, please let me know. That would make me happier than the guy at the top of the pyramid.

Young men showing off, as young men will do. From a photo album owned by Estelle Karvoius.

Young men on the rocks. Note railroad tracks and old cars in background.
From a photo album owned by Estelle Karvoius.

Two good looking young men on the rocks. Was their lunch in that box?
From a photo album owned by Estelle Karvoius.

All photos from Mary Dixon Traina Collection, privately held by E. Ackermann (her daughter), 2016.

The Mystery of the Man in the Bathrobe

Another sand-between-your-toes mystery today kids.

I'm loving the fashion statement with the bath robe. Snazzy!

Here's what I know:

• Nothing. Absolutely no clue who this cute couple is.
• I'm guessing these folks are friends or relations of the Dixon family. Maybe.

If you know who these folks are please let me know!

Unidentified couple at the beach. Possible Dixon connection.

Mystery Men at the Beach

Only a partial mystery this week. At least I have some family context for this one.

My people loved the beach! Standing, l. to r. : unidentified, Alice (Rimkus) Karvoius.
Seated, l. to r. : unidentified, Constantine Karvoius, Estelle Karvoius.
Note the small unidentified child standing behind the man with the mustache.

Closer view of the Karvoius family and the mystery men.

I believe that this photo was taken out of an album that belonged to my Great-Aunt Estelle Karvoius. That's her on the far right in the front row. I also recognize my Great-Grandmother, Alexandra "Alice" (Rimkus) Karvoius in the back row, and my Great-Grandfather, Constantine Karvoius, in the middle of the front row. Based on Estelle's birth date in 1909, I think this was taken in the 1920's, probably in New Jersey.

The mysteries in this photo are the young man in the back on the left, and the man with the rather spectacular mustache. They both appear in other pictures in the collection as well. Also, please note the little child standing behind the man with the mustache. He is looking down at the ground, and nearly disappears into the background.

The back of the photo has some of the black paper from the album still attached, but you can see that it was stamped "Printed by Elizabeth Novelty Co. / 1?5 / Elizabeth, N.J."

So, any ideas gentle readers? If you recognize the people or the location, please let me know!

The Mysterious Mickey

Hello friends. Are you sensing a summer-time theme in our recent Mystery Photo Monday posts? Aside from me not having a clue who these people are, that is. Yes, it's all about summer swimming goodness.

At least I think this is a bathing costume.

Here's was I think I know about this one:

• Same border (plain black line, not shown here) as some photos from the Dixon family
• The girl's top has "Mickey" written on it
• There is an inscription on the back of the photo: "Love, Mickey."
• Her footwear is pretty awesome
• In the background is a young man, also possibly in a bathing suit, and a bicycle

Take your best shot, super sleuths. Do you know who this young woman is?

"Mickey," if that is her real name, in a bathing or athletic costume. Possibly from the Dixon family.

The Mystery of the Waders in the Water

Here we are again. Another mystery for your Monday.

Here are this week's clues:

• The photo was previously glued to a black scrapbook page.
• The border is identical to several photos that I believed belonged to Estelle Karvoius.

And that's pretty much all I've got. If you recognize the girls or the pier, shout it out!

Come on in, the water's fine!

The Mystery of the Bathing Beauties

Welcome to Summer and another Mystery Photo Monday!

Ah, Memorial Day. The day that marks the unofficial start of the summer season. Let's head to the beach!

Who are these bathing beauties? I have no clue. A bottle of sunscreen, your choice, to the person who can confirm a name of even just one of these fun-loving beach bums. I will give you one clue. The very lovely woman in the dark bathing suit, far left, appears in some of my photos connected with the Traina family. 

Unidentified bathing beauties, probably at the Jersey Shore. Sometime in the 1950's?
The woman kneeling, far left, appears in other photos associated with the Traina family.

The Mystery of the Backyard Ball Game, Part 3

Final Inning.

Here's the last installment in the Ball Game series. There's no ball playing here, but I'm including it because you'll see two familiar faces if you've been following along.

The boy on the right is our friend the batter/catcher from Parts 1 and 2. And oh goody! Two more people who's names I don't know!

The batter (right) and his buddies. Do you know these guys?

In the next photo, I'm sure you will recognize the prim little miss from the photo in Part 1. Same dress, same demure pose. I think the older girl in this photo is another unknown person. At first I thought it was Sophie Karvoius, but if you compare the hair from the previous photos, you'll see that this young woman has her hair parted on the side and is wearing what looks like a barrette or hair clip. In the other photos, the girl I believe to be Sophie has a center part and bangs.

I don't know who these girls are, but I wish I did.
The younger girl appears in another photo in this series.

I haven't bothered to enlarge the faces in these photos. They are pretty blurry, and it doesn't add any detail to see them larger.

If you've been keeping up with the play-by-play here you'll realize that I don't know who the heck most of these people are. If you'd like to weigh in with some expert commentary, please do!

The Mystery of the Backyard Ball Game, Part 2

Batter Up!

As we continue with our backyard baseball extravaganza, we see the same boy with a bat.
 

Taking his turn at bat.

He's a cute kid. Sure wish I knew his name!

Sophie's at bat! At least I'm almost certain that's Sophie Karvoius.

Cropped closeup of the original photo. They look like they're having fun.

I'm striking out on identifying the boy. Throw me a fast ball with his name written on it if you know who he is.

The Mystery of the Backyard Ball Game, Part 1

Play Ball!

Another Monday, another mystery. For the next three weeks I'll be bringing you a series of photos from the Karvoius branch of the family. I believe were all taken at the same place and on the same day. Here's why I think that:

• The clothing doesn't change
• The location doesn't change
• A few of the children appear in more than one photo

We'll kick things off here with my favorite picture of the lot.

Taking a break from swinging the bat. The older girl is, I believe, Sophie Karvoius.

 I believe the oldest girl is my grandmother, Sophie Karvoius. I don't know who the other children are. Here's a closer look:

Snacking, posing, playing baseball. Sophie Karvoius is the third from the left. The other children are unidentified.

That sure does look like Sophie.  I'm intrigued by the very composed little lady sitting next to her, with her legs crossed and her hands on her knees.  Also, I'm interested in the appearance of the African American boy on the right. I have never seen him in any other pictures. Perhaps he's a pal of the boy with the bat?

In the 1924 Elizabeth City Directory, they Karvoius family lived at 109 Inslee Place. In the 1925 Elizabeth City Directory, the Karvoius family lived at 247 Clark Place. Was this photo taken at either of these addresses. Was Sophie visiting other family or friends? Your guess is as good as mine.

If you've got a guess about who the people in this photo are, pitch it to me! Stay tuned for the second installment, coming one week from today!

The Mystery of a Girl and Her Dog

Mystery Photo Monday. Again.

Here's what I've got. A slightly blurry photo of a pleasant looking young woman being jumped upon by a large black dog.

Here's what I know. Pretty much nothing.

The photo border is found in photos that I've identified from both the Dixon and Karvoius sides of the family. The reverse is stamped with the number "3061" which, according to my handy photo log, does not appear on any photos that I have scanned thus far.

The landscape doesn't appear to be particularly familiar. It looks like there are some large buildings in the background. Apartments or factory? I can't really see the dog, so I can't match him up with other dogs in the collection.

As always, if you recognize anything or anyone in this picture feel free to chime in.

The Mystery of the Merry Group

The More Mysteries, The Merrier!

These folks, possibly related to me and/or each other, are featured in two photos from the collection. Both snapshots bear the same number stamped on the back: "43." There are a few seemingly familiar faces here. Familiar in the way that I have seen them in other photos. Not in the way where I actually know who they are. If you know who they are, tie a note to a pigeon and send it my way. [Or just leave a comment below.]

Cropped from the original.
That fellow on the right is either blurry or he's wearing the fuzziest sweater I've ever seen on a man.

The dog keeps an eye on them.

Here's the complete image. Now you can see that the folks on the right are looking down at a dog. Good dog! I don't know his or her name either.

I believe that the fellow in the suit appears further on down the page here in a bathing suit. See if you think there's a resemblance.

That man lurking in the background looks familiar to me. I'm sure I've got other photos of him in the collection. I think I need to figure out a way to diagram the familiar faces between the photos to see if there's some connection I'm missing. Have you ever done anything like that? I'd love to hear about it.

The fellow in the suit and the young woman look like they could possibly be a couple. So do the man and woman on the far right. Again, no real clue.

Just to add to the insanity, here's another photo from the same roll "42," only now we've added more people that I don't know.

The group changes, but the dog stays the same.

Now we've got three more women I can't identify at the party. Although I think the woman on the far left, standing, appears in other family photos.

Roll "259"

Now we move on to the second pair of photos. Do you think the guy in the bathing suit is the same person as the man in the suit from the previous two pictures? There's a resemblance, though his hair is curly, not slicked back.

And lastly, there's the fellow in the white trousers. Same dock, same pond. But he's not in any of the other photos.

Pretty good. You?

How you doin'?

The Mystery of the Marcel Wave

Stylin'

This week Mystery Photo Monday brings you a fashionable lady with a sense of style. From the tips of her pointy little shoes to the top of her wavy coiffure, she's right in fashion. If only we knew her name.

Right in style!

The heated curling irons required to get the hair to wave "just so" were invented in Paris in the 19th century. By the early 1920's the wonders of modern technology offered women a electric curling iron with temperature control. No more singed hair!

If you recognize this Doll, send me a note. Thanks!

The Mystery of the House in the Country

Welcome to another episode of Mystery Photo Monday!

I've got a multi-photo mystery for you this week! These were all taken at the same place [unknown] and seem to have some of the same people in at least a few of them [also, unknow]. Most likely from the Dixon side of the family. Not sure if this was someone's home, or a vacation cottage. There is nothing written on the back of any of the photos.

Wave your arms and jump up and down if you know who these people are. And just in case I don't see you, send me a note, O.K.?

Mother, son, grandmother? They look happy.

The first photo was cropped from this one.

You can click on the photo to make it bigger.
It will still be out of focus, just a bigger blur.

Just sitting on the porch.
She's really eyeing that hat.

Check out that car! Also, the porch is sort of epic.

And then, there's this one...

She took his hat, and now she's showing us her knees!

Other People's Ancestors : Lena E. MacKenzie

May I present Lena E. MacKenzie? I found these photos in an antique store in Virginia. The first three were taken at Lovejoy photography studio in Owego, New York. The last one was taken at the McFarlin studio in Elmira, New York. She is as elusive as my own ancestors! My searching has turned up nothing. If you know anything about Miss Lena, please contact me. I'd be delighted to return these photos to a descendant of hers.

Lena E. MacKenzie, c. 1890, Owego, NY

Lena E. MacKenzie, 3 May 1896.

I believe this is also Lena MacKenzie.
This was with the other photos, and it looks like her.

Miss Lena MacKenzie, looking very grown up in 1903.
The photographer was McFarlin in Elmira, NY

The Mystery of the Lady and the Boulders

Another Mystery Photo Monday!

Another mystery woman. I like her shoes.

This was pulled off of a photo album or scrapbook with black pages. It looks like a professional portrait, though her face is sorely lacking focus, so perhaps not.

I have no other clues to her identity. It is possible that this came from one of Estelle Karvoius's scrapbooks.

Take your best shot mystery lovers. Any hints, clues, or positive ID's greatly appreciated.

The Mystery of the Lovely Lillian

Sincerely, Lillian

Lillian, mysterious and sinceere.

On this mysterious Monday, I bring you a photo of Lillian. Lillian is glued to the page of a scrapbook that belonged to my great-aunt, Estelle Karvoius.

Estelle was born in 1909. As a starting point, I'm going to offer this theory. If Lillian was a high school classmate, that would put this photo in the date range of somewhere between 1925 through maybe 1930. It would also mean that Lillian lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey. 

Of course, I could be entirely wrong about that.

If you recognize this sincere and lovely lady, please get in touch!

The Mystery of Two Girls and a Garage

Another charming photo of two young ladies. It must be summertime. They are wearing white or pale dresses with short sleeves. The bob haircuts suit them, I think. I'd love to know about that very grand house in the background. I wonder if it's still standing after all these years.

There are a few more clues below the photo. As always, give me a shout if you know who these people are.

Two girls, a garage, and a very big house. Do you recognize them?

The photo was peeled off of the page of a photo album. The paper residue is black. There is no writing on the back [naturally!] but the photo is stamped "Printed By Elizabeth Novelty Co." A partial stamped number is visible "79[obscured by paper residue]."

Advertisement from the 1917 Elizabeth City Directory. (1)
This is the first year they that
advertise photo developing and printing.

The Elizabeth Novelty Co., located at 215-217 Broad Street, first advertises developing and printing services in the 1917 edition of the Elizabeth Directory. In 1915 they are selling photographic supplies. So at some point between 1915 and 1917 they began offering printing services. That makes it likely that this photo was printed no earlier than 1915.

I have a few other photos with the same straight line border. You've seen two of them here. Those images bear the stamp of "Elizabeth Photo Service." They are all connected to Wallace B. Dixon.

 

 

 

 

For Further Research

• Did Elizabeth Novelty Co. buy out Elizabeth Photo Service, or vice versa? Or was this just a common border at the time?
• Although all the other photos that I've scanned so far, that have this border, are associated with W.B. Dixon, it can't be assumed that this is one of his photos as well. I'll have to be on the lookout for others. Pinpointing who owned the photo might help me figure out who these girls are.

Sources
(1) Elizabeth Directory 1917. Vol. VII. Price & Lee Company, Newark, New Jersey. 1917 Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Film image 37.