Photos Without Families

I can’t resist old photos of my namesakes! It’s always a special treat for me to research their stories and discover how they lived. This photo of Gretchen Stapf found its way to me in Germany. Gretchen is a sweet nickname for Grete or Margret, and many adults in my childhood used to call me Gretchen—so piecing together little Gretchen’s story feels extra special. 

Harry Charles Johnson was born on November 19, 1891, in Chicago, Illinois, to parents Henry Johnson and Caroline “Carrie” née Nonnast. Henry and Carrie, devoted members of the local German Lutheran church, First Saint John, had him christened there on December 13, 1891.

This lovely group photo found its way into the PWF archive from an antique shop on the Estonian island of Saaremaa. It shows the following persons: Süld Oskar and Süld Elli Süld Ingel Kristiina Mihkels Olga Põldmaa and Roobert Säkk

Valentin Roedel was pretty easy to find in the records. I found this original photo in Germany. Having immigrated to the United States from

This old photograph came to me from an online shop in Germany. Although it doesn't include the location of the photo studio, there are some valuable clues on the back. The text is written in modern German handwriting, so it’s possible that the names were added much later. It reads: “Franz Maret, Son of Karl Friedr. Maret, Berlin, and Dorothea née Lerchen” 

On my annual trip to Estonia this summer, I also visited Saaremaa, the largest island of Estonia, where I stopped by the local antiques store and “raided” their old photos section for labeled treasures. Among them, I discovered a photo of Leen Valdov from Ninase, right there on Saaremaa — a true local!