For those of you who journeyed with me on the glass plate negatives series, you know that although so much was discovered and answered about the Treadwell family, I wasn't able to find out any information on this beautiful young woman, other than her first name. Leta. Last week I shared that I was able to identify Leta as Leta Belle Forsyth! As I became curious about other family members, I searched for Leta. After discovering that the grandmother of the family, Sarah Roger

As I ended my series on the glass plate negatives, I was so happy that the family in the pictures was identified and so many questions were answered. But the beautiful woman at the window haunted me and I was sad that I wasn't able to find anything more than her name. Leta. Picture courtesy of Paul Holbrook. Used with permission. I wanted to know who Leta was, where she was from and what became of her after this picture was taken in 1902. Because this image of her was part o

This post is part of a series. Go here to see all. I am excited to share some more revelations about the Treadwell family of Bridgeport CT! As I researched Elberton Treadwell, his wife Laura, son Gerrie, and daughter Laura Ione, I found some great facts about them in old newspapers. If you are researching your family tree, newspapers can be an excellent source of information. You can access some papers online through local historical societies and at newspapers.com (paid me

This post is part of my series, 'The Glass Plate Negatives'. If you are just joining me, feel free to read all posts from the beginning and learn how I uncovered the identity of our mystery family! You can click here to begin. The discovery was just as thrilling as I thought it would be. And as I went on a history hunt, I found the Treadwell family kept getting more interesting. From the papers that were with the negatives and photographed by the seller, I was able to lear

To read earlier posts in this series, go here. The glass plate negatives revealed. I still can't believe we found them. Here are the pictures that started us on our journey along with some new images below. Meet, the Treadwell family of Bridgeport Connecticut and some of their friends: Here is what I have discovered so far - first, I was wrong! And I never thought I would be so delighted to admit it, but the truth is so much more interesting than my imaginings. The house in

This post is part of a series. To read previous posts go here. The ebay seller who lives in the Bronx and sold the plate glass negatives to Paul Holbrook responded! Here is the message Paul sent me: "I heard from the seller! I told her about your project of researching the pictures, of course. She wrote: "Cool, I like these interesting research projects. I found them at an auction which had all sorts of random items. There were a lot more, at least 20 more boxes, but I did n

If you are visiting my blog for the first time, you can read the previous posts in this series by going here. GUYS. This case just got SO interesting! Ok, so I did something your parents tell you NEVER to do. I called a strange man I met on the internet. But I am so glad I did! I had messaged Paul Holbrook, the man who posted the pictures of the mystery family. I first knew of Paul through Facebook and enjoyed following him. Paul either purchases old negatives or they ar

If you would like to read the earlier posts in this series, start here. I received a call back from a volunteer at the Bronx Historical Society! The man I spoke with was very kind but basically said that even with the clues I uncovered, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. He admitted that knowing the family could be Jewish made that haystack a bit smaller, but the synagogue records for the Bronx were very few and most had been destroyed. Some synagogues

This post is part of a series. If you are visiting my blog for the first time, you may want to go here to begin reading. Because these images were purchased from a seller in the Bronx, NY, I have contacted the Bronx Historical Society and am waiting for a call back. I am hopeful that they will be able to point me in the direction of resources that will aid in my search. (so excited!!) In the meantime lets take a tour of a bedroom. Picture courtesy of Paul Holbrook. Used wi

This post is part of a series. If you missed the earlier posts, you may want to go here to begin reading. As Paul Holbrook developed and posted more images online, I collected clues. I wondered if it would be possible to identify the family in the plate glass negatives. I love this next picture. It is an earlier photo of the children with the mother in front of their home. It reveals a lot about the family. Here is what I have gathered: 1) There are most likely three childr

This post is part of a series. If you are visiting my blog for the first time, you may want to go here to read previous posts. Vintage photographs of individuals from the early 1900's usually show stiff, posed figures. Rarely smiling, the people who appear in these photographs are usually in a studio posing for the picture. Often, it's the only one, or one of few pictures, that will ever be taken of them. What drew me to this collection of images from the early 1900's was th

If you are visiting for the first time, be sure to check previous posts for the beginning of this series. (Here, for part one and here, for part two.) By now, I was hooked. I kept checking my computer to see if Paul Holbrook had posted any new images. The glass plate negative collection had captured my attention and curiosity. The most revealing of the images were of the interior of the house. Picture courtesy of Paul Holbrook. Used with permission. I wanted to see if I cou

If you are just joining me, be sure to read part 1, here. The pictures were posted over several weeks. Developed from glass negatives, they were evidence of a bygone era and a time no living human being has known. A Facebook user named Paul Holbrook purchased the glass plate negatives from a seller in the Bronx, NY. As he published the photographs, more details began to emerge about the family who was in them. This photo was of particular interest, due to the incredible de

For as long as I can remember I have loved old things. I know now that it is because I love story. Anything older than brand new has a story. Anything older than 100 years has layers of story. It can be furniture, a house, jewelry, music, documents or pictures. Have you been in an antique store and seen old photographs? Most, have nothing written, no identifier of who the people are. Just black and white or sepia images, faces from long ago stare back. I always look through o