Who Were They?

This photo accompanied yesterday’s photo of Millard Fillmore, and you can see they were produced by the same photographer. However, this cabinet card is much longer than the standard, making it about 4.5″ by 8″. On the back is written “Alveda Fillmore” but this is the only reference I can find calling her Alveda. However a census entry did list a middle initial “A,” so who knows.

Esther was born in 1852, in Ohio to Alfred and Rebecca Eylar. Alfred was a farmer. Esther had two older brothers, Daniel (1846) and Alfred R (1849). I found one census record in the 1860 Federal census that put the family in Pontiac, IL.

About 1875, Esther and Millard married and by 1888, they are living in Pomona, which is right outside Los Angeles, CA. Millard indicated to the state voter registrant that he was a capitalist by occupation, but I believe he meant more like venture capitalist. In 1896 they lived on Maple Ave, Los Angeles, at a location that today is part of a school athletic field.

The family shows up on the 1900 census, with Millard as a machinist and a son Millard E aged 11, then on the 1910 census having Millard retired. Esther is listed on the 1930 census as widowed and living with a companion at age 78. By this point, her son Eylar had moved to Santa Barbara with his family. More tomorrow on Eylar.

UPDATE: Iggy found a death record for Esther Alverda Fillmore of January 3, 1940. Thank you!!