Who Were They?

Let’s see if today’s name deciphering game is correct. The back of this CDV identifies the gentleman as Emil A. Gessner. I did find a matching person in New Haven, CT where this portrait was made. Assuming it is the same person, this is Emil A Gessner, born 1856 in Germany. Emil and his wife Martha (1857) had 6 children: Elizabeth (1878), Mabel (1881), Steven (1883), Everett (1885), Martha (1886), and Francis (1891). The census revealed that Emil was a druggist at the Apothecaries Hall in New Haven, and owned his home. The following drawing accompanies his Find A Grave page, suggesting he was in the military of some kind. He lived in New Haven his entire life until his death on February 3, 1930.