This is a real photo postcard with the AZO arrows pointing up, so it can be dated to 1904-1918. I’d venture to guess the photo is from the teens based on the giant bow in the older sister’s hair. There is something really unusual about the look of the baby. I hate to say this is an ugly baby but s/he isn’t all that cute either. Hopefully it was just a phase.
This photo appears to have been cut out of a cabinet card, which made me wonder if this is Julia E, daughter of Vincent and Ellen Joy? There is no photographer information. But, looking back at what Iggy found about the family, Julia E was born most likely in 1868 and the cabinet card hadn’t yet come into it’s time. This child is around 1 1/2 to 2 years of age, so maybe it could be Julia E, maybe not. There was also some weirdness that took place between Vincent Joy and his older sister Malinda’s step children.
It appears that Malinda Joy married Charles Chappelear and had 6 children. Charles passed away from illness shortly after serving in the US Army in the Civil War. Somehow after this, Malinda, Vincent and a man named Martin Wachtel became acquainted. Martin was a widower with a young daughter, Elizabeth Ellen. So Vincent and Ellen became acquainted and married in 1865. In 1867 Martin and Malinda married. Later on in 1868, Vincent became the guardian of the Chappelear children for some reason. It is possible this little girl is part of that family somehow. Very confusing!
I’m taking this slightly out of order because of the mystery of the Joys. This photo is identified as Vincent Joy and shares the same photographer as the photo of Ellen Wachtel Joy. He doesn’t look like the mystery church-man and having compared his photo with the photo of Absalom Joy (his father) available on Ancestry.com I can confidently say yesterday’s photo was not Absalom either. However, since Absalom and Jane Joy had six boys (out of 11!) it is quite possible the mystery church-man is one of the brothers of Vincent Joy.
Also noted is that Vincent Joy died in 1886, predeceasing the guesstimate date of 1890s from my incredibly unscientific photo dating theory.
If I met this guy in an old church, I’d run for the hills. He has a serious and sunken eyed stare that could frighten the pants off the best youthful prankster during Sunday sermon. Does he look like he’s kidding when he says “sit still!”? His beard is impressive, reaching the level of his bow tie, and his mustache extends well beyond the width of his cheeks. This is not facial hair he grew out last year; it has been groomed for quite some time.
The cabinet card has been cut so the photographer information is missing. I’d guess this is from the 1890s or thereabouts based on the card itself being white. Although I have seen many pearl and buff colored cards from the 1880s, it isn’t until the 1890s that white cards seem to become popular, based on my inexpert and narrow sampling of cabinet cards.
This photo is directly after the adorable chubby baby photo in the Green Fan Album. Considering with the photo earlier of Ellen Joy we learned that she was married by a Methodist minister, it follows that she was also Methodist. I don’t think there are shrines like this in the Methodist church, although I could be be wrong. The question then follows, who took this photo and why? And of course, where? The snapshot is the type that would come in a booklet from the processor and the owner would then tear out the photos, hence the right edge shows the perforations and tearing.
Who Were They? 