Genealogy~Photography~Restoration is relocating

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Thank you for being with us here and we hope to see you at our new digs!

So, change your bookmarks and we’ll see you at the new

Genealogy-Photography-Restoration!
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For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
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Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

(Mrs. Emma Lopez; b. 1883, Mississippi)

Create a chronological profile of your troublesome ancestor. Now, most genealogy software programs will generate this for you. I suggest you print this out, step away from the computer, get a glass of wine and let the profile take you where it wants to go. You’ll get an idea if one event impacted another. Such things as separations, relocations, illnesses, and family emergencies come to mind. Did a person move out of state to be with a sick relative (is there a death date to corroborate this)? Let the chronological profile raise questions BEFORE you return to the computer and start clicking all over the hardrive and internet. The point is to have a perspective in order to have an effective plan in your research.
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For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
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Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

James ‘Marvin’ Hancock is my 2nd cousin. I met him for the first time last year in a St. Augustine nursing home. He had been infirmed for quite awhile, I’m told, as a result of receiving some bad medicine that crippled him. Another cousin, Ronald, suggested we visit him as his health was in a steadfast decline and he may be able to tell us something about the family history. Unfortunately, his speech was barely audible and we didn’t get much info. The good news was that Marvin was very happy to see his family and pleased to see his new found 2nd cousin! We had a blast, however short the time.

Excerpt from Marvin’s obituary:
“… Marvin attended school in Williston, SC, and joined the United States Army June 10, 1943. He was a rifleman in the 365th Infantry in WWII. He was awarded the American Theatre Service Medal, EAME Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, Good Conduct Medal and the WWII Victory Medal. He was employed by the Fairchild Corp. as an aircraft mechanic for several years. He later became a tour guide for the Ambrose Colee Horse and Carriage Company for the city of St. Augustine where his services were requested for weddings and special events. He was an extra in the 1998 film “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”….”

Wow! Am I ever glad I got to meet him even if he couldn’t tell me his story. Rest in peace Marvin, you won’t be forgotten!
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
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Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

Dad’s playing heydays were nearly over by the time I was born (I was the last kid). No longer having bands under his name, he would play solo gigs in restaurants, bars, or community events. When I was growing up I would hear “Are you Bill Geder’s kid? Boy, your dad could/can surely play that piano!” On Saturdays, Dad and I would go to his favorite watering hole. I was relegated to a side booth with comics and all the orange sodas I could stand. I thought Dad’s friends were cool, “Hey Georgie boy, you want a refill on that pop?” When I was old enough to belly-up to the bar with Dad, he would buy me a draft.

The genealogy tip is if you can’t get info on your peeps and ancestors, consider interviewing friends of the family. Often, they can give you tidbits and stories on your people.
Sometimes friends know more than siblings and relatives.
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

Georgia Lee Hancock Williams is my Grand Aunt. She was born in 1876 and died in 1926.
The cemetery is in/near Williston, South Carolina. From what I have learned, it is on private land that it is subject to historical preservation.
I don’t have all of the details, but plan to visit the site in July. There are more Ancestors buried there.

I received a copy of this photo from my cousin in Lubbock, Texas.
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For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
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Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

Not in the least.

Clayton Moses Carter, or Uncle Moe, was the light and I was the shadow. He was one of my favorite uncles and always had that signature cigar. When I would visit him and Aunt Sadye, he would make sure I did my assigned tasks before rewarding me with a trip to the hobby store for a model airplane. When I asked him to play cards with me (my sister Sonya taught me how to play canasta), he would always say ‘tomorrow’. I fell for it every time.

His last job was working for Idlewild International airport - before they changed it to Kennedy airport, in New York. He died there in 1959, the same year as Billie Holiday. Aunt Sadye took me to Billie Holiday’s wake, my first. I was so shook up by that experience that I refused to go in to the brownstone building where Uncle Moe’s service was held. I stayed in the car. I was only seven years old and I hope that my uncle understands.
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

Peter would make several trips back to his homeland in the Cape Verde Islands. He would always write back to his family in California. In this case, he would send letters to one of his daughters, Rosemary. Peter would eventually remain in his beloved Fogo, San Filipe and die there. Theresa would never leave California. This picture was believed to have been taken in the mid 1950’s. Peter would pass in 1975; Theresa in 1984.
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

Boy, Mother, Father.

The challenges with these images began with the low resolution, scratched and damaged copies. Click on the individual pictures to see it larger.
The boy’s picture was taken shortly after his father’s passing (sometime in the 1940s). It appears that he hasn’t totally recovered.
Today he is a respected genealogist and family historian who’s preserving and sharing these images with his descendants.
Thank you for the assignment and the stories of the Ancestors!
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

Theresa Rixner and Peter DeSantos are the grandparents of my wife, Cynthia. This year, I plan to spend time researching her Ancestors.

This picture, dated June of 1926, was taken six years after their marriage. When it came to scanning the original for retouching, no one had a scanner large enough (approx 15X20). This included Kinkos, Staples, Office Depot, the UPS store, and various print shops. One specialty print shop in Berkeley, CA said they could do it! I dashed over there and the tech had set up a studio camera shoot session. I was astonished. I could do this at home in my studio. One problem, my home is in Santa Fe and I would have to risk damage to this precious image on Southwest Airlines. I chose the Berkeley setup. They shot it and I cleaned it up.

The genealogy of this picture goes as follows; Theresa’s lineage includes the surname of Dumas out of Louisiana. The family claims there is a link to Alexandre Dumas pere, the author of “The Three Musketeers”. We’ll see. Peter was an immigrant from Cape Verde, off the coast of Senegal. More on these folks later…
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

Here’s another picture of my grandfather.
Click here to see an earlier photo.

Born in 1886, his life was anything but easy.
From oral accounts, the stories include the following:
A brother, Tom, gets run over by a train.
His son Robert strikes and knocks out his teacher. Thought dead, he leaves South Carolina for New York.
His daughter Sadye is thrown in jail for staring at a dress the window of a ‘for whites only’ store.
His brother Jim gets murdered for a gambling deal gone bad.
His brother Tink gets eight bullets in him which he carries for the rest of his life.
Grandpa Jack takes his family to join his son Robert.
This all takes place in Williston, South Carolina in the early 1920’s.

Before Jack leaves sharecropping - and the Jim Crow South, he stands for this portrait.
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For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

To Everyone!

~~~

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

Typically, a RAOGK happens when you make an online request at http://raogk.com/.
This picture came to me from an old neighbor who knew I was into genealogy, a few years ago.
Mrs. Fuster lived downstairs from us when I was a little child.
She doesn’t know who the kids in the photo are, but she thinks they are related to my family.

It was kind of her to get this and other pictures to me.
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

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Check out this Wordless Wednesday page!
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For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

Among my Dad’s band pictures was this tintype of my great grandmother Harriet Melven-Jeter.
Alternate spellings include Melvin, Melville, and Geder.

Why the frown?
She’s got the ‘rock’ on her finger.
Great grandfather James Jeter must have been doing well.
Or, was this portrait taken after he passed in 1882?
A clue might be in the dress she’s wearing.

What do you think of the restoration?
Does it maintain the integrity of the original?
I did some toning in Photoshop, however, I avoided going the full colorize route because then you are falsifying the skin
and fabric color (was the dress blue, black, brown, green or whatever?).
I think Harriet stands out better and will look good matted and framed.
Anyways, that’s what I do; clean up the images of our Ancestors.
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

See ‘Wordless Wednesday’ post of 12/12/07

What genealogical nuggets can I glean from this announcement?

1. Mironer & Senator have resturant and ballroom in Gloversville, NY
2. The Gaph-Five were based in Cleveland, Ohio
3. The Gaph-Five had a gig on the S.S. Tionesta
4. This announcement was for the Christmas holiday

What information do I need to get?

1. The date of the announcement
2. The name of the newspaper
3. Data on the Gaph-Five in Cleveland
4. Data on the S.S. Tionesta

If I can get the names of the members of the Gaph-Five, perhaps I can get more information on my father’s career. It would be great if I could create a migratory chart.

I’ll begin my quest by making some inquiries on the following websites:

Surnames and Family Research Forum: 1866 to Present
http://afrigeneas.com/forumc

Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
http://www.raogk.org/

That’s for starters; there are more sites to check out.
If you have suggestions, please comment!
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

That’s Dad, William Emmett Geder.
That’s his sister, (Aunt) Julia Stevenson Geder.
They’re in Binghamton, NY circa 1910
That’s a little retouching….

I didn’t know Dad wore glasses as a kid!
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

This picture was among Dad’s band photos.
Unlabeled, I don’t know who she is.
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

Here’s another of Dad’s Orchestras.
I wish I knew the name.
I wish I knew the players!
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”

This, as I gather, is only one of William (Bill) Geder’s orchestras.
The bass drums says ‘Bill Geder’s Peerless Orchestra’.
The snare says ‘the Whispering Orchestra of Gold’.

I do know that Dad had a group called ‘Bill Geder’s Peerless Six’ and they entertained in Towanda, Pa on 29 Oct. 1923.
Dad would have been 20 years old. That looks about right for these pictures.
~~~
For our Photography & Restoration services go to:
In Digital Photographic Services

Peace,
“Guided by the Ancestors”