A Golden Wedding Anniversary

Robert Howell (1825-1906)

Elizabeth Catharine Leavell (1826-1907)

paternal 2nd great-grandparents 

The photo below was taken by the Grant County, Indiana historian on the occasion of Robert and Elizabeth Leavell Howell’s 50^th wedding anniversary celebration, according to their great-granddaughter, Deloris Howell Griffith (1918-1999).

Robert Howell and Elizabeth Catherine Leavell, seated third row center, and family at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration. The photo was probably taken at the family home in Liberty Township in Grant County.

  

Deloris wrote of Robert and Elizabeth:

When they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on October 15, 1896, one of the Grant County historians was present. His photo is in the group (of photos) taken that day. Grandfather thought the price of having his name and record listed for posterity too great, so the family was not named in the history book. 

In the late 1800s, county histories often included a collection of short biographies of some county residents – descendants of pioneers, war veterans, the well-to-do, and basically anyone who was willing to pay the required fee. Genealogists often refer to this type of publication as a "vanity press." After reading a few entries, it's easy to see why the description is fitting since the biographies were typically flattering to the subjects.

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A group picture on an occasion such as Robert and Elizabeth's 50th wedding anniversary is a good opportunity to make some progress in identifying family members.

 

Robert and Elizabeth’s son, John Henry Howell (1861-1927), appears to be holding a hat. He is standing behind his wife, Amanda Emily Ringo (1861-1935), seated third from the left. His hand is resting on her shoulder. Their son, Grant Eben Howell (1895-1978) is in her lap and son, James Otto Howell (1892-1967), is standing next to Grant.

I believe the woman seated to Amanda’s right (hands in her lap) is her sister, Martha Catherine Ringo (1867-1935). The man standing behind Martha is her husband, George Riley Howell (1863-1946), John Henry's brother.

 

 

 

Amanda and Martha were daughters of John W. Ringo (1832-1875) and Melinda Humbard (1831-1916). [See the 6 Nov 2021 post, “A Union Soldier in Grant’s Army of the Tennessee,” for more about John W. Ringo.]

Robert Howell and his wife, Elizabeth Catherine Leavell, are seated in the center of the 3rd row.

 

 

 

 

 

As of this writing, I haven't been able to identify any of the people in this section of the anniversary photo.

 

 

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– FOOD FOR THOUGHT –

George Riley, John Henry, and their wives are in the first photo below. Are the men circled in red in the second and third photos their brothers? To me, they bear a fairly strong resemblance to each other. Are they brothers, even if they are not John and George's brothers?  

 

 

The people in the anniversary picture seem to be roughly arranged in family groups. Based on that and their positions relative to the men, the women circled in blue are probably the wives of the men circled in red standing next to them.

The couple in the third picture has a young baby. The man on the right is likely single, since there are no women his age near him.

 

Then there are these two ladies – they could almost be twins. Determine the identity of one and undoubtedly the other will follow.

Do you see other similarities or have clues as to the identities of the people in the anniversary photo? I would appreciate hearing from you.

 

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Relationships between Robert Howell, Deloris Howell Griffith and Philip Howell.

 

 

 

 

 

Howell-Richards Family History - April 2022