Mitochondrial DNA Ancestors – Sarah H Blackhurst Barber (1847-1929)

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Don Taylor

Mitochondrial DNA ancestors

By – Don Taylor 

Sarah Blackhurst Barber is a particularly special ancestor for me. First, she is my most recent immigrant ancestor.  Second, she is a mitochondrial ancestor. That is to say, I carry her mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Mitochondrial DNA is passed from mother to child.  As such, I received my mtDNA from my mother, who received it from her mother (Madonna Montran), who received it from her mother (Ida Barber), who received it from her mother (Sarah Blackhurst).  I have not done a mtDNA Test yet, but I should do one so that I have some experience with the test and its results.

There are very few of us with Sarah’s mtDNA. Sarah had two children, Ida and Eva. Eva died with no children. Ida had one daughter, Madonna.  Madonna only had one daughter and a son.  Her son is still living and carried her mtDNA but his children, of course, do not. Madonna’s daughter (my mother) had two boys. He and I carry it.  She also had two girls; one of them only had boys, they have the same mtDNA, but won’t pass it on to future generations.  The other daughter of my mother had two boys and a girl. Again, the two boys have the mtDNA but won’t pass it on. That leaves her daughter, the only descendant of Sarah’s with the potential of passing Sarah’s mitochondrial DNA on to a future generation (she doesn’t have any children yet).

My mtDNA Sources
• My mother (living)
• Madonna Montran
• Ida Barber
• Sarah Blackhurst
• Fanny Taylor

That said, Sarah did have five sisters.  I haven’t had a chance to trace any of their descendants. Hopefully, there are other descendants that her mtDNA has been passed along to.

Bio – Sarah H Blackhurst Barber (1847-1929)

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 08

Sarah H Blackhurst was born in December 1847 in England, probably Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. She was the seventh child of Stephen and Fanny (Taylor) Blackhurst.

Her older siblings include:
• Ellen (1829-1905)
• Elizabeth (~1831-1910)
• Mary (1833-1900)
• William Stephen (~1835-1917)
• Louisa (1838-1927) [1]
• Phoebe Anna (~1842-1929)

Auburn – State St. from Genesee St. c. 1910
Via Wikipedia [Public Domain]

Shortly after her birth, in 1848, her father left for the United States and settled in Auburn, Cayuga County, New York establishing himself as a shoe maker.  It was two years later that the family arrived. Ellen was not with them, but the rest of the family was enumerated in Auburn during the 1850 Census. [2][3]

The family was together during the New York 1855 Census. I have been unable to find the family in the 1860 Census.

On 8 October 1869, Sarah married Franklin E Barber in Sheridan Township, Calhoun County, Michigan. One very interesting aspect of their marriage is that he marriage occurred before the license was taken out.  The date of their license was 22 Jan 1870 and the the date of their marriage was 8 Nov 1969, seventy-five days earlier. None of the other entries on that page in the marriage registration logbook have similar confusing entries. Sarah’s sister “Louisee” (Louisa Sanders) was one of the witnesses. The other witness was James Hickey also of Sheridan Township. (His relationship is unknown.) Officiating the rite was Stephen White, a Justice of the Peace.[4]

In 1874, their first child, Ida, was born.

In December, 1877, their second child, another girl was born. They named her Eva.

In 1880, the young family is living in Albion, Calhoun County, Michigan. Frank was a painter, who had been unemployed four of the previous twelve months. Sarah was keeping house for her two children, Ida, age 6 and Eva, age 2.[5]

In 1900, Sarah and 22-year-old daughter, Eva are living at 250 Fifth, Detroit, Michigan. Husband Frank is living at the Soldier’s Home in Grand Rapids.[6]

Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI c.1910
By Detroit Publishing Co. [Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

In 1910, the 62-year-old Sarah was living with her older daughter Ida in Detroit. Ida had divorced her third husband, Joseph Holdsworth. Sarah is listed in the 1910 Census as widowed;[7] however, her husband is till living at the Soldier’s home in Grand Rapids.  He is also identified as widowed.

1917 was a very bad year.  Her husband’s dying on April 7th may have been anti-climatic, but her youngest daughter, Eva, Sarah’s died on November 8th at the age of 33.

In 1920, Sarah was living in New York City at 134 Lawrence Street, Manhattan. This is now 126th Street and appears to be a parking ramp today.  The Census indicates that her granddaughter Madonna Montran was living with her. However, in January of 1920, when the Census was taken, Donna was on the road with the “Chin Chin” production.  Living with the 70-year-old Sarah is a boarder named Charles Smith. Charles was a 26-year-old German music composer.[8]

Limited Time Only: Save up to 30% on easy, affordable computer backup. Buy Now! Today, 125th Street is perceived to be the heart of Harlem. But in 1920, the black neighborhood started a few blocks north, at 130th Street.[9] There was an IRT station three blocks away at 125th and one at 130th. The IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit) was originally an elevated cable car system but converted to electric in 1903.  The line was closed in 1940.[10]

I believe that Sarah died on 6 September 1929, in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.[11]  I have ordered a copy of a death certificate for a person who I believe is our Sarah Barber.  When I receive it, it should confirm the death date and provide clues to burial information.

Further Actions: 

Await receipt of Death Certificate to confirm death date and a clue to her burial location.
Find Blackhurst Family in the 1860 Census. Location unknown (New York to Michigan).
Find the Barber Family in the 1870 Census. They should be in Calhoun County, MI.
Take a mtDNA Test to document Sarah’s mtDNA.

List of Greats
1. Ida May Barber [Montran] [Fisher] [Holdsworth] [Knight]
2. Sarah H Blackhurst [Barber]
3.     Fanny Taylor [Blackhurst]

ENDNOTES

[1] “Eleazer” in the 1850 Census is believe to be an alternative name for Louisa.

[2] 1920 Census; Sarah Barber Head – Manhattan Assembly District 13, New York, New York; Roll: T625_1209; Page: 24A; Enumeration District: 958; “Arrival 1850”.

[3] New York, State Census, 1855; Stephen Blackhurst – New York, Cayuga, Sheet 37, Line 21, Note: All family members except for Stephen had been in City or town for 5 years.

[4] Michigan, Calhoun, Certified Copy of a Marriage Record; Barber-Blackhurst – 1869; Repository: Don Taylor personal files.

[5] 1880 Census; Frank Barber Head – Albion, Calhoun, Michigan, ED 062, Page No 13.

[6] 1900 Census; Sarah Barber Head – Detroit, Michigan, ED 36, Sheet 13B

[7] 1910 Census; Ida Holdsworth Head – Detroit, Wayne, Michigan

[8] 1920 Census; Sarah Barber Head – Manhattan Assembly District 13, New York, New York; Roll: T625_1209; Page: 24A; Enumeration District: 958.
[9] Internet: Digital Harlem Blog –“Harlem in the 1920s”

[10] Internet: Wikipedia – “125th Street (IRT Ninth Avenue Line)”

[11] New York, New York, Death Index, 1862-1948; Sarah Barber

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Hugh Ellis Roberts (1884-1908), The 1900 Census, & Family Search Duplicate Merging

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Don Taylor

Family Search Duplicate Merging

I like to control and manage my family tree information. As such, I’ve never been a fan of systems where family trees are managed by many individuals. I tend to be concerned that other individuals aren’t quite as thorough as I like to think that I am. I also like to work from sources and not rely on other individual’s family trees for anything other than “hints,” so I don’t really use other people’s family trees much.

Family Search – Family Tree – Find

I was researching Hugh Ellis Roberts and couldn’t find much information. I was having such a bad time that I decided to use Family Search Family Trees to see if I could gain any leads there. After selecting [Family Tree} [Find], entering my subject’s name and year of birth the system returned 50 different entries. Four of the first five entries were my particular Hugh Ellis Roberts. They all had the same birth year, all had the same death year and they all had the same spouse. None of the entries had any sources for their information at all. Sigh…. I decided I couldn’t let four entries for the same individual stand so I selected the one that had the most information, parents and children names, and began merging the other entries into that one. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. I also corrected the marriage date from “Oct 1900” to “7 Oct 1900” and associated my source to that fact. There is still a problem with his being married to three different people, Clara, Clora, and Cora Dell Scott. I’ll merge those identities up when I work on Clara’s biography and decide on what I really think her name was. (Different records all are interpreted differently.) There are still other issues with the family unit on Family Search Family Trees, such as one of his sisters being duplicated, but I’ll fix it as I work on the family unit.

The 1900 Census

Because Hugh Ellis Roberts was born after the 1880 Census and he died in 1908 finding him in the 1900 Census was a must. I knew that his father died in 1887, so using his name wouldn’t help. I searched and searched and never found him. I also knew that he was married in 1900 in Illinois, so I figured he had to be in Illinois somewhere, probably in either Jefferson or Franklin County. Still no luck. Then I decided to search Illinois for people born in Illinois in 1884 with the surname “Roberts” and nothing else. I then looked closely at any individuals born in July. I found a “Heine” Roberts, living with his mother Anna and a sister Talaramer. His mother’s name was Patience Anna. Could it be? Looking closer at the entry,

I saw that Talaramer was a transcriber’s attempt to read a nearly illegible Florence. The birth year and place for Anna matched Patience Anna, the birth date matched the month, year, and place for Florence, and the birth month, year, and place all matched Hugh. Last, but not least, it was in Franklin County (which borders Jefferson County), Finally, I had found Hugh Ellis Roberts in the 1900 Census.

Hint: When looking for someone in a census, try ignoring the first names of individuals and just search for a surname with other identifying criteria.

RB-08 – Hugh Ellis Roberts

2 July 1884 – 30 August 1908

Hugh Ellis Roberts[i] was born in July 1884 in Illinois. His marriage license indicated that he was 18 when he was married in 1900; however, I think it is more likely that the 16-year-old Hugh lied about his age in order to marry without parental permissions. One on-line source indicates that he was born in Jefferson County, Illinois, however, the marriage license of his son, Bert Allen Roberts indicate that he was born in Benton (Franklin County, Illinois.[ii] According to other researchers, Hugh died on 30 August 1908.,[iii] Several of his children’s marriage licenses identify their father was deceased when they married in the 1920s, thus confirming the early death. Additionally, Hugh’s wife remarried in 1909.

He is the fourth known child of Asa Ellis Roberts (1835-1887), aged 49, and Patience Anna Marshall (1845-1919), aged 39. Asa and Patience had three other known children together, Charles Wilson, Rosa Della, and Florence Elizabeth Roberts. Asa was married previously to Cynthia Minerva Toney and that had six children so Hugh was the youngest of ten children of Asa. His six half-siblings were William, George, Margaret, Calvin, Sarah, and Monroe.

When Hugh was only three, his father, Asa Ellis Roberts, died (8 October 1887 – Spring Garden, Jefferson County, Illinois).

The 1900 census indicates that Hugh may have had a nickname of “Heine.” The 15-year-old was living with his mother, Anna, older sister Florence, and a niece, Nellie Roberts. It is unclear whose child Nellie was. The 1900 census indicates that only five of Anna’s six children were living, so it is possible that Nellie was the child of her dead child. Mother and son were farming in Barren Township.[iv]

On 7 October 1900, Hugh married Clara Dell Scott (1884-1945), daughter of Samuel Vaden Scott (1863-1931) and Amanda Jane Hale (?-1889) in Ina, Jefferson County, Illinois)[v]. They were both 16-years-old, however, they both indicated that they were 18 on the marriage registration.[vi]

A quick seven months later, Hugh and Clara had their first child.[vii]

The Children of Hugh and Clara included:

Harry Ray Roberts, born on 22 May 1900 in Franklin Co. (Franklin Co., Illinois). He married Lillie Vernea Higgins in 1922.
Carrie Mae Roberts, born in 1901. (I have not researched her further, yet.)
Bert Allen Roberts, born on 20 September 1903 in Sesser (Franklin, Illinois), died on 1st May 1949 in Elwood (Madison County, Indiana), aged 45. He married Essie Pansy Barnes on 13 May 1922. They had 5 children: Pansy, Bert, Hugh, Helen and John.
Mabel Ilean Roberts, born on 2 June 1908 in Lena (Stephenson County, Illinois, United States), USA. She married Olan B Hart on 3 January 1925.

It appears that the Roberts family moved from Franklin County to Stephenson County between 1903 and 1908.

Several researchers indicate that Hugh died on 30 August 1908 at the age of 24. I have been unable to confirm that; however, his wife, Clara, is reported as remarried in 1909 per the 1910 Census.[viii]

Continued Research

Confirm death date.
Determine cause of death.
Confirm day of birth.

[Note: I ordered a death certificate from Stephenson County Clerk & Recorder on 19 Feb 2016, which should answer all the above questions. If unsuccessful, will try again with Franklin County.]

Find Property Record for Anna’s farm ownership.

ENDNOTE

[i] Note: Family Search ID: LR7R-9J1
[ii] Source: Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007 – Family Search (Other)
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Source: 1900 Census; Anna Roberts, Barren Township, Franklin, Illinois, United States; citing sheet 10A, family 182.
[v] Source: Family Search (Other) – Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1934 / Ellis Roberts & Clara Dell Scott, 1900 – Family Search (Internet)
[vi] Source: Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1934; Ellis Roberts & Clara Dell Scott, 1900
[vii] Note: They say the first child can come anytime, the rest take nine months.
[viii] Source: 1910 Census; Indiana, Sullivan, Turman, District 0178, Hosea Adams

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Donna Montran – Moss’s Broadway Theater, July-August 1920

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Don Taylor

Donna in New York City at Moss’s Broadway Theater, July 25 through August 29th, 1920

Donna finished her cross-country tour with “Chin Chin” in May of 1920. In early July, the New York Clipper reported that Donna had been engaged for a part in a Louise Huff – Albert Capellani picture.[i] It doesn’t appear that the film was ever made. That year, Louise Huff starred in What Women Want (1920) and The Dangerous Paradise (1920). Albert Capellani produced two films, “The Fortune Teller” (which he also directed) and “In Walked Mary” in 1920. It doesn’t appear that either film involved both of them. Also, I can find no other evidence that Donna was involved with any of the four movies involving those two that year.

It does appear that during the summer she and her husband at that time, Tom Rooney, put together a show that dovetailed with the movie, “Up in Mary’s Attic.” In the early 1920s, it was common for a vaudeville show to accompany a silent film to round out an evening’s entertainment and Donna’s “California Bathing Girls: A Beach Promonade”was such a show.

It was easily the longest running show Donna ever had at one theater — from July 24th until August 29th.

The July 17th, 1920, “Wid’s Daily” (page 2) reported:

Garsson Film at B’way
Bathing girls from “Up in Mary’s Attic” will appear in person at the premier showing of the picture at the Broadway Theater commencing Sunday, July 24th.
The length of the showing has not been decided upon.

The following week (July 25th), The Sun and New York Herald, on page 4, that:

MANY NOVELTIES OFFERED IN MOTION PICTURE THEATRES
“… There will be girls a-plenty at Moss’s Broadway, when the theatre will present “The California Bathing Girls” on both screen and state. In the film the girls will be seen in a Fine Art production, offered by Murray Garson, called “Up in Mary’s Attic.” With Miss Eva Novak. It is a five part farce comedy. The orchestra will play under Enrico Leide.”[ii]

Finally, on the 27th, after opening we see a couple paragraphs about the show. It was a show that, “by no stretch of the imagination could it be conceived that the crowd piled into the Broadway to see the girls in mere black and white in the picture.”[iii]

On August 1st, the “Wid’s Daily” aka “Film Daily” mentions that, “Up in Mary’s Attic” was turning ‘em away at the Broadway theater where it is running along with a bathing girl revue. The latter is doing the pulling however….”[iv]


The August 11th issue of the New York Clipper reported, under “NEW ACTS AND REAPPEARANCES”,[v]

CALIFORNIA BATHING GIRLS
New York Clipper – Aug 11 1920

Theatre—Broadway.
Style—Revue.
Timer—Twenty minutes.
Setting— Special.

With a lot of shapely girls in one-piece bathing suits and featuring Donna Montran, this new revue, produced by Tom Rooney and Earl Lindsay, with the assistance of Harry Walker, succeeds in packing them in at the Broadway.

Prominently featured is a scene showing changes in bathing costumes which have occurred from 1860 up to the present day and Walker certainly knew how to pick the girls for the present day costumes, – for the figures displayed are worthy of Max Sennet’s selection.

The revue consisted chiefly of poses and songs, with a few dances for good measure. An Oriental dance was the recipient of applause and the costumes and lighting effects added to the’ attractiveness of the production, in which the girls are above the average.

The music, by Charles George, was tuneful, and the song “India, My Own,” with words and music written by Donna Montran, was sung by the author with good effect. Miss Montran is pretty, possessed of a fine figure and has a smile and personality that count.
 

Others in the cast were Adrian Wally, Lola St. Clair, Marie Thompson, Alice Eldridge, Bobby Tremaine, Helen Travis, Dorothy Smith and Alie Dean.

H. W. M.

On the 26th of August there was an ad for Kassel Studios “Artistic Paintings of Film Stars and Features” in Wid’s Daily that indicated there were seven paintings at the Broadway Theatre of “California Bathing Girls.” This tantalizing ad suggests there may be paintings of the California Bathing Girls. If they still exist, it could be an amazing find.

Broadway Theatre

1445 Broadway New York, NY
(SW corner of Broadway and 41st St.)
Seating: 1680 (744 main floor, 448 balcony, 488 gallery)[vi]
Plus standing room for 500 more.[vii]

Moss’s Broadway Theater – 1918
Photo Courtesy: dallasmovietheaters
CC BY 3.0 via Cinema Treasures

In 1888, James Bailey (of “Barnum and Bailey” fame) rebuilt the Metropolitan Concert Hall as the Broadway Theatre. The theater opened on March 3, 1888. The theater was acquired by B.S. Moss in 1908. It showed films and vaudeville until it was demolished in 1929.[viii]

The theater was elegantly decorated, with a large proscenium arch, six sets of boxes and twin balconies. It featured such touches as antique copper chandeliers, gilded plasterwork around the proscenium, the box and balcony fronts and murals on the ceiling and balcony walls.[ix]

In the late 1920’s, competition from newer and larger movie houses nearby spelled the end for the B.S. Moss Broadway Theatre. It was closed January 2, 1929 and was demolished later that year.[x]

[Note: Do Not confuse the B.S. Moss Broadway Theater at 41st with the Broadway Theater at 53rd. The latter was originally named the Colony Theatre, but was renamed in 1930 the Broadway Theatre.]

The site of the B.S. Moss Broadway Theater is now occupied by the 33-story Bricken-Textile Building, which was built in 1929.[xi]

Further Research

Search for posters of the California Bathing Girls by Kassel Studios.

Endnotes

[i] New York Clipper, 7 July, 1920, page 17 via Old Fulton NY Post Cards, www.fultonhistory.com.
[ii] The Sun and New York Herald, 25 JULY 1920, Page 4.
[iii] The Sun and New York Herald, 27 July 1920, Page 9. “Bathing Girls At Broadway”
[iv] Wid’s Daily, 1 August, 1920, page 13, “Good Chance to Put This Over With a Bathing Girl Revue.” (aka Film Daily, Volume 11314, Page 261).
[v] New York Clipper, 11 Aug 1920, Page 21. Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections, https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/cgi-bin/illinois?a=d&d=NYC19200811.2.203
[vi] The Julius Cahn Gus Hill Theatrical Guide 1913-1914.
[vii] Internet: Wikipedia – Article: Broadway Theatre (41st Street) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_Theatre_(41st_Street)
[viii] Internet: Internet Broadway Database – Broadway Theatre. https://www.ibdb.com/Venue/View/1078#
[ix] Internet: Cinema Treasures, B.S. Moss Broadway Theatre. https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4426
[x] Ibid.
[xi] Internet: Wikipedia – Article: Broadway Theatre (41st Street) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_Theatre_(41st_Street)

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Fifth Grade Memories

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Don Taylor

[Last fall, Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings suggested thinking about your fifth grade memories. The time is often a pivotal point in a person’s life. I was speaking with my friend Aauriane about her fifth grade experiences and suggested she write about it.  Here are some of her memories.]

Fifth Grade Memories

By Aauriane Veleda

Guest Blogger

Fifth grade was a year of new beginnings and explorations for me. Fourth grade had introduced me to the concept of men being teachers and I loved Mr. Kruger dearly but he left us mid-course of the year for health reasons. Soon fifth grade followed and not only did we begin changing rooms for subjects this year, but I had three male instructors! This year we had three subjects – math, English and everything else was in home room. Mr. Long was my homeroom teacher but he also taught me science and history. I was one of those kids who loved to learn and for Christmas I asked for microscopes and biology sets – things you used to be able to get through Sears catalogs. Mr. Long fostered that learning and let me bring my biology set to school. He taught me dissection before and after school. I fell in love with science even more and thanks to Mr. Long’s love of history and artistic expression, I was learning about the American Revolution through drawing and coloring maps, costumes, uniforms and books. It was when I decided I loved to learn even more! Mr. Locke was my math teacher. He was ok, but I decided I did not like math, much less fractions. However, he got me started in math to the point I did it well, even though, I still don’t like it today. Mr. McLaughlin was my English teacher – with a thick Irish accent. I don’t remember much about him or that year. I remember Mr. Long the most. I still appreciate all he did for me and he didn’t have to – he loved to teach and went above and beyond for those who wanted to learn.
            The fifth grade brought another first – a boyfriend. Up to this point, boys were boys and some were friends. We had a huge sand pit outside our classroom door and a few of us went there early, on dry mornings, where we would have long jump competitions before class rooms were opened. I wasn’t always the farthest but I did win a few and I was the only girl willing to get dirty and have fun and match the guys. During this time one boy – Kenneth O’Brian – decided he liked me and I liked him because he was sweet and brave – he wasn’t afraid to talk to me. And he wanted to hold my hand. He was my first boyfriend, and officially so, because he asked if he could be. I received my first kiss from him. He wasn’t anything extraordinary, in fact he was a bit heavy set with freckles and red curly hair. His kisses were wet and sloppy, but quick. I told my mom he was my boyfriend and she giggled. Then she had to meet his mom. But we were taken to each others house to visit and be boyfriend/girlfriend. Nothing more than an occasional kiss and hand holding ever occurred, but lots of affection and gifts. He made it known I was his girl and he defended me. I thought this was a new and neat concept I had never considered in a guy before. He started me on the path of understanding relationships. At the end of our fifth grade summer, right before sixth grade, Kenny had to move. I never saw or heard from him again. I wonder how he turned out?
            The only other things I remember from this year is a baby sister, lots of carnivals and fairs as mom was on the committee for events and a sack race and three-legged race on May Day events the school held for us and we all got to go outside and have fun. I don’t think they do these anymore. I learned to be on time and walk between classrooms as our middle school was all portables and multi-storied buildings and we had to find out way. My fifth grade was preparing us for the bigger schools to come. Our classes were in the very back and furthest portables so we walked the furthest, but we were also made to be aware we were the big kids on campus and we had to watch out for and help the smaller kids. This made us feel large and in charge. I didn’t realize how much I remembered of 5th grade but it was a good year!
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Photos and Due Diligence

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Don Taylor

A case look: Photo of Essie Barnes, her parents, and her siblings?

There are very few things as exciting to find as a photograph of an ancestor.  In the best of all worlds, we would have a complete provenance for the photo.  Who took the photo, exactly when and where the photo was taken. We would also know who is in the photo and who identified the subjects of the photo. Sadly, this is the real world and we often don’t have all that information. Often genealogical photos are over a hundred years old so there is no one who can confirm who is in a photo; rather, they rely entirely on what they have been told is the subject of the photo.
I recently received a photo from a cousin and wondered what my due diligence should be as I catalog and source the photo.

 

“Essie, her parents and her siblings, we think.”
My first assumption is that the photo is a reasonable reproduction of the original, it hasn’t been Photoshopped or otherwise digitally manipulated. There isn’t any reason to think that is the case.  If the photo was of a family member with a celebrity or at a famous place, I might consider the possibility, but, there isn’t any conceivable reason for this photo to be fake in some way.
The photo was passed to me as “Essie, her parents, and her siblings, we think.“ Due diligence would require that I confirm that this is likely to be Essie and would validate the individuals in the photo.
Getting a new car is an exciting life event. When I purchased my last new car, I had some photos taken with me in it. I did so with the new car before that too. I think the process is an American tradition and I believe this photo documents that life event.
I am not an old car expert, but my looking at the car make me think of 1915. I first thought of a Chevrolet, but looking at photos of the windshield hinge made me consider other vehicles. A 1915 Ford Model T Touring seems to have a similar running lamp on the side and a similar windshield hinge. Photos I saw online for a 1914 Touring T had a different running lamp. The 1923 Touring T seemed to have different wheels, so I believe the photo is from 1915-1922.
Back to who is in the photo. Typically, the youngest person in a photo is the easiest to determine the age of.  In this photo, the youngest girl appears to me to be about nine or ten. Essie’s younger sister, Mabel, would have been nine years old in 1915.  Essie would have been about 12-years-old. The girl in the back appears to me to be about 12 or so. The grown-ups are obvious in the picture, that leaves the young man behind the steering wheel. At first, I thought it could be Nelson, but then was reminded that Nelson died in 1902 and the boy looks older to me. So, the boy must be Ray, would have been 20 in 1915. The photo aligns with the individuals in the family.
The 1910 Census and the 1920 Census both indicate that the Barnes family lived in Turman Township, Sullivan County, Indiana, so the photo was likely taken there. Also, Joel Barnes owned his farm so it is likely that the family had enough money to be able to afford a car.
I always identify people in a photo or image from left to right. So, I would identify the photo as:

Essie, Mabel, Marada, Joel, and Ray Barnes with a new car, c. 1915, likely taken in Turman Township, Indiana. Photo by unknown. Digital image received January 2016, via Essie’s grandchild MR* who gave her source as KS* another of Essie’s grandchildren. See file: Barnes Family in car c.1915.jpg.

Have I done due diligence in my assessment of the photograph? Is it a different vehicle than my estimate? Please, let me know if I missed anything in my assessment that I should have considered.
* Note: Initials used in place of names for living individuals.

 

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