This is the front cover of Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster's photo album. The album belongs to my 3rd cousin, Norma.
I first contacted Norma in January of 2001. I sent an email to her regarding some information she had put on the Ancestry World Tree about a relative of mine. I also asked Norma if she and I were related. It turns out that we are. And as I mentioned, we are 3rd cousins.
She and I descend from our common ancestors, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster and his wife, Cynthia Maria Waterman. Ebenezer and Cynthia are my 2nd great-grandparents.
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Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster was born on 11 August 1838 in Racine, Meigs, Ohio and passed away on 6 May 1915 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. He served in the Civil War in Company E of the 74th Illinois Infantry. I've written two blog posts about Ebenezer previously. If you'd like to read them, please click the links below.
Wordless Wednesday–E.P.C. Webster circa 1856
Tombstone Tuesday–Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster
Ebenezer was the father of my "Traveling Dentist" great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster. My regular readers are probably very familiar with Frederick, because I've written many blog posts about his life and travels. If you're new here, and would like to read about him, I've created a landing page dedicated to him here on my blog. Here's the link for his landing page –
The Traveling Dentist
Now, back to my 3rd cousin Norma and Ebenezer's amazing photo album. Norma and I started corresponding after I first contacted her and we have shared photos and information. Norma not only inherited Ebenezer's priceless photo album, she also inherited Cynthia Maria (Waterman) Webster's photo album as well.
Our family visited Norma once many years ago, and in July of 2012, our family had the great pleasure of visiting Norma again. When we visited Norma in the summer of 2012, I took pictures of these incredible photo albums. I'd like to share pictures of Ebenezer's photo album with you today.
Norma had already removed the photos from this album some time ago. I was able to scan them when we visited her.
It's extra special to see Ebenezer's own handwriting on the pages of this album.
I'm grateful to him for labeling these precious photos.
It's remarkable that this photo album is still around for Ebenezer's descendants to enjoy!
It's also amazing to think that this photo album is likely over 100 years old. And even if Ebenezer put this album together the year he died, which was 1915, that would mean this photo album is 99 years old.
This is the back cover of Ebenezer's photo album.
This photo gives you a sense of the size of Ebenezer's and Cynthia's photo albums.
I'm so grateful for the opportunity our family had to visit my 3rd cousin Norma. She was very gracious. And I'm also very grateful that we were able to see and take pictures of these remarkable photo albums.
I'll be sharing Cynthia's photo album in a future post.
Thanks for reading!
Jana
© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved
What a treasure! And how kind of your cousin to let your scan the photos in the albums. I can't wait to see his wife's album. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Schalene! My 3rd cousin, Norma, really was very kind to let us scan the photos and take pictures of these precious albums. She really is sweet!
DeleteWhat an inspiring ancestor to have, Jana! He and his wife Cynthia were a forward-thinking couple - photos, albums and hand-written descriptions. So cool!
ReplyDeleteHi Yvonne,
DeleteWhat a great point you've made! They were very forward-thinking weren't they? And we who are their descendants have definitely benefited from their thoughtfulness.
Love that you can see and hold things our Ancestors had from long ago. These were Wonderful Jana!
ReplyDeleteOh yes! It's very special to hold something our ancestors also held in their hands. Thank you for your comments True!
DeleteTiny little gems, those albums! Fantastic to have those, Jana. A big boon to genealogy research to have names, and faces, maybe places too. Thanks for sharing about these precious little albums.
ReplyDeleteThank you Celia! I'm so very thankful to have connected with my 3rd cousin, Norma, and that we were able to visit her and see these priceless heirlooms.
DeleteI hate to admit it, but I am always a little bit fonder of the ancestors that preserved
ReplyDeleteHaha! Yes, they make our lives as family historians so much easier, and more fun, don't they?
DeleteSo happy you photographed the albums, even if they don't have photos in them. What a great treasure. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Devon! I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to photograph these precious albums. And to see them in person was so special!
DeleteMy great grandmother had a similar photo album. But she didn't have the courtesy to label anything.
ReplyDeleteOh Wendy! That's too bad. Not about your great-grandmother having a similar album. That's awesome! But it's too bad she didn't label the photos. How frustrating for you!
DeleteWhat a great treasure to have! I posted about it on Fold3's facebook page.
ReplyDeleteWow Anne! Thank you so much for sharing this on Fold3's Facebook page! That's so sweet of you!
DeleteWow, what a lovely heirloom. Thank goodness he labeled the photos, too. Well done, Ebenezer!
ReplyDeleteThanks Erin! Yes, this really is an incredible family heirloom. And I'm grateful to Ebenezer for labeling the photos.
DeleteWhat an amazing thing to have! I'm practically drooling with jealousy :) My great-grandmother had labeled all her photos as well and I swear that some ancestors just know someone, some day, will want to know who is whom. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you NikiMarie! I'm sure you are very grateful that your great-grandmother labeled her photos too.
DeleteIt's nice to find when valuable pieces of history in your family has been cared for and saved!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right Gabby! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteWhat a wonderful piece of your family history! I'm so thankful that my mom's mom wrote names on all of the family photos. My dad's mom didn't, and it's hard to determine who is who! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Niki! Ah, that's wonderful about your grandmother labeling all of the family photos! What a great gift she has given to her descendants.
DeleteJana - this is great. I have copies of photos from my cousin & many are unlabeled and it's such a shame. I do have my grandmother's photo album & she did label the photos. Since they are over 100 years old I've scanned all the photos so I won't have to handle the album or the photos again.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda! It's awesome that your grandmother labeled the photos in her album! What a wonderful gift she gave to her descendants. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteJana ~ How wonderful that you were able to find your cousin who had some of your priceless family history! I always marvel when I come across something that's 100 years old. Imagine the hands that have held this album! I also love the pic of your 2x great grandfather. Looks like he was a member of the GAR! Wonderful family history. I enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDeleteOnce again I will say - I'm really not anonymous. I just didn't know how to put the comment in anyother way. I'm not connected to any of the other options. Of course, this is Norma your 3rd cousin, who is so greatful that you take the time to create your wonderful blogs and share what you find. I am so happy to see the albums of our common Webster Ancestors. I have really enjoyed having these albums in my home and so happy for anyone to come and see them.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that I had to remove the photo's from them, but I was afraid they would be lost for damaged if I left them the the albums. The photos are so precious as of course so are the albums, so I have tried to preserve them all.
After you were here, I put these precious treasures in a protective display box and have them on my fireplace mantle. I will try to get a photo of it taken, so you can see what I have done. I also included my 2nd great grandfather Benjamin Jefferson Hammett and his wife Rebecca Robb's albums that I had received from my Grandmother Alice at the same time I got the Webster Albums
I placed photo's of each of them in the box as well. Thanks again for all you do. Love Norma