Friday, January 20, 2017

1907 Photo of My 2x Great Grandfather and Other County Ofificals

My great, great grandfather, A. L. Merrill, was county commissioner of Clinton County, Pennsylvania, in the early 1900s. This summer, I found the first photo I've seen of him. But, it was in a 1958 newspaper clipping, so it was under copyright laws. I recently emailed the publisher of the newspaper, The Express, who quickly responded with permission to use the photo.

Used with Permission: The Express/www.lockhaven.com
A. L. Merrill is on the far left of the front row
Pictures from the Past, The Express, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, 22 December 1958, page 10,
columns 5-8, digital image, newspapers.com, (http://newspapers.com), accessed 7 July 2016. 

This photo was under a section titled "Pictures from the Past" and was described as follows: This group of Court House office holders 51 years ago, was augmented by the mail carrier, who happened to be passing as the photographer went to work. He is William Kinley, top row, left. The others in the top row are Alex Flanigan, county commissioner; George T. Michaels, deputy register and recorder; William A. Snyder, register and recorder; T. B. Bridgens, county treasurer; William B. Hanna, commissioner; Isaac Rumberger, deputy prothonotary, and J. Harris Mussina, sheriff. Front row, A. L. Merrill, commissioner; James A. Wensel, commissioners' clerk; W. H. Kleper, deputy sheriff; and James R. Kinley, prothonotary.

Business Card of A. L. Merrill found at Ross Library, Clinton County, Pennsylvania
Though the 1907 photo lists him as commissioner, I know he was county commissioner at some point. I'm assuming that is a "step up," though I don't know for sure. This summer I also found one of his business cards at a library in Clinton County, which I blogged about earlier. I hope to see if the court house or an archive has more photos of early county officials in which more photos of A. L. Merrill might be found.

My Line:
  • Augustus Lippencott "A. L." Merrill (1848-1920) married Sarah Jane Eastwood (1848-1923)
  • Bessie Waldron Merrill (1879-1959) married Andrew "Andy" McClintock Stewart (1882-1954)
  • James Edward Stewart (1910-1972) married Hazel Lucille Peters (1910-1975), my grandparents
Please leave a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net with any comments or questions.

2 comments:

  1. Very cool finds. I recently found some family photos in an online archive in Quebec. It makes me wonder what else is out there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's terrific! Lately, I've realized how important it is to track down our lines to the present - and ask about photos. Who knows what other descendants have inherited!

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