Daddy of Baltimore

6 March 20266 March 2026 ~ ctw ~ 2 Comments

I bought this batch of seven photographs from a shop in Baltimore in 2024. Two of the photographs are inscribed with full names. Let’s start with those.

Below is Charles Harold Church (1888-1909) who died at 21 of typhoid fever after an illness of three weeks. At the time of his death Harold was “employed in the car service of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.” He was the son of William H. Church (1864-1941), a baggage master for the railroad, and Carrie A. Crouse (1866-1942) whose father was a clerk for the railroad. On the reverse of this photograph is an inscription which reads,

“Harold Church
I was engaged to be married to him. Daddy was his best friend. He died when he was 21 years. After he was dead a couple of years, I married Daddy. He said he was in love with me before Harold died for some time.”

Reverse of Charles Harold Church (1888-1909)

Another photograph with identifying information incribed on its reverse was that of “George Lawrence Singewald 2 1/2 years” seen below. A native of San Fransisco, George was the son of John Lawrence Singewald (1886-1967) and Helen A. Lacey (1889-1947). He married Susan Patrina Morgan (1911-2002) in 1934 and they had four children, three sons and a daughter.

Reverse of George Lawrence Singewald 2 1/2 years.

At first look, I was unable to decipher the surname in the above inscription. George Lawrence who? I understood that the surname is Singewald only after seeing that Joseph T. Singewald was one of Harold’s pallbearers. Another of Harold’s pallbearers was Philip E. Reiter. This information convinced me of the identities of Daddy and the author of the notes on the reverses of most of the photographs.

Daddy was Joseph Theophilus Singewald (1882-1945). He worked as a clerk for the railroad in 1910, but afterwards had long career as an auditor for the Internal Revenue Service. He was the son of George Traugott Singewald (1854-1920), a painter and paper hanger whose father was born in Saxony, Germany, and Mary Margaretha Windfelder (1864-1882) who died from “a short illness” about seven weeks after he was born. In 1911 Daddy married Alberta Irene Reiter (1889-1974) who wrote the notes about Daddy on the photographs. They had three daughers. Irene, as she was known, was the daughter of Philip W. Reiter, a freight clerk for the Western Maryland Railroad, and Alberta S. Robinson (1867-1924). Her brother was Philip Edmond Reiter (1889-1974), the above-mentioned pallbearer, who was a clerk for the railroad in 1910.

Above we see Daddy standing on the steps of 14 North Carey Street, Baltmore which was the home of the Shaftesbury College of Expression from 1906-1930. The college was previously located at 323 N. Charles Street beginning in 1890. Patterson’s American Educational Directory (1914) informs that the “principal” of the college was silent movie actor and Baltimore native Alice May Youse (1863-1938). In “Paradise in a Breakfast Bowl,” an online essay by John Benedict Buescher, we learn that the college was founded by a very interesting character named Webster Edgerly (1852-1926) who used the pseudonym Edmund Shaftesbury. The following two photographs depict Daddy and Irene’s inscriptions are in the captions.

“Daddy” (“Cousin Karl Singewald” is crossed out)

“Daddy and his father gave him the picture and the horse.”

Finally, below is a photograph of “Daddy’s brother George.” George Raymond Singewald (1884-1927). George was one of Daddy’s two half-brothers, the other being John Lawrence Singewald (1886-1967) mentioned above. They were sons of George Traugott Singewald (1854-1920) like Daddy, but their mother was Ellen L. Lane (1860-1943). George, a photoengraver, married Harriet Mae “Hattie” Cingcade (1885-1959).

There were two other men named Joseph Theophilus Singewald in Baltimore in Daddy’s time. Joseph Theophilus Singewald, Sr. (1860-1953), a hatter, was a half-brother of Daddy’s father. His son, Joseph Theophilus Singewald, Jr., (1884-1963), was a Johns Hopkins University professor and director of the Maryland Depatrment of Geology, Mines and Water Resources from 1943-1962. The “Karl” whose name is crossed out in the above photograph of Daddy as a toddler was another son of Joseph Theophilus Singewald, Sr., Karl Singewald (1886-1966). Daddy’s obituaries referred to him as “of G.” to distinguish him from the others.

14 North Carey Street, Baltimore in November 2020 (Google Earth Pro)

From Wikipedia: Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (theós, “God”) and φιλία (philía, “love or affection”) can be translated as “Love of God” or “Friend of God”, i.e., it is a theophoric name, synonymous with the name Amadeus which originates from Latin, Gottlieb in German and Bogomil or Bogumił in Slavic.

Levin Willey Letter, 1854

1 January 2025 ~ ctw ~ 5 Comments

Levin Willey (1812-1870) of York, PA wrote a letter to his brother on 28 December 1854. There are many details in the letter and, as tempting as it was, I did not try to resolve all of the questions I had. The family is well-documented in databases and, no doubt, genealogists will find much to learn from it.

Three things in the letter enabled me to confirm the letter’s author and the date of the letter. Levin told his brother, “The Rail Roads which I am engaged on have consolidated, that is united and now form one company from Balto to Sunbury, a distance of 140 miles. This in addition to the [word] boiler and the Hanover Branch Road will give me my hands full, but I have made up my mind that a man can do almost anything if he determinedly makes up his mind that he will do it, hence I have no fear but what I can manage the repairs of the whole line to the satisfaction to myself and the company.” An item in Baltimore Sun published two years before Levin wrote this letter confirms this information:I first thought the author’s given name was Alvin and did find three newspaper articles about a railroad man named Alvin Willey in York, but there were dozens more about Albert Willey (1845-1888). Albert turned out to be Levin Willey’s son, and “Alvin” turned out to be an apparent combination of Albert and Levin. Albert was a distinguished railroad man himself, but he sold out and moved his family to Philadelphia where he died in 1888 leaving a widow and three children. At the time of his death he was the switch tender at the tower at [N] 52nd Street.
Albert was executor of the estates of both of his parents. In Levin’s case, one of the documents he filed after Levin’s death in 1870 was an 1868 claim to be compensated for a “board tent which was destroyed on the Shrewsbury Camp Meeting Ground in Shrewsbury Township, York County, PA., in the Fall of 1862 by the Union Soldiers under command of Col. Kane, while they were encamped on said Ground. –Said tent being worth 65.00.” It was by comparing the signature on the letter with the signature on the claim that I confirmed the name of the letter’s author. You can read more about the campground and the incident here.

Finally, Levin informed his brother that “Nat Johnson has got his second wife. Nat owns the mill which belonged to my father and is making money.” That mill is now known as Abbott’s Mill. Levin’s father was Nathan Willey (1775-1812). According to a Fall 1984 article in The Archeolog, the mill to which he refers is now known as Abbott’s Mill Nature Center in Millford, DE.

Here is a transcript of the text. Let me know if you spot a typo.

York, Dec 28th 1854
Dear Brother
I received your letter this day and happy to hear of your continued good health and prospects and hope a long continuance of the same blessings.
You wish to know where your Father died and where buried. I made the inquiry when in Del. and I think I was told he died at his son Jacob’s. He was buried by the side of Mother.
Your inquiry in regard to Nancy and Rachel, I can only answer in part. They are both married in living in the Western Country somewhere.
Nancy married Shadrack Postles.
Rachel married a Macklin, and I think a son of old Nutter Macklin. I have not either of them for the last ten years.
Sarah Willey is married to a man by the name of Samuel Downey, a boiler maker, and resides in Wilmington, Del. You may perhaps remember Downey. He worked and lived in Newcastle when you was there. Downey is sober industrious man and makes a good living. They have one child living, an interesting little girl of seven or eight years. I was in Wilmington last summer and brought Sarah and her daughter home with me. They spent two weeks with us and was much pleased with the place and people.
Elizabeth Jane is married to a young man in Wilmington and has one child.
Mary Ann is a Tailoress and lives in Wilmington.
Maranda the youngest of Alexanders children lives with Benjamin Point and has for the last ten years after the marriage of Rachel Ann their daughter they adopted Maranda and [word] her as their daughter up this time.
Old Charley Palmer is still the same old Cock that he was when you saw him last, neither better nor older to all appearances. Mrs. Palmer is still living and looks as well as she did many years ago. John Eckes is farming on the farm belonging to Bill Booth out of New Castle. John is doing well, has a home full of boys and is still very religious. I cannot think of any others just at this time in NewCastle that you could take any particular interest in.
I received a letter from Wm N. Slayton a short time ago. The people are generally well in Sussex. I have not heard from Elizabeth since I wrote you and cannot say how they are getting along. but I fear bad enough. Manlore Johnson and old Beck are [word], which is bad enough. Old Duck is farming in Cedar Neck and doing very well. I stayed one night with him while in Del. He is the same old Duck, loves to play old sledge and drink whiskey but is the same good hearted clever fellow as of twenty years ago. Old Jim Taterman married Jinny five or six years ago. He is now one of the fatest old rascals in the county. John A. Collins has a house full of children but no wife, I mean legally. I was to see old Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Lizzy Johnson. The old man is getting very feeble but the old lady is as fat as ever. Mary Ding, or Ben as you used to call her is at home with the old folks and looks better and handsomer than she did twenty years back. Analiza married Nathan Fleming and has been dead seven or eight years. Sally married a Stuart. Sally Ann Stuart, Phillip Stuart’s wife is married to old Bill [word]. Sam Wilkinson who no doubt you remember was arrested the other day for robbing the U.S. mail. He will now wind up where he ought to have been twenty years ago.
Old John Hays has got his second wife and several children. With the exception of his grey head he looks as young as when you saw him last. Tom Hays is living and about the same. His daughter Eliza Ann is dead. Old Aunt Katy Hays is living or was in August, but blind and very feeble.
The farmers have improved their land very much in Sussex and many important changes have take place since you was there. Nat Johnson has got his second wife. Nat owns the mill which belonged to my father and is making money. It is said Black Elic, John, Sam, and Dave are all living. Crow Black I suppose you know married Sally Macklin. The others are all single.
The Rail Roads which I am engaged on have consolidated, that is united and now form one company from Baltimore to Sunbury, a distance of 140 miles. This in addition to the [word] boiler and Hanover Branch Road will give me my hands full. But I have made up my mind that a man can do almost anything if he determinedly makes up his mind that he will do it, hence, I have no fear but that I can manage the repairs to the whole line to the satisfaction to myself and the company. I have been making my arrangements to come to come to see you in January if possible and I know of nothing at this time that will prevent it. I shall bring with me the superintendent of transportation and we intend to make an exploring expedition among other Rail Roads there by attend to business and pleasure at the same time. If everything proves favorable we shall leave about 10th January.
We are all well. Had a happy Christmas and hope you had the same. Money matters are very [word] here at this time but it is expected that after the10th January it will be easier.
Write immediately on the reception of this as I would like hear from you beforehand. Tell me if you have plenty of game in your country and what kind. I would very much like to kill some prairie chickens.
Your Affectionate Brother, Levin Willey
If there are any words in this letter you can’t make out you will excuse them and all mistakes for I had just one hour to write it in.

Florence Amoss Dixon

8 October 2024 ~ ctw ~ Leave a comment

Yes, this blog is still alive! I woke up this morning thinking about all of the people in my home state and others who have lost their family photographs because of Hurricane Helene. I have posted only once this year, but I want to put something out today to acknowledge that tremendous loss.

The three-year-old pictured above is Florence Amoss Dixon (1878-1958). She was the youngest child of Robert Bartlett Dixon (1834-1921) and Sarah Amanda Amoss (1836-1910) and she had three sisters and two brothers. She came from a prominent and well-to-do family, as described in her parents’ obituaries:

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) · Thu, Oct 20, 1910 · Page 5
https://www.newspapers.com/image/372889416/

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) · Sat, Feb 5, 1921 · Page 3
https://www.newspapers.com/image/373333936/

In 1910, Florence married Frederick Augustus Levering, Jr. (1879-1948), the son of Frederick Augustus Levering, Sr. (1849-1928) and Catherine Elizabeth Webb (1856-1927). Frederick was a business executive and the family lived at 304 Wendover Road in Baltimore, just a few blocks from I write this. Frederick, Jr.’s uncle, Eugene Levering, Jr. (1845-1828), contributed to the construction of Levering Hall on the Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University and it is named after him.

Florence and Fred had one son, Frederick Augustus Levering III (1915-1999) who married Frances Mary Gullion (1919-1999) in 1946. Their son, Frederick Augustus Levering, IV (1949-2016) was memorialized as follows:

The Daily Progress (Charlottesville, Virginia) Sun, Jun 19, 2016 · Page 8
https://www.newspapers.com/image/968460132/

I purchased this photograph on from a antique store on West 36th Street in Baltimore on 4 October 2024.

Mildred Doris Minster Oppenheimer

8 October 2023 ~ ctw ~ 1 Comment

All of the materials in this post came from a box containing dozens of photographs and a lovingly curated album. I purchased the materials from an antique store in Baltimore in late August 2023.

The creator of the album and the subject of most of the identified photographs in the collection is Mildred Doris Minster (1898-1983) who is pictured below with each of her parents, Abraham Lincoln Minster (1865-1950) and Ella Hess (1873-1953). All four of her grandparents were born in Germany.

Mildred married Myron M. Oppenheimer in August 1920 and they had two children. First born was Morton Samuels Oppenheimer (1898-1983), the subject of the photo album, a professional photographer (Photographs by Morton) and historian who served as president of the Jewish Museum of Maryland. Second born was Beryl Oppenheimer Frank (1928-2019), a poet and prolific author of books.

Mildred’s maternal grandfather was Nathan Hess (1824-1881). Nathan was born in Bavaria and came to Baltimore in the 1850s. In 1872 he started manufacturing footwear in Baltimore that was retailed as Hess Shoes until 1999.

“Born 1790-1800, Mrs. Hess, Mother of Nathan Hess”

Mildred, the baby of the family, named her son after Morton B. Samuels (1870-1941), husband of her next oldest sibling, Belle Hess (1872-1970). Belle and Morton, pictured below, were living at the Hotel Belvedere when Morton died, and Belle resided there until her death. Belle’s obituary informed that she was known as “Ma” and “Aunt Belle” while serving as “one of the USO‘s most tireless workers” during World War II. Morton founded M. Samuels & Co. of which Newark Shoe Store Company was a part. Belle and Morton were huge benefactors of Sinai Hospital.

Lt. R. H. Farber

24 March 2023 ~ ctw ~ 1 Comment

I almost always grab military photographs when I come across them and I couldn’t resist this one when I encountered it at a Baltimore antique store in mid-2022. I rarely can make much of them, but this one was a surprise. It sat around in a stack of stuff until I finally decided to see what it was about. A close examination revealed a name plate on the table in the foreground, “LT R. H. Farber”:

Farber, the only officer in the shot, is obviously the subject given that almost everybody else is looking at the photographer while Farber appears to be engrossed in his work.

Robert “Bob” Holton Farber (1914-2013) was born in Geneseo, IL to Charles William Farber (1881-1965) and Hulda Ella Ogden (1881-1968). Both families had been in Illinois for several generations. He married Edna Earle Klutts (1918-1997) in 1946 and they had two children. He also outlived his second wife, Vera May Knauer Kierstead (1913-2012).

Farber graduated from DePauw University in 1935 and was never far away from the institution for long after that. According to an obituary, Farber returned to the university in 1937 as secretary of admissions. After serving in the U.S. Army in the European Theater from 1941-1946, Farber went back to DePauw, got his Doctor of Education degree in 1951 (IU), and was appointed dean in 1942, eventually retiring as vice president and dean of the university in 1979.

Farber enlisted as a private in September 1941 at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, IN. He was commissioned at some point and separated as a major, and somewhere along the way was awarded the Bronze Star. He ended his career as the Classification Officer for the U.S. Third Army, which means he was a personnel officer responsible for making sure the right personnel were put in the right jobs in furtherance of the unit’s mission. A Google search, or a search on Ancestry, will show you quite a few photographs of Farber sitting at a desk and working at every stage of his career.

Upton House

11 March 202311 March 2023 ~ ctw ~ 2 Comments

The photograph above depicts the birthplace of Everett Hughs Upton (1915-2007) in Haynesville, Claiborne Parish, LA, the son of Edwin Adolphus Upton (1875-1950) of Claiborne Parish, and Emma M. Hughs (1886-1983) of Poolesville, MD. Emma’s origination in Poolesville probably explains why I was able to purchase the photograph from an antique store in Baltimore.

Edwin moved to Washington, DC and was employed as “Clerk, Class 1” in the “Office of the Military Secretary” in 1905. In 1910 he graduated from Georgetown University Law School. In 1912 he married Emma, a school teacher who had been working as a printer’s assistant at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1905. Edwin registered for the WWI draft while he was working for the Office of Indian Affairs out of the courthouse in Ashland County, WI. Edwin and Emma divorced in 1944. Their other son, Edwin David Upton (1913-1980) was born in DC before they moved to Haynesville.

There isn’t a lot of information available about Everett. He never married. He graduated from Dickerson High School in Dickerson, MD in 1931 and the Strayer College of Accountancy in 1934 with a “secretarial diploma.” He was a member of the executive committee of The Canterbury Club, “the Episcopal student group of George Washington University in 1940. Corporal Everett Upton returned from overseas service in December 1945. According to his obituary published in The Frederick New-Post on 24 July 2007, “Mr. Upton was a graduate of Brown University, and had served with the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. He taught in the public school system of Providence, R.I., for many years, until his retirement.”

M. J. Serbe

18 October 2021 ~ ctw ~ Leave a comment

I found this one in a pile of random stuff. It was wrapped in ancient cellophane clasped by ancient tape. There are no inscriptions or identities associated with the photograph except for the writing on the store windows, “M. J. Serbe Teas – Coffees” and “M. J. Serbe Spices – Sugars”.

Max John Serbe (1878-1953), born Johann Max Serbe in Berlin to William F. Serbe, born Friedrich Wilhelm Serbe, (1850-1919) and Louisa J. Malke, born Johanne Luise Malke Serbe, (1854-1927). The family and the first five children arrived to the USA in 1884; William took the Oath of Allegience in 1890 and Max was naturalized based on that. William and Louisa had four more children that were born in Maryland.

Max married Eleanore “Ella” S. F. Kronenberg (1883-1951) in about 1902. She was born in Maryland to German-born parents I wasn’t able to identify. Their one child was Milton John Serbe (1905-1952), a newspaper photographer, reporter, and editor, who married a fellow reporter named Norma Lorella Sherburne in Providence, RI in 1939.

Max received a certificate in electricity from the YMCA in 1898 and was running the Columbia Electrical Company in 1933. In the Census records of 1910, 1920, and 1930 listed his occupation as a merchant of tea and coffee, but he was also dealing real estate the whole time and in later years dropped the other enterprises.

Max’s first store was a 776 Columbia Avenue (now Washington Blvd) which he purchased from the estate of William F. Gauer in 1902 for $1000. The house number was sometimes mistakenly written “706” but 706 Columbia was a barbershop owned by Mr. Matthews during these years. Max’s actual residence and real estate business address was 806 Hollins Street.

1905 Baltimore City Directory (1997-2021 Ancestry.com)

George, Otto, and Paul Serbe were Max’s uncles. His father, William, was a piano maker by trade but here is listed as a cabinetmaker. They all lived at 1110 Bowen Street (now Sargeant Street) which was just a couple of blocks away from the tea store.

Max J. Serbe is pictured on the left in this photograph, from a Peter C. Chambliss (1889-1963) column called “Fisherman’s Luck” which ran in the Sunday and Evening *Sunpapers*. Max and Milton were avid fishermen.

1940 U. S. Census

I include the above screenshot from the 1940 U. S. Census to illustrate the frustration one sometimes encounters when doing genealogy. In this record, the residents of 806 Hollins Street are recorded as Micheal J. Serbe, his wife Anna V., and his stepmother Victoria. The head of this household’s occupation is listed as the owner of an electronic supply store. The address and occupation are what Max’s would be, but Max had no wife named Anna V. or a stepmother named Victoria. I found no records anywhere else for Anna V. Serbe. The Census taker must have erred in some way.

Do you think the photograph depicts Max holding Milton atop the horse standing in front of 776 Columbia Avenue circa 1906?

Newington Park

21 May 2021 ~ ctw ~ 3 Comments

I picked up a copy of James H. Bready’s Baseball in Baltimore (JHUP, 1998) last year and just got around to reading it a few days ago. On page 17 he talks about an early Baltimore ballpark called Newington Park and included this parenthetical comment:

Why “Newington”? No answer today, except that a housing development some blocks away used that name.
(Bready, 1998, p. 17)

Turning to newspapers.com, a much better resource than the mountain of reels of microfiche Bready was faced with, I quickly found a reference to “Newington Park . . . situated on Madison Street, near the village of Newington” in May 1841 advertisements for the sale of a country estate:

Alfred H. Reip advertised the sale of his country estate, “Newington Park,” in May 1841.

The Newington Park estate is mentioned only in these nine ads, though there are later apparent references to the property and of the furnishings of Reip’s estate. The village of Newington is mentioned one other time, in an April 1845 ad for a property on Pennsylvania Avenue, an ad that closely resembled the ads for Newington Park.

Reip’s Newington Park estate seems to match what is known as the Madison Avenue Grounds (later Monumental Park) as seen in this detail from E. Sachse, & Co.’s bird’s eye view of the city of Baltimore, 1869, particularly the “stabling for four horses and four cows”:

Detail from E. Sachse, & Co.’s bird’s eye view of the city of Baltimore, 1869

Bready noted the clearly visible two entrances, one for men and one for women, the grandstands, and the American flag.

The generally accepted location of the Newington Park baseball field is a few blocks west of Reip’s estate, on the west of Pennsylvania Avenue in the vicinity of Baker Street. There was also a Newington Building Association which may have been established to dispose of the property of the Newington Academy which was located in the same area.

Alfred H. Reip (1811-1895) was probably best known for inventing the rotary mechanical egg beater which he patented, along with Ralph Collier, in 1856 and he was the proprietor of The Housekeeper’s Emporium located at 337 Baltimore Street, near Eutaw Street. He was killed by a White Line cable car at the corner of Eutaw and Fayette Streets; Charles Bosley, the gripman, was exonerated by the inquest. Cardinal Gibbon, Archbishop of Baltimore, was present at his funeral which was held at the Baltimore Basilica.

There is some work to be done on the names and locations of Baltimore’s early baseball fields despite all the work already done. I can’t do that work now, but I’m leaving this tidbit here in case I get the chance to take another look at it in the future.

Entering Guantanamo Bay

19 December 202019 December 2020 ~ ctw ~ 1 Comment

This photograph depicts a U. S. Navy airship over Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The photograph was apparently taken from aboard a ship. At least four moored ships are visible in the distance. — *Entering Guantanamo Bay. Cuba.* (3″ x 5″)

The above photograph shows a U. S. Navy airship over Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The date of the photograph is unknown. It appears to have been taken from aboard a ship.

The U. S. Navy’s first airship was the DN-1 which first flew in April 1917. The Navy flew dirigibles out of McCalla Field, Cuba which was operational from 1931-1970. I am not certain of the perspective because I can’t determine if photographer meant to depict his own entrance to the bay or the dirigible’s entrance. Judging by the ships visible in the distance, I can see at least four, the photographer could be northwest of the airfield.

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (Google Earth, 2004)

This photograph was purchased from a Baltimore antique shop in November 2020.

The Forster Family

23 November 2020 ~ ctw ~ 1 Comment

The above photograph depicts the Forster family of Philadelphia. We know the names of people in the photograph and where it was taken because of a type-written note on its reverse. It was purchased at an antique/junk store on in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore, MD.

Heinrich Joseph Eduard Adolph Fäster (1817-1891), later Forster, and his wife, Eleonore Dorette “Dorothea” Henrietta Klieves (1822-1913), immigrated from Germany to the USA separately. I don’t know when or how Adolph got here. Dorothea was single when she arrived in to the Port of Baltimore in 1841 aboard the S.S. Caspar sailing out of Bremen, Germany. Immigration documents say she “originated” in Nienover.

Adolph’s occupation in 1850 was “looking glass maker” and the family lived in Philadelphia’s Pine Ward. We know from Census records and Adolph’s obituary that the full address was 421 S. 2d Street, now the site of a CVS. Adolph’s other recorded occupations were “variety store” owner, “toy maker,” and proprietor of Adolph Forster & Company which imported toys and dolls from Germany.

Of their children, the first born was Amilie Louise Forster (1845-1928). She never married and no occupation was listed on her death certificate.

Second born was Emma Augusta Forster (1846-1934). She married German-born Henry Bauermeister (1837-1904) who was a toy importer. When I learned that Emma married a Bauermeister, I remembered the box I got the above photograph from contained a photograph of the Bauermeister family in Germany, so I went back to the store and found two versions of it.

Third born was Josephine Doris Forster (1848-1938). Josephine also never married though her death certificate lists her occupation as “housewife.” Her obituary asked that “Wheeling, WV papers please copy,” but I was unable to figure out the reason.

The fourth born was George Forster, in September 1852, and he is not in the photograph. He lived at least until age 18 when he was enumerated with his family in the U. S. Census of 1870, but I found nothing more about him.

Fifth born was Wilhelm “William” Heinrich August Forster (1859-1939). William followed in his father’s footsteps as an importer of toys and dolls from Europe and apparently renamed the business after himself. William never married. When he died he left his estate of $70,000 ($1,311,306.47 in 2020 dollars) to four nieces who lived in Baltimore, Olga Marie Wacker (1899-1961), Ilse Forster Wacker (1904-1962), Dorothy Forster Wacker (1895-1989), and Carla Wacker (1908-1985).

Those Wacker girls were among the children of the sixth child, Cecelia Louisa Forster (1864-1927). She married German-born Charles N. Wacker (1847-1921) in Philadelphia in 1893. By 1900 they had moved to Baltimore and Charles was working as a ship chandler. Charles’s obituary informed that he was “engaged in the canning business in Maryland” for many years. Here is the best version of the photograph I went back to the store to get:

Caption on the reverse: *Picnic in Bremen, Celia* (sic) *Forster with Bauermeister Family*

The owner of the antique/junk shop where I bought these materials called me back a week or so after I obtained the above photographs to tell me about the availability of some actors’ head shots in a box of papers at the shop. I went over to have a look and found four photographs autographed to Stanley Broughton Tall, Sr. (1891-1966), a Baltimore playwright whose second wife was Dorothy Forster Wacker. Tall was born in Baltimore County, MD to Otis Jackson Tall (1866-1920) and Onia Broughton (1865-1917).

Tall’s obituary in The Evening Sun described him as a “versatile dramatist and public relations writer” who was a drama critic for that newspaper in the 1930s, a program director for WBAL, and a publicist for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Tall self-published Pages From a Critic’s Note Book in 1913, which contained “the personal opinions of the writer concerning authors, plays, and players . . . written in true journalistic manner; the night of the play and in the night of the midnight oil.” Tall also formed Tall-Owens Publishing Company to publish a number of songs with him as the lyricist and one William Owens as the composer.

The actors whose autographed photographs follow performed in the premiere of Tall’s “Green Jade” in Dayton, OH in September 1921. I was unable to find a copy of the play but here is a review of that performance. A notice said it was expected to be the first play performed at the Times Square Theater in September 1920 with Florence Reed starring, but the theater opened with Reed starring instead in The Mirage and that ran for 192 performances.

*To Mr. Broughton Tall with my sincere good wishes, Jane Stuart, “Green Jade,” 9-12-21*

*To Mr. Tall–Hope the play goes over big in N. Y., Sincerely, Frances Pitt*

Francis Pitt was the daughter of the English actor William Addison Pitt (1876-1968) and Helen Agnes Schayer (1875-1959) and the grand-daughter of the actress Fannie Addison Pitt (1876-1968).

*To Mr. Tall, In sincere appreciation of the opportunity of playing “Richard,” Corliss Giles*

*To Mr. Tall, a fellow Baltimorean, I wish the greatest success. The original “((Maz)),” Fraunie*

“Fraunie” had a number of stage names but his true name was Francis Anthony Fraunholz (1883-1961). Fraunie was, like Tall, a Baltimorean, the son of a wood carver named John M. Fraunholz (1854-1936) and Catherine E. Parr (1863-1943). All four of his grandparents were born in Bavaria. His Wikipedia page has a list of films he appeared in between during 1913-1919 which I can’t vouch for given that Fraunie’s vital statistics are all wrong. In the 1930s Fraunie was the Bergen County, NJ director of the Federal Theater Project (1935-1939).