Brane Family Reunion Photo - 1918

You can read the story of the family reunion photo here and here.  I've scanned and copied just sections of the photo below with the names of the people that have been identified.  If you are a Brane descendent please take a look and see if you can name anyone in the photo.

Man on the left is Milton OWEN, next to him is his wife Stella Young OWEN and I believe the little boy in front of them may be their son Milbourne OWEN.  Others unknown.

Little boy second row on the left is James Austin BRANE, in front of him and mostly cut off in this photo is Estacorine BRANE,  the lady in the back row on the left in the hat is Osie Luree BRANE, the woman next to her is Amanda Bricker BRANE, the little girl in front of Amanda is Marguerite Desdoma KENDALL. Others unknown.

First lady on the left (mostly cut off) Opal Jennings BRANE, next to her is Marie BRUMBAUGH and behind her is her husband John BRUMBAUGH.  Next to John and holding the baby is Homer KENDALL.  The baby is Kenneth KENDALL.  The stylish woman in the hat is Vesta Elizabeth Brane KENDALL.  All others unknown.

In this photo the only one identified is the man in the hat on the right.  He is David BRANE. All others unknown.

All five of these Brane family members have been identified!  From left to right is John Thomas BRANE, his wife Marilla Elma Scott BRANE, slightly behind is Addison SHAFFER, next to him is Charles BRANE and on the end is Charle's wife Bessie Howard BRANE.

I'd like to thank everyone who has left a comment on this blog over the past two days.  It is so special to be able to share my excitement with a group of people who understand and care.  I love reading the comments and want to be sure I let you know how much I appreciate you!

Why a 92 year old photograph is keeping me up at night - Part 2

Following up on our idea of contacting the UB church in Lincolnville, mom placed a call to the office and left a message.  Those of you that follow this blog know that I am a strong believer in genealogy serendipity and boy did it come through for us this time!

Her call was returned by a wonderful lady named Ann.  Ann was excited to take on the project of getting people to look at the photo and identify as many people as they could.

I had racked my brain on the best way to obtain the names and decided to use tracing paper to trace the photo.  That way anyone could add the name directly to the tracing paper instead of trying to describe where they were located on the photo.  I mounted the tracing paper to card stock and hoped for the best.

So on a rainy day in October Ann met us at the BP gas station in LaFontaine, Indiana to pick up the photo and tracing and take it back to Lincolnville.  It wasn't long before my mom had a call from Ann letting us know how it was going.  It seems Ann was worried about the expense we put into the picture and instead of dropping it off at the church, contacted people in and around Lincolnville and began taking the photo to them herself!  Ann had become our own little genealogical angel! 

As news of the photo spread around the little town of Lincolnville more Brane family descendents requested to have a look.  In the end the kind people of Lincolnville, Indiana have been able to help us identify 23 of the 62 family members in the photo!  But it's not over yet!  As a result of this blog, another Brane family member in Florida is able to identify more for us!  I'm waiting to hear back from him so that I can add those names. 

So why is this 92 year old photo keeping me up at night?  Because they are my family, my history and I have a burning need to be able to call them by name and research their stories.  Every last one of them.  I want no one to be left behind.

Are you a Brane family descendent?  Can you help identify anyone in the photograph?  Please take a look.

Why a 92 year old photograph is keeping me up at night - Part 1

My insomnia began back in June when I first met my cousin Jean and he brought the existence of the photo to  my attention.  (You can read about that meeting here!)

Jean discovered the photo online on the Indiana Historical Society's website.  It is a panoramic shot of the Brane Family Reunion in 1918 in Marion, Indiana.  Jean had zoomed in on sections of the photo, printed them out and brought them to that first meeting asking if mom or I could identify anyone in it. 

Here is the photo:

(follow this link to see a larger view)

Right away mom could identify four of our ancestors on the right.  Second in from the right is Bessie Howard Brane 1883-1956, on her right is her husband, Charles Fremont Brane 1883-1967, the women next to Charles is his mother and my great-great grandmother Marilla Elma Scott Brane 1862-1948 and the man next to her is her husband and my great-great grandfather, John Thomas Brane 1861-1934. 

But who were the rest of the 62 people in the picture?  I've become obsessed with finding out.

The first thing I did was contact the Indiana Historical Society and asked how I could get a copy of the photograph.  It took a couple of months but finally I had a copy in hand.  Mom took it and had it custom framed and together we developed an idea. 

Benjamin Brane and his sons, Peter, Daniel and  Abraham came to Wabash county, Indiana and were charter members of the United Brethern Church in Lincolnville, Indiana.  That church still exists today. We knew that some Brane family descendants still lived in the area and may still attend that church.  What if we dropped the photo off to the church and let members have a look?  Maybe they could help identify some of the people in the picture?

Find out what happens next  in Part 2 which should be titled How One Old Photograph Brought a Whole Town Together........