Photographs of two women.

The first is from the D. E. Cole studio of Washington, Iowa. Washington is in Washington County. On the back in brown ink is: "Aunt Mary Wilkins (mother's sister) CCP" and in blue ink "To Minnie E. Wolfe From Carl C. Phelps Feb 1960."

This one was easy. I searched Mary Wilkins in Washington County, Iowa in the US censuses. Two individuals showed up. The woman in the 1880 census was not the woman in the photo.

In 1900, Mary E. Wilkins, born May 1846 in Pennsylvania, was the wife of John Wilkins and they had a daughter Minnie E. Wilkins.

In 1910, Mary E. Wilkins headed a household that contained her elderly uncle, John R. Delancy, and three cousins, Albert W. Delancy, Joseph Hughes, and Anna E. Hughes.

In 1920, Mary E. Wilkins was a Pennsylvania native, born about 1847. She was living in the household of her son-in-law and daughter, C. H. Wolfe and Minnie Wolfe. That couple had five children- Isabel, Howard, Thomas, Ellen, and Alice.

Mary Ellen (Corl) Wilkins died on 7 December 1929 at Ainsworth, Washington County, Iowa and was buried there in the Ainsworth Cemetery.

I found her obituary in the Muscatine Journal and News-Tribune, 12 December 1929, page 2, columns 5-7.





Mary Wilkins


The second photo is from the Witzel Studio at 543 South Main Street in Los Angeles, California. On the back in pencil is "Jennie Oakes" and in black ink "In 1912, lived in Los Angeles[,] cousin?"

I searched the 1910 and 1920 censuses for Jennie/Jenny/Jen*/Jane Oakes/Oaks in Los Angeles. No matches. I also searched the Los Angeles city directories, no matches.

Broadening the search, there was a woman named Jennie Shelton Oakes (1873-1952) who lived in California, but I have no way to prove that this is the same woman. She remains a mystery.

Jennie Oakes.


 

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