THE 2004 GUELFF GENEALOGICAL EXPEDITION: FAMILY ALBUMS

Grandma Bell (Elizabeth Guelff Bell) had a fine sense of order in everything about her house and everything in it. Things had a place, and they always returned to it. To my delight, as an amateur genealogist, this sense of order applied to family records, in particular to photographs. Her distinctive style, which I noticed and learned to appreciate early on, consisted of writing names on the photo. Usually the names were written on the back as though they were pasted to the back of the head of the person appearing on the front.

My mother and my Aunt Lucille had a shared habit, which I liked and appreciated less, when archiving photos -- they glued the photos to the black paper used in photo albums until more sophisticated systems came into vogue in the second half of the 20th Century. Granted, the LaPage system (my coining after a type of paper glue used in my kindergarten days) kept the photos in the album. In that aspect, the LaPage system had it all over the little paper corner clip devices that were frequently all the remained in an album to define, like a faded footprint, a photo treasure that had slipped its tethers and gone galloping into the sunset.

In any event, being sensitive to the predilections of my predecessors (or antics of my ancestors, if you prefer), I never left a LaPage unturned for fear of missing an important clue. By way of example, you see below one of the iconic Guelff group shots of the first generation. This photo has turned up in several locations, but not always annotated. On the front, you see handwritten in block capitals "GRANDFATHER" and in script "Mike Guelff." I think the block capitals were added at a later time by mother, Doris Bell Holzworth.  Sister PJ agrees, and I generally defer to her superior detective skills.  I think the script is probably also in Mom's hand, because writing on the front of a photo seems a little untidy for Grandma Bell and the "Mike" seems a little informal or more likely to be used for her brother than her father. 

Now, in order to turn the LePage, I had to carefully lift up the photo so that the felt-like album paper would come apart without the photo tearing. You see the black debris that remains stuck to the photo. Sure enough, names are written in the back in Grandma's unmistakably clear cursive hand. Keeping in mind her sense of order, she names on their backs Brother Mishel or Michel (a Dutch or French variation of Michael) who sits in front, with my Great Grandfather Michael standing to his left and Great Grand Uncle John (also "Jean") standing to his right.

Oh, so you want to know about that messy note in the middle and the three arrows?  I confess, I did it. Future sleuths may come across the photo, so I put in the arrows and initialed the note so they can tell who presumed to identify the "E. Bell notes." Also, I think it is kind of cool to have three generations of scribbling on the same page, but most serious genealogists would probably be appalled. Anyway, if you don't like it, just photo shop it out and put in your own imprimatur.

Now my sister would say, you do not really need the last name tag to know that these three are closely related Guelff brothers. Just look at the ears, her preferred method of proof positive identification. I wonder if she perfected this technique by close study of wanted posters in the Post Office?

One other valuable piece of information was kindly added by the photographer -- Werner of Marquette, Michigan. They appear to be dressed in their Sunday best, and are posing with standard indicia of prosperity -- watch chains (presumably with watches attached), cigars and waist coats.

The question, not yet answered: what brought the three brother together in Marquette on the occasion of this photo? Could it have been the wedding of Michael and Anna?