SUCHER Family of Oregon

SUCHER Family of Oregon

IDENTIFICATION ON PHOTO: Wedding of William Edgar Thompson and Julia Alice Sucher
PHOTO TAKEN: 28 Nov, 1894, Ogden, Iowa
PHOTO LOCATED: July 2025, Coburg Antique Mall, Coburg OR

During a recent trip to Eugene Oregon, I took a day to explore some local antique shops and came away with six images from the same family, from the Coburg Antique Mall. After a bit of research, I was able to piece together a "family tree" to see how each of these people were related to each other.

Highlighted names are individuals who appear in the found photos.

Julia, Ida and Minnie are sisters, daughters of George SUCHER and Elizabeth SMITH. They also have a brother Charles, but his photo was not among those acquired.

Julia SUCHER married William Edgar Thompson in 1894 in Iowa. They had six sons:

• 1897-1977 Leslie Rae THOMPSON
• 1899-1971 Warren Jay THOMPSON
• 1901-1984 Loyd Elton THOMPSON
• 1902 - ___ Elvin K. THOMPSON (seen also as Alvin)
• 1906-1998 Ivan Glenn THOMPSON
• 1910 - ___ Miles THOMPSON

left to right: Leslie & Warren Thompson; Leslie Thompson with his aunts Minnie and Ida; Loyd & Elvin Thompson taken in Enid Oklahoma Territory.

Warren Thompson, 1919

Ida Kunst, Dorthea and Kermit

Ida Ellen SUCHER married Julius KUNST (1875-1942) and had two children:

• 1902-1913 Dorthea Elizabeth KUNST
• 1906-1987 Kermit Lester KUNST (named for Julius' brother)

Dorthea died young of spinal menengitis, and her parent's marriage broke up soon afterward.

Ida then married Ephraim DAWSON in 1916. She became the step-mother of several Dawson children by a previous marriage.

Minnie May SUCHER married Albert CLAY in 1912 and had no children. She developed cancer and died in 1915.

Other research found, which provides useful information (click on any image for a larger version):

RATHFON, Cora Landis (Lancaster PA)

Cora Landis RATHFON

IDENTIFIED AS: Cora Landis RATHFON

PHOTO TAKEN: unknown location, circa mid-1920s

PURCHASED: Feb 2025, Traditions Antiques Mall, Wildwood FL

This is Cora Becker Landis (27 Dec 1893 - 23 Jun 1984), a daughter of Milton Landis Landis (yes, that's correct) and Elizabeth Hostetter Becker. She was born in Pennsylvania and lived most of her life in the area of Lancaster PA.

Cora's father was a son of Christian Rohrer Landis and Hettie Shavely Landis (Landis was also her maiden name.) He was an auto mechanic for much of his life.

Cora's mother was a daughter of Christian Becker and Mary Hostetter.

In 1920, Cora married Jacob Baker RATHFON, a son of Amos K. Rathfon and Elmira C. Baker.

In 1975, The Rathfons celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary, which was announced in the Lancaster newspaper.

When her husband died in 1979, Cora relocated to Indianapolis, where her daughter Betty Dussinger lived and worked as a medical technician.

Cora died in 1984, a year after her daughter, and was buried in Lancaster, next to her husband.

WIGGIN, Art and Mary (Lima OH)

 

Art & Mary WIGGIN

IDENTIFIED AS: Art and Mary Wiggin

PHOTO TAKEN: Manhard Studio, Lima Ohio, circa 1921

PURCHASED: Feb 2025, Traditions Antiques Mall, Wildwood, Florida

This photo of Art and Mary WIGGIN may have been taken at or soon after their wedding, which occurred on June 14, 1921.

Arthur Odonivan Wiggin, born Jan 9 1898 in Toledo OH, was a son of Rev. George Wiggin (1864-1940) and Mary Ann Buckby (1874-1944).

Mary Frances Carmony, born Jun 26, 1899, was a daughter of Harry Clifford Carmony (1873-1952) and Jennie Wade Simmons (1873-1957).

They had four children; Jack, William, Joan and Patricia.

Arthur operated the "Spot Restaurant" in Lima OH and later in Zanesville OH. The couple moved to Sarasota County, Florida in their later years.

He died April 16, 1979 in Venice Florida. His widow lived until April of 1994.

REBBE, Herman and Emma (Chester, IL)

IDENTIFIED AS:  "Emma & Herman Rebbe"

PHOTO TAKEN: Welge Studio, Chester Illinois, circa 1900-1902

PURCHASED: Sep 2024, Bright's Antique Mall, Franklin KY

Emma Maria Margarethe REBBE and Herman Christian REBBE were siblings, and two of the four children born to Herman F. REBBE and Carolina (Roeder) REBBE.

The other two children were Alfred F. REBBE (1884-1977) and Charles Henry REBBE (1880-?)

Herman Christian Rebbe was born 7-Oct-1886 and worked as a bookkeeper at a bank. In 1916 he married Edna Muir and the couple had 3 children (Ruth, Muirene and Alfred). He died 6-Apr-1945. 

Click for larger

Emma Rebbe worked briefly as a teacher, but gave it up when illness left her bed-ridden for the last five years of her life. She died, unmarried, at age 25 or 26. 

[NOTE - she is seen on some Ancestry family trees as having married Edward Ebers, having children with him and living a long happy life in California. I believe that Emma Rebbe is a cousin of this one.]

Obit of Herman below. Click on any image for a larger version.

OWEN, Elizabeth Gaillard (Port Jervis, NY)

Elizabeth Owen

IDENTIFIED AS: "Elizabeth Owen"

PHOTO TAKEN: Masterson Studio, Port Jervis NY, either 1890 or 1899

PURCHASED: Feb 2024 Palm Beach County Fairgrounds Antiques Show

The card stock has serrated edges which dates it to the decade of 1890. The sleeves could either be 1890 or 1899, but definitely not mid 1890s as sleeves were much more voluminous then. I think the addition of the horseshoe vignette was an ornamental style that was used in the latter 1890s.

One more thing to consider - Elizabeth was married 9 Oct 1890, so this photo may have been taken on that occasion.

Elizabeth Gaillard-Owen was born in 1868 and died Jan 1942. She lived most of her life in Port Jervis, NY.

Daughter of Claude Gaillard (d. 1911) &  Mary Ross (d. 1905)

1910 Census > NY > Orange Co > Port Jervis > 5 New Street

• GAILLARD, Claude, head, 83 widower, born in France of French parents, no occ.
• OWEN, Thomas, son-in-law, 42, born NJ of NY & NJ parents, laborer at railroad shop
• OWEN, Elizabeth, daughter, 42, born NY of French & German parents, no occ.
• OWEN, Mamie, gr-daughter, 17 single, quilting at mill
• OWEN, Thomas, gr-son, 16 single, twister at mill
• OWEN, Sarah, gr-daughter, 6
• GAILLARD, Mary, daughter, 40 single, waitress at hotel

1915 State Census > NY > Orange Co. > Port Jervis > 17 Union Street

• OWEN, Thomas, 49, engineer
• OWEN, Elizabeth, 48, housework
• OWEN, Mary, dau., 21, silk worker

1920 Census > NY > Orange Co. > Port Jervis > 17 Union Street

• OWEN, Elizabeth, head, 52 widow, born in NY of French & German parents, no occupation
• GAILLARD, Mary, sister, 50 single, born in NY of French & German parents, tinsmith helper at railroad shop
• OWEN, Mary, daughter, 26 single, born in NY of NJ & NY parents, winder at silk mill
• OWEN, Thomas, son, 24 widower, born in NY, air inspector for railroad
• OWEN, Edwin, 3y10m grandson, born in NY of NY and PA parents
• OWEN, Thomas Jr., 2y10m grandson, born in NY of NY and PA parents

1930 Census > NY > Orange Co. > Port Jervis > 3 New Street

• OWEN, Elizabeth, head, 60 widow, no occupation
• GAILLARD, Mary, sister, 58 single, silk inspector at mill
• OWEN, Thomas, son, 34 widower, twister at mill
• OWEN, Edwin, grandson, 12 
• OWEN, Thomas Jr., grandson, 11

1940 Census > NY > Orange Co. > Port Jervis > 3 New Street

• OWEN, Elizabeth, head, 70 widow, homemaker
• OWEN, Edwin, grandson, 23, laborer at silver plating factory

Thomas Owen (1866-1918) son of Jasper T. Owen & Sarah Smith.

  married

Elizabeth Gaillard (1868-1942), d. of Claude Gaillard & Mary Ross.

   - 1895 - Mary "Mamie" Owen

   - 1894 - Thomas II Owen (d. 6 Apr 1933)

                   - 1916 - Edwin John Owen (d. 24 Feb 1978)

                   - 1917 - Thomas Jr. Owen (d. 1983)

                                   - 1942 - Thomas E. Owen (d.2014)

   - 1904 - Sarah Owen

MEINECKE, Roma Adela (Brooklyn, NY)

 IDENTIFICATION ON PHOTO:  Roma Meinecke

PHOTO TAKEN: Unknown Studio, most likely Brooklyn NY, 1909

PHOTO ACQUIRED: Feb 2024 Palm Beach County Fairground Antiques Show

Roma Meinecke, 1909

Roma Meinecke was born in Brooklyn on Jan 14, of either 1903, and thus was around 6 years old in the 1909 photo above. Her parents were Edward A. Meinecke (1873-1902) and Marie Hacker (1874-1931, sister to Louise Hacker in the previous post. ) Roma bears a strong resemblance to her aunt Louise.

She never knew her father as he died of tuberculosis before she was born.

After her father's death, Roma's mother Marie married George H. Greenhalgh, who was born in 1882 in Manchester England. He was a son of Frederick Greenhalgh and Elizabeth Barns.

Roma married Robert John Becker, but that marriage did not last long, and dissolved sometime after  Roma gave birth to Marie "Peggy" Becker in 1928, and Roma moved back into her parent's home.

On March 22 of 1931 Marie died in Montclair New Jersey where the family now resided, leaving widower George living with single-mother/step-daughter Roma and her daughter Peggy.

Between 1935 and 1937, George and his step-daughter Roma were married. I believe this was not entirely uncommon for the time, and still occurs to this day. I am not willing to make any judgments upon the couple because I do not know their situation. I know Roma's first husband was not a compatible spouse, and she may have developed romantic feelings for George, having lived with him for such a long time.

Daughter Peggy later went by the name Peggy Greenhalgh, so she may have been adopted by George when he married Peggy's mother.

On September 1, 1937, George and Roma's son George Edward Greenhalgh was born, but Roma did not live long afterward. She died September 5 of that year.

I found an Ancestry Family Tree which includes this exact photo of Roma which I recently acquired. Not just a copy of the same photo, but the very same photo. The scratches, stains and tears on the image are identical. The family tree was managed by a woman named Peggy who identified Marie Meinecke-Greenhalgh as her grandmother. I also discovered that both Peggy and her half-brother George Jr died in 2016. Peggy had been a longtime resident of Boca Raton FL, where she worked as a nurse.

Because of this, I am convinced that the photos I acquired of Roma and her aunt Louise at the Palm Beach Co. Fairgrounds Antiques Show had been originally sourced from the estate of Peggy.

HACKER-KNEUPER, Louise (Brooklyn NY)

IDENTIFICATION ON PHOTO:  Louise Hacker Kneuper

PHOTO TAKEN: Russoff Studio, Brooklyn NY, 1910

PHOTO ACQUIRED: Feb 2024 Palm Beach County Fairground Antiques Show

Louise HACKER-KNEUPER

There is further inscription on the reverse: "Peg's Great Aunt, My Grandmother Marie's sister."

Inscription on front reads: "Most Lovingly, Sister, Lou"

This is Louise Hacker, born 1877, died 1959. She was one of 6 children of Joseph Carl Hacker (1839-1915) and Marie Forster (1850-1915).

Her father was a well-known businessman in New York City as he ran a leather goods company in Manhattan, although the family lived in Brooklyn.

Her father died in February 1915, and the obit on him gives much detail on the family.

(Click for larger)

The children of Joseph and Marie Hacker are:

1870 - Christina Hacker (she married Carl Mann)

1871 - Josephine Hacker (she married Rudolf Allert)

1874 - Marie Hacker (she married 1] Edward A. Meinecke, then 2] George H. Greenhalgh)

1877 - Louise Hacker (she married a man named KNEUPER, but I cannot find his first name.)

1878 - Herman Hacker (married a woman named Minnie, unknown last name)

1882 - Darwin Hacker (married Florence Toben)

EDDIE, Fannie (Ypsilanti, MI)

 

Fannie Eddie

UPDATE - Fannie has been claimed by her family and is going home!

Identified as: FANNIE EDDIE

Photographer: Miller Studio, Ypsilanti, Michigan, circa 1916-1918

Purchased: Dec 2023 Palm Beach County Fairgrounds Antiques Show

After just a cursory pass through Ancestry.com and Findagrave.com, I believe this is Fannie Mae Eddie (1900-1951) who married John H. Martin.

She was born in Superior Michigan, a township just to the north of Ypsilanti.

Her parents were George Eddie & Sarah Jane Keedle.

She died in Ann Arbor, MI, which is just to the west of Ypsilati.

(Click for larger)

MARSHALL Children (Ewing IL)

 

Opal, Willie & Seba Marshall

IDENTIFICATION ON PHOTO: Opal, Willie and Seba MARSHALL

PHOTO TAKEN: unknown studio, circa 1899

PHOTO ACQUIRED: June 2023, Antique Peddlers, Springfield OR

Four photos were found together in a booth at this antiques shop in Oregon. Although some were labeled with just first names, I could ascertain from adjacent photos that these are children in the Marshall family of Ewing, Illinois.

Opal and Seba

Their parents (no photos found of them) are:

FATHER: Clarence E. Marshall, son of John Whitson Marshall of Tennessee and Sarah Farlow of Illinois. He was born October 1865 and died in 1956. 

MOTHER: Hester Taylor, daughter of Richard Hiram Taylor and Nancy Jane Franklin, both of Illinois. She was born 19 Mar 1873 and died 28 Feb 1964. Both are buried in the Williams Cemetery of Ewing, Illinois.

Their children are:

Opal Edna Marshall, born 29 May 1890. She married in 1908 to Egbert Walker. Opal died in Los Angeles, CA 17 Dec 1980.

William Dow Marshall, born 27 Dec 1891 in Ewing IL. He married Beulah Lawson. He died in Whittington IL on 22 July 1971.

Seba Elsworth Marshall, born 16 Nov 1896 in Ewing IL. His name may be a nickname for Sebastian. He married Nina Kirk in 1919. He died in Columbus OH 2 Sep 1983.

Audra Noble Marshall, (not pictured) born 25 July in Franklin Co. IL. He married Sylvia Denham in 1923. He died 28 May 1985 in Jefferson Co. IL.

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I must admit, I originally thought Seba was a girl's name, having never before heard it applied to a boy, but census records kept referring to him as male. I also came across several news archive articles of him referred to by the title "Reverend Seba Marshall", one of which I post here.

The other two photos found in the same group are individual baby photos. One is labelled Opal Marshall, and the other is labelled Etta Marshall. I am not aware of an "Etta" in this family, but Etta may be a pet name for Edna (Opal's middle name). If they are of the same child, they were taken a few months apart.

Opal Marshall

Etta Marshall

WILENSKY-WILLENS, Samuel (Chicago IL)

 

"Sam Wilensky"

 IDENTIFICATION ON PHOTO: Sam Wilensky

PHOTO TAKEN: illegible studio signature, dated 1942

PHOTO ACQUIRED: 2023 March, Palm Beach County Fairgrounds Antiques Fair

 

This is Samuel Donald WILENSKY, who around the time of his service in WWII, changed his surname to WILLENS.

 He is a son of Solomon Wilensky (1893-1973) and Bessie Lieberman (1895-1987) of Chicago Illinois.

 

1930 Census > Illinois > Cook > Chicago

• WILENSKY, Sol, head, 35, born in Lithuania, immigrated 1910, presser at Tailor shop
• WILENSKY, Bessie, wife, 34, born in Russia, imm. 1915
• WILENSKY, Sam, son, 12, born in Illinois, at school
• WILENSKY, Herman, son, 6, born in Illinois, at school
• WILENSKY, Nathan, son, 1y 6mo, born in Illinois

 

Sam attended Harrison Technical High School where he played in the band and orchestra (clarinet and saxophone). This class photo of him taken in 1935 (and located on someone’s Ancestry tree) shows this is clearly the correct individual. (I do not possess that photo, and only include it here for sake of comparison.)

 

After High School, he received his medical degree from University of Illinois (1941).

 

Sam married Vila Weaver, a nurse he met while doing his residency at Cook County Hospital. They had two sons and two daughters.

Sam died in September of 1990 and this obituary pay tribute to a man who was not only an excellent doctor, but also a kind and caring human being.