Etta BENTLEY

ETTA BENTLEY, Oriskany Falls, NY

This photo of Etta Bentley was taken circa 1888 in Utica, New York. The photo was acquired at an large antique show in Madison-Baukville, New York, in Madison County. The subject appears to be around 18-20 years old, which would make an approximately year of birth of about 1868-1870.

In consulting Census records of that area, there are two possible candidates to be the Etta Bentley in this photograph.

The first is ETTA BENTLEY, born 1869 in New York, and living with her family in 1870 in Utica (where this photo was taken.) Her father is English-born Henry A. Bentley (born circa 1843), a bookkeeper, and her mother is Mary (born circa 1847, last name unknown.)

The second is ETTA BENTLEY, born Oct 1870, and living with her family in 1880 in Cazenovia, in Madison County NY, not far from where the photo was found.  Her father was Eben Daniel Bentley, a farmer born in New York (1822-1900). Her mother was Maria B. Cresson (1843-1903.) Other siblings on the Census were Eddie (Ebben) Bentley (born abt 1872) and Minda (1873-1955).

On the 1900 Census for Cazenovia, Etta and Minda are still living at home with their parents. Their brother has apparently begun his own home elsewhere.