HOWLAND, George and Annie (Mason City, IA)

 

Annie E. (Slater) Howland and
husband George Washington Howland

IDENTIFICATION ON PHOTO: "Annie Howland" & "Geo Howland"

PHOTO TAKEN: Horace P. Kirk Studio, Mason City IA, circa 1891

PHOTO ACQUIRED: 2022 Sep, Feather Your Nest Antiques, Lexington KY

The Kirk Photo Studio was in action in Mason City IA from before 1880 to after 1910. Horace P. Kirk lived in Mason City from 1862 to around 1911. His son Vern was also a photographer who worked at the same studio.

The photo can be dated with certainty to around 1890 - 1892. This is based on the hairstyle and clothing of the woman, and also the gold, scalloped edges of the card mat.

The man in the above photo is George Washington HOWLAND, born in Kendall Illinois 4 July 1863, died 8 June 1945 in Los Angeles, to parents James Howland and Susan Irwin (or Irvine). 

The woman in the photo is Annie Elizabeth SLATER, born in Wisconsin in May 1863 to parents William Slater and Elizabeth Noble, who were both immigrants from England.

Annie and George were married in Rockwell, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, 24 Feb 1884. They had two daughters:

• 1885 - Lulu Elizabeth Howland (married Alfred Carpenter, died 1932 in Iowa)
• 1888 - Nellie Amy Howland (married Howard Valentine, died 1959 in California)

1900 Census > Iowa > Cerro Gordo > Rockwell

• HOWLAND, Geo W., 37 (Jul 1863), born in IL of CAN & PA parents, Drug store merchant
• HOWLAND, Ann, 37 (May 1863), born in WI of ENG parents, 2 children, 2 living
• HOWLAND, Lulu E., 15 (Jan 1885), born in IA, at school
• HOWLAND, Nellie A., 11, (Nov 1888), born in IA, at school

The 1905 Mason City Directory reports that George is a clerk of the District Court.

1910 Census > Iowa > Cerro Gordo > Rockwell

• HOWLAND, George W., 47, commercial vendor of Tea & Coffee
• HOWLAND, Annie, 48

The 1914 Mason City Directory says he is a clerk at Tiss Drug Store.

1920 Census > IN > South Bend (Portage township)

• VALENTINE, Nell A., 30, married, no occupation
• VALENTINE, Marjorie, dau, 12
• VALENTINE, Richard, son, 10
• HOWLAND, Anna, mother, 55, married, no occupation

The 1920 Census is a bit baffling. Annie is living in South Bend Indiana with her married daughter, but neither her husband nor Nellie's is present in the household. I could find no 1920 Census presence for George W. Howland anywhere. He shows up later as a traveling employee and may simply have been missed by the census-takers. I presume their husbands were sending money home so the unemployed women had something to survive on.

1930 Census > IA > Linn > Cedar Rapids

• HOWLAND, Geo W., 68, Auditing traveler for Newspapers
• HOWLAND, Annie, 68

In 1932 their eldest daughter Lulu Howland-Carpenter died at their home after a long battle with diabetes. 

Annie died a short time after this, either later in 1932 or early in 1933, although I can find no definitive date of this, nor any news items about her passing.

After the deaths of his wife and daughter, George relocated to Los Angeles, California, making the occassional return trip to Iowa.

In 1936 he remarried to Edith Grummon of Cerro Gordo County Iowa. They made their home in Los Angeles, and lived at the Rexford Arms Apartments where Nellie Howland-Valentine was the apartment manager.

George died 8 June 1945 and is buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale. 

Edith passed a mere ten days later in Rockwell Iowa, and is buried there.