Mrs. Larimer, Lady Photographer

The subject of this tintype continues to confound me.
Why is there a small sticker on the back that says Carrie Nation?
I can find no indication that Carrie Nation was ever in Allen County. In fact, in one comment taken from the 1901 History of Allen County, it seems it was the sincere hope of some that Carrie Nation never have occasion to visit Allen County.

In the History, when speaking of lawyer George Amos it states he was elected county attorney, at “... a time when it was thought to be the proper thing for county attorneys to see to it that laws were enforced and Amos did see to it in such a fashion that Mrs. Nation would have no occasion to visit Allen County.”

The subject in my photograph is a young woman, head resting on her hand, staring off into space.   She isn’t particularly pretty or animated.  Her identity remains a mystery.

But who took the photograph isn't a mystery.  The reverse clearly states “Mrs. Larimer’s Photograph Rooms.”

A lady photographer in the 19th century?  I was intrigued.

And Mrs. Sarah Larimer, wife of William J. Larimer turned out to be a very interesting woman.

Sarah Luse was born circa 1836 in Mercer Co. Pennsylvania.  The daughter of Jonathan Luse and Sarah Elwood Luse.

On April 15, 1856 Sarah Luse married William Jackson Larimer.

The Larimer’s only child, Frank Eugene was born in Mercer Co., PA, January of 1857.

Two years later, in 1859 the family started west.  After living in Iowa for a time they settled in Iola, Allen Co. Kansas.

It appears Sarah Larimer operated a gallery in Iola prior to 1864.  In the book “Pioneer Photographers from the Mississippi to the Continental Divide” the authors state that, “It was probably during this period that she also owned Mrs. Larimer’s Gem and Photographic Rooms on Bridge Street in nearby Humboldt Kansas. “

Sarah’s husband William was a farmer.  He was commissioned a lieutenant of the Kansas Volunteers during the Civil War but was discharged for medical reasons.

In the Spring of 1864 Sarah, William and their 8 yr. old son, Frank joined a wagon train and set out for Montana Territory.  They took with them their photographic equipment as well as a large supply of gold watches and jewelry.

On July 12, 1864 at Little Box Elder Creeks, some 80 miles from Ft. Laramie, in present day Wyoming, a war party of Oglala Sioux fell upon the wagon train killing or wounding most of the men.  Fanny Kelly’s husband was the only one to escape injury.  Sarah’s husband was shot in the leg with an arrow and crawled off into the bushes to hide.

Sarah and her son, along with Fanny Kelly and Fanny's 5 year old niece were taken hostage by the Sioux.

Fanny would later say that after the initial attack, Sarah was forced to stand by and watch as the Indians destroyed her photographic equipment.  She claimed that this destruction so upset Sarah that the Oglala headman threatened to kill her and it was only Mrs. Kelly’s pleading with the chief that saved Mrs. Larimer’s life.

On the second night of their capture Sarah and her son were able to escape.  Fanny and Mary did not fare so well.  5 year old Mary died within days of their capture.  Fanny would remain a captive for 5 months.

Sarah and Frank were reunited with William shortly after their escape, at Camp Collins in Colorado Territory, where William was recovering from his arrow wound.

In Sept. 1864 the Larimers made their way to Fort Laramie where they borrowed enough money to order new photographic equipment from Leavenworth, Kansas.  Two months later the camera and supplies arrived and Sarah and William went into the ambrotype business at the fort until April 1865.

Once William completely recovered, the family moved to Denver, Colorado where William and Sarah established a gallery on Larimer St.

After Denver the family moved on to Julesburg, Colorado. In May 1866 William paid a occupational tax as a photographer.  The Larimers remained in Julesburg until at least 1867.

By 1868 the Larimers had moved to Sherman Station, a railroad stop between Laramie and Cheyenne, where Sarah operated a photographic gallery; ran a general store with her son Frank, and was a railroad tie and cord wood contractor for the Union Pacific Railroad. John Bratt, who sometimes supervised Mrs. Larimer’s wood cutting crews, remembered her as a “very bright, good, business woman” who aspired to become mayor of Sherman Station.

Around 1868, Fanny Kelly now widowed and with an infant son joined the Larimer’s in Sherman Station to work as a washerwoman.  

In 1870 Sarah Larimer published a book entitled The Capture and Escape or Life Among the Sioux.  When Fanny Kelly learned of the books publication she alleged the Larimer’s had plagiarized her manuscript.

In Oct. 1870, Fanny Kelly sued the Larimers for breach of contract in the district court of Allen Co., Kansas.  She alleged that in 1865 she and Sarah Larimer agreed that they would jointly prepare and publish a narrative of their captivity, but in 1869 the Larimers conspired to secrete the manuscript away and had it published as Sarah Larimer’s work alone, depriving Mrs. Kelly of her rightful share of the profits.

The Larimer’s and Mrs. Kelly continued to litigate the case until 1876 when the parties reached an out of court settlement.

Years of litigation didn't do much for their marriage but it did arouse in William Larimer an interest in law.  In the 1880 Census I find William separated from Sarah and practicing his new profession in Lead City in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

name: William J. Larimer
residence: Lead City, Lawrence, Dakota Territory
birthdate: 1828 birthplace: Pennsylvania, United States
relationship to head: Self
father's birthplace: Pennsylvania, United States
mother's birthplace: Pennsylvania, United States
race or color (expanded): White
ethnicity (standardized): American
gender: Male
martial status: Married
age (expanded): 52 years
occupation: Attorney At Law

Household Gender  Age  Birthplace
William J. Larimer   M 52   Pennsylvania
William G. Brown   M 38   Vermont

And I find Sarah was once again living in Humboldt, Kansas with her son Frank Larimer 22, attorney-at-law.  Sarah’s occupation is listed as photograph artist.

Which means I am no closer to dating my tintype.  It could have been taken prior to 1864, before they left Kansas or it could have been taken in the 1880’s after Sarah and her son returned to Kansas.

In 1888 Congress granted $5000 in compensation to Sarah for information she had given the army after her escape from the Oglalas.  At the time the check was issued she was residing in Tacoma, Washington.

In 1891 Sarah’s son Frank dies.

"District of Columbia Deaths and Burials, 1840-1964," Frank Eugine Larimer, 1891

name: Frank Eugine Larimer
gender: Male
burial date: 31 Mar 1891
death date: 29 Mar 1891
death place: District Of Columbia
age: 34
birth date: 1857
birthplace: Mercer Co., Pa.
occupation: Lawyer Also Clerk War Dep
race: White
marital status: Unknown
father's birthplace: Mercer Co., Pa.
mother's birthplace: Mercer Co., Pa.

In 1895 Sarah’s husband William Larimer dies.

"Iowa, Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990," Wm. J. Larimer, 1895

name: Wm. J. Larimer
gender: Male
burial date: 11 Jan 1896
burial place: Little Rock, Ark.
death date: 23 Dec 1895
death place: Little Rock, Ark.
age: 67
birth date: 1828
birthplace: Penn.
occupation: Lawyer
race: White
marital status: Married

By late 1904 Sarah Larimer was reportedly living in Oklahoma  but her subsequent story remains unknown. According to a message board at ancestry.com, the following can be found in the Vermillion Township Cemetery Book published in the 1980s by the Appanoose County Genealogical Society:

OAKLAND CEMETERY (Appanoose County, Iowa)

Section 6-Row 14

LARIMER: large stone
left side Wm. J. GAR Flt 1826-1894
right side Sarah Luse Larimer 1836-1913
Author-Artist Womans Relief Corps 1883
back Frank E. 1857-1891 only child
Footstones: Father, Son, Mother

Update 1/25/13
I found more on Mrs.Sarah Larimer's whereabouts after 1904 and her death at The Jerome Journal