In the previous blog Photo #1 was Margaret Ann (Holden) Reynolds; wife of Augustus Bellamy Reynolds; mother of George Hammond Reynolds.
Photo #2 was son George H. Reynolds and his wife Ida.
The writing on the back of this, the 3rd photo in the group, and the notes that came with it, offer a glimpse into how much time and effort it took for these young women make the drive into town to have this photograph taken.
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| Ida Reynolds & Anna George |
The young women are identified on the reverse as Ida Reynolds and Anna George; before Anna was married; sister Essie George is pictured on Anna’s brooch.
I believe the note, which is signed “M. A.”, was written by Ida’s daughter Margaret (Reynolds) Arensberg, after a visit with her aunt Anna in 1973. Anna would have been 88 years old when she told Margaret the story about their trip to town.
Anna George was 15 years old in 1899; the year both of her parents died. The photo was taken before she married Charles Phipps on Oct. 27, 1903, the day after she turned 19. My guess is she would be about 18 and Ida about 29 when this was taken.
M. A., wrote in her notes …
It was a long drive for Anna. She drove a horse 9 miles from the old home by Maple Grove School to Ida‘s house where they had lunch and she changed the team, then drove another 9 miles into Sharon, Kansas to have this photograph made; a total of 36 miles for the day.
Ida Reynolds and Anna George were raised as sisters … but were they related?
The story goes like this …
Samuel Noble Wible, a Union soldier wounded in the Civil War married Sarah Catherine “Kate” Coulter on Feb. 13, 1865.
In 1874, hoping the change would be beneficial for his health, Sarah and Samuel moved from Salem, Indiana to Hutchinson, Kansas.
Once in Kansas two sons were born, Hugh McKinney Wible, born July 21, 1876, and Noble Samuel Wible born October 12, 1879.
In 1880, Samuel Wible (39) died. The census that year shows his widow Sarah, along with 3 children; Ida 6, Huge 4, and 8 month old Noble living in Rock Creek, Wabaunsee, Kansas. Sarah, a seamstress, supported her family by tailoring men’s suits and overcoats until she married William George on Sept. 8, 1881.
According to the story Huge and Noble on the Kansas Heritage website, the combined household included the 2 Wible brothers; step-brother, Charles Rethman George born 1877; a “foster” sister, Ida Swain born 1874, and over the next 10 years, 2 sons and 2 daughters were born into Sarah and William George's family; John Coulter in 1882; Anna Belle born Oct. 26, 1884; William B. born 1887 and Eva Ester “Essie” born 1891.
I was curious about Ida being a "foster" sister so I went in search of clues regarding her parentage.
The first mention I find of her is in the 1880 census in Rock Creek, Wabaunsee, Kansas when she is 6 years old.
On the Kansas site it says Samuel and Sarah had TWO sons.
The Ancestry / Roots website shows Samuel and Sarah having FOUR children, all born in Kansas ... well except for one source which shows Ida being born in Ohio.
I find ...
Nannie S. born July 19, 1869 - died April 22, 1870
Ida P. - born Feb. 23, 1874
Hugh McKinney - born 1876
Noble Samuel or Samuel Noble - born 1879.
But even though Ida appears in the Sarah Wible household in the 1880 census, there are a few things that make me wonder. The first being that if the dates are correct, Sarah and Samuel were in Indiana when Nannie (1869) and Ida (1874) were born in Kansas (or Ohio).
And then there is the 1900 census … William and Sarah George both died in 1899, leaving their children to fend for themselves. The 1900 census shows …
place of birth Father’s Mother’s
Head Hugh M Wible 24 Kansas Indiana Indiana
Brother Noble S Wible 21 Kansas Indiana Indiana
Half-brother John C George 18 Kansas Germany Indiana
Half-sister Annie B George 16 Kansas Germany Indiana
Half-brother Willie B George 13 Kansas Germany Indiana
Half-sister Eva E George 9 Kansas Germany Indiana
In every case their parents place of birth is listed correctly and yet Ida who is 26, married 9 years and living nearby, doesn’t list her parent's place of birth as one would expect if Samuel and Sarah Wible were her parents (Indiana / Indiana), instead everything is filled out correctly for her husband, her 3 children, and even for herself, but in the space for her parents place of birth, is written: unknown.
Then there is her name: Ida Pauline Swem (or in some cases Swain) Wible. I can’t help wondering where the Swem came from.
So I’m still unsure if Ida was the daughter of Sarah Coulter and Samuel Wible or if she was in fact a “foster” daughter.
Whichever it was, Ida was raised in the Wible / George household; she married George Reynolds of Hazelton, KS. around 1900, when she would have been all of 16 and had 6 children …
Ella ca. 1891
Jesse ca. 1894
Margaret “Maggie” ca. 1896
Hugh ca. 1900
Bertha ca. 1908
Alice ca. 1910
Anna George went on to marry Charles Thomas Phipps. They also had 6 children …
Lois K. ca. 1905
Evelyn M. ca. 1909
Seward ca. 1911
Carrol ca. 1913
Ruth ca. 1919
Charlene ca. 1928
Ida Swem (Wible) Reynolds (the name typed on the front of photo #2) died March 29, 1920 at age 46.
Anna Belle (George) Phipps died in 1978 at the age of 93. She outlived the niece who wrote the notes for these photos by 3 years.
Sources:
Ida P Swem (adopted) parents Willaim B. & Pauline Swen (aged 3 when adopted).
ReplyDeleteDwayne Meyer
Thanks for the info & for posting. It was one of those questions I could never answer & it's good to finally know for sure.
ReplyDelete