Found the People That Lived at This Cellar Hole!!!

[fsa46]

An absolutely awesome find Drew.

I can't believe the great condition , truly a keeper you won't forget about.

[milco]

That old photo is such an amazing find! If it is on glass it is an ambrotype, if it is on metal, then it is a daguerreotype. If it were a tin type it would have corroded long ago. One of the coolest finds I've seen posted!

[DiggerAl]

Very nice finds, that photo seems to be in excellent condition. That is a very sweet large cent as well.

[OxShoeDrew]

Update!! I dropped off my collection of finds at our local historical society last week to be displayed for a few months. I sat with the archivist for an hour telling her what the items were and where I found them. When we got to the picture I found in this thread I told her where the pic was taken and that it had to have been taken between 1855 and 1865. When she heard that she called over the town historian, who happened in at that point. After seeing the pic the historian scurried into the back room and brought out a two-page paper entitled "The Mystery Homestead." It turns out that the people who lived there were hard to find, but after painstaking research (I too tried to find their identities and quickly gave up ) they found the succession of owners. I now know who these people were!!...and the town now knows what they looked like!! When I remove the exhibit I'm going to leave the picture with them. Thanks for reading!
PS That was the guy's third wife! I guess he ran 'em ragged

[MangoAve]

Wow Drew. Crazy to even hear THEY were doing research on the people that were in that homestead and had a paper written. Were there any relatives since they found who the people were?

I am thinking to ask the town historical society if they would want the canteen. It is a great find but huge so it's not like I would display it.

[OxShoeDrew]

Thanks Jim, the paper stops after he sold the farm in 1868, probably just after the pic was taken...but learning their names I did some research and found that the guy in the pic moved to Ohio... but half our town is still related to him as he had three broods. So I think it would be a nice addition to own town collection.
That canteen would be a very cool display at your society!

[SeabeeRon]

WOW!! What an awesome update to this story!!!!

[Lodge Scent]

Now that is too cool !

[del]

very cool turn of events Drew and very interesting , I think you did a very selfless act by letting the society keep the picture and hope they give you the credit and props for that decision .

[The Rebel]

Awesome update Drew! I'm still amazed that that photo survived al that time in the dirt.

Seeing you're giving them the orig, I would make sure you get it scanned and have a print for yourself on good quality photo paper.

[MangoAve]

Thanks Jim, the paper stops after he sold the farm in 1868, probably just after the pic was taken...but learning their names I did some research and found that the guy in the pic moved to Ohio... but half our town is still related to him as he had three broods. So I think it would be a nice addition to own town collection.
That canteen would be a very cool display at your society!

A lot of people moved to Ohio after the CW. I guess I can see now how it is relevant to your town now that you explain. I have seen a few homesteads listed as 'heirs' but I think most of them were eventually torn down by the town, which would mean the family name got dropped somewhere along the line.
As far as the canteen, I was thinking to ask at the town it was found. Seeing as it was and 1858 era and the map was drawn 1868, I can safely say the owner was the person named on the map for that home site. Now since I looked at the map and specified which house it was I also learned there is another site just up the road for me to check. YAY! I was unsure before because new developments nearby with new roads. Old roads are gone and the existing ones are changed just a tad to accommodate faster traffic. When I search a place, sometimes I get complacent on certain details. If I see it and know it's there I don't bother with all the rest. BUT... sometimes I do focus on one thing. Oh look, I got onto a tangent. One near me I bet the owner doesn't realize the actual age. It says 1938 and it looks as early 1900s. The old map, however, has a house near that spot and this house's foundation says 1800's. I got a co-worker who didn't realize the age of her house because the assessor sometimes puts a date of the earliest known addition or earliest known record.

I think you did a very selfless act by letting the society keep the picture and hope they give you the credit and props for that decision.

I concur. Some of the big things I got I would wonder if there would be a desire for. Maybe the Mason jar company would want the bunch of ceramic caps. Maybe it's possible to determine the clock maker in the 1800s who made all the guide plates I found, and would want them for a museum... You know. Vs keeping them in a storage box somewhere or throwing them out. Sure some would be quick to point out the situation is completely different with those relics and Drew's, but I am not trying to compare them.

[Cheap Thrills]

WOW !! I missed this . Incredible find and then to find out the history of these people . Big congrats . For a detectorist this is almost like finding a well preserved ancient hunter in a melting glacier . As a matter of fact when I first saw the title of this thread I envisioned you finding two skeletons .