Wynkoop Genealogist Shares Photos

A genealogist in Nebraska recently sent us these photos of her Wynkoop ancestors who lived in Clay Township, Decatur County. We are sharing them here, along with the information she provided. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information, but perhaps it will be helpful in your own research! 

Children of Barbara Hetterick (1817-1903) and James Wynkoop (1817-1893)

Front row, L-R: Martha Ellen, Sarah Jane, Nevada Marshall
Back row, L-R: John, Isaac Newton, William P., Charles F.

On grass, L-R: Mary E. Moore, James T. McCracken

Front row, L-R: John L. Davis, Nevada Marshall Wynkoop, John Wynkoop, Dorothy Grear, Mary Eliabeth McGee, Isaac Newton, Wynkoop, Sarah Jane Wynkoop, John Wilson Howell, Martha Ellen Wynkoop, James Alvin Myers, Charles F. Wynkoop, William P. Wynkoop
Back row, L-R: Female, Male, Female, Male, Female, Charles L. McGee, Male, Mable A. Moore, Male, Female, Ruth McCracken, Anna May Hyatt, James E. McCracken, Effie B. Myers, Norman Eubanks, Gilbert Dale Eubanks

If you know more about these photos or the people in them, please contact us or leave a comment! This family researcher is currently seeking information about Mary E. Moore (seated on grass), second daughter of Cora Wynkoop and Ira A. Moore. These photos have been placed in the Wynkoop family file at the Greensburg Public Library. 

Beck's Studio

John W. Beck was another Greensburg photographer during the cabinet card era. John was born 30 March 1865, and came to Indiana to teach school. During his years as a teacher, he became interested in photography, and began photographing professionally in 1885.

John lived in Osgood, Knightstown, Carthage and Kokomo before he settled in Greensburg. He married Dollie Smith 25 December 1891. Beck's Studio opened in 1911, and was still operating when Harding's History of Decatur County was published in 1915.

Milly Applegate photographed at Beck's Studio, Greensburg, Ind., c.1911

Beck's Studio Imprint

Beck's Studio on Main Street, south side, one block from the square

Photo provided by Decatur County Historical Society

If you know more about Beck's Studio, please share in the Comments section.

If you'd like to share a photo taken at Beck's Studio, please contact us!

We'd love to post it on our blog.

Family Photos: Millard Hudson's Main Street Studio

 Does your family photo collection include any cabinet cards? A cabinet card is usually a 4½ x 6½ inch photo mounted on cardboard. These were popular in the late 1800’s, but they quickly went out of style with the introduction of the affordable, easy-to-use Kodak “Brownie” camera in 1900. Cabinet cards are nice because they often identify the photographer on the back, which can help you place a photo in a time and place.

This photo of Ella A. Applegate was taken at Millard Hudson's photography studio at 9 1/2 Main Street opposite the Hotel DeArmond in Greensburg. Millard A. Hudson was born in Napoleon, Decatur County in 1858. He owned Greensburg's leading photography studio for a number of years before he quit due to health problems.

There are many ways to date a photo and identify where it was taken. In Fashionable Folks: Hairstyles 1840-1900, Photo Detective Maureen A. Taylor explains how to use hairstyles to date photos. This can be a great place to start if you have no other clues. The short, frizzed bangs in this photo indicate that it was probably taken between 1880 and 1890 - and the bangs could be fake ones attached to a comb!

To learn more about decoding your family photos, you might like another book by Taylor: Uncovering your ancestry through family photographs. Both books are available at the Greensburg-Decatur County Public Library. If you would like to share a photo taken at Millard Hudson's studio, please contact us!

Source: Harding, Lewis, History of Decatur County, Indiana. Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Co.,1915.