While I haven’t done much genealogy research lately, I have scanned some antique photos. I am eager to get back to the research, but haven’t yet had the time. In the meantime, here is one of the “new” photos I’ve scanned.
I love this photo for its moody quality with the reflection of the trees on the house and in the windows, how the closeup of the house almost looks gothic, and his little lace-up boots.
So who are these people and when was it taken? Did they just step outside for the photo? I don’t see warm coats or hats.
This is what the back of the photo says:
Alice Leeuwenhoek and her little cousin, my grandfather, Adrian Zuidweg.
Was somebody using this photo as scrap paper to do a little sum? 232 + 94 = 326
So 1914 or 1916? Grandpa was born 31 October 1908. Do you think this photo is 1914, 1915, or 1916?
The Family Kalamazoo 
I think he looks to be about 6 years old, so 1914 is my guess.
Yes, and he was a fairly tall man, so it’s possible that he was a little tall as a boy. Is that a dog in her arms?
A great image. The boy’s pose is incredibly modern looking, with a lot of photographs showing action or disinterest.
Thanks, Barb. I know. It’s as if this is a still from a modern movie made of that era!!!
What a truly intriguing photo Luanne- everything about this photo is so precious. I feel a poem attached to this one 🙂 …. I’ll pick 1915 right in the middle but I really have no idea
Haha, ok! I know what you mean about the poem . . . . Do you think she’s holding a puppy?
Yes I do – it looks like a long hair doxie pup to me.
looking to see if anyone else wrote about the puppy, I see the dialog with Sheila on a spaniel puppy. Possibly – I can see that with the ears (and I have had 4 spaniels) but the nose looks a little to narrow and elongated to me. Could be the tilt of the head though. If the family were spaniel lovers I can see that too so….doxie or spaniel the pup is adorable and makes the photo so much more human 🙂
I know, so cute! They sure did love their dogs!
Those are so cute. Pretty sure it’s a Spaniel of some kind because that’s what the family used to have.
I love this one, Luanne…looks to me like someone tried to scratch through 1916 so I think it must be 1914…regardless of the year, the photograph is priceless.
thanks, Sheila! Do you remember this post about dogs? https://thefamilykalamazoo.com/2014/03/25/dogs-in-the-family/ Do you think she is holding the puppy Bobby? You’re a dog expert :).
Yes, Luanne, I think this looks like a Spaniel puppy – I’m thinking they were Boykin Spaniels, the ones with solid colors. The spotted Spaniels were different, but I can’t recall the name. I had friends who loved Spaniels – they were wonderfully loyal but not always the best pets for children. Maybe that’s why Bobby is looking away.
Interesting. Sandy, the English Springer (at the beginning of that other post) that bit me when I was a baby didn’t like children at all. Yes, I see your other comment–that’s why Grandpa was looking away from Bobby. Haha, maybe!
Sorry – that’s why the little boy is looking away from Bobby.
I agree with others—1914. He doesn’t look more than six to me, judging from my 8 year old grandson and four year old grandson. Fascinating photograph for that era when most people stared right at the camera. Yes—I also see a story poem for this one!
Thank you, Amy. I think I’m going to go with 1914! I am so drawn to this photo. It’s almost as if a story is waiting to be told about it!
I can’t wait to read what you come up with.
But please don’t hold your breath!
Don’t worry….I have great lung capacity! 😉
Hahaha!
Yes the year 1914 seems correct. Wonderful photo.
Thank you, Jose! I feel pretty confident to go with 1914 now! This is one of my favorite photos, I think!
It is a wonderful, and intriguing photo Luanne. I’d definitely go with the earlier date. I was just looking at photos of my son as a child, and Adrian definitely looks closer to six than eight.
I love that everyone is in agreement about 1914. Makes things so much easier haha!!! Thanks, Su!
Like everyone else here, I think this photo is precious. Regarding the various numbers, I’m always trying to compute something or other, a date, an age, a price… I find later that I have written on all sorts of papers; very little was sacred. When I went through my grandmother’s papers she had done the same thing.
Jenni, thank you so much! I think you are right. You made me think about all the times I’ve mindlessly grabbed whatever what at hand because I had to figure something out!
I think the house is 122 Balch St, (as viewed from Balch) rather than 1520 S Burdick that appears on the back of the photo. You can still see the brickwork on Google Maps at https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2760252,-85.5832226,3a,15y,0.38h,89.48t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slzhGSF8RZ3kilJLXhQgGeg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
Joel, good eye. It actually is the same house (corner of Burdick and Balch) because they changed addresses in that area at some point. It was built by Grandpa’s grandfather Richard DeKorn. https://thefamilykalamazoo.com/2014/10/29/the-richard-dekorn-house/
I don’t know if you remember but my Grandfather Edwin R Reeves lived in the corner brick house during the 50’s-60’s. He was Francis DeSmit Reeves Flipse son from her first marriage to Charles A Reeves. (I think that is how we originally connected)
I wonder at what point the house changed over to your grandfather and if there was another owner after Richard DeKorn before your grandfather. Seems more than a coincidence that it was still “in the family.”
I believe this is Grandpa’s handwriting. He appears to be about eight years old, if so, it would be 1916. His hair is not as curly or light in color as I’ve seen before. It is a good image of Alice.
Oh great! You are throwing a monkey wrench in here, Mom, as everyone was sure it was 1914! Haha. I thought that was strange about his hair, too, but maybe the curls had just been cut off? Thanks for speaking up!
He does actually look more like 8 than 6.
Well, if he’s 8 it has to be 1916 then. Mom thinks he’s 8 there.
Probably 1916 then. I wonder what the line between or through the year meant, though? Possibly, as someone else said, a question about one or other year?
I wonder if it’s a concidence and just an accidental mark. My mother says it’s my grandfather’s handwriting, but WHICH? There appears to be two different handwritings, if not three.
The ‘sum’ on the right is in the same handwriting as the dates – look at the curve to the number 4, for instance. I’ll have another look at it tomorrow. (It’s SOOOO late here right now!)
Off topic: some few of your posts come to my gmail as “Promotions”. This one did. Could be my settings, although only yours are affected. Would hate to see any of yours, over looked.
What in the world does that mean? Promotions? Grrr. Thank you for letting me know, Marilee. If I hear that from anybody else I will try contacting WordPress, but since you probably know what a pain that is, I will wait and see if anybody else mentions the same thing or else I will think maybe it’s a fluke?
Wait and see probably the best measure
Google Gmail subdivides your email into categories to help you manage it, “promotions” is the category that most commercial advertising gets put into. I really don’t think the sender has any control over which category their mail is put in.
I wonder why mine goes into that, but not other blog post notifications. That’s a little strange.
Such a natural photograph for that time
I know! Thanks, Derrick!
Maybe the person labeling the photo didn’t know what year it was taken – but was guessing that it was taken sometime between 1914-1916.
My mom says it’s Grandpa’s handwriting so I guess he didn’t know for sure how old he was (so how can we know haha)!
Lovely photo with what looks like a springer spaniel pup in her arms! (They have straigher hair than cocker spaniels – we had a cocker spaniel when I was a kid, before my allergies were discovered: they have very curly hair and their ears look rather shaggy. This one has – as far as I can tell – fairly smooth ears.) It might have a bit of white on its chest, too but am not certain about that.
The boy looks older than 6 to me, but he might have been tall for his age. I think the 1916 date has been badly crossed out, so it’ll be 1914.
That makes a lot of sense if it’s a springer spaniel because that is the type of dog they usually had. A relative (and I’ve written about this a long time ago, if I remember right) bred that type of dog, so they probably got their dogs from him. (disclaimer: by today’s standards and knowledge, I am in full favor of adopting rescue dogs, rather than obtaining dogs from a breeder or pet store).
Ah, then it probably was a springer. (I’m also in favour of rescue dogs – all rescue animals, really, not just dogs. No need whatsoever to specially breed – or sell – more dogs when there are others that badly need homes.) x
Exactly. All six of my cats are rescue cats :). And my son and DIL have 2 rescue dogs and 2 rescue cats, my daughter one rescue cat.
Luanne – re the ‘promotions’ in your commenter’s email…. wordpress are now putting advertising in post notificaton mails which is probably why that’s happening.
Ugh, why are they changing things? I like the way they have been with WordPress!
WordPress.com always change things – they’ve done that since they started. We just have to get used to it. I stopped getting post notifications because of this. And I complained to them, too.
Yes, I’m sure they did not care! Overall, I am very pleased with WordPress, but they are not easy to contact when there is a problem. And I’ve heard this Gutenberg editing system is a real pain.
Urgh. Gutenberg. I’ve tried it, it’s horrible. But there might be a way to turn it off. There was a forum thread about it, I can try to find it (another day) if you like?
As for contacting them, it’s easy if you have a paid account (which I think you have on other blogs?) by using the chat facility in your account settings.
I think it’s 1914 as well! This is a very detailed photo, and I love how well it came out quality wise.
Hi, Luanne. I love the informal style in this portrait. The woman’s expression is marvelous and so are the details in the shot.