Emily (Bryan) Reid and Her Daughters

This is a photo of my great-great-grandmother Emily (Bryan) Reid Bisel and her six daughters. My great-grandmother Pearl (Reid) Brewster is seated at the far left.

Emily (Bryan) Reid and her daughters. Front: Pearl, Emily, Laura. Back: Zorphia, Minnie, Edith, Gladys.

Emily (Bryan) Reid and her daughters. Front: Pearl, Emily, Laura. Back: Zorphia, Minnie, Edith, Gladys.

The original photo belonged to my great-aunt Dorothy (Brewster) Weaver, sister of my grandmother Gertrude (Brewster) Miller. Both were daughters of Pearl (Reid) Brewster. I visited Dorothy in 1999 and she allowed me to copy the photo.

My great-grandmother Pearl was the oldest of the six daughters of my great-great-grandparents, Emily (1856-1940) and William (1855-1905) Reid. The Reid women in the above photo, left to right, front row: Pearl, Emily, Laura; back row: Zorphia, Minnie, Edith and Gladys.

The Reid daughters with their married names: Pearl Selina Brewster (1880-1962), Laura Dell Metzner (1882-1921), Minnie Mae Brockway (1884-?), Zorphia Ellen Lawrence (1887-1975), Edith Louisa VanSkyock (1892-1968) and Gladys Ester Lare (1899-1994). Laura died in 1921, so the photo was taken before that year.

1913 postcard from Fort Recovery, Ohio. Emily (Bryan) Reid, 3 granddaughters, daughter Laura (Reid) Metzner.

1913 postcard from Laura Metzner, Fort Recovery, Ohio, to her sister Pearl Brewster, Geneva, Indiana. In photo: Emily (Bryan) Reid, 3 granddaughters, daughter Laura (Reid) Metzner.

Above is a postcard, postmarked Fort Recovery, Ohio, 21 July 1913 and addressed to Mrs. Phill Brewster, Geneva, Ind.  I believe this is a photo of Emily (Bryan) Reid, her daughter Laura (Reid) Metzner and Laura’s three daughters Vadia L, Hazel and Clara L. Laura’s girls would have been about 12, 7 and 5 respectively, and those ages look to be about right for the girls in the photo. What a lovely old two-story home in Fort Recovery.

Laura and her husband Arthur A. lived in Fort Recovery sometime between 1910 and 1916, and possibly longer. According to the 1916 Mercer County Directory, A.A. Metzner, wife Laura and 3 children lived at Wayne & Caldwell Streets in Fort Recovery. Arthur was a traveling salesman. [1] That was probably the location of the above house. Emily lived in Portland and she may have been visiting Laura the day the postcard photo was taken.

The 1916 directory provided some good additional information to accompany the postcard, so remember to include city and county directories on your list of items to check.

1913 Postcard sent to Pearl Brewster from her sister Laura Metzner.

1913 Postcard sent to Pearl Brewster from her sister Laura Metzner.

The back of the postcard, transcribed as it was written:

July 20

Ft. Recovery

Dear sister and all How are you all  we are all pretty well  When are you coming out  you can look for us some Satterday  i gess they are all well at Portland i want to go home this week if I can

What do you think of this card

Laura

Rite some

 

[1] The Farm Journal Illustrated Directory of Mercer County, Ohio, 1916, 1921 (Philadelphia: Wilmer Atkinson Company, 1916), 113.

3 comments

  1. How about that stamp? Postage has gone up a tad! A penney or two could take a card anywhere. Then again, even with the high cost of postage these days, no price would ever save the Post Office with the ease, cost and speed of email, and other modern methods of keeping in touch. What would it have meant to those families to have a phone? Think about how our ancestors left their native countries and families, virtually never to have real contact with them again. No quick note, call or skype to just keep up with the illnesses, safe arrival, or happy celebrations of daily life. It was a very different world. Even reading this simple card it is clear that just have enough education to write a note was a special advantage, let alone someone on the other end able to read it.

    • Jimmie Scott on March 16, 2014 at 5:02 pm
    • Reply

    Hello, I am looking for someone who was related to Minnie Mae Carroll Reid. My step-father was Elmer james Carroll who was Minnies brother. Thier Mother was Mary Elizabeth ( Beasley ) Carroll wife of James Mark Carrol whos childern were Minnie, Elmer, Lester, Floyd and Walter. They lived in Roby, Texas. Mary had Walter in July of 1909 and it is persumed Mary died in 1910 in Roby. We have searched for years for her Grave and hope that in some of her offsprings there is some news article or souvenier or something that will tell us where she is buried. If you can help in any way or know of some other person who can help us give her a proper burial after all these year Pleas help. Thanks Jimmie

    1. I am sorry, but I do not see any Carrolls that married into our Reids. I have a couple Minnie Maes, but they were born Reid. I am sorry I could not be of any help. Good luck with your search!

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