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| VanBilliard, George, family. Photograph, ca 1903. original in possession of author |
This is another of the photos that my cousin Sue gave me a few months back. It was one that when we looked at it we had no idea who these people were. There are no notes on it with names or anything else to help. It was mounted on photo board and it was torn completely in half but taped back together. Since getting these photos I pull them out every so often to see if I can find hints to who they could be. On Sunday I was having a visit from another cousin that had not seen these photos yet so I took them out before she came. While putting them out this photo was calling to me and I could not stop looking at it. I suddenly realized that the little girl front and center was my grandmother, Elizabeth VanBilliard. In this group of photos I already posted the one of her as a child that was a professional portrait. I think she is even wearing the same dress!
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| VanBilliard, Elizabeth.Portrait, ca 1903 original in possession of author |
I started looking through and figured that this must be her family. She had a sister 2 years younger so that would be the baby in the arms of her mother. I have one photo of her mother that I have posted before, and a couple of her father. The one I was going round about was the woman next to the one holding the baby. She looked too old to be Elizabeth's oldest sister. Also I could not decide for sure that the person with the bow tie was Robert, the oldest son or the father. Well this had gone on for a couple of days and last night I sent the photo to a cousin who's Gran would be in the photo if I was right! I just sent her the photo asking if she had ever seen it and to call me! So she did call me. She said that she had never seen it before and the first thing she noticed was that the little girl front and center was my grandmother. So I asked her about the women next to Susan VanBilliard and she said it could be Susan's mother, Sarah Nuspickle Hass! I knew that she lived with them in the 1900 census. My cousin said that her Gran would talk about Sarah living in their attic and she would bring the children up there and read to them from her German Bible. Sarah died in 1904 so I think that my Grandmother did not have those memories because she was still so young when Sarah died. Then I think I have decided that the man in the bow tie is George not his son Robert. So it looks like the two oldest children are missing from the photo.
So this is what it looks like to me: First row: Elizabeth VanBilliard (1900-1985), second row: Luther VanBilliard (1894-1950), Raymond VanBilliard (1896-1971), behind Raymond, Mabel VanBilliard (1891-1971), last row, Susan Haas VanBilliard (1866-1920), holding Margaret VanBilliard (1902-1978), Sarah Nuspickle Haas (1827-1904), William VanBilliard (1889-1924) and George VanBilliard (1864-1930).
I am so excited to have found this all out and if there are any VanBilliard, Haas or Nuspickle cousins out there I would love to hear from you!!!!
Until then.... I will keep on looking!
