After posting three articles and scores of unknown photos of my Graham and Howell ancestors, I am happy to announce that one of the photos has been identified! Through ancestry.com I met my 3rd cousin, Suzanne Grimes, who has a number of 19th century Howell photos. Her grandmother, Beatrice Howell Johnson, had the foresight to write, “Grandmother Howell wife of Augustus Nolan Howell” on the back of this cabinet card.

May I present Susanna Reynolds Howell, my great-great grandmother:

Susanna’s parents were John and Sarah Mary Reynolds. According to her death certificate, Susanna was born November 17, 1841, in Elkton, Maryland. However, the 1880 and 1890 census records show her birth year as 1844 and place of birth as Delaware. Could it be that she fudged the dates on the census in order to appear to be only 3 months older than her husband (rather than 3 years and 3 months older)? Continue reading →