One of the photographs we found while on our genealogy travels the end of March. Don’t you love a photo that has, not only the name, but the maiden name, also! Elmina Caroline Phillips McIntosh – what a grand name, and with Elmina as a first name, not that ordinary! I put a search in ancestry.com and what did I find? Elmina, living in Barrington, Illinois, just as listed on the back of the photo!
Elmina was born March 16, 1824, to Reuel Phillips, Jr., and Sarah Landers. Reuel was from Connecticut and Sarah from New York. Elmina married Millius Benjamin McIntosh in 1846. He was born January 6, 1817, in New York, also. In the 1850 census they are listed in Guilderland, Albany County, New York, but in the 1870 census they are in Barrington, Cook County, Illinois, where they remain until their deaths.
As always, so much can be learned from the census records. In 1900, still living in Cook County, Elmina and Millius are listed as having been married 54 years. Of the 8 children they had only three were still living – Emma Jane, M. Clark and F. W. Millius’ father was born in New York, while his mother was born in New Hampshire.
Elmina and Millius both died in the year 1908 – she on May 22nd at the age of 84 – and he on August 30th at the age of 91.
I believe the photo was taken about 1870. It is a CDV or carte-de-visite photo, 2 1/2 x 4 inches, popular around the time of the Civil War and into the very early 1870’s.
Categories: Family Stories, Genealogy Ramblings, Old Photos
Millius’s father, Alexander, was my 4th GG. His mother was Betsey Wood. Where did you find this photo? I am unclear whether this was just a unique find or you are related.
Christy, I found the photo in Cincinnati, Ohio. This is not a relative, just a photo I found. I buy old photos to share online. If this is your relative I would be happy to send you the photo. Email me at phyrit@roadrunner.com with your address! It makes me happy to pair living relatives with old photos!
Ms Callender, if the photo was passed along to you, I wonder iif you might consider loaning it for publication?. My name is David Rutter, and I am freelance writer on historical topics for the “Country Magazine” of Barrington, Ill. As you might know, M.B. and Elwina were among the “first families” in this area. There is plenty of history about M.B. (first mayor, first school board president, first major businessman but very little about Elwina. I would like to remedy that. The photo of her (which I think might be unique) would be a great help to illustrate her life. Obviously the publisher, JWC Media, will take extraordinary care to protect the photo, and return it to after a copies made.
Let me know if it seems doable.
David Rutter
847-445-7684
david.rutter@live.ciom.
David, it is doable to loan you the picture of Elmina. I can also write up what I know about her, and some background on their families if that would be helpful.
Ms. Callender,
This is wonderful news.I so much appreciate you’re allowing me access to it. And I think readers will too….the mailing particulars are David Rutter, 107 S. Milwaukee Ave,. P.O Box 155, Lake Villa. Ill., 60046,,,, 847-445-7684….david.rutter@live.com….www.rutterwrites.com……….If you are not aware of it, Mrs. McIntosh and husband Millius, were among the founding families of the Barrington, Ill. area, which straddles the line between Lake County and Cook County just north of Chicago……He was the village’s first elected mayor, first school board president and first major businessman……They had eight children, though only three survived to advanced years…….The photo of her is very important for the story’s sake because it’s likely no one in Barrington had ever seen a portrait of her……as with many frontier woman of note, she was largely ignored by written history (which I am t trying to rectify in a small way)…….THe lack of attention is very odd because her grandson, Arnett Lines, was the official historian of the area. He often mentioned his grandfather,r but seldom her. Indee, I am not sure if her fulfilled name has ever been published here……So I am writing a Mother’s Day homage to frontier mothers, wives and female founders she as there First of the First Ladies” of Barrington, she deserves spot at the front f the line………So your supplemental history and notes about her will be VERY WELCOME……..David Rutter……p.s. – . please send me an email when you have mailed the photo so I can watch for it.
David, I am going out of town for about 10 days and will take care of this when I return. I hope the timing is okay for you. Will you make sure that I get a copy of the final article? Also, I didn’t know that they had 10 kids. I only knew about 5. Do you have further information on them? Also, are any McIntosh descendants still living in the area? I would like to contact them.
Christy
David, I sent you the picture of Elmina Phillips McIntosh in today’s mail. I will send you the notes that I have on her later on today electronically. Please return the picture when you are through with it, and send me a copy of the article. Thanks,
Christy McIntosh Callender
correction: email is David.rutter@live.com