Ritchey and I were in Cincinnati yesterday, visited two antique malls and came home with many, many photos – one being the above picture.  This is a post card photo – with the CYKO symbol at the spot where you would put the stamp.  This dates the card from 1904 to 1920.  Even though that is a good bit of information to know, it was unnecessary in this case, since there is a dated note written on the back of the post card – in the most beautiful handwriting!

‘Nov. 30 – 1912.  Wilmington, Ohio

Dear Millie:  This is a picture of the three generations.  Louisa Sabin Wright, her son Paul H. and his daughter, Dorothy Evelyn Wright.  The picture was taken November 30, 1912.  Dorothy was then 2 3/4 years old.  I appreciated the picture of thy children very much.  With love, Louie S. Wright’

With the amount of information written on the back of this post card it was an easy search to find more about the lives of this family.  Louisa Sabin was born May 6, 1848, the daughter of Elijah Jefferson Sabin and Rachel Birdsall.  Elijah was born January 12, 1806, in New York, and died March 26, 1882, in Warren County, Ohio.  Rachel was born March 15, 1815, in Virginia, and died July 10, 1876.  The census records show they had three children – in addition to Louisa, two sons, Howard and George.

Louisa married Jonathan B. Wright, July 1, 1875.  Again, through census records I find they had three children.  In the 1880 census they are listed with Grace, age 4.  In 1900 they are listed with Grace L., 23, and Paul, 18.  Therefore in the photo Paul would have been 30 years old.  In the Ohio birth records I also found another daughter, Agnes R., born March 14, 1879.  She must have died very young since she is not listed in any census records.

Daughter Grace Lillian Wright married Walker McClun Bond.  She was born June 11, 1876 and died February 17, 1928.  There are no children listed in the census records.

I found no marriage records for Paul – no mother for little Dorothy – perhaps it will take another try.

Louisa and Jonathan are living together, just the two of them, in the 1910 census.  He died March 01, 1916.  I found his death certificate.

This gives us his date and place of birth – April 14, 1850, Highland County, Ohio; his parents, Joseph Wright and Lydia Cowgill, and his occupation – professor!

I was still puzzled – who is ‘Millie’ – to whom the post card was sent?  I found that Louisa had a brother, Howard Sabin, who married Aramantha Jackson.  They had a daughter Mildred, born in 1879.  By 1912 she was 33 years of age, and could easily have sent a picture of her children to her Aunt Louisa.  Also note the signature “Louie B. Wright” – sent to someone she with whom she was very familiar.

After Jonathan died in 1916, Louisa continued to live by herself and is listed in the 1920 and 1930 census.  She died November 4, 1931.  By this point her husband, two daughters, parents and most of her siblings had passed on.  Louisa must have been a strong woman to continue on her own.  And now we know much of her story!