Tombstone Tuesday: Magnus Hanson

Magnus Hanson

Born 20 Nov 1883 in Akan, Richland, Wisconsin

Died 10 Dec 1883 in Akan, Richland, Wisconsin (of an unknown cause)

Laid to rest at the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery, Akan, Richaland, Wisconsin

For more information, please visit the following links: Hanson Family Burial Plot and Related Hanson Family Posts

Photo Restoration: Children of Ulysses Lindley

A recent CD discover has provided me with a ton of new photos of my Grandma's sister and her family.  Among these photos was this treasure: an undated photo of my Grandma's father (Earnest Lindley - upper right) and his siblings.

Before  (Click to Enlarge)
Back (L-R): Frank and Earnest Lindley.
Front (L-R): Mary, Jim, and Francelia Lindley.

As previously mentioned, I am unsure of the date of the photo, but judging by the ages of the siblings in the photo I would put it around the late 1920's or early 1930's. The photo was taken in Cedar Rapids, Iowa by Lasswell Studio (still in business, started in 1909).

Sadly, the photo is pretty beat up. There are many discoloration marks, pen marks, grime, and what looks like a red-colored nail polish on the right side.  Because this is such a great treasure for my family (we don't have many photos of our ancestors), I knew it had to be restored. The problem is that photo restoration can be expensive.

After  (Click to Enlarge)
Back (L-R): Frank and Earnest Lindley.
Front (L-R): Mary, Jim, and Francelia Lindley.

So, I decided to tackle it myself and having limited experience with editing photos, this was quite the departure for me. I used a free downloadable photo editing software called GIMP and found it a bit tricky to use at first. So, after fumbling around for a bit, I decided  that some playtime in the software was required and it got easier to use as time went on. In the end, I ended up really liking the software and will continue to use it in future projects. In the end, I'm happy that my first attempt at photo restoration and look forward to improving my skills. So, if any one has any tips for me, please leave a comment!

My Grandma and her sister are very excited to see this photo of their father and his siblings. My mom told them that I had discovered the photo and that it was in bad shape, but not that I tried to restore it. I'm going to surprise them with framed copies at Christmas. I am sure they will treasure it as much as I do.

This Week in Our Family History: November 28 - December 3

November 30
Magnus Hanson was born 30 Nov 1883 in Wisconsin to Hans J. and Antonette (Hoff) Hanson. Sadly, Magnus only lived for 10 days and passed away on 10 Dec 1883 of an unknown cause.  He is buried in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Richwood Township, Richland County, Wisconsin.

December 2
Charles R. Tyler married Nancy Jane Burns-Townsend.  This was the second marriage for Charles and the third for Nancy. They resided in rural Richland County, Wisconsin. Charles was 63 years old at the time and Nancy would have been roughly 49 years old.

The Importance of Labels and a Filing System

As a twenty-something, I have this horrible habit of moving residences every year.  Over the course of the past 10 years, these moves have found me in four states and even for a short while, England.  The worst part of moving is packing, and those who know me well know I loathe packing.  During my last few moves I have gotten really good at the "throw anything paper-related in one box, technology in another, etc." method.  When I would arrive at a new residence I would unpack the necessities and just leave the "paper-related" boxes packed. After all, if tradition continued, I would be moving again in a mear 12 months.

I have recently come to terms with the fact that I am a 'real' adult now and that I need to be organized like one.  So, I've been slowly going through my random box of papers and to my delight, have every certificate of appreciation I have earned, along with piles of brochures and maps from my travels abroad.  Towards the bottom of one box I found a CD without a label that was stuffed in a plain white paper envelope with a FedEx  Kinko's stamp on the outside.

I didn't recognize the envelope right away, but on second glance thought it might have been a digital copy of photos from a childhood accident of mine that my aunt made copies of.  Not wanting to revisit that incident I put it off for a few days. A few days later, I popped the CD into the computer. It was not photos from my childhood, instead - about 100 photos that look to be of my maternal Grandmother's sister's family! Complete with file names of people and places!

What an amazing little find! I have no recollection of receiving this CD, but I am so happy that someone thought to make me a copy!! I will be posting a few of the photos this weekend and will continue to roll them out as posts allow. And yes, I have learned my lesson. :)