Genealogy Through Pictures

Frank and Katie Timmermeyer Wedding Photo

According to the inscription on back, this is the wedding photo for Frank Timmermeyer and Catharine Josephine Curtis. We can see from the photographer’s imprint that the image was taken at Lawrence Kansas, and Catharine’s huge leg-o-mutton sleeves suggest the date was in the mid 1890s.

I didn’t have any great trouble tracking these two in the census records, having found both of them in each available census from 1870 through 1930. Timmermeyer was mis-indexed as Simmermeyer and Trimmerman, and in the earliest record was spelled Timmermeier. Curtis was spelled consistently, but there were lots of those to choose from, and the first names varied quite a bit — but in the end they could be sorted out based on the facts about Catharine found in later censuses.

There was also a genealogy compiled on Ancestry.com for this family, which provided some additional details — though it did have one glaring error, showing two children for this couple born two months apart in 1900 — one of those was actually born 1907.

Taking things more or less chronologically, Catharine was born Mar 8, 1868 in Monroe Ohio, eldest child of Jeremiah and Catherine (Murray) Curtis. Jeremiah, or Jerry was born in Ireland ca 1831, and his wife Catharine, or Kate, was also born in Ireland, in August 1846. Besides daughter Catharine, Jerry and Kate had: John, born June 1869; Jerry M born September 1872; William born November 1875; Thomas born August 1879; Anna E born November 1882; and James F born October 1886. There were two other children born who died young.

Kate Curtis and her brother John were born in Ohio, but by the time of the 1870 census the family had moved to a farm in Willow Springs township, Douglas county, Kansas where the family was still living thirty years later. Douglas county is where Lawrence is located. Kate’s father died between 1886 and 1900, as her mother is listed as a widow in the 1900 census.

Frank Timmermeyer was born January 17, 1870 in St Charles, Missouri, the fifth of nine children born to George and Mary (Kollister) Timmermeyer. George Timmermeyer was born October 4, 1828 in Dellbruck, Germany, the son of Joseph H and Anna Angela (Wigge) Timmermeyer. Mary Kollister was born September 30, 1841 in Hanover, Germany. Besides son Frank, their children were: Henry, born August 14, 1861 in Missouri; Joseph, born August 23, 1863 in St Charles, Missouri; Mary born February 10, 1865 in Missouri; William George, born January 22, 1867 in St Charles; Elizabeth born August 19, 1873; Fred born December 15, 1874; Katherine born April 17, 1875; and Anna born February 2nd, 1883.

Frank’s father George died November 2nd, 1895. Frank Timmermeyer and Catharine Josephine Curtis were married in Baldwin City Kansas on November 17, 1896. Baldwin City is also in Douglas county, and is about 15 miles from Lawrence, where our picture was taken, probably within a couple days of the actual marriage. They settled on a farm in Wakarusa township, Douglas county, just outside of Lawrence. Their first child, Frances Mary, was born in December 1900, but died within a year. Another girl, Anna Katherine, was born December 3rd, 1902. Their only son, Leo Thomas, was born November 10th, 1904. The final child, Julia Eva, was probably born November 5th 1907, though the online genealogy shows 1900 (just one month before her sister Frances? — unlikely). Her age in the 1910 and 1920 give her age as 2 and 12 respectively, if her birthday was in November she must have born 1907.

Frank’s mother Mary (Kollister) Timmermeyer died July 17, 1918 in Wichitaw, Kansas. Sometime between 1910 and 1920 Frank and Catherine apparently sold the farm in Kansas and bought a house at 845 Martin in Longmont, Colorado. They are listed there in the 1920 and 1930 censuses, and in 1936 and 1938 city directories for Longmont. Daughter Julia Eva died July 11, 1936, a few months short of her 29th birthday. Frank TImmermeyer died November 28th, 1947 in Longmont. Catherine (Curtis) Timmermeyer died October 18, 1948 — also in Longmont. Their son Leo died July 5th, 1979 in Grants Pass, Oregon. Daughter Anna Katherine died July 27th, 1981.

The photographer for this image was Joseph L Morris, born May 1859 in Ohio to James P and Anna H Morris. James was a farmer, born ca 1831 in Ohio, the son of Joseph Morris, born about 1803 in Ohio. In 1880 Joseph was working on his father’s farm in White township, Macon county, Missouri. So far, we have no other record of Joseph working as a photographer before this photograph from 1896. His career was probably not very long, he is listed as a photographer in Lawrence in the 1900 census, but by the 1910 census he is in the same city but without any occupation listed, and in 1920 he is still in Lawrence, but his occupation is shown as mechanical engineer. He married a woman named Maggie (born October 1860 in Missouri) about 1890, but they had no children. She died in the 1920s as he is listed as a widower in 1930.