Every Friday The Psychogenealogist shares a "Pic of the Week." The intent is to provoke thought and imagination about the spaces where psychology, genealogy, and history converge.

This week's photo comes courtesy of Jim Pethan, a fan of The Psychogenealogist Facebook page. The woman pictured in the daguerreotype below is of Jim's 3rd great grandmother from about 1860.

Her name is Elizabeth Schlaymacher. She was born in Germany and was married to Maurice Stracke around 1839 in Baltimore, Maryland. She died in 1885 in Baltimore.

I did a quick search on Ancestry.com with this information and found the 1850 census with Elizabeth and Maurice and their children. It also looks possible that Elizabeth's mother was living with them at this time as well (her name, on the second page, is listed as Henrietta Haymacker or Schlaymacher).

Jim confirmed that this was, in fact, his family. He said: 

"Henrietta, the 2 year old went on to marry Louis William Baltz in 1866. He was also a butcher. They moved to Richmond Virginia later where they are both buried. They are my great great grandparents."

This neighborhood liked their meat!

There are 13 families represented on these two census pages. Among those families there are 12 people (mostly heads of household) listed as "Butcher." Other occupations that are listed: Farmer, Gardener, Stevedore, Milkman, and Exchange Broker.

Questions:

• What is this woman's story?

• How did your ancestors' occupations influence you today?

• What was it like to be a German immigrant in the U.S. in the 1800s?

These are just a few questions to stir your imagination as you think about your own (and others') psychology, genealogy, and history.

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