Pic of the Week (#153) - A Brief History of Maria Theresa Ames Lemley (1877-1957) and Family
Every week The Psychogenealogist shares a "Pic of the Week." The intent is to encourage thought and imagination about the spaces where psychology, genealogy, and history converge.
If the notation on the back of this lovely photograph, found at a local antique store, is correct this is Maria Theresa Ames Lemley (1877-1957). She is the daughter of William Prince Ames (1842-1899) and Evangeline Reynolds (1855-1925).
Maria was born in Webster Grove, Missouri, not far from St. Louis. In 1904 she married Frank Harmon Lemley (1868-1944) in Lansing, Michigan, Frank’s birthplace.
The image is a little over 3x5 inches matted on a 7x9 board. Here is the image cropped without the mat.
The back of the photo shows a detailed identification, most likely done decades after the photo was taken. It reads:
Maria Theresa Ames (Lemley)
daughter of Evangeline Reynolds Ames
and William Prince Ames
The photographer stamp reads:
A.M. Woolley
989 Boonville Street
Springfield, MO
The studio at this address was opened in 1898. And it appears that the photographer, A.M. Woolley, died in 1936.
This gives us a very broad indication of when this photograph was taken, sometime between 1898 and 1936. My instinct tells me that the woman in the photograph is about 30. If this is Maria (born in 1877) that means the photograph was taken about 1907. Her clothing and bare shoulders seem too risqué to me for a photo taken at that time, so the photo could be later. What do you think?
Some very brief preliminary research on Ancestry shows a woman who matches these details attached to several family trees.
Here is what I found.
In 1903 Maria’s parents announced her engagement to Frank. Maria and Frank married that next year, in 1904, at the home of what I suspect belonged to Frank’s mother.
Records indicate that Maria and Frank had two children. A daughter, Ames Flagler Lemley, sadly died as an infant in 1909 due an “injury at birth”.
I am not sure when the Lemleys moved to Massachusetts or how long they lived there. But, all of the other details seem to match up.
There is some evidence that Maria and Frank had a son as well, although there are some details to confirm to be sure. It seems likely that their son was the Cadet Fred A. Lemley described in this 1930 newspaper clipping.
Fred attended the Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri. The academy has archived their yearbooks and, indeed, the book from 1930 has several mentions of a “Lemley” on pages 29, 30, 46, 76, 95, 99, 114. You can view the entire book below. It is a neat piece of history.
It is not a very clear photograph of him, but Fred appears to be second in from the left, seated, in this group photo of Cadet Non-Commissioned Officers.
You can peruse all of the Wentworth yearbooks here.
Maria’s husband, Frank, died in 1944. Here are his obituaries.
Maria lived another 13 years as a widow. She died on Friday, June 7, 1957 in Tucson, Arizona. Her obituary mentions her son, Fred, and two grandchildren, presumably Fred’s children.
The address of 2917 E. Seneca St. matches the information on her death certificate.
One detail about Maria’s son, Fred, is confusing. A Find a Grave memorial for a man of the same name (who for other reasons I believe to be Maria’s son), suggests he was born on July 3, 1909. He died January 29th, 1980.
If, in fact, Fred was born on July 3, 1909, how could it also be true that his sister (Ames) was born and died on April 7, 1909? How could a brother be born only three months after the birth of his sister?
There is a mistake here that needs to be accounted for. Either there are some incorrect dates, which is not horribly uncommon, or I have identified the wrong people. Both seem like reasonable possibilities to me. What do you think?
As you know, genealogy research is filled with rabbit holes. The information shared here took about one hour to find and compile. It is about as far down the rabbit hole as I am able to go right now. BUT, there are plenty of leads to explore if you are interested in learning and telling this family’s story. If you are interested, here are some questions to consider.
Questions:
Have I identified the right people here?
Is a “Return of Death” document different than a death certificate?
What year was this photo taken? It seems rather risqué, for the time, even if it was as late as the 1920s (and it seems earlier than that to me).
Is the photo properly identified?
What explains the conflict of the siblings’ birthdates?
Whatever happened to Fred A. Lemley? Where are his children?
Is there anyone alive who might be connected to this family and want this photo?
What do you think, feel, and wonder about as you look at the photo and consider this family’s story?
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