This early 1900s store interior photo seems to be of a hardware store. A well dressed man stands behind the counter. To his right: a young bib-overalled boy.

Here is a cropped version of the photo.

The inscription on the back says: “Herbert J. Kleehammer - 1st job 1913 - Oct 11 Age 13”

A very quick search of this rather unique name suggests the boy is most likely Herbert John Kleehammer (1899-1990). His Find a Grave memorial indicates that he was born October 11, 1899 and died April 6, 1990. He is buried at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.

And, to my great surprise, his Find a Grave memorial also includes this very photo! I have an inquiry out to the photo contributor but haven’t heard back yet.

The contributor may or may not have any personal connection to the Kleehammer family. It is possible they took the photo image from the eBay auction and added it to the site.

There is a fair bit of information about this family available on Ancestry. Nothing I have found indicates that this store was owned or run by the family. So, it seems unlikely that we will be able to identify it.

What we do know is that it is the place of Herbert’s first job! In 1920, however, he was listed on the U.S. Census as a “Draftsman” in “Axle Works”. In 1930 and 1940 he was listed as a Fireman at the City Dept.

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