Some of the Treasure

Although as I write this, I sit beside a plastic tote full of things yet to scan or study in depth, I was able to spend a few evenings and early mornings scanning the loose photographs that I was able to retrieve from Colorado Springs, especially the handful that were really dear to me. Above is the photograph I have showing John Kuck, my third great grandfather, at his oldest age in the three photos of him I have. My great grandfather Victor is sitting on John's lap and was born in Jan 1895 so I would guess this photo was taken sometime in late 1896 or 1897 which would make John around 60 years of age. He would live almost 20 more years but I have no photos of that time from.

Until now.

According to the labeling on the back of this photo, it was taken some five years later in 1901 and is a picture of John, Clara, Paul, Bertha and second wife Elizabeth. As you recall, most of this stuff in this tub belonged to Clara. His beard has definitely got a lot more gray in it and his hairline receded a bit further.

Here is another picture of John taken sometime in late 1910 or early 1911 shortly after the death of his second wife Elizabeth as Clara noted on the backside of the photograph. He died in 1916, five or six years after this photo was taken and I did not find another portrait of him in those  years in the box of loose photographs. I did five four or five more photographs of him at younger ages, many similar to the two I have though none during the time when his first wife Mary, my third great grandmother would have been alive. I suppose any photos of her, other than the one I have, went to John and Mary's two surviving sons and either lost in the "lost semi" incident or were lost out on the west coast by what remains of his descendants there. 

I thought I would include one more picture of John's house which I have posted several times before over the years but in this box, there were two with people in the side yard at the time it was taken. Although the resolution isn't enough to make a positive identification, I have no doubt that it is John and his send wife Elizabeth standing out front and possibly son Paul in this one. In the other one possibly taken on the same day, John and Elizabeth are in relatively the same spots as well as the boy by the fence but there is a very blurry female on the left side near the addition in the rear too. 

I have scanned them as you know since they are now in this post and soon I will hopefully attach them to family trees on other sites as a way to distribute them so that they around for as long as the internet. I'm not sure what else to do at this point with them so they will go back in the plastic tote with the rest of Clara Kuck's things and reside on a shelf in my basement storage room until something comes to mind.