Click on picture to see a larger viewMy goodness! Thanks for the heads-up, cousin Kent.
This is Mark Higgins, the only surviving grandchild of Merle Higgins. My father, Val, was the only child born to any of the 5 Higgins children: Paul, Curt, Merle, Milton, and Eva. None of the other brothers ever married, and Eva married later in life to "Doc" Lorenzen, the dentist in Benkelman, but they had no children. Parents of the 5 were Milton A. and Mettie C. Higgins. Everyone called the elder Milton "M.A.", and the younger Milton got the nickname "Wacker" or "Whacker" early in life. When he was grown, it was shortened to just "Wack".
I about 99% certain that those are, indeed, all 5 of the Higgins children in that picture. Even at that young age, there was a strong familial resemblance for all five kids that Dad, and then I, inherited.
The boy to the right of the man in the suit (teacher?) is almost certainly my great-uncle, Paul Higgins. Note the crutch under his left arm. Paul lost his left leg, when very young, to "TB of the bone" as it was called then. It wasn't actually tuberculosis, but I don't know what the correct medical term is. He was fitted with a prosthetic leg, but not until after he had grown up.
To the right of Paul is Merle, then Curt (or possibly Curt then Merle), and the boy nearly in the middle (long-sleeve white shirt) is, I think, Milton.
I'm also quite sure that the third child from the far left is Eva. Again, the facial characteristics lead me to believe that. She looks startlingly like my late sister Jill did at that age.
If I had a larger and higher-resolution picture, I could tell for certain.
The date for the picture, "about 1905" would be close. Paul was born in 1895, and would be ten in that picture if the date is right, with Curt at 9, Merle at 8, and Milton at 6. Eva would be only 4 years old, though (born 1901), and I wonder at what age children started school back then. I'm now wondering if that picture is actually from 1906 or possibly from 1907, though?
(NOTE: Merle married Inez Herring, whose sister Ruth is my cousin Kent's mother. We're 1st cousins once removed, actually, since Kent and my Dad are 1st cousins.)
As I said I'm 99% sure of this, but hope someone can provide even more confirmation.
What a pleasant stroll down Memory Lane this has been.
Mark
Writing my own follow-up comment here....
ReplyDeleteI may have a mystery on my hands. Over Memorial Day I visited Fort Snelling National Cemetery, as I do every year. Only THIS year, because of this picture and the interest it generated in me, I made note of Merle Higgins' birth date on his headstone: July 14, 1892. That's three years BEFORE Paul was born.
And now I'm puzzled. Paul Higgins is a half-head taller than Merle in the picture. Merle was not a tall man, and Paul WAS, but I'm wondering now if the engraved date of Merle's birth is correct. He would be 13 or 14 in the picture, to Paul's 10 or 11.
If anyone has access to the Birth Records in Haigler and can confirm Merle's birthdate, I'd appreciate it. I have no idea how I'd do that myself.
Thank you!
Hi, I have genealogy research information on Minerva Jane (Brown) Higgins (born 1837 died 1917) who married Joseph Thomas Higgins. Minerva and Joseph Higgins are the ancestors of Milton and etc. mentioned on this blog. I'd be happy to share my research.
ReplyDeleteHi, I just checked the 1900-1920 census for both Paul and Merle Higgins and the census information agrees with the headstone informatin that was recorded at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery for Merle Higgins. Census information was obtained from 1900 census for St. Joseph Ward, MO; 1910 census for Bethany, MO; 1920 census for Haigler, NE; and 1930 census for Benkleman, NE. Regards, Mary
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