Baffling Family History, still digging into this
Most of what I've found so far are just casual pictures of a Ralph H. Chittenden, though there are pictures of what seems to be "Dad" at 102 years old around 1957 - which could be Hiram Chittenden. Ralph apparently did not like his first name, its either addressed as "RHL" or "H. Chittenden" which is why I first had a feeling it couldn't have been *the* Hiram Chittenden. Some pictures contain three brothers though it appears there is a fourth, it rotates depending on who was holding the camera.
Further digging shows more information and very old pictures of the Irish clan of the Ragsdales including a few pictures of a prized show horse "Comodore" which won awards in Dublin Ire and Great Britan sometime during the 1920's to 1940 (possibly earlier, I'm trying to find that out). The handwriting on the back does not address any specific individual yet mentions someone "offered Father $10,000 for him and he refused, then another man offered the same in US Dollars and he was refused as well!". That had to be a very special horse - there are more pictures that seem taken later of a man with numerous show horses but no names or dates.
Interesting is that the Ragsdales are far more documented on the internet than the Chittendens!
There is a marriage certificate dating to 1889 for Mary (listed), a small cloth covered book of "The Lay of The Last Minstrel" by Sir Walter Scott, published by Valentine & Son's, Limited - Dundee, Edinburgh, London, And Dublin though there is a gap of information on exactly when it was published, the inscription on the first page is:
From Margie & Angus
With Love
1940
though Valentine only mentions being publishers of Post Cards and Pictures as the predominate business.
A picture of an elaborate headstone for the Ragsdale family has been tough to find everyone named, the wording is barely visible though with a jewlers loup I could make out "Mary" and various dates - May 28 1828 & Oct 2 1898 (two of 5 listings) so I might scan it and try for better resolution. So far it seems it is at Mt. Zion Cemetary in Clevland Ohio as a "Mary Ragsdale" is listed as being buried there.
Another baffling throw off is a heavy, clear glass seeming paperweight with a picture stuck in the backing: A most remarkable European church and a small oval picture of a man in the corner, at the bottom it reads "Rev. E. Richard Edwards, Pastor" and that I could find on the internet tracing back to Ireland but where the relation to the Ragsdales comes in still is elusive.
There is also a picture on metal of two small boys (no information) and two girls dressed in full flapper regalia (no information). Gah!
The "Estate" information revolves on a disputed piece of ranch land on a lake in Helena Montana - there are some very funny yet formal letters between the 12 family members of Hattie & Roy McDaniel, most of whom were listed as cousins and Liz was one of them yet again, I can't find a connection between the McDaniels and Ragsdales and at the time Liz was addressed as "Helen Ragsdale Chittenden" in 1966. It snapped in my mind that Liz had mentioned that wasn't her first name at one point, it was Helen Elizabeth of which seems very common in most of what I've found to use the middle name and not the first.
That is NOT helping to sort out who is who or what family they are related.
I'll keep digging and writing in names and dates on a spreadsheet as I figure them out - once that is done I can notify what might be 4 different families/entites I have pictures they may want to add to their collection.
Further digging shows more information and very old pictures of the Irish clan of the Ragsdales including a few pictures of a prized show horse "Comodore" which won awards in Dublin Ire and Great Britan sometime during the 1920's to 1940 (possibly earlier, I'm trying to find that out). The handwriting on the back does not address any specific individual yet mentions someone "offered Father $10,000 for him and he refused, then another man offered the same in US Dollars and he was refused as well!". That had to be a very special horse - there are more pictures that seem taken later of a man with numerous show horses but no names or dates.
Interesting is that the Ragsdales are far more documented on the internet than the Chittendens!
There is a marriage certificate dating to 1889 for Mary (listed), a small cloth covered book of "The Lay of The Last Minstrel" by Sir Walter Scott, published by Valentine & Son's, Limited - Dundee, Edinburgh, London, And Dublin though there is a gap of information on exactly when it was published, the inscription on the first page is:
From Margie & Angus
With Love
1940
though Valentine only mentions being publishers of Post Cards and Pictures as the predominate business.
A picture of an elaborate headstone for the Ragsdale family has been tough to find everyone named, the wording is barely visible though with a jewlers loup I could make out "Mary" and various dates - May 28 1828 & Oct 2 1898 (two of 5 listings) so I might scan it and try for better resolution. So far it seems it is at Mt. Zion Cemetary in Clevland Ohio as a "Mary Ragsdale" is listed as being buried there.
Another baffling throw off is a heavy, clear glass seeming paperweight with a picture stuck in the backing: A most remarkable European church and a small oval picture of a man in the corner, at the bottom it reads "Rev. E. Richard Edwards, Pastor" and that I could find on the internet tracing back to Ireland but where the relation to the Ragsdales comes in still is elusive.
There is also a picture on metal of two small boys (no information) and two girls dressed in full flapper regalia (no information). Gah!
The "Estate" information revolves on a disputed piece of ranch land on a lake in Helena Montana - there are some very funny yet formal letters between the 12 family members of Hattie & Roy McDaniel, most of whom were listed as cousins and Liz was one of them yet again, I can't find a connection between the McDaniels and Ragsdales and at the time Liz was addressed as "Helen Ragsdale Chittenden" in 1966. It snapped in my mind that Liz had mentioned that wasn't her first name at one point, it was Helen Elizabeth of which seems very common in most of what I've found to use the middle name and not the first.
That is NOT helping to sort out who is who or what family they are related.
I'll keep digging and writing in names and dates on a spreadsheet as I figure them out - once that is done I can notify what might be 4 different families/entites I have pictures they may want to add to their collection.