Florence Henlen


Born: 1884 in Dickenson County, KS
Died: 1975

I recently acquired a beautiful late 1880s photograph that I just had to research immediately. The photo shows a toddler bundled up against the cold. She is wearing a dark winter coat trimmed with white fur or wool, matching cuffs, and a ruffled bonnet. She stands in a Victorian studio's version of the outdoors leaning against a prop tree stump.

​At the bottom, the photographer’s mark reads "Weaver" of Herrington, Kansas (a historic spelling of Herington).

​Turning the card over reveals a faint pencil inscription:

(Florence C. Henlen)

​A look into historical records from Dickinson County, Kansas, brings Florence’s world into view.

​Born in 1884, Florence Campbell Henlen was roughly three to five years old when she stood for this photo. 

Her family was prominent in the early days of Herington. Her father, Dr. Benjamin Augustus Henlen, was a pioneering doctor who ran the town’s leading drug store, served as a director for the bank, and was the treasurer for the school board. Her parents had migrated west from Pennsylvania in 1883, settling in Herington in 1887—right around the time this photo was taken.

​Sadly, Florence's only sibling died in infancy, leaving her to grow up as an only child. 

​Florence eventually married a civil engineer named Raymond G. Tripp. They moved to Topeka and raised four children: David, Margaret, Raymond Jr., and Elizabeth.

​While this portrait captures her at the very beginning of her life, Florence lived to see a changing world, passing away in 1975.

​Photos like this are the last links to real people who had almost been lost to time. Thanks to a few words scribbled in pencil over a century ago, Florence's story isn't lost. 


Popular posts from this blog

The Plummer Children

Image
For a long time, the identities of the four children in this portrait were a mystery. With a little patience, the faint cursive on the back finally revealed a list of names: Grace, Winifred, Earle, and Irene Plummer . ​These four siblings grew up at the turn of the 20th century in Marion County, IN. Born to John Thomas Plummer and Mary Elizabeth Barker, they had this studio portrait taken around 1900 or 1901 when the youngest, Irene, was just a toddler. ​Here is the story of the children and the lives they went on to lead. ​Grace M. Plummer (Top Left) ​Sitting in the wicker chair on the left is the eldest sibling, Grace, who was born in February 1888. In the early 1910s, Grace married an Indianapolis attorney named Clarence W. DeHass. Together, they raised two children, John and Mary, in the heart of Indianapolis. Grace lived a long life, passing away in October 1968.  ​Earle S. Plummer (Center) ​Standing in the center in his suit and bowtie is Earle, the only boy...
Read more

The Bailey Brothers

Image
Recently, I found an early 20th century cabinet card featuring two young children. A note on the back of the photo changed everything.  The photo shows two children dressed in dark Edwardian garments, polished lace-up boots, and perfectly styled white hair bows. Looking at the image, one might naturally assume they are looking at two young girls. ​Flip the card over, however, and a note  sets the record straight: ​ "Kenneth & Faber Bailey. There mother always dressed them like girls." ​While it was a common late Victorian and Edwardian custom to keep young boys in gowns or tunics, their mother, Sophia Bailey, clearly possessed a flair for fashion. She let her sons' hair grow out into long, ringlets and adorned them with oversized hair bows that rivaled any young girls. ​Armed with a location (Ohio) and these two distinct names, a look through the US Federal Census records brought the story of these two boys to light. ​Kenneth (born circa 1904) and Fa...
Read more