The Plummer Children


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 of the family. Born in August 1892, Earle grew up to find his calling as a machinist and mechanical draftsman. When World War I broke out, he registered for the draft while working for an Indianapolis engineering firm. Around 1917, he married Hazel M. Coffin, and the couple spent their lives in Indianapolis, where Earle passed away in September 1957.

​Winifred Plummer (Top Right)

​On the right is Winifred. She was born in September 1889. By the 1920s and 30s, census records show that she had dedicated herself to education, working for decades as a public school teacher in Indianapolis. She never married, instead pouring her energy into teaching generations of Indiana children. She passed away in May 1974.

​Irene Plummer (Bottom Center)

​Seated front and center is the baby of the family, Irene. Born in March 1897, she looks to be no more than three or four years old here. Irene grew up to marry Raymond J. Spenner, a clerk and accountant for the railroad. Like her siblings, Irene remained close to her childhood home, raising a family in Indiana and passing away in September 1980.

​Looking at their faces today, it is incredible to think about the world these children witnessed. They grew up the time of horse drawn carriages, lived through the dawn of the automobile, two World Wars, and into the space age.

​Though they have long since passed, solving the puzzle of the writing on the back of their portrait ensures that Grace, Winifred, Earle, and Irene are no longer just forgotten faces in an antique shop—their names and their stories are preserved once more.


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