The Aylward Brothers


​It started with a beautiful, early 20th-century studio portrait of two young toddlers standing hand-in-hand. The child on the left wears a crisp, belted white dress, the child on the right stands proudly in a dark, buttoned dress.

​Turning the postcard over revealed the first clues, penned in elegant cursive:

​Everett Floyd, 3 years old, his birthday March 11th

Emmett Albrit, 20 months, his birthday June 17th

​Doing a little math from their birthdays reveals a precise timeline. With a perfect 16 month age gap between them, Everett was just days shy of his 3rd birthday and Emmett was 20 months old when they stood before the camera. The moment was captured in February or March of 1911.

​The final piece of the puzzle fell into place with a location: Peoria, Illinois.

​Diving into historical census records under the surname Aylward, the brothers' world instantly opened up. In the 1910 Federal Census, we find the boys living in a household right in the heart of Peoria's industrial boom.

  • ​The Father: Thomas Aylward, a hardworking machinist and steamfitter.
  • ​The Mother: Mabel Aylward, managing a busy home with back-to-back toddlers.
  • ​The Boys: Everett (born March 11, 1908) and Emmett (born June 17, 1909).

​Growing up just a single school grade apart, the brothers were raised against the backdrop of a rapidly modernizing Midwest. They walked the streets of Peoria together, survived the hardships of the Great Depression, and watched the world transition from horse-drawn carriages to the dawn of the digital age.

What makes this rescued photo so touching is knowing what became of them.

​Both men chose to stay anchored to their Illinois roots. When World War II arrived, Everett registered for the draft, ready to do his part. He lived a full life, passing away in September 1983. Emmett outlived his big brother by a few years, witnessing the arrival of the 1990s before passing away at the age of 81.

​Holding hands in 1911, neither boy could have imagined that more than a century later, a digital scan would strip away the dust and scratches of time, allowing a new generation to remember their names: Everett and Emmett.


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

Florence Henlen

Image
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 dire...
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