A Life Reconstructed from a Photo

On my recent trip to Ohio, I spent a day with my brother browsing antique malls in Springfield. He was looking for sports memorabilia while I was hunting for old photos and books. I found a number of photos that were labeled with names. One especially caught my eye as it had an address with a familiar street name, Belmont Avenue. Some of my Allen and Campbell lines either lived on that road or nearby.

The photo was of a Robert Gordon. It was dated 15 Nov 1894. I did a search for his death certificate on familysearchlabs.com and found that he died 16 Feb 1939 at the age of 80 years, 5 months, 26 days, and was buried in Newcomers Cemetery. This is the same cemetery where my grandparents, a great-grandfather, and many collateral relatives rest.

My next stop was the library where his obituary gave me more details about his life. He spent 61 years of his life employed, 31 years at International Harvester and an addition 30 years as a custodian at Lagonda Elementary School. Many of my relatives worked at International Harvestor and my dad attended Lagonda Elementary. Mr. Gordon was a member of the same church my family attended.

I visited the cemetery and found his tombstone. He is not buried very far from my grandparents. I wonder if my family knew his? If so, did my grandmother send one of her wonderful chocolate cakes to the family? He was survived by 4 children so my final step is to find a living descendant so I may send them his photo.

@ 2010, copyright Yolanda Campbell Lifter.  All rights reserved.