ROOTS & BRANCHES

Years and years ago, prowling around the trunks in the attic of what was then my parents’ home—now my home and this year celebrating my family’s full century in the house!—I found a pair of what I’d call “cameo photos.”

They were of an older man and woman and bore the same stamp on their reverse sides: “Electric Photo Studio, 652 Penn St., Reading, PA.”

I had my suspicions that they might be my third-great-grandparents Hiram W. Dehart and Sybilla M. (Rauch) Dehart. At the time one of their great-granddaughters was still living but she did not know the identity of the cameos.

So I let this lay for decades until Maureen Taylor, who bills herself as “The Photo Detective” but I call simply “the world’s highest living authority on photography and genealogy,” was going to be the special guest on “Genealogy Quick Start,” the live program hosted by Shamele Jordon on which I and Michael John Neill appear as “regulars.”

I asked Taylor to take a quick look at my photos after we finished with the program recently. “Husband and wife.  Circa 1900–1910,” came her reply.

That was an answer I liked because it fit the dates of Hiram (1827–1906) and Sybilla (1830–1918) pretty well.

I was curious to see if I could confirm and maybe even narrow Taylor’s estimate by looking for the Electric Photo Studio in city directories of Reading.

The classified business portion of the Boyd’s directories for Reading showed an “H. Tompkins” at the Penn Street address and in the residential part of the directory she was identified further as Hannah Tompkins. A 1902 classified directory of just businesses gave further ratification with a listing for “Tompkins Elect’c Photo Studio, 652 Penn St.”

Interestingly, a 1903 city directory lists photographer Jerome B. Tompkins at that address (with no Hannah), and by 1904 Jerome has become a contractor and there’s no listing for a photo studio at the Penn Street address.

I checked on the other end of the timeline but neither of these Tompkinses are in Reading and there’s no photographer of any name at 652 Penn St. in the classified directory.

Based on my understanding that city directories were compiled in the year before their cover date, I felt I had narrowed the window to between 1899 and 1902.

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You can find a recording of the “Genealogy Quick Start” episode with Maureen Taylor at the URL, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qQxSzZTjSE

In the broadcast, you’ll see links and information about her podcast, books and other items that make her “The Photo Detective.”