A couple of weeks ago, I posted about a photo found in Hawaii that made it’s way back to me. Now I’ve heard from the gentleman who sent the photo to me, that he’s found another photo that might be related.
Remember I said someone has written on back of that photo, “George Breckhisen, some relative of my father Tillman Miller.” Well, now it appears there’s another photo at the Antique Shop that says something like, “Aunt ‘Cal’ sister, to my grandmother Amanda Miller.”
At first I figured it wasn’t related to the photo I received. After all, it was the George Brecheisen family! Then I remembered the little written blurb on the back about Tillman Miller. And got to wondering, is Amanda Miller possibly related to Tillman Miller?
Miller is a common last name. And I don’t have any Millers in my tree. How does one search for someone when you don’t know a date of birth, or a residence?
A search for Tillman Miller in Ancestry living in Michigan brought up a couple matches, but none with an Amanda in them. George Brecheisen lived in Michigan, but does that mean his relative, Tillman Miller, did also? Maybe not. Perhaps that’s why they had the photo, because they weren’t close to each other. And George wanted Tillman to see his family.
George was born in Ohio. So I did an Ancestry search for Tillman Miller in Ohio. F. Tillman Miller pops up in a 1880 census with a wife named Amanda. Hmmm, he was born in June, 1859, near the time of George’s birth of 1855. Is this possibly a relative? Perhaps a cousin?
With a few more clicks and searches in Ancestry, and some help from FamilySearch, I have now fleshed out this Tillman’s immediate family. But to determine if George and Tillman are related, I have to go up both Tillman and Amanda’s trees. I suspect Amanda’s maiden name may be Thompson, as a later census lists a brother-in-law named Thompson living with her and her husband. But I need more proof to back this up.
And what if Amanda is really Tillman’s mother? How do I know which female relative of Tillman’s this Amanda is?? I can’t really assume the same person wrote on the two different photos until I see the photo and compare the handwriting.
Have you ever had to start midstream, so to speak, in research? This is the first time I’ve tried to connect someone to a person in my tree without starting with something concrete. It’s a little disconcerting!
But I keep thinking about this other photo in Hawaii. It certainly deserves to be reunited with relatives. I can’t locate a tree in Ancestry with this Tillman Miller in it, at least not the Tillman Miller I found. And looking in FamilySearch under genealogies produces no trees whatsoever containing him.
Any suggestions, ideas, helpful tips? Or should I just leave the photo where it is, and hope it finds it’s way back to relatives eventually?
pastsmith 
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Ooh interesting! Have you come across anyone from Amanda Thompson’s family who could have been the one in the photo “aunt Cal”?
I have done some midstream research like this, I had a niece listed on a US census for a couple who the husband of which was the brother of my 3x great grandfather. I had been trying to find out when they had married and what her maiden name was and what became of them. I managed it thanks to the niece. By tracking down who she was and how she connected helped me figure out the rest. Turns out they moved from Philadelphia to California so no wonder I wasn’t having much luck!
I’d say keep at it!
No, unfortunately I haven’t come across any siblings of Amanda named “Cal”. Which could mean I don’t have the right Tillman and Amanda. Maybe Amanda really is Tillman’s mother, but I’ve searched for that combo and so far have discovered nothing.
I like your term ‘midstream research’. Very appropriate. And interesting about the niece that led you to more about the brother to your 3x great grandfather. There’s always another clue somewhere, isn’t there, if we only take the time to find it.
Thx for dropping by and telling me to keep at it. I was getting a little frustrated by the time I wrote the post, thinking maybe it wasn’t possible. You’ve given me hope.
I don’t know the answer to what to do about the photo. But, I have started midstream as you are. It is disconcerting – that is exactly the right word for it. My situation started with an immigration record that listed a woman traveling with my family as a cousin. The surname was one that was not in my tree. I tried to find her but I didn’t have enough to go on because all I had was her name, age, and a brother-in-laws name and address in Scotland. I just couldn’t track her down. Later I found other records that pushed my tree back a few generations. With each generation back, I identified all of the children that I could and brought their lines forward. In this process I found a family with the surname that had previously been missing from my tree. That family included a daughter who was the wife of the brother-in-law listed on the immigration record. I finally knew where the woman must belong BUT, I still can’t find her in Scotland. I’m not done trying but I am a bit perplexed. 🙂
In other words, it’s rather the same as that old adage, the hurrier I go, the behinder I get? Or the more I find, the more there is to look for, eh?
Well, at least you’ve give me encouragement there is some hope of tracking these two Millers down. I want the fast answer though. I want to find a nice, neat, well-organized AND well-sourced tree that someone’s already done! Instead I can’t find these people anywhere in anyone’s tree.
Don’t we all want that!! I guess you’ll have to be the one to create it. 😉