The Coonhound & Raccoon's of llinois

 In this photograph, dating to the early 1860's by the style of the mount, we have a Black and Tan Coonhound with the results of the day's hunt - four Raccoons.

The dog was an easy subject for the photographer, so tired from his work he simply sleeps for the length of the photographic exposure.

The Amercian Coonhound is thought to have descended from the Bloodhound and the now extinct English Talbot hound. Large-headed, broad-nosed and with typically pendulous ears, the massive Talbot Hounds were built for stamina and strength, rather than speed. Their coat was short, coarse and flat, preferred in pure white, but also commonly seen in piebald colourings.

The Old English Talbot Hound, illustrated in Rees's Cyclopædia or, Universal Dictionary of the Arts and Sciences edited by Revd. Abraham Rees. (1743-1825).

Black and Tan was the first Coonhound to be considered a separate breed from the American Foxhound and was admitted to American Kennel Club Breed registry in 1945.

President George Washington is known to have owned four Black & Tan Coonhounds - Drunkard, Taster, Tipler & Tipsy. 

The Amercian Kennel Club describes the Black and Tan Coonhound as follows:

A determined, painstaking, honest hunter, the Black and Tan is noted for staying on track no matter how faint the scent and producing raccoon under the worst scenting conditions. With his musical voice and persistent attitude, the extremely cold-nosed Black and Tan is incredibly sure, on the trail.

The reverse of the photograph's mount, showing the photogrpaher J. R. Bradshaw's details

 
Sources:

• The Talbot Hound on Wikipedia 
• The Talbot Hound described on Molosser Dogs & Rare Breeds
• History of The Coonhound on the American Kennel Club

Little Frank & the Train Wreck

This photograph depicts Frank Snedaker, who on August 10th 1887 suffered a great tragedy. At nearly midnight on that fateful night Frank was travelling home on a train from Niagra Falls excursion with his parents, Reverend George B. Snedaker and Elizabeth M. Snedaker, when a fire on a small bridge on the line cause the whole train to crash.

Haper's Weekly wrote of the incident:

The train passed through Peoria at 11:45 p.m. Three miles further along on the road there was a shallow "run," not more than fifteen feet wide and ten feet deep, which the recent drought in that region had made dry. This was crossed by a wooden trestle bridge supported by timbers. As the train approached this it was running at the rate of thirty-five miles an hour with a clear track. Just before reaching it the engineer of the forward engine noticed flames licking up through the wooden structure, but too late to stop the train. His engine crossed the gulch, but the burning bridge gave way, the tender broke from the engine and fell in, the second engine ploughed furiously into the farther bank, and cars came crashing with terrific force upon one another, telescoped throughout their length, and piled in splinters over the broken and burning trestle. The sleeping-cars stopped short of the horrible gap, but were badly shaken up. The scene that followed it is impossible to describe. The hapless passengers of the forward cars were, almost inextricably mingled in the shattered mass.

 

Illustration from Harper's Weekley depicting the aftermath of the crash

Both of Frank's parents were killed, and Frank was seriously injured, losing the lower half of one leg. The Chatsworth Plaindealer newspaper wrote on August 12th 1887:

Little Frank Snedaker, of Abingdon,Ill., is domiciled.  No braver person was in the ill-fated train than this little fellow.  His leg was amputated, his arm is broken, and his eye injured.  His mother was killed and his father has gone home with the remains, and will return.  Mrs Kipp, of Wing, Ill., a cousin of Rev. Snedaker, is with the little hero.  He was very restless at the hour of our reporter's call, but all hope for the recovery of this brave little fellow, who said when asked at the time of his rescue, "I'm not hurt much, help those who are crying first."

We can only hope that Frank's little dog was a source of comfort to him at such a difficult time. Frank had older sister called Myrtle, who married Joseph M. Shipplet. Interestingly on the back of this photograph is written Myrtle Shipplet - was this photograph now in my collection, once the possession of Frank's sister? We can but wonder.

The reverse of the photograph mount

Sources:

• The Illinois Railroad Accident, Harper's Weekly, August 20th 1887
• Chatsworth Illinois Memories - The Great Chatsworth Train Wreck
• The Snedaker / Ansley Family Tree

The Spaniels and the Siblings

In this photograph we have two siblings, so similar in appearance and age I have considered that they might be twins. With them they have the family dogs, a Springer type spaniel and a Cocker spaniel type puppy. The studio props are somewhat usual as a fake tree and naturalistic wooden benches are used to give an outdoor appearance, whilst the props and subjects stand on a patterned carpet.

The larger older dog has done a good job posing and looking straight at the camera.

Where as the young pup seems to be concentrating on something off to the right hand side.

The photographer is Max Erler, he operated his "Sunbeam Gallery" at 1216 S. Adams Street in Peoria, Illinois between 1883 and 1898. The style of the photograph's mount with its elaborate lettering and fancy imprint on the reverse would date this image to the latter part of this time period.

A Short Family history of Max Erler

Max's father Michael Erler was born in the city of Reichstadt, Germany, June 23, 1829. From the age of 14 to 19 Michael he was apprenticed to learn the trade of a watchmaker, a skill which he put to good use when he arrived in Amercia on 1st of August, 1848. After two years Michael was able to set up his own business as a watchmaker which proved very successful. Michael was described thus "he is a man of earnest, strong character and intelligent mind, and his honesty and unswerving integrity in all the transactions of life have gained him a high place in the regard of all who know or associate with him."

Michael married in June, 1850, to Laura Lehne, whose parents were early pioneers in America, and were also natives of Germany. Michael and Laura had seven children together including Max who was born on 16th of February 1856.

Max married Jennie E. Harris on 28th of June 1883. He remained is listed as a photographer in US census records and city directories up until 1920, during this time he became one of Peoria's finest portrait photographers and was well known as a wedding photographer.

 

Max Erler in the Peoria, Illinois, City Directory, 1890.

Source Information:

Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]

Sources:

• Portrait and Biographical Album of Peoria County (1890) - transcribed online here 
• Erler on Langdon's list of 19th & 20th Century photographers
• Max Erler's grave information on Find a Grave
• List of Peoria County Photographers 1862-1899
• Max Erler in Illinois, Marriages, 1851-1900