Featured Photograph of woman from St. Louis, Mo.

Since I just joined this site I thought I'd start off with something that I've got quite a bit of information on . We found this framed photo on our last shopping trip to Galveston. The frame is 11" W x 18" L and of course the photo is a bit smaller. The glass in the frame is beveled but doesn't sound like glass at all but instead sounds like plastic or acrylic when tapped. I know the frame is wood just by looking at the back and seeing where the hanging wire is attached. The ivy leaves seem to be slightly colorized green. On the backing for the frame is written

G. A. Walker
4430A Chouteau Ave
FR-1-1073

Years ago up until I was 20 I used to live across the river from St. Louis and recognized the street name. I looked up the address on Google and amazingly the building is still standing - https://www.propertyshark.com/mason/Property/80309970/4430-Chouteau-Ave-Saint-Louis-MO-63110/
It turns out the building was built in 1909 and looking up the address in Gould's St. Louis City Directory the earliest I can find someone at that address was 1911. I'm still searching through the different directory years but so far no G. A. Walker at that address.

 

That's something you don't hear very often around here (in a good way)!
Most people come here to ask one question and are only interested in whether they can retire early! I couldn't find anything about G. A. Walker at that address either. Interesting photo, thanks for posting!

 

Nice story! Do you have access to any census records, through Ancestry or Heritage Quest? The latter would usually be available through a library. I don't think they sell subscriptions to individuals. -- It might take some work since you don't have a first name... but if you can browse census pages for people on that block during 1910, 1920, 1930 maybe you will find something? Do you think the name is the person in the photo, or the framer, or the photographer? (The latter two could both be the same person.)

 

Oh, and welcome to the Antiquers forums!

 

Ha! I'm already retired, I worked another 23yrs after I retired from the Army in '90. I've got a couple more photos to post but on these I don't have any information at all

 

No, unfortunately I don't have access to them. So far my search has just been through the Gould's city directories. If I could figure out a decade range I may be able to pin it down. It's odd reading the directory because searching for the address usually gives multiple listings
Burke Nellie phone opr 1- 4430A Chouteau av
Cradick George L elk r 4430A Chouteau av

I've seen other years with quite a few at the same address. Then there is a listing like this
Noerteman Harry clk P O r 4430 Chouteau av
So it's pretty confusing to say the least.

 

Can sometimes indicate boarding house.

Debora

 

I'm pretty sure it's from before 1920. So since you know the building was built in 1909, try that date range.

 

That's what I've been working on. I'm up to 1911 in the directories. If I could find some old St. Louis phone directories from that time frame I could try searching on the phone number but I've not been successful in that yet.

 

Well, Chris, I tried searching Ancestry - both census records and directories - for anyone named Walker at 4430 Chouteau Avenue in St Louis at any time. I struck out. I also tried searching for G A Walker in St Louis - same result. Couldn't even find an actual full name with those initials between 1900 and 1930. Sorry.

 

Thanks and went through the death certificates for St. Louis county last night and also see that there's a listing for St. Louis city here https://s1.sos.mo.gov/records/Archives/ArchivesMvc/DeathCertificates
which I'll go through today to see if I can find something. I guess finding her is no big deal after all she's not any relative of mine. Just something to occupy my time I guess.

 

Why don't you see if the reference librarian in St. Louis can help you? S/he sure to have access to phone directories.

Debora

 

Brilliant! Wish that I had thought to suggest it.

 

Several of the members here enjoy doing that kind of thing, and understand the satisfaction in identifying people in old photographs. So, keep it up!

 

Good idea I'll give that a try.

 

And, please let us know how the search is going. I enjoy other people's searches as much as my own.......

 

Thanks Figtree3, you'd think it would be pretty easy as much information as I have. Just wish I knew if the initials were hers, or maybe her husbands.

 

Wow! What a trip down memory lane! I used to live in St Louis until we moved when I was about 10 yrs old. This address would have been somewhat near where we lived. I still have lots of relatives in St Louis. This type of dwelling (multi-family) was ubiquitous in south St Louis when I was a kid. All mixed in with single family homes. Most are still there. When you build them so well, they last.

Went on a web search, and the address where we lived is still there and occupied. Looks a bit different and I imagine that they no longer deliver coal for heating into the coal shutes. This would have been the early 50s. My dad shoveled coal into the furnace every morning during winter. My Grandmother lived upstairs. The elementary school across the street was HUGE and it's there but no longer a school. I wonder what the new owners plan for it.

Thanks for posting this. I think I'll call my brother and have him look up these buildings too. It was fun.

 

chris1948 -- what do you plan to do once you get some information regarding this woman? See if she has family somewhere? Don't you wonder how her photo got to Galveston?

 

I was actually surprised to see that the building was still there when I searched and the fact that's it's 108yrs old now does testify to how well they build there. I remember the coal chute we had in our house in O'Fallon, Il. and getting up in the morning to take the 'clinkers' out of the furnace. I think it was sometime in the 50's my dad got one of those coal hopper devices put in that automatically put the coal into the furnace. My dad was a broadcast engineer at KSTL there in St. Louis for many years. I would have to assume that it got to Galveston possibly by some relative that moved from St. Louis to Galveston?