Kathy, I did some research on William Decker last spring to get better information on when his studio was operating. According to his obituary, he and his wife came to Mount Vernon in the spring of 1870. They are in the 1870 Census in Mount Vernon, but his name is spelled Tecker instead of Decker, probably a result of his German accent and being a newcomer in town unknown to the census assistant marshal. Photography probably did not provide sufficient income so he also had a tailor business and art gallery. William died 18 Jan 1900. His daughter Amanda Decker took over the photography business and is listed as a photographer in the 1900 census. Some photos have "Amanda Decker" instead of just "Decker" or "Wm. Decker." I do not know when she added "Amanda" to the studio name nor when she closed the studio. I did not find her in the 1910 nor 1920 Lawrence County censuses. Ross Cameron -----Original Message----- >From: Dwestcw@aol.com >Sent: Jan 25, 2007 11:02 PM >To: molawren@rootsweb.com >Subject: Re: [MOLAWREN] Photo ID-DAVIS, MANKIN(S), or KILLIAN? > >Kathy, > >The Decker photo gallery was in a house located at the northeast corner of >the courthouse square in Mt. Vernon. This house was torn down 30 or 40 years >ago. I do not know when Decker began his business, but it was after the >Civil War, possibly as early as the 1870's. I have a number of family >photographs by Decker that date from the late 1880's and 1890's. > >The clothing in the photo you posted dates to the very early 1900's. > >I trust that his helps. > >Regards, > >Dale West >Longview, TX > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MOLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message