The Mysterious Cannon
Identifying the location of an old family photo
If you had to choose a favorite photo from your family’s collections, what would it be? A portrait from a special occasion? A candid moment capturing someone’s personality? A snapshot of a bygone era?
It’s a task that is nearly impossible for me, as I’ve accumulated a vast collection of photos from my family. When I pondered this week’s 52 Ancestors prompt of “Favorite Photo,” I considered some of the obvious contenders: a picture of five generations of women in my maternal line, taken just weeks after I was born; a portrait of my great-grandmother as an infant with her mother who disappeared just a couple years later; and so many more.
But as I thought about the vast amount of photographs in my collection, I paused to think about one I received about a year ago from a cousin in California. He sent me a group of photos of his grandmother, Dessie (Dulaney) Mott, that were taken around 1917-1922. There were some delightful pictures, including one taken inside a greenhouse, one where Dessie is leaning back in a chair outside with a slight smirk on her face, and one of her leaning on a dock by a body of water. But one photo in particular struck me as odd.
What was this large cannon and why would she have taken a picture posing on it? Did this location still exist today?
Dessie lived in Tampico, Illinois in 1921 with her husband, Fred Renner, and her daughter from a previous relationship, Wilma Dulaney. They appear in the 1920 U.S. Census living in Tampico with a boarder, Mrs. Chas West. There are several fascinating details in this record that make me scratch my head. For example, Dessie’s birthplace is listed as Oregon and her daughter Wilma’s birthplace is listed as Iowa. However, in Wilma’s entry the mother’s birthplace is listed as Virginia, which contradicts the previous entry of Dessie being born in Oregon. (Spoiler alert: Dessie was actually born in Virginia).
All that being said, this record does confirm that Dessie was living in Tampico, Illinois in 1920, so it would be reasonable to believe that the photograph was taken in Tampico.
I began researching cannons in Tampico, Illinois and quickly found the Logan Cannon that former President Ronald Reagan reportedly played on as a kid. But it looked nothing like the cannon in the photograph of Dessie.
I decided to try a few different searches on Google, including a reverse image search, where I uploaded my photograph to see if the cannon would match any other images on the internet. Nothing in my search results looked like the cannon in Dessie’s picture.
Ironically, I found the answer by accident. I was in the LaMoille Area Facebook group, searching another topic, when the results showed a photograph of the cannon I’d been seeking.
La Moille, Illinois is a small town about 30 miles east of Tampico. Dessie lived in La Moille from 1922 until her death in 1983. Although Dessie was still living in Tampico in 1921, it’s still possible that the year on the photo is correct. La Moille would’ve been just a short train ride away.
It’s likely that the caption of Dessie’s picture was added in later years, relying on a rusty memory or a guesstimate to identify the date and location of the photograph. But with a little digging, I was able to discover the true location of where this picture was taken - Greenfield Cemetery in La Moille, Illinois. While I may never know why she chose to document that moment at that location, it’s an interesting snapshot of her life at the time.
How to identify the date and location of a photograph
Do you have an old photo and don’t know when or where it was taken? There are several clues that can help you identify its date and location. Here are a few tips:
Flip it over! Check the back of the photograph for any handwritten notes.
Look for a photography studio’s imprint, then search the studio’s name on the internet and/or in city directories to find its location and dates of operation.
What is the format of the photograph? As technology evolved, so did the format of photo prints. The type of photo can help place it during a certain time period.
What are people in the photo wearing? Clothing, accessories, and hairstyles can link a photograph to a specific era.
Check the background. Are there any identifiable buildings or landmarks to help determine the location?
Use Google Lens to do a reverse image search and identify similar images.
For even more tips, check out photo detective Maureen Taylor’s website.
I loved Dessie, she was such a kind soul. Always kind to us kids.🙂
Have you discovered why Dessie moved to Lamoille? The date could have been correct as I’ve never taken a picture with the Reagan Park statue since it’s in my hometown but with hundreds of other statues not in my hometown. She could’ve been on a visit before moving there. It’s crazy how pictures say 1000 words but sometimes we just wish they could talk! Keep up the work- this is amazing!