Before Elna Arrived

Here is a nice portrait of the Haken and Christine (Blank) Hazelgreen family:


(Click on images to enlarge)

The only one missing is Elna, and that's because she hadn't arrived yet, as the identifying notes on the back explain:



Jeanette is a bit of a mystery: her birth predates H.S. Hazelgreen's marriage to Christine Blank (1874 per the Cook County, Illinois, Marriages Index). Perhaps Christine was his second wife, but I don't know his first wife's name or what became of her. Jeannette's married name was Ahlberg.

Esther, in the little rocking chair, was born circa 1886, so judging by her apparent age we can date this photo roughly to 1888 or '89. By that time the family had come to Lake County.

Born around 1883, Albin (on the far left) was still in skirts — not unusual for a boy of five or six at that time.

The painted backdrop suggests a photographer's studio, but nothing on the original identifies the photographer.