John and Mamie Harms, by Henry Iverson of Chicago

(Click on image to enlarge)
Image courtesy of Eldon Harms.

This photograph is undated, but on the back of the original is the imprint of the photographer, Henry Iverson, 2176 Archer Ave., Chicago. So, thanks to the information about him compiled by the Chicago Historical Society, we can date the photograph between 1881 and 1885.

And since we know the birth dates of the subjects, we can narrow that down, based on their apparent ages in this photo, to 1884 or 1885.

John was born August 26, 1877 (Indiana Death Certificates) to Henry and Sophia (Reimer) Harms. Sophia died just a week later, of "milk fever," as the family oral tradition has it — probably puerperal sepsis.

In 1879 Henry Sr. married Johanna Springman (Indiana Marriage Collection). They had a baby daughter who was born and died in 1881. Maria aka "Mayme," born June 1, 1882 (Indiana Death Certificates), was the first of their children to live to adulthood. (As we know, she married Fred Harney.)

I have no clue why Henry and Johanna took their children to Chicago for this photograph, nor why they chose this particular photographer; but I like to imagine that this encounter had something to do with Mr. Iverson's moving down to Hobart within a couple of years, as I believe he did.