Photo & letter archive

Catalogued objects — earliest first. Undated items at the end.

1795: James Fleming of Hampshire County buys 334 acres on Simpson's Creek
6 October 1795 (transcribed c. 1988)
The 1795 will of John Fleming Senior of Montgomery County, Maryland
January 1795; proved 16 January 1797
The 1803 marriage return — "January 20 John Fleming & Clary Roe"
20 January 1803
The Rosier & Roe deed, 7 October 1820 — Susannah Roe signs her own name
7 October 1820; certified 26 May 1821; recorded 18 June 1821
The 1827 consent note itself — signed, sealed, and witnessed by a James Fleming
14 March 1827
The baptismal register of Großaspach, 24 August 1830 — entry no. 45
24 August 1830
William Röeser's naturalization papers, 1847 — the document pair that settles it
1 October 1847
John Fleming's death record, 3 November 1853 — reported by his son Eli
3 November 1853 (abstract typed c. 1990s)
Two Fleming county records — the 1851 marriage and the 1854 deed
1851 and 1854
James Wesley Fleming's birth certificate — the archive's date was wrong
Registered 1857; certified copy issued 23 May 1984
Boeshars in Washington County, 1860 — Catharina was not alone
abstracted c. 1985–1995
Two censuses — the Roessar household in 1860, the Wildermuth household in 1880
December 1988 (transcriptions); censuses of 1860 and 1880
Marriage and census — the Marietta household, 1862 and 1870
1862 and 1870
Marietta city directories, 1873–1929 — the Wildermuths at their addresses
c. 1980s (extracts); directories of 1873–1929; the 1914–29 sheet filed as Document 34
Four generations of Chenoweths, c. late 1880s — Elijah Jr., Joseph Hill, and (likely) Joseph Hill's son and grandson
c. late 1880s through mid-1890s
Jacob and Elizabeth Wildermuth Family Group Portrait — c. 1885–1895
circa 1885–1895
Biographical sketch of John F. Eesley, proprietor of the Eesley Mills — Michigan county history, c. 1890s
c. 1890s
William Clifford Wildermuth Family Group Portrait, c. 1896
circa 1896
Eesley Family Group Portrait, c. 1899 — Albert Robert Sr, Jennie Goldie, and Their Ten Children
circa 1899 (family caption: 'Believed to have been taken in 1899')
Marietta, 1900 — the Schlichers on Green Street, and a three-week-old child
abstracted c. 1985–1995 from records of 1900–1905
The 1900 census and Martha Fleming's death record — two Wood County documents that correct the archive
1900 census; death registered 1904 (abstracts typed c. 1980s–90s)
Belle Way and Howard Wickens wedding portrait, 25 September 1901
25 Sep 1901
Chenoweth Family Reunion — Harrisburg, Ohio, c. 1901–1902
c. 1901–1902
Obituary — John Michael Wildermuth, The Marietta Times, 9 February 1903
9 February 1903
Three Eesley brothers c. 1912 — Don, Will, and Len
c. 1912
Ullmann family group portrait (probable) — c. 1912
c. 1910–1914
Margaret Zelma Wildermuth Clarke with her own children and her sister Mae Clara's children — Front Street, Marietta, c. 1913
c. 1913
William Clifford Wildermuth Family Studio Portrait — with Flora Schlicher and two of their sons, c. 1915
circa 1915 (before Flora's November 1919 death)
Sadye Irene Fleming — graduation portrait, c. 1919
1919
Byron and Nettie (Ullman) Hill with their children — c. 1920
c. 1919–1922
Sadye Irene Fleming on a porch, c. 1920
c. 1920
Edward Frederick Wildermuth's family with the matriarch Catharina Boeshar — outdoors, c. early 1920s
circa early 1920s (after Edward Frederick's April 1918 marriage; dated by the tricycle-age son)
Dorothy Marie Davis — Ohio Department of Health Birth Certificate, 24 February 1925
10 May 1925
The Davis Home, Waterford, Washington County, Ohio — c. 1925
circa 1925
Dale Eesley + Thelma Haughn Marriage License — Franklin County, Ohio, 1927
1927-08-09 (license issued); 1927-11-15 (marriage solemnized)
Family group at the Black Lake cottage with Leonard, c. 1928
1928
Leonard Bringing in the Dock — Black Lake, Michigan, 1928
1928
Second frame at the Black Lake cottage — with Will, Don, and Dale, c. 1928
c. 1928
Don Eesley with Aunt Ota and Big Helen at Sault Ste. Marie — 1929
1929
The Three Davis Sisters — Mary (5), Dorothy (4), Betty (3), c. 1929
circa 1929
Will Eesley with a string of fish — Black Lake, Michigan, c. 1929 (age 19)
c. 1929
Leonard and Big Helen Eesley in Miami — April 1930
April 1930
Robert Earl Wildermuth — First Grade Portrait, c. 1930
circa 1930
The Three Davis Sisters — Mary (6), Dorothy (5), Betty (4) — "Why so glum?", c. 1930
circa 1930
The Three Davis Sisters with Puppies — Dorothy, Betty, and Mary, c. 1931
circa 1931
Leonard Eesley with his son Tommy — c. 1932
c. 1932
Clara Ullmann Hill with her daughters Emma and Louella — c. 1935
c. 1935
Davis Sisters and Friends — Labeled Group Portrait, c. 1933–1936
circa 1933–1936
Charles Leonard Eesley with five of his sons and grandson Tommy, c. 1937–1939
circa 1937–1939 (before Dale Dudley's death on 14 July 1939; the family label of July 1940 is one year off)
Big Helen Eesley with her son Tommy — September 1938
4 Sep 1938
James Wesley Fleming with two daughters and two granddaughters — c. late 1930s
c. late 1930s
Hill–Davis family on the porch at Mt. Perry, Ohio — c. 1938–1941
c. 1938–1941
United Wishes for Happiness — 1942 Ration-Card Christmas Card
1942
Dorothy Davis — Formal Portrait, 1943
1943
Homer Davis holding his son William Harvey Davis Sr. — c. 1943
c. 1943
Dorothy Davis — Formal Portrait, 1944
1944
Robert Earl and crew in San Francisco — "Say It Isn't So," c. November 1944
circa November 1944
Robert Earl Wildermuth and the B-24 crew, Pacific tent camp, c. 1944–1945
circa 1944–1945 (during Robert Earl's Pacific theater B-24 navigator service)
Robert Earl Wildermuth in front of palm trees, Pacific theater, c. 1944–1945
circa 1944–1945
Robert Earl Wildermuth, Army uniform, July 1944
July 1944
Marietta Chong, Will, Stella, Ted, and Helen — 230 N. Cassady Avenue, c. April 1945
c. April 1945
Shang Yaozhen as a young woman — two portraits in qipao, c. 1940s
c. 1940s
Stella and Ted Chong wedding day — nine on the Cassady Avenue porch, c. April 1945
c. April 1945
Stella Chong on her wedding day, with family — c. April 1945
c. April 1945
Stella Sunn (Eesley) and Ted Chong — wedding portrait, c. April 1945
c. April 1945
Robert Earl Wildermuth — Stanford University Registration / Transcript Card
circa 1946–1948 (Robert Earl's Stanford years)
Robert Earl Wildermuth and Dorothy Davis on their wedding day, Easter Sunday 20 April 1946
20 April 1946
Hill–Davis–Murdock family portrait — 1947 (the 'five generation' picture)
1947
Eesley Family Group Portrait, c. 1948–1949
c. 1948–1949 (narrowed from the prior late-1940s–1960s window by triangulating apparent ages of Stella, Helen, and Lily Dale against their birth/death dates)
Robert E. Wildermeth, Class of '48, Pre-Medicine — the Stanford Quad yearbook
1948
Robert Earl Wildermuth — Stanford Bachelor of Arts diploma, 1 October 1948
1 Oct 1948
Dot + Bob — Christmas Card, 1949
1949
The three eldest Eesley children — Jeanne, Anne, and infant Charlie, c. 1948–1950
c. 1948–1950
Maggie Eesley as a baby, c. 1951
c. 1951
Robert Earl Wildermuth — U.S. Air Force officer portrait, c. early 1950s
circa 1951–1955
Will and Peggy Eesley with Charlie, Jeanne, and Anne on the Black Lake dock, c. 1950–1952
c. 1950-1952
Industrial Commission of Ohio Special Award — Wildermuth Family Archive, c. 1940s–1960s
circa 1940s–1960s
Norm Wolfe with his three daughters at the Hillcrest fireplace — c. 1960
c. 1960
The Wildermuth Family, mid-1960s
c. mid-1960s
Don Eesley with his camera, c. 1960s
c. 1960s
Marietta High School cross country team holding their plaque — c. 1963–1965, with Charlie Eesley
c. 1963–1965
Bride and groom at the altar — likely Jeanne Eesley and Joseph Kamiab, June 1965 (cast confirmation queued)
c. 1965 (queued)
Johann David Wildermuth and His Descendants, 1752–1964 — the other Wildermuth line
1965
The Will and Peggy Eesley family with Joe Kamiab — c. 1965, around Jeanne and Joe's June wedding
c. 1965
Terrie Lee — High School Graduation, Japan
c. 1967
Homer Davis with Betty and Norm Wolfe — c. late 1960s
c. late 1960s
Robert Earl and Dorothy Wildermuth — Itazuke Air Base, Fukuoka, Japan, 1968
1968
The Wildermuth Family — Itazuke, Japan, 1968
1968
Two early black-and-white Zhou–Li family photographs, c. 1960s–70s
c. 1960s–1970s
PFC EESLEY — Charlie's Army induction portrait, c. 1969
circa 1969 (Charlie's U.S. Army induction or early-service period)
Robert Earl Wildermuth — Lt. Colonel, U.S. Air Force Formal Portrait, c. late 1960s
circa 1968–1970
Terrie's note to Charlie — "come for Thanksgiving," courtship era
Courtship era, c. 1968–1971
Charlie Eesley in Vietnam, c. 1970
circa 1970 (during Charlie's 1969–71 U.S. Army tour)
Charlie Eesley, Vietnam, July 1970
July 1970
Peggy on the Continent — retirement travel
c. 1970s
Portraits of a young woman with a braid — Zhou–Li side, c. 1960s–70s (identity pending)
c. 1965–1975
Terrie at the library information desk, c. 1970s
c. 1970s
Three envelopes from Charlie to Terrie — Marietta, Fort Jackson, and Vietnam, 1969–1971
1969–1971
Will and Peggy at Charlie and Terrie's wedding, early 1970s
c. early 1970s
Will Eesley on the John Deere, the Highland Ridge property, c. 1970s
circa 1970s (presumed — late-life Will at the Highland Ridge house he designed)
At the altar — Charlie and Terrie's wedding, 15 August 1971
15 Aug 1971
Charlie and Terrie on their wedding day — 15 August 1971
15 Aug 1971
Charlie in Hawaii — the April 1971 R&R
April 1971
Charlie returning from Vietnam, c. 1971
c. 1971
Qingdao No. 36 Middle School Mao Zedong Thought art-propaganda troupe — 1971
1971
Terrie home from Hawaii — April 1971
April 1971
Terrie in Hawaii — the April 1971 R&R
April 1971
The wedding party on the church steps — 15 August 1971
15 Aug 1971
Charles Leonard Eesley extended-family reunion at Highland Ridge — c. 1971–1972, with full labeled cast of twelve
c. 1971–1972
Charlie and Terrie, bride and groom, early 1970s
c. early 1970s
Charlie Eesley — formal studio portrait, c. 1972, Annapolis area (tentative)
c. 1972 (tentative)
Anne Eesley and her mother Peggy in Madrid, c. 1972–1975 — Peggy visiting Anne during the Madrid years
c. 1972–1975
Eesley family reunion at Highland Ridge — c. 1973 (color frame)
c. 1973
The surviving Eesley siblings and the two Helens, in color — c. early 1970s
c. early 1970s
Shang–Li family group at the Qingdao seafront, c. 1974–75
c. 1974–75
Robert Earl Wildermuth — American Medical Record Association Professional Credentials Card
circa 1975–1980 (last legible entry dated 7-14-75)
Earl Adam Wildermuth funeral card, 1977
December 1977
The letter campaign — Robert Earl Wildermuth's genealogy correspondence, 1977–1991
1977–1991
Stephanie Kamiab feeding baby Chuck at Highland Ridge, c. 1980
c. 1980
Ten ancestors, and what killed them
c. late 1970s–early 1980s
Will, Peggy, Charlie, and Terrie at the Highland Ridge stone fireplace — c. 1978-1982
c. 1978-1982
The Small Red Bridge in Winter — Highland Ridge, c. 1978–1985
circa 1978–1985
Young Chuck on a red tricycle — the Annapolis house, c. 1981–83
c. 1981–83
Young Chuck on the 108 Hillcrest back porch with his parents Charlie and Terrie and Grandma Dottie Wildermuth — c. 1981–1983
c. 1981–1983
Terrie reading Star Wars to Chuck, c. 1983–84
c. 1983–1984
The search for the crossing — four offices in eight weeks, 1983
1983
The two index books in the Orlando public library — the first official lead
c. 1980s
Baby Lijie with her mother and grandmother — Qingdao, c. 1984
c. 1984–1988
137 Hillcrest Drive in winter, c. mid-1980s
c. mid-1980s
Debbie and Angelo Massaro, c. 1980s
c. 1980s
Extended Eesley family gathering outdoors with Will and Peggy and young Chuck — c. 1985–1986
c. 1985–1986
Where the Marietta Wildermuths lie — the cemetery superintendent's reply, 1985
5 December 1985
Young Chuck on a red bike on the Highland Ridge driveway, c. 1984–86
c. 1984–86
Young Chuck on a red BMX bike — Hillcrest, c. 1984–86
c. 1984–86
Arnold's Creek, June 1986 — the church, the cemetery, and the Fleming farm
June 1986
Chuck with his mother Terrie and Wildermuth grandparents Robert Earl and Dottie, after their drive up from Orlando — c. 1985–1987
c. 1985–1987
Lijie with both grandmothers, Qingdao, c. 1986–87
c. 1986–1987
The Stadt Marbach reply, 19 December 1986 — twenty-five villages and an archive reference
19 December 1986
Ahnentafel Wildermuth, Großaspach — compiled from the parish registers, 2 December 1988
2 December 1988
Dorothy Marie Wildermuth at Her Hobby — Making Quilts, c. 1988
circa 1988
Family group in the living room at 108 Hillcrest Drive, Betty and Norm Wolfe's house (cast queued)
c. 1980s–1990s
Family group of eight at the Lafayette Hotel restaurant, Marietta — c. 1985–1990 (cast queued)
circa 1985–1990
Young Chuck on the couch with what appears to be a sprained ankle — c. 1985–1990
circa 1985–1990
He hired a professional — Friedrich Wollmershäuser and the Ludwigsburg emigration file, 1989
27 February 1989
The 'Little Histories' — the original typed pages, and Die Familien Wildermuth
c. 1988–1993
The Doddridge birth register — and the Hampshire County thread
abstracted c. 1985–1989
The Harrison County marriage index, and Eli Fleming's 1955 veteran's form
abstracted c. 1985–1989
West Union registers, the Doddridge deed index, and Eli Fleming's Civil War service
abstracted c. 1985–1989
Bailey Family Group Record — Robert Earl Wildermuth's research, c. 1990
c. 1990
Bartlett Family Group Record and sketch — Robert Earl Wildermuth's research, 1990
11 July 1990
Familienregister extract — Johann Christian Wildermuth's household, Großaspach
c. 1989–1992 (copy); register entries 1794–1856
Ling Zhou with teenage Lijie, c. 1990s (still from home-video footage)
c. mid-1990s
The census abstracts — every Fleming household in Taylor and Harrison Counties, 1850–1880
c. 1985–1995
Thomas Bailey Fleming — biographical sketch, Robert Earl Wildermuth, c. 1990
c. 1990
William Bartlett Family Group Record and sketch — Robert Earl Wildermuth's research, 1990
11 July 1990
Erling / Ebling Family Group Record 203 — an unconnected line, sent 1991
9 June 1991
Davis-Angel Family Portrait — c. 1992, with full cast labels
circa 1992
The German road maps, with the villages circled in ink
c. 1989–1995
Writing to the Rielingshausen parish — two replies, five years apart
1987–1992
Fourteen ancestor charts — Robert Earl Wildermuth's finished pedigree, printed
c. 1990s
The Wolf and Werner ancestor charts — two sheets that correct three published dates
c. 1990s
Charlotte Fleming of Tucson — the 1995 correspondence, and the puzzle of Eli's mother
25 March – 22 April 1995
Family reunion banquet — 26 August 1995
26 Aug 1995
Faye Angel at her house with young Chuck in the background and Charlie — c. 1990s
c. 1990s
"Dear Cousins" — how the Fleming research was actually done, 29 September 1998
29 September 1998
"John Fleming Family Legacy" — the typescript that answers the question
c. 1998
"So many Johns" — the email of 6 May 1998, six months before the retraction
6 May 1998
"STOP THE PRESSES!" — Robert Earl Wildermuth retracts the Fleming line, 27 November 1998
27 November 1998
The 1998 pedigree charts — the Flemings traced to Ballyclare, County Antrim
22 March 1998
"He's on the shelf" — April 1999, and James Fleming was not the final answer
23–27 April 1999
A Break for Meditation — News & Observer, 16 March 2001
16 Mar 2001
Shang–Li family banquet, three generations — c. 2000s
c. 2000s
Chuck Eesley PhD graduation, M.I.T., 5 June 2009 — with Terrie
5 Jun 2009
Three generations on Lijie's maternal side — Qingdao, 2009
6 Jun 2009
Birthday note from Charlie to Chuck — late-period block-print, after the vision loss
c. 2000s–2010s
Dorothy Marie (Davis) Wildermuth — Memorial Service Program, 13 August 2010
13 Aug 2010
Family group at Li Bei and Hong Bin's wedding, Qingdao, c. late 2000s
c. 2008–2012 (before Shang Yaozhen's 2013 death)
Lijie at the gate of Dexian Road Elementary School, Qingdao
c. 2010s
Shang Yaozhen in later life — Qingdao
c. 2000s–2010s
Norm and Betty Wolfe on Thanksgiving Day, 108 Hillcrest Drive, 24 November 2011
24 Nov 2011
Terrie in the south-side garden, May 2011
6 May 2011
Historic Eesley Mill sign — Plainwell, Michigan
c. 2010s
Zhou Zhaoxiang and Sun Yunzhe — Lijie's paternal grandparents, Qingdao
c. 2010s
651 Sixth Street, Marietta — MLS Exterior Photograph (c. 2015–2020s)
circa 2015–2020s
The Rielingshausen War Memorial — the Wildermuths Who Stayed (1914–18 & 1939–45)
photographed 2018 (memorial erected after each war)
Tenure celebration at Hana House — 2021
2021
Visit with Zhaoxiang Zhou — Ling, Xun, Lijie, and Chuck
before 9 December 2022 (Zhaoxiang's death)
Chuck teaching entrepreneurship in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
December 2024
Full-professor celebration at Hana House — 2026
2026
Chuck at the Tsinghua University gate (清華園)
Undated
Terrie at the Stanford fountain
Undated
Terrie in the front garden — a later year
Undated