Tuesday, July 21, 2020

John Wesley Kratzer


John Wesley Kratzer - Charles E Kratzer - Lemuel E Kratzer

photographer: Kratzer
East Main St.
Hillsboro, O.

John Wesley Kratzer (1841 - 1897)
Lemuel Ellsworth Kratzer (1863 - 1937)
Charles E. Kratzer (1865 - 1828)

Lemuel Kratzer and his brother Charles E. were responsible for most of the cabinet cards imprinted “Kratzer” and done in small towns around Cincinnati, OH, between 1890 and 1928.

Their father John Wesley Kratzer, age 40, only in the 1880 census is listed as a Photo Artist. In all other documents found, he was a farmer or a truck driver.

The brothers appear to have worked other small towns in the area including, Hillsboro, Oxford, Blanchester, New Vienna, Mount Orab, and Upper Sandusky. Deciding which went where is a little speculative, but Lemuel appears to have stayed closer to Lebanon, OH, while Charles went to Upper Sandusky and New Vienna.

Another family tree on Ancestry promotes a James William Kratzer as photographer in Mount Orab, Brown County, OH, but no documents have been found to support this.

Here is a combined timeline assembling all the documents found for all three men. Personal information such as marriages and births, is included to help place establish locations of these photographers.

1841 Jun 18
John Wesley Kratzer was born in Mount Orab, Brown County, OH
1860 Jun 27
US census John Wesley Kratzer, age 19, as domestic in Green, Brown County, OH
1861 Apr 07
John Wesley Kratzer marries Lavinia Day in Brown County, OH
1861 Jul 01
John Kratzer civil war registration in Clay, OH, as farmer
1863 Nov 24
Lemuel Ellsworth Kratzer was born in Mount Orab, Brown County, OH
1865 Feb 27
Charles E. Kratzer was born in Brown County, OH
1870 Aug 30
US census John Kratzer as teamster in Green, Brown County, OH
1880 Jun 01
US census John Kratzer as photo artist in Green, Brown County, OH

1889 Feb
Lemuel Kratzer’s daughter Eva is born in OH
1890 Jan 16
News Herald Hillsboro, OH, news ad for Kratzer Gallery east Main st, over Detwiler’s book store in Hillsboro, OH, J. W. Kratzer
1891
News Herald, Hillsboro, OH, news item (1891 Jan 26) J W and C E Kratzer buy out J Z Foulk studio
1891 Feb 12
News Herald, Hillsboro, OH, news item for Charles Kratzer visits New Vienna, OH
1891 Sep 17
News Herald, Hillsboro, OH, news ads two identical ads one for J. W. Kratzer at East Main St and the other for Charles E. Kratzer, at North High Street
1893 Jan 26
News Herald, Hillsboro, OH, J W and C E Kratzer bring suit against J Z Foulk for engaging in photo business at the Bell building with C B Detmar of Cincinnati, OH; “When the plaintiffs bought out Mr Foulk’s business two years prior, a contract was entered into by which the latter was not to enter the business here again.”

Continued in next row ...

1893 Feb 23
News Herald, Hillsboro, OH, news ad for photographic Studio for Foulk and Dettmar in the Bell Building, w Main st
1893 Dec 28
New Vienna (OH) Reporter, news item marriage announcement for Charles E Kratzer and Jessie M Gordon (news item appearing in the News Herald Hillsboro, OH) Item mentions that Charles Kratzer was formerly a photographer in New Vienna, OH.
1893
(above news item) John Wesley Kratzer is living in Winchester, OH
1893
(above news item) Lemuel E Kratzer is living in Lebanon, OH
1893 Dec 19
Ohio County Register Charles Kratzer marries Jessie M Gordon in Union, Highland, OH,
1894 May 03
News Herald, Hillsboro, OH, Charles Kratzer leaves for Upper Sandusky, OH, where he has purchased a gallery
1894 Sep 27
Lemuel Kratzer’s wife Clara Kratzer dies in Lebanon, Warren, OH
1895
Lemuel Kratzer marries Martha Maria Robinson in Warren County, OH

1897 Mar 16
John Wesley Kratzer is buried in Leesburg, Highland County, OH.
1898 Aug
Lemuel Kratzer’s son Robert Walker Kratzer is born in Lebanon, OH
1900 Jun 01
US census Charles Kratzer as photographer in Union, Highland, OH, living with in-laws
1900 Jun 11
US census L E Kratzer as photographer in Turtle Creek, OH;
1903 Mar 11
Lima (OH) News obituary for son Lawrence shows L E Kratzer living in Lima, OH
1910 Apr 18
US census Charles Kratzer as farmer in Union, Highland, OH
1910 May 03
US census Lemuel Kratzer as photographer in Turtle Creek, Warren, OH
1920 Jan 05
US census Charles Kratzer as photographer on Highland st in Green, Clinton, OH;
1920 Jan 07
US census Lemuel Kratzer as no occupation in Turtle Creek, Warren, OH

1928 Mar 01
Charles E. Kratzer dies of “Acute Indigestion”, age 63, in New Vienna, Clinton County, OH; death certificate shows him as photographer
1937 Mar 10
Lemuel Ellsworth Kratzer dies at age 73 in Turtle Creek, Warren County, OH

The cabinet card here was likely finished between 1891 and 1894 when the father John Wesley and the two sons Charles and Lemuel were living and working mainly in Hillsboro, OH.

Hillsboro News Herald - Jan 16 1890

Hillsboro News Herald - 12 Feb 1891

Hillsboro News Herald - 17 Sep 1891

Hillsboro News Herald - 26 Jan 1893



photographer: Kratzer
Lebanon, OH
example from auction site

photographer: J W Kratzer
Winchester, OH
example from findagrave

Not the one you were looking for? Here's the photographer's INDEX by name. Listed here are all the Cabinet Card photographers of the 19th century found in LOST GALLERY. This is a work in progress. For a look at the original postings go to LOST GALLERY.

Some examples on this page have been enhanced or restored for clarity and presentation here.

This page is free for educational and research purposes only but, as always, if the original owner of any of these examples objects to the use on this page, they will be immediately removed.

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