Photographer: Freeman and Easterly
McKinney, Texas
(on the reverse: Lawrence McWhorton
born 1886, Son of R. A. & Ella McWhorton)
Listed also under Easterly
Information written on the reverse of the card at the left, indicates
this card was finished in 1886 or 1887. Newspaper clipping (see below)
indicates Freeman and Easterly worked together in 1887.
Alfred Freeman had a lot happen in his lifetime. Some personal items
are included here to help establish where he was working and why.
Curiously, for all the activity in his life, no document or news item
ever establishes a middle name or initial. Only one Galveston
newspaper item in 1882 refers to him as “A A Freeman” but that’s
probably an error. Even his English baptismal record identifies him
only as “Alfred, son of John and Mary Ann.”
According to advertisements Freeman seems to slip back and forth
between the photography and the music business. In actuality, he was
probably in both at the same time, most of the time.
Although centered most of the time in Dallas, TX, Freeman appears to
have had studios in Weatherford, Sherman, Dennison and Decatur, all in
Texas. In 1892 he moves is family to Pueblo, CO, and then to Colorado
Springs, CO, where he spends the rest of his life.
Alfred Freeman
(1846 - 1937)
1848 Jan
Liverpool, England, US census, Alfred A. Freeman born in England
1855-1861
Arrival in US, each census gives a different date
1870 Jun 03
Warrensburg, MO, US census “Alphred” Freeman as photographer; res:
Zimmerman’s Boarding House
1870
Freeman Artistic Gallery established in Dallas according to display
ads from 1881 and 1884; note that in those days information in
newspaper articles and ads were often generalized or estimated
1871-1872
Texas Tax rolls, as Dallas resident
1873 Apr 12
Dallas (TX) Daily Herald news item, Alfred Freeman, photograph artist,
agent for Steck Pianos
1873 May 24
Dallas (TX) Herald display ad for Freeman as agent for musical
instruments
1873 Oct 03
Dallas (TX) Daily Herald, small ad shows A. Freeman, photographer
1873 Sep 21
Dallas, TX, state records, Freeman’s son Edward W Freeman is born
1875
Dallas, TX, city directory Alfred Freeman as artist at 101 s Houston;
res 1130 Jackson
1875 Feb 28
Dallas Daily Herald, large ad for Alfred Freeman as artist in
photography and dealer in parlor organs; cor Houston and Elm (probably
101 Houston); there is a mention in this ad that Freeman has just
returned from a 5 month trip to England;
1875 Apr 21, 1875 Jun 19
Dallas (TX) Weekly Herald small ad places Freeman at Elm and Houston
st Dallas, TX
1875 Sep 18
Dallas (TX) Daily Herald small ad Freeman sells cabinet cards at 150
per dozen
1876 Feb 26, 27, Mar 01, 29
Dallas (TX) Daily Herald small ad for Freeman selling views of Mardi
Gras
1876 Mar 10, 18, 26
Dallas (TX) Daily Herald Display ad for Freeman photo gallery/ music
store
1876 Apr 30
Dallas (TX) Daily Herald news item photographer Freeman at Centennial
exhibit
1876 Sep 14
Dallas, TX, state records, Alfred Freeman’s son Walter Murillo Freeman
is born
1877 Jan 13
Dallas Daily Herald news item says Freeman has moved his studio to
Main Street to open on the 16th
1877 Apr 06, May 08
Dallas Daily Herald small ad about Mardi Gras views; studio at 505
Main
1877 Jul 14
Dallas Weekly Herald display ad for Freeman Fine Organs
1877 Sep 22
Dallas Weekly Herald small ad about Freeman shipment of organs
1877 Oct 31
Dallas Daily Herald news item about Freeman at Centennial
Exposition
1878
Dallas, TX, city directory, Freeman as photographer and piano and
organ sales at 505 Main
1878 Aug 08 through Dec 12
Waco (TX) Daily Examiner bout 40 display ads Freeman Piano and organs
505 Main, Dallas, TX
1879
Unknown location, 1880 us census estimate date, Albert Freeman and
Archella Shannon marry
1879 Oct 18
Norton’s Union Intelligencer (Dallas, TX) display ad for Albert
Freeman as agent for piano companies in Dallas
1879
Dallas, TX, daughter Lena Freeman is born
1880
Dallas, TX, US census Alfred Freeman as photographer and dealer in
pianos and organs at 505 Main;
1880 Apr 29
Dallas Daily Herald news/ad Freeman studio at 505 Main st Dallas
1881
Dallas, TX, city directory Alfred Freeman as photographer at 505 Main;
res 1130 Jackson
1881 Jan 07, Jun 10
Montgomery (TX) Journal display ad for photo studio/music store, no
address given
1881 Sep 11
Dallas Daily Herald news/ad Freeman as photographer
1881 Dec 20
Dallas Daily Herald news item says Freeman has shot R A Chambers with
a shotgun; Chambers was allegedly committing adultery with Freeman’s
wife, Archella Freeman
1882 Apr 21
Galveston (TX) Daily News mention of A. A. Freeman on murder charge
1882 Aug 01 through Oct 03
Dallas Daily Herald James L. McCown leases Freeman “old and
established” gallery
1882 May 03
Dallas Daily Herald (published on 28 Sep 1882) Alfred Freeman files
for a divorce from Archella
1882 Sep 27
Dallas Daily Herald Mrs Chambers, wife of the murdered R A Chambers,
tries to shoot Archella Freeman who is accused of adultery with R A
Chambers
1882 Oct 05
Dallas (TX) Weekly Herald news item Alfred Freeman amends divorce
application to include custody of two of their children, and all
property
1882 Jun 08 - Jul 29
Dallas Daily Herald 24 news/ads Freeman’s old photograph gallery now
leased by Mr. McCown
1882 Oct 05
Dallas Weekly Herald, Freeman divorce ann.
1883
Dallas, TC, city directory as music and musical instrument dealer at
505 Main; bds at Kent Hotel
1883 Nov 15, 25
Dallas Herald as photographer at 505 Main
1883 Dec 06
Dallas Weekly Herald, Freeman is found NOT GUILTY of murder
1884 May through 1885 Jan 09
Norton’s Union Intelligencer display ad says Freeman studio
established in 1870 at 505 Main in Dallas, W. T. Woole (sometimes
“Doole”) manager
1884-1885
Dallas, TX, city directory as photographer at 505 Main
1885 Feb 10
Wise, TX, state records, Alfred Freeman marries Florence Fisher
1885 Dec 28
Weatherford, TX, state records, daughter Ada Florence Freeman is born
to Alfred Freeman and Florence
1886
Dallas, TX, city directory Alfred Freeman is not listed; Travis and
Birkland are now at 505 Main
1887 Sep 01 through 09
Sherman (TX) Daily Register, small ads say Freeman studio, piano and
organ, now at 115 Travis, in Sherman, TX
1887 Oct 14
Fort Worth (TX) Daily Gazette story about county fair mentions
Freeman and Easterly together
1887 Dec 12
Sherman (TX) Daily register news item says partnership with Frank H
Sparrow dissolved
1887, 1888
Sherman, TX, city directory as photographer at 115 s Travis; also
listed as in McKinney and Decatur, TX at the same time.
1889 Feb 08, 14
Austin (TX) Weekly Statesman news story shows Freeman has fire loss at
studio in Decatur, TX
1890-1891
Catching Shadows by David Haynes says that Alfred Freeman is at
Sherman, TX
1892
Catching Shadows by David Haynes - “Reported in Pueblo, CO”
1892
Opal Harber,Photographers and the Colorado Scene gives studio address as 117 E 4th
(thanks to commenter)
1897
Colorado Springs, CO, city directory Alfred Freeman NOT listed
1900 Jun 08
Colorado Springs, CO, US census Alfred Freeman as photographer; res
1101 n Weber; Maggie Wilson boarding at same address listed as
assistant photographer
1902
Colorado Springs, CO, city directory Alfred Freeman as photographer at
32 N Tejon, res 1011 n Weber; wife Florence and daughter Ada at same
address
1903
Colorado Springs, CO, city directory Alfred Freeman as mngr Freeman
Music Co. 1011 n Weber; wife Florence and daughter Ada at same
address
1910
Colorado Springs, CO, US census, Freeman as “merchant of musical
goods”
1924, 1927
Colorado Springs, CO, city directory Alfred Freeman as photographer at
1011 n Weber; res same
1924 Apr 02
Colorado Springs, CO, daughter Florence applies for passport; res
given as 1011 n Weber
1930
Colorado Springs, CO, US census, Alfred Freeman as no occupation
listed; res 1011 Weber
1937
Colorado Springs, CO, Alfred Freeman dies at age 89
Dallas (TX) Daily Herald - 21 Apr 1875
Dallas (TX) Daily Herald - 13 Jan 1877
Bonham, TX, Christian Messenger - 28 Dec 1881
Austin (TX) Weekly Statesman - 29 Dec 1881
Dallas (TX) Daily Herald - 13 Jan 1882
Dallas (TX) Weekly Herald - 05 Oct 1882
Galveston (TX) Daily News - 23 Dec 1882
Norton's Intelligencer - 03 Dec 1883
Sherman (TX) Daily Register - 09 Sep 1887
Fort Worth (TX) Daily Gazette - 14 Oct 1887
Only mention found of Easterly
Passport photograph of Alfred Freeman's daughter
Ada Florence Freeman
02 Apr 1924
21 Dec 1893
photographer: Alfred Freeman
example from Portal To Texas History
This photograph is part of the collection entitled:
Rescuing Texas History
and was provided by the Private Collection of
T. B. Willis to The Portal to Texas History,
a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries
reverse of cdv at the left
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.
New examples and additional information are always welcome. Any
additional information will help narrow the time that these precious
antiques were made.
All submissions should be free of glare and shadows. Do not crop.
Leave a border around each card. The edges are sometimes an
important clue to the age of the card.
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, just let me know and they will be immediately
removed.
Hi trying to find more info about Ada. I think she moved to Colorado Springs (not Pueblo). She became a school teacher there. Thanks for your blog info
ReplyDeleteThanks for your note. Yes, photographer Freeman can be documented in Colorado Springs, CO, from 1893 to his death in 1937. David Haynes “Catching Shadows” mentions only that Freeman is “Reported in Pueblo, CO” but I can find no other support for that. There is no Pueblo, CO, city directory available between 1889 and 1893, and Pueblo newspapers make no mention of him during those years. And there is no Colorado Springs city directory available before 1897.
DeletePossibly as early as December of 1893, the family is indeed in Colorado Springs as evidenced by a small mention in the “Weekly Gazette” which I have added to this page.
My citation for Pueblo in 1892 is from Opal Harber, Photographers and the Colorado Scene (Denver Public Library, 1961). She is citing Colorado State Business Directory (presumably for 1892). She lists Freeman's Pueblo address as 117 E 4th. davhaynes@juno.com
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