Olivia Moretta Shira

Photographer:
Miss O. M. Shira
Saint John, Kans

Photographer:
Miss O. M. Shira
Saint John, Kans

Photographer:
Miss O. M. Shira
Saint John, Kans

Olivia Moretta Shira
(1857 - 1930?)

1857
Olivia Moretta Shira is born in Franklin, IA
1860 Jul 02
US census as child living with parents in Franklin, IA
1870 Jul 14
US census as child living with parents in Somerset MO
1885 Mar 01
Kansas State census, St John, KS, no Shira listed; population 430 in city

1889
St John, KS, SW Business Directory as photographer under name Miss Shira
1895 Mar 01
Kansas census, St John, KS, as photographer; listed with husband W W O’Neal
There is a big hole in the records here. Neither Olivia M Shira nor William W O’Neal have been found for certain in the 1900, 1910, or the 1920 US census or any other record during that period.
1900 Jun 08
US census St John, KS, no Shira Listed; Oley C. Hayworth listed as photographer page 10. 869 people living within city limits, additional 372 in surrounding rural area.

1930
Olivia Morita Shira dies at age 73 (based on two separate entries. The St. Louis, MO, city directory shows O M O’Neal living with husband William W in St louis, MO while the 5 Apr 1930 US census shows W W O’Neal as being widowed. W W O’Neal entry is right birth date and location, but living in New Mexico)

Up to date, Miss Shira can be documented as being a photographer from 1889 through 1895. The examples presented here were probably done during that period. There are still big gaps in the biography and business history.

New information from a commenter!

Thank you for this information. From Find-a-Grave: Olive M Oneal, Birth 1857, Death 1909 (aged 51–52) Burial, Greenmount Cemetery, Durango, La Plata County, Colorado, USA. An article in the St. John Weekly News about Mr. Oneal visiting from New Mexico notes that Mrs. Oneal died "a few months since." (Oley C. Haworth purchased the studio from Miss Shira/Mrs. Oneal, and he sold it to W.R. Gray [http://contentcat.fhsu.edu/digital/collection/stafford].

The studio still stands at 2nd and Main in St. John, Kansas, is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is being restored as a community art space.)

Additional example found at Ancestry.com

photographer: Shira
(Not actually a cabinet card)
example from LBF-LDF Ancetry.com

Not the one you were looking for? Here's the photographer's INDEX by name.
ONLY Cabinet Card photographers found in
LOST GALLERY
are reviewed here.

This is a work always in progress.

Additional information and new examples 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.
Email to the address found in the profile at the bottom of this page.

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.