Star Photo Company - Daniel F Ross

Star Photo Co.
Claflin, Kans
(written on the reverse: Warner O'Bleness)

Star Photo Co.
Claflin, Kans

First: About the photograph!

On the reverse of the card (far left), is written the name Warner Obleness. Flickr member Dave Miller did some fine research on that person.

Warner Gaines O'Bleness was born in Kansas in September 1880 to farmer George O'Bleness and his wife Mary. Warner also was a farmer and seems to have spent most of life in Claflin, perhaps farming the same land his father did, and raising a large family. His 1918 WWI draft registration states that, at that time, he was blind in one eye. His 1942 WWII draft registration states that he has an artificial left eye and is missing the second finger of his right hand. Farming is not for wimps.

Interestingly, according to a detailed Public Member Tree on ancestry.com, the O'Bleness family are first found in this country in New York in the 1600's and were Dutch in origin, the immigrant ancestor being Joost Von Oblinus.

And more:
Regarding the elder couple, they are almost certainly the ancestors of your Warner O'Bleness, but I'm thinking they are too old to be his parents if the pictures are contemporaneous (they appear to have the same painted background and furniture as Warner's pic). Warner, I estimate is under 20 years old in his photo which would date it to before 1900 but probably after his 15th birthday in 1895. Warner's parents, George and Mary Jane (Gaines) O'Bleness were born in 1853 and 1851 respectively, which would make then 40-somethings in the 1890s. This couple may be Warner's grandparents, Charles and Mary Jane (Smith) O'Bleness, who were both born in 1830 and would have been in their 60's at this time. Mary Jane (Smith) O'Bleness died in 1899 and Charles in 1903. - Dave Miller

Considering this information, these photographs must have been done between 1895 and 1899. Since it is shown that Star Photo Co was an itinerant photographer with a temporary studio, the two photographs were possibly done the even same day.

Now, about the photographer!
The Star Photo Co for this cabinet card appears to be a traveling studio wandering the north west of Kansas between 1890 and 1899. It has been found associated with four Kansas towns: McDonald, Ness City, Claflin and Bird City.

The cabinet card at the top was probably finished around the time Star Photo Co was traveling in northwest Kansas, around 1898.

Now, thanks to some fine research work from commenter, Colin Hanson, the photographer for Star Photo Co, of Kansas has been identified.

Daniel Franklin Ross
(1867- 1937)

1867 Nov 04
Clermont County, OH, Daniel Franklin Ross is born to Samuel P Ross and Martha Volander
1892 Dec 08
Bird City (KS) News small ad for Star Photo Co. in McDonald, KS; (169 miles from McDonald to Claflin, KS)
1897 May 12
Bison, KS, state records, Daniel Franklin and Jessie Leora Britton are married; expected home will be Alva, OK

1898 Jan 20
Claflin (KS) Clarion, display ad for D F Ross or Star Photo co; mentions it is a “Tent” studio
1898 Feb 24
Claflin (KS) Clarion, display ad says D F Ross will be in Claflin until Mar 12 1898, then to return to the Strip (Presumably the Cherokee Strip in Oklahoma Territory)
1898 May 13 La Crosse (KS) Republican, Bison, KS: D F Ross, Jesse Britton marriage announcement; projected home will be Alva, OK
1898 Nov 11
La Crosse (KS) Chieftain, news item says D F Ross has “vamoosed” to parts unknown
1899 Mar 31
Bison, KS, state records, son Floyd Claude Ross is born
1899 Nov 23, 24, 25, 28, 29
Galena (KS) Evening Times, small ads for studio at 7th and Main, Galena, KS
(223 miles from Galena to Claflin, KS)
1900 May 10
Olathe (KS) Mirror, item says D F Ross has leased the W H Grover photo gallery for one year
1900 Jun 04
Olathe, KS, US census, “Frank” Ross as photographer; boarder Arthur Cunningham as photographer

1901 Jun 06
Olathe (KS) News Herald, item says D F Ross has moved from the Grover Gallery to a ground floor gallery at the NW corner of the public square
1905 May 11
Olathe (KS) Mirror, display ad with picture of gallery in Olathe, KS, disclosing his closing date at that location as Jun 15, 1905
1906 Sep 21
Rathdrum (ID) Tribune, item says the Photograph Car will be open Monday, Friday and Saturday, each week
1910 May 02
Kootenai, ID, US census, Daniel “W” Ross as photographer; res Woodlawn Street
1913
Missoula, Mo, city directory, D F Ross as photographer
1915
Missoula, MO, city directory, D F Ross as photographer
1917
Missoula, MT, city directory, Daniel F Ross NOT listed
1920 Jan 17
Ravalli, MT, US census, Daniel F Ross as general farmer; wife Jesse also listed

1930 Apr 02
Kellogg, ID, US census, Daniel F Ross as photographer; wife Jesse also listed
1932 Jun 12
Spokane (WA) Spokesman, item says D F Ross nearly drowns in flood waters near Wallace, ID
1936 Dec 27
Spokane (WA) Spokesman, item says D R Ross was stuck by a hit and run driver
1937 Nov 24
Spokane, WA, newspaper obituaries, Washington death index, Daniel F Ross dies at age 70

From Colin Hanson:
“The 1910 census lists him as a photographer living in Kootenai, Idaho, just north of Coeur d'Alene; beyond that he's very elusive. Going from a few notices in Montana newspapers ("visitng on business" etc.) he seems to haved lived on the Flathead Reservation in Montana for a time. His death certificate (1937) has him living in Kellogg, Idaho, very close to the Idaho/Montana state line. He's still listed as a photographer on the certificate, but finding more than a handfull of the actual photographs is proving challenging.”

Bird City (KS) News - 29 Nov 1896

Claflin (KS) Clarion - 20 Jan 1898

Claflin (KS) Clarion - 24 Feb 1898

La Crosse (KS) Republican - 13 May 1898

La Crosse (KS) - 20 May 1898

La Crosse (KS) Chieftan - 11 Nov 1898

Ness County (KS) News - 28 Jan 1899

Ness County (KS) News - 11 Feb 1899

Galena (KS) Evening Times - 23 Nov 1899

Galena (KS) Evening Times - 25 Nov 1899

Olathe (KS) Mirror - 10 May 1900

Olathe (KS) News-Herald - 06 Jun 1901

Olathe (KS) Mirror - 11 May 1905

Rathdrum (ID) Tribune - 21 Sep 1906

Spokane (WA) Spokesman - 12 Jun 1932

Spokane (WA) Spokesman - 27 Dec 1936

Spokane (WA)

Salem (OR) Statesman - 25 Nov 1937

Spokane (WA) Spokesman - 25 Nov 1937

Newspaper photograph possibly done by D F Ross's Star Photo Co

Not the one you were looking for? Here's the photographer's INDEX by name. All the Cabinet Card photographers of the 19th century found in LOST GALLERY are listed there.

This is a work always in progress.

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