Wesley C Rowley

Photographer: W C Rowley
110 and 112 W Water St
Elmira, New York
example from auction site

There are several gaps in the records of the life of Wesley C Rowley, photographer. This timeline includes notations of where Rowley was NOT, to help narrow the possibilities of where he was in a given year. Rowley moved around a bit but outside of short periods in Altoona, PA, and New Bedford, MA, it does not appear that he ventured much from the state of New York.

1850 Oct 05
New York, NY, US census Wesley C Rowley is born to Almon Rowley and Edith A Rowley
1870 Jun 08
Canton, NY, US census Wesley Rowley as “Lives at home” no occupation listed
1874
Poughkeepsie, NY, city directory W C Rowley NOT listed
1875
Poughkeepsie, NY, city directory Wesley C Rowley as clerk; res: 48 Catharine
1875 Jun 20
Poughkeepsie, NY, state census Weslie Rowley as grocer (res is apparently a boarding house)
1876
Poughkeepsie, NY, city directory Rowley NOT listed

1879, 1880
New York, NY, city directory W C Rowley NOT listed (1881 not available)
1880 Jun 07
New York, NY, US census Wesley Rowley as artist; living with two other artists, A C Knox and Ema Taft
1882
New York, NY, city directory W C Rowley as artist at 1193 Broadway; res 50 w 32nd
1883
New York, NY, city directory Wesley C Rowley as “portraits” 1193 Broadway; res 48 w 32nd
1884
New York, NY, city directory W C Rowley NOT listed (1885 not available)
1885
Elmira, NY, city directory W C Rowley NOT listed
1886, 1887, 1888
Elmira, NY, city directory Wesley C Rowley as photographer 110 & 112 w Water; res 501 William
1889
Elmira, NY, city directory Wesley C Rowley as photographer 110 & 112 w Water; res 302 w Water

1890, 1891
Elmira, NY, city directory Wesley C Rowley as photographer 110, 112 w Water; bds Wyckoff house
1891 Jun 09
Elmira, NY, Star Gazette news item says W C Rowley of Corning, NY, was in Elmira, NY, “yesterday”
1892
Elmira, NY, city directory Wesley C Rowley as photographer, 110 w Water; res 350 w Water; mother at same address
1892 Apr 09
Elmira, NY, Star Gazette news item tells of painting by W C Rowley, West Water st photogrpher
1893
Elmira, NY, city directory Wesley C Rowley as photographer, 110 w Water; res 319 Church
1894
Elmira, NY, city directory Wesley C Rowley as photographer, 110-112 w Water; res 319 Church
1894 Jan 13
Elmira, NY, Star Gazette news item mentions D F Stamp, “connected” with W C Rowley for many years, has now opened his own gallery at 116 Baldwin st

1895, 1896
Elmira, NY, city directory Wesley C Rowley as photographer 126 n Main; res 319 w Church
1897
New Bedford, MA; Elmira, NY, city directory W C Rowley NOT listed
1898
New Bedford, MA, Wesley C Rowley, photographer 25 Purchase; res 115 Mill
1898 May 18
Elmira, NY Star Gazette news item says W C Rowley is now in New Bedford, MA, formerly of Corning and Elmira, NY
1899
New Bedford, MA; Corning, NY; New York, NY, city directory W C Rowley NOT listed
1900
New Bedford, MA; Elmira, NY, city directory W C Rowley NOT listed; Corning not available
1901
Corning, NY, city directory Wesley C Rowley as photographer 293 E Market; res Dickinson House

1904 Mar 02
Elmira, NY Star Gazette news item says Rowley’s mother has died in Cherryvale, KN, where she was staying with another son, Albert J Rowley (1834-1914)
1903, 1905
Corning, NY, city directory Wesley C Rowley NOT listed
1910 Apr 20
Manhattan, NY, US census as photographer, wage earner (working for another studio)
1919
Ithaca, NY, city directory W C Rowley NOT listed
1920 Jan 13
Ithaca, NY, US census as photographer; res 325 e State st
1921
Ithaca, NY, city directory W C Rowley NOT listed
1921 through 1933
Corning, NY, city directory W C Rowley NOT listed

1922
Watertown, NY, city directory shows a Wesley Rowley as fireman; res 131 Union (NOT in 1923 listing; in 1921 listing, same address, as “Webster”, so this is probably not the photographer) Also photographer W C Rowley would be about 72)
1930
Altoona, PA, US census Wesley C Rowley as photographer, (Altoona city directories 1920 through 1935 not available)
1931
Manhattan, NY, city directory W C Rowley NOT listed
1933
Corning, NY, city directory, W C Rowley NOT listed
1936
Corning, NY, city directory, Wesley Rowley as retired
1937 Feb 14
Bath, NY, state records, Wesley C Rowley dies at age 86

The cabinet card by Rowley at the top of the page must have been finished between 1886 and 1892 when Rowley had a studio at 110 w Water st in Elmira, NY.

Elmira, NY, Star Gazette - 09 Jun 1891

Elmira, NY, Star Gazette - 09 Apr 1892

Elmira, NY, Star Gazette - 13 Oct 1894


photographer: W C Rowley
110-112 W Water St, Elmira, NY
example from auction site
finished between 1886 and 1894

Elmira, NY, Star Gazette - 18 May 1898

Elmira, NY, Star Gazette - 02 Mar 1904

The following two newspaper articles contribute little to the whereabouts of W C Rowley but are an interesting event in his life.

Elmira, NY, Star Gazette - 30 Aug 1905

Elmira, NY, Star Gazette - 31 Aug 1905

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.

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