Saturday, September 20, 2025

James M Goins of Cincinnati, OH

photographer: Goins
Cincinnati, OH
example from MoMa Collections


Just the bottom edge of this card available

James M Goins
(1847 - 1939)

1847 May
Ohio, US census 1900, 1910, 1920; James M Goins is born
1862 Aug 09
According to the death certificate, James Goins is born this year
1869
Chicago, IL, city directory, J M Goins of Johnson and Goins, photographers; res 163 4th Ave (J G Johnson, same address) NOT listed in Business Section
1871
Chicago, IL, BUSINESS directory, James M Goins NOT listed
1871
Chicago, IL, city directory, Mrs. Sarah Goins as dressmaker; 129 4th Ave
1872
Chicago, IL, city directory, James M Goins NOT listed (NO Goines listed)
1873
Chicago, IL, city directory, James M Goins as photographer at 170 Madison; res same
1874
Chicago, IL, city directory, James M Goins NOT listed
1875
Chicago, IL, city directory, James M Goins as photographer at 286 State; res 255 3rd av

1876, 1877
Chicago, IL, city directory, James M Goins as photographer at 379 State; res same
. 1878
Chicago, IL, city directory, James Goins as photographer; res 391 Butterfield; NOT in bus section
1879, 1881
Chicago city directories not available
1880
Chicago, IL, city directory, James Goins NOT listed
1881
Denver, CO, from 19th Century Photographers; James R Goins as photographer for only about a year
1882
Chicago, IL, city directory, James M Goins as photographer at 358 W Madison; res same
1883, 1884, 1885, 1886
Not in Cincinnati OH, City Directory (1886 bus section only and pages missing in res section)
1887
Cincinnati, OH, city directory, James M Goins as photographer at 184 W Fifth; NOT in bus section
1888
Cincinnati, OH, city directory, James M Goins as photographer at 163 Race; also in business pages
1889
Cincinnati, OH, city directory, J M Goins as photographer at 163 Race; also in Business pages

1890
Cincinnati, OH, city directory, J M Goins NOT listed
1899
Chicago, IL, city directory, James Goins NOT listed
1900 Jun 04
Chicago, IL, US census, James Goins as photographer at 3206 Cottage Grove Ave
1900
Chicago, IL, city directory, James M Goins as photographer; res 185 Wabash Ave; NO business section available; born May 1847
1901
Chicago, IL, city directory, James Goins NOT listed
1904
Chicago, IL, city directory, (last half only),
1906, 1908
Chicago, IL, city directory, business only, J M Goins NOT listed
1909, 1910
Chicago, IL, city directory, James Goins NOT listed; (Business pages only)
1910 Apr 22
Chicago, IL, US census, James Goins as photographer, age 49 (b 1850)
1920 Jan 26
Oak Forest Institution, Il, US census, James Goins as inmate at institution; age 70, (b 1650)
1939 Jul 27
Cape Girardeau, MO, death certificate, James Goins dies at age 76


It appears that James M Goins was either two people or one that left misleading information in his trail. One was born in 1847 according to US census, all years that were found. The other was born 1862, according to the death certificate.

Fine coverage can be found at
19th Century Colorado Photographers
AND
MoMa Collections

Examples are scarce.
If you have an example of this photographer's cabinet card work, consider adding it to this page, (See submission instructions in the footer at the bottom of this page.)

Cincinnati (OH) Inquirer -
15 Apr 1888
Cincinnati (OH) Enquirer -
09 Dec 1889

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.

Cabinet cards typically have the photographer’s name and address printed on the bottom edge or the reverse of the card. 19th century photographers moved around a lot. The basic idea here is to find WHEN a photographer was WHERE, which will help date an unidentified CABINET CARD from your family album.

This is a work always in progress.

Aditional 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.

Saturday, September 6, 2025

Mrs R M Brown of Kansas


This is a special page for a cabinet card by a very interesting photographer from the collection of
rfinch on Ancestry.com



Photographer: Brown
Belleville, Kansas
From the collection of
rfinch on Ancestry.com

The Belleville (KS) Telegram carries several items about Dr Brown and Mrs R M Brown documenting their stay in that town in 1897 to 1899.

One item, 17 Jun 1897, mentions Dr and Mrs Brown and daughter proposing to locate in Belleville, KS, from Alma, NE.

Belleville (KS) Telescope - 17 Sep 1897

The following month, there was this very descriptive item in the same newspaper.

Belleville (KS) Telescope - 08 Oct 1897

In December there is this descriptive item in a feature about new businesses in Belleview.

Belleville (KS) Telescope - 10 Dec 1897

Following this, over 70 small ads and items were found in the Belleville (KS) Telescope between the dates of 08 Oct 1897 and 19 May 1899. Examples:

Belleville (KS) Telescope - 10 Dec 1897

Belleville (KS) Telescope - 17 Dec 1897

Belleville (KS) Telescope - 04 Feb 1898

Belleville (KS) Telescope - 18 Feb 1898

Belleville (KS) Telescope - 15 Apr 1898

Belleville (KS) Telescope - 06 May 1898

Continued in the next row

In 1999 this item appeared:

Belleville (KS) Telescope - 21 Apr 1899



On 02 Jun 1899, there appears a short item in the Belleville (KS) Telegram which seems to indicate that Jun 23 and 24 will be customer’s last chance to pick up their orders.

Belleville (KS) Telescope - 22 Jun 1899

Unfortunately nothing has been found so far that documents their travels before or after their stay in Belleville, KS.

Further leads have been inconclusive owing to the fact that there were at least three doctors named Brown in the area. Though there are mentions in area newspapers of the activities of Dr Brown, there is nothing to indicate that it is the same Dr Brown that resided in Belleville, KS, in 1897 to 1899.

It is also unclear whether the initials "R M" belong to Mrs Brown or her husband. Some ads end with “Mrs R M Brown” and others with “R M Brown”

It is fairly conclusive however that the cabinet card here was finished between Oct of 1897 and June of 1899.

A few additional ways to date cabinet cards

Card stock
1866–1880: square, lightweight mount
1880–1890: square, heavy weight card stock
1890s: scalloped edges

Card colors
1866–1880:
thin, light weight card stock in white, off white or light cream; white and light colours were used in later years, but generally on heavier card stock

1880–1890:
different colors for face and back of mounts

1882–1888:
matte-finish front, with a creamy-yellow, glossy back

(From WIki)

Borders
1866–1880: red or gold rules, single and double lines
1884–1885: wide gold borders
1885–1892: gold beveled edges
1889–1896: rounded corner rule of single line
1890s on: Embossed borders and/or lettering

(From Wiki)



For more information on dating Cabinet Cards see PHOTOTREE

Lettering
1866–1879 Photographer name and address often printed small and neatly just below the image, and/or studio name printed small on back.

1880s on: Large, ornate text for photographer name and address, especially in cursive style. Studio name often takes up the entire back of the card.

Late 1880s–90s Gold text on black card stock

1890s on: embossed studio name or other embossed designs

(From Wiki)



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.

Cabinet cards typically have the photographer’s name and address printed on the bottom edge or the reverse of the card. 19th century photographers moved around a lot. The basic idea here is to find WHEN a photographer was WHERE, which will help date an unidentified CABINET CARD from your family album.

This is a work always in progress.

Aditional 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.

Old stuff here...

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I am 4' 3", eat small insects, dress in the dark and take annual showers. phase65@yahoo.com