After contacting the Golden Valley Historical Society in North Dakota, within two days I have received contact from a woman there in Beach ND, whose great-grandfather was Charles Welch. She is related to us, not by blood, but through Charles’ adoption of her grandmother after his second marriage around 1909. Below are some extracts of three emails I have received since last night. I had offered her some information about Charles’ first marriage to our great-grandmother, Margaret Wilder-Welch, and offered to pass along some photos which some of you posted on FB. You’ll find a few tidbits of new information!
“Hi Lee,
Judy [from the Historical Society] just called me about her conversation with you today. Charles Welch was married to my great-grandmother, Bess Ament Smith in about 1909 and they came to Beach shortly after that. They are listed in the 1910 census as residing in Beach. My great-grandmother had a daughter from a previous marriage. I don’t know if Grandpa Charlie actually adopted her but she went by Welch. They adopted a boy, Richard, shortly before Grandpa died. He was sent to live with relatives in Iowa. I only found out about the Welch side and the Mandan and Hot Springs SD photo studios a couple of years ago and haven’t had time to research them further. I’m not sure what the connection is because the names Judy mentioned were not familiar to me. It is very possible that he had been married before he married my great-grandmother. She took over the studio after his death and operated it until she sold in 1948. If I can be of any help, just let me know.”
Barbara Carlson
—-”I’ve never had a picture of him! There is a book written about the early photographers in Dakota Territory called They Captured the Moment: Dakotas Photographers 1853-1920 by Robert Kolbe with Brian Bade. I wondered who the Mrs. M. W. Welch was! They list Charles as Charles E. but I’m sure it is Grandpa Charlie although I think his middle initial was O. Genealogy is so exciting!”
—–”Wow – that is information that was certainly never talked about in my family! Charles was not a blood relative to me as I am descended from Bess’s daughter but my mother always talked of him. She had evidently heard things from her mother but Grandma Alice was only 11 when he died. My mother is now in a nursing home and doesn’t have any memory of us so I don’t know is she could tell me anything.”
Judy, at the Historical Society knew of Charles Welch right off and noted immediately that they had quite a number of his photos there in their archives. She is gathering a list for future scanning of them for us. She is also gathering the other information the Society has on his family in Beach, and his photographic work, etc. I’m sure there will be more surprises to come.
I’ll keep you all posted!
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