Nichols family photos and documents.
Piecing together the Puzzle of the Nichols-Carney Photograph Collection
Six months ago I received a package that included 16 photographs plus assorted land documents for the ancestors and descendants of Charles Knerr Nichols (1865-1951) and his wife Elizabeth Bell Carney(1865-1955). Since only three of the pictures have names written on the backside, the puzzle is to piece together the bits of information I know and share it. My previous blog I began with the easiest piece of the family puzzle, a photograph of Thomas Ackley Nichols. His name is written on the back and it matched copies of two more pictures.
Sticking with the obvious choice of the second labeled photograph, let me introduce the first Charles Knerr Nichols. (Yes, there are three men with the same name, three different generations, all related but not directly descended from the first one. The name undergoes a slight variation over time. Can you detect it?)
Lines of Descent from Thomas A. NICHOLS & Helena KNERR
John Mathews NICHOLS 1. Charles KNERR NICHOLS
Frederick Mathew NICHOLS Helena NICHOLS
2.Charles KNERR NICHOLS
3.Charles KNEER NICHOLS (my second cousin 1x removed)
Charles Knerr Nichols, circa 1900-1903, Trenton, New Jersey, Holyer Photographers. Matted photograph 7 3/4″ x 6″.
The photograph of the first Charles Knerr Nichols depicts a very handsome man stylishly dressed in a double-breasted wool suit. He sports a patterned bow tie and crisp white shirt with a stand-up collar. His dark wavy hair is neatly combed and his full mustache well-groomed. The photographer of this image, Mr. Holyer, operated a studio in Trenton, New Jersey. I found an online article detailing the Holyer family history. It noted that Albert and John Holyer owned the studio between 1900-1910.[1] I believe that this photograph of Charles dates to about 1903-1905.
Although a third image is not labeled, the resemblance to Charles is strong enough that I am certain it is a photograph taken when he was a few years younger. The image is a cabinet card with all the edges trimmed. Was it cut to fit in a picture frame? Again, Charles wears a double-breasted wool suit but the material is not as refined as in the first photo. His ready-to-wear suit covers all but the stiff white-collar of his shirt and the top of his patterned necktie. Although he still sports a mustache, it is thinner and his wavy hair is shorter. A hint of a smile plays on his lips. Fortunately the backside of the image states the date of delivery, May 24, 1892. I had difficulty deciphering the photographer’s name on the back of the image; the location is easy to read, Pittsburgh. Using the blog, Cabinet Card Gallery, I searched for photographers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and found the one I sought, Joseph G. Morris. Located at 16 Sixth Street, Joseph Morris and his father, David, worked as photographic agents from about 1880-1910 in Pittsburgh.[2]
Charles Knerr Nichols, 1892, Pittsburgh, PA. Cabinet Card Photograph -trimmed – original probably 4.5″x6″. Joseph Morris Photographer.
Morris Photographer, No. 16, Sixth Street, Pittsburgh. Delivered May 24, 1892.
CHARLES KNERR NICHOLS – Early Years
By combining research from census records, church records, and newspaper articles, I constructed a basic biography for my 3x great-uncle. Charles Knerr Nichols was born 3 March 1865 in St. Clair, Pennsylvania to Thomas Ackley Nichols,(age 40) and Helena Knerr Nichols (age 33). Charles, the third child, joined his 8-year-old brother, John Mathews Nichols (my 2x great-grandfather), and 3-year-old Bertha Virginia Nichols. He arrived three months before his father’s discharge from the Union Army. His mother, Helena, stayed at home with the three children and Thomas resumed work as a clerk at a nearby coal mine.
1870 U.S. Census, St. Clair, Schuylkill, PA, Middle Ward,,p 658B; dwelling 237, family 232, Thomas Nichols; digital images, Ancestry.com.
The family dynamics changed in 1875 when Helena died of unknown causes at age 43. How this affected ten-year-old Charles is unknown but later in life he named his only child after his mother. In the 1880 census 15-year-old Charles lived at home with his father Thomas, a clerk at a coal mine, and his sister, 18-year-old Bertha.
1880 U.S. Census, Shuylkill Co, PA,Saint Clair, p. 75C, dwelling 33, family 33, Thomas Nichols; digital images, Ancestry.com.
His elder brother John moved to Omaha, NE to seek work in the expanding railroads.[3] In December of 1880 the Nichols family of three expanded when 55-year-old Thomas remarried the much-younger 26-year-old Lillian Watson Bull.[4] Within three years Charles had three younger half-siblings, Mary, Florence, and Howard.
Father and sons -L-R – John Nichols (24), Thomas Nichols (40), Charles Nichols (abt 37).
What physical resemblances do you see between the father and two sons?
Marriage and Family
What did Charles do between 1880-1890? Although I can’t be certain, I believe that he moved to the Pittsburgh area and began working in the expanding steel industry. During this period he met and courted his prospective bride. On July 29, 1890 Charles Knerr Nichols (25) married Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bell Carney (25) at the home of her sister in Hazelton, Pennsylvania.[5] The bride and her parents, Phillip Carney and Lucinda Jane Fiscus Carney, resided in Apollo, a former coal-mining region located 35 miles NE of Pittsburgh.
Marriage Notice Luzerne County, PA, July 28, 1890, Charles Nichols and Lizzie Carney. Familysearch.com
Life Changing Events
Two major events occurred in the Nichols family in 1895. One involved the passing of life and the second focused on new life. On February 15, 1895 Thomas Ackley Nichols died; he left three orphans who needed a home. A maternal aunt and uncle took in 13 year old Mary. The two remaining siblings, 11-year-old Florence and 10-year-old Howard, presumably went to live with Charles and Lizzie. The Orphans Court named Charles the guardian in October 1895.[6] He probably felt a great deal of sympathy for his younger brother and sister knowing what it felt like to lose a parent so early in life.
Guardianship granted to Charles Nichols for his younger siblings. Compiled Service Record, Thomas A. Nichols, Lt, 9th Regiment, Co. K, PA Cavalry (92nd Volunteers); Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Records of the Adjutant General’s Office 1780’s-1917, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Three months after his father’s death, the Nichols family celebrated new life. At age 30 Charles became a father when Helena May Nichols arrived on 25 May 1895 in Apollo, PA. Her name combined her maternal grandmother’s name with her birth month.
The 1900 census showed Charles listed as a Roller at a steel mill while Lizzie tended the home. They owned their own house on Lafayette Street in Allegheny Township, part of Vandergrift Borough, on the outskirts of Pittsburgh.[7]
1900 U.S. census, Allegheny co, PA, pop. schu, Westmoreland, ED 0075,p.6B, dwelling 104, family 117, Charles Nichols; digital images, Ancestry.com.
Located nearby was the West Penn Steel Company. The works produced about 20,000 tons of steel annually and presented job opportunities for men who were willing to work hard, such as Charles Nichols. Fifteen-year-old Howard, Charles’s younger brother, lived at the Soldier’s Orphans Industrial School in Scotland, PA.[8] Florence, age 16, moved to Trenton, New Jersey where her older half-sister, Bertha Nichols Donaldson, lived. I believe Charles visited Bertha in Trenton about 1903 and had his photograph taken at Holyer photography studio.
The next record I found demonstrates Charles and Lizzie’s religious convictions. On 1 April 1900 a young evangelizing minister from the First United Church in Vandergrift, PA, William Wallace Youngson, baptized 4-year-old Helena May Nichols.[9] She was one of two children baptized that day. Three months later, 8 July 1900, Charles and Lizzie became baptized members of the congregation along with 31 other adults and children.[10]
“Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 Feb 2017, entry for William Wallace Youngson, Pastoral and Statistical Records First United Methodist Church 1898 & 1900, citing “Historical Society of PA; Philadelphia.”
I found it interesting to examine the Pennsylvania church records on ancestry.com and then find newspaper articles about the growing church movement in the community. In 1898 the First United Methodist Church had 189 full members, 25 children baptized and 14 adults. In 1900 there were 404 full members, 29 children baptized and 23 adults.[11] A gospel temperance rally held in July 1898 by the Methodist Episcopal Church offered meetings featuring sermons on the work of the Holy Spirit and other religious topics. Reverand William W. Youngson himself converted at the meeting held in 1898.[12]
During the next decade, Charles gradually climbed the ladder in the steel industry. In 1909 West Penn Steel built a new plant in the growing community of Tarentum, PA, located 15 miles from Vandergrift. The plant estimated to cost about $500,000 could employ 1000 men in the beginning.[13] Charles must have been part of this expansion. In the 1910 census Charles and his family lived on Second Avenue in Tarentum and rented a home. Charles worked as a Manager at a Steelworks. In addition to Lizzie and Helena, a 24-year-old mine engineer, Henry L Vane, lodged with the family.[14]
1910 U.S. census, Allegheny co, PA, pop sch., Ward 2, Tarentum, ED 0246, p. 10B, dwelling 200, family 214, & dwelling 209, Charles Nichols & Howard Nichols; digital images, Ancestry.com
It was only as I wrote this article and re-examined the 1910 census record that I realized Charles’s younger brother, Howard, lived just a few houses down the street. Lesson learned, check records several times for clues.
Charles Nichols, 1914, Tarentum, Pennsylvania; VP of Brackenridge Country Club.
Interested in his community, Charles became a founding member and Vice-President of the Brackenridge Country Club. A 1914 newspaper article I found provided a picture of the mature Charles. He still has thick dark hair and a well-groomed appearance but no longer wears a mustache. Active in business and civic affairs, Charles also served as president of the First National Bank of Tarentum.
As General Superintendent of the West Penn Steel plant, Charles handled the 1915 employee strikes that resulted in a slight increase in pay. Again in 1919 Charles agreed to the justice of the worker’s demands. They received the eight hour work day they desired.[15] How many hours were they working before the strike? Did Charles feel sympathy for the workers since he understood the plight of the common man?
Successful at his job, Charles owned his own home in the 1920 census and served as the Assistant Manager at a Steel Mill at age 54. The household members included Charles, Lizzie, 24-year old Helena and the retired brother of Lizzie, Adam L. Carney.[16]
1920 U.S. census, Allegheny co., PA, pop sch. Ward 2, Tarentum, ED 831, p.5A, dwelling 85, family 103, Nichols, Charles K; digital images, Ancestry.com.
After ten years as general superintendent, Charles received a promotion in February 1921. The new vice president and general manager was noted in the Pittsburgh Press as “prominent in independent steel circles.”[17]
The year 1925 was an eventful year for Charles. He retired from the Steel Mill at age 60 with a successful career behind him. A 1925 newspaper article listed Pittsburg residents who paid more than $500 in Federal income tax, most of the people paid between $1000-$3000 in Federal Taxes; Charles paid $10, 398.94.
FAMILY CONTACTS
I am always curious about contact between family members when they live far apart from one another. Even there are no letters saved from the Nichols family, I did find evidence that the siblings maintained some contact with one another. Charles assisted his extended family a couple of times. I found his name and address listed as a reference on a passport application for his nephew’s wife in June 1919. Charles sister,Bertha, married Warren Donaldson and settled in New Jersey. Their only son, Lt. Warren Donaldson, married Marie Heinen from Luxemburg on June 16, 1919.[18]
“U.S. Passport Applications 1795-1925,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 Feb 2017), entry for Marie H. Donaldson, Volume 169: Paris, France, citing National Archives.
In the 1930 census Charles and Lizzie had settled in Natrona Heights, a township not far from Tarentum. They shared their $30,000 home with Charles’s nephew, John Lee Nichols (1890-1967), the youngest son of John Mathews Nichols. Thirty-nine-year-old John Lee, a WWI Veteran, must have sought help from his uncle who had connections.
1930 U.S. census, Allegheny co., PA, pop sch.,Harrison, ED 0622, p.g10B, dwelling 220, family 228, Nichols, Chas. K; digital images, Ancestry.com.
John found a job as a yardmaster at a Steel Mill. How long he stayed with his uncle is unknown. Charles and Lizzie also opened their home during 1930 to her 76-year-old brother, John Carney.[19]
I found a second link between the two brothers, Charles Knerr Nichols and John Mathews Nichols and their families. This one would please my mother. She grew up knowing very little about the Nichols family and often wondered if they lost contact with one another. My mother only recalls frequent visits to her grandmother, Mabel Nichols Hyde (1888-1954), and Mabel’s younger brother, John Lee Nichols (Uncle Johnnie). Did Mabel ever visit her Uncle Charles, or did he visit his brother and family in Omaha? When Mabel’s only son, John F. Hyde Jr. married Anna Jane Beaton in June 1935, Charles and Lizzie Nichols must have received an invitation to the wedding. I can say this with certainty because my grandmother, Anna Jane, noted a generous gift from Charles and Lizzie in her wedding gift registry.
Mr. and Mrs Chas. Nichols 927 Freeport Rd, Tarentum Penns. – 50 pieces of Franciscan china July 20, 1935. Wedding gift registry for Anna Jane Beaton and John F. Hyde Jr.
They sent a 50-piece set of Franciscan ware. I wonder if this is the colorful Franciscan china that I remember Grams setting on her table when I visited her? As I wrote this article it occurred to me that I have 7 pieces of brightly colored Franciscan ware I inherited from Grams. It would be rather fitting if these are the same pieces Charles and Lizzie gave to my grandparents. 
Reviewing all of the documents I received I recalled an address book that belonged to Helena May Nichols. She started writing in the book prior to her marriage as it lists her maiden name.
![Addresses: Fred [Nichols] 5417 N. 16th [Omaha, NE]; John [ Mathew Nichols] 1402 Jaynes St. Hyde [Dr. John F and Mabel Nichols Hyde] 3227 Lafayette [Omaha, NE]](https://trekthrutime.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/nichols_helena_pa_addressbk_3.jpg?w=300&h=138)
Addresses: Fred [Nichols] 5417 N. 16th [Omaha, NE];
John [ Mathew Nichols] 1402 Jaynes St.
Hyde [Dr. John F and Mabel Nichols Hyde] 3227 Lafayette [Omaha, NE]
The Later Years
In 1940 Charles and Lizzie no longer lived in their own home. They moved in with their son-in-law Charles Lefkowitz, daughter Helena Nichols Lefkowitz, three grandchildren, and two maids, at 927 Freeport Road in Harrison, PA.[20] The 1940 U.S. census noted that in 1935 Charles and Lizzie lived in Los Angeles, CA. When did they move to CA? How long did they live there? Did they move back to PA to be with family because of poor health? The entire family moved again in 1949 to nearby New Kensington. Perhaps they required a larger house?
1940 U.S. census, Allegheny Co., PA, pop sch. Harrison, ED 2-216, p 5A, house 927, Nichols, Charles; digital images, Ancestry.com
One of the newspaper articles I received in the package of photos described Charles’s and Lizzie’s 60th wedding anniversary in 1950. The couple celebrated at the home of their daughter Helena. One-hundred-twenty-five guests from Ohio and Pennsylvania joined the couple for their Diamond anniversary.[21] I wish I had a list of all the guests who attended.
“Mr. and Mrs. C.K. Nichols Diamond Wedding,” (Pittsburgh) The Pittsburgh Press, 2 Aug 1950, p14.
Sadly, three months after the celebration Charles died from a heart attack on October 30, 1951 at age 86.[22] Lizzie passed away three years after Charles in July 1955, also due to heart problems.[23] They are both buried at Mount Airy Cemetery in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania.
Did you notice how many times the #3 appeared in Charles’s life?
As I continue to post pictures from this family I hope that a reader will recognize some of the unidentified faces. Fortunately, I have one more labeled picture to present in the next article and speculation about two other images.
[1] Walker, Peter. “George Holyer (1810‐c1890).” pdf (2011): n. pag. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
[2] “Cute Young Woman Wearing a Plume Hat in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.” The Cabinet Card Gallery. https://cabinetcardgallery.wordpress.com, 13 December 2016.
[3] 1880 U.S. census, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Saint Clair, Enumeration District 204, p. 75C, dwelling 33, family 33, Nichols, Thomas A; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com: accessed 22 Feb 2017); from National Archives microfilm publication 1255192, roll 1192.
[4] First United Church (formerly First Methodist Episcopal Church) (Pottsville, Pennsylvnaia). Marriage Book. Parish Rectory, Pottsville.
[5] “Married.” The Plain Speaker [Hazleton, Pennsylvania]. 4 July 1890. Newspapers.com. Web. 15 Feb. 2017. http://www.newspapers.com.
[6]Compiled Service Record, Thomas A. Nichols, Lt, 9th Regiment, Co. K, PA Cavalry (92nd Volunteers); Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Records of the Adjutant General’s Office 1780’s-1917, National Archives, Washinton, D.C.
[7] 1900 U.S. census, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Allegheny, Enumeration District 75,p. 6B, dwelling 104, family 112, Nichols, Charles; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 17 Feb 2017); from National Archives microfilm publication 1241496, roll 1496.
[8] 1900 U.S. census, Franklin County, PA, population schedule, Greene Township, Enumeration District 42, p13B, line 86, Nichols, Howard R; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 17 Feb 2017); from National Archives microfilm publication 1241412, roll 1412.
[9] “Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 Feb 2017, entry for Helena Nichols, Baptism, First United Methodist Church, 1 April 1900, citing “Historical Society of PA; Philadelphia.”
[10] “Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 Feb 2017, entry for Charles and Lizzie Nichols, Baptism,First United Methodit Church, 8 July 1900, citing “Historical Society of PA; Philadelphia.”
[11] “Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 Feb 2017, entry for William Wallace Youngson, Pastoral
[12] “Termperance At Valley Camp.” The Pittsburgh Press [Pennsylvania]. 22 Jul 1898. Newspapers.com. Web. 16 Feb 2017. (http://www.newspapers.com)
[13] “To Build $500,00 Plant West Penn Steel Will Let Contracts Tomorrow.” The Philadelphia Inquirer.[Pennsylvania]. 17 Jan 1909. Newspapers.com. Web. 16 Feb 2017. (http://www.newspapers.com)
[14] 1910 census, Alegheny County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Tarentum, Enumeration District 0246, p10B, dwelling 200, family 214, Nichols, Charles; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Feb 2017); from National Archives microfilm publication 1375310, oll T624_1297.
[15] “Employees in Allegheny Steel Plant Against Strike.” Pittsburgh Daily Post [Pennsylvania]. 21 Sep 1919. Newspapers.com. Web. 15 Feb 2017.(http://www.newspapers.com)
[16] 1920 census, Alegheny County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Tarentum, Enumeration District 0831, p5A, dwelling 85, family 103, Nichols, Charles; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Feb 2017); from National Archives, roll T625_1529.
[17] “Steel Man Promoted.” The Pittsburgh Press {Pennsylvania]. 11 Feb 1921. Page 9. Newspapers.com. Web. 15 Feb 2017. (http://www.newspapers.com)
[18] “U.S. Passport Applications 1795-1925,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 Feb 2017), entry for Marie H. Donaldson, Volume 169: Paris, France, citing National Archives.
[19] 1930 census, Alegheny County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Harrison, Enumeration District 0622, p10B, dwelling 220, family 228, Nichols, Charles; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Feb 2017); from National Archives,microfilm 2341698 .
[20] 1940 census, Alegheny County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Harrison, Enumeration District 2-216, p5A, dwelling 220, family 228, Nichols, Charles; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Feb 2017); from National Archives,roll T627_3405.
[21] “Mr. and Mrs. C.K. Nichols Diamond Wedding,” (Pittsburgh) The Pittsburgh Press, 2 Aug 1950, p14.
[22] “Pennsylvania Death Certificates 1906-1964.” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 Feb 1017), entry for Charles K Nichols, Certificate Number Range: 087751-090300, citing Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission;PA, USA.
[23] “Pennsylvania Death Certificates 1906-1964.” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 Feb 1017), entry for Elizabeth B Nichols, Certificate Number Range: 087751-090300, citing Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission;PA, USA.
© 2017 copyright Kendra Hopp Schmidt. All rights reserved.
trekthrutime 
Good advice…always double check for clues!
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Ann Marie, Sometimes I triple check for clues. It is easy to overlook small bits of information. Thanks for reading and responding. 🙂
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