1905 Birth Announcement

This photo postcard was another mystery to research. The birth announcement was mailed in 1905 to Katherine Cordes in Seymour, Indiana. It says "Fairland, Dec. 11, 1905, Lelia." Boy is crossed out, and Girl is written in pencil; though that has faded with time. The photo says The American Photography Company, Chicago, 1905. With just a few clues, could we discover who this was?

We discovered that Miriam Mayes was born on that date in Fairland to Robert Oscar and Lelia Vest Mayes. But, Robert and Lelia had lived in Seymour, what brought them to Fairland? We tried to research Robert's occupation (he is listed as Robert, Oscar, and R. O.) and learned that in 1905 he worked for the Shelby Coffee Company.

But, that was not the reason for their move to Fairland. Lelia's father was Reverend E. R. Vest, and in Sep. 1904, they all moved from Indianapolis to Fairland when he was appointed to the M. E. Church in Fairland. But, that was not the whole story. Rev. Vest requested Fairland as that was closer to his "wife's people" in Shelby and Rush Counties.

Notes:

We thought the photo might be a stock photo, but the woman does resemble the women in a Vest family photo. So, it may be Lelia. We would like another photo of her to compare.

The baby, Miriam, lived until 1998 and owned an antique store in Columbus.

Katherine Cordes had been in Lelia and Robert's wedding, and they remained friends whose visits with each other were noted in the newspaper.

Lelia gave lessons in Fairland, but for what - elocution, piano??

Are there other references to the Shelby Coffee Company?

Thanks to Bill Gulde for obtaining this photo.

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Fairland, Indiana History

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