Sibling Saturday: Lola, Brice, Lucille, and Hugh Benjamin McClure

Lucille McClure De Velde, John De Velde, Margaret Larimer McClure

Margaret Jane Larimer (1859-1913) and William Madison McClure (1849-1887) had four children, two of whom were entrepreneurial types.

• Lola A. McClure (1877-1948), born in Elkhart, Indiana. She married Edward A. Lower and had three children (Margaret, Edward Sherman, and Ross).
• Brice Larimer McClure (1878-1970), born in Little Traverse, Michigan. He married Floyda Mabel Steiner and they had one daughter, Marian (hubby's Mom).
• Lucille Ethel McClure (1880-1926), also born in Elkhart, who married John E. De Velde (no children). The tintype above shows Lucy, John, and Lucy's mom Margaret McClure, sometime before 1913.
• Hugh Benjamin McClure (1882-1960), born in Wabash, Indiana. His first wife was Olivet Van Roe (and they had a daughter together, Georgianna). His second wife was Rebekah Venice Wilt and their children were: Margaret Susan, Jean A., Marietta, and Virginia Rebekah.

Brice McClure ran his own shade shop in Cleveland, to supplement his income during the Depression. He was a crackerjack machinist for various companies, striking out on his own between jobs because his specialty was in high demand. Brice was nicknamed "The Old Gentleman" by his daughter and son-in-law, who cared for him when he was older. He wasn't the first Brice in the family, by the way. That honor belongs to Brice Smith (1756-1828), Brice McClure's g-g-g-grandpa, who married Eleanor Kenny (1762-1841).

Hugh Benjamin McClure founded the H.B. McClure Manufacturing Co. in Peoria, Ill, which produced office equipment. Hubby's parents visited Peoria to see the family and tour the factory during the 1960s and they kept in touch for some time.

PS This is my 400th genealogy blog post! Woo-hoo!

PPS: 2022 update: I found Hugh in the 1950 US Census, still listed as the manager of an office supply factory (Peoria, IL, ED 109-106, sheet 10, lines 17-18).

Wordless Wednesday: Lucy, John, and Maggie

Above, Lucy E. McClure (1880-1922), husband John De Velde (1874-1947), and Lucy's mom, Margaret Jane Larimer McClure (1859-1913). My research shows that Lucy married John in mid-1905, in Chicago.

This photo was on a metal plate in a tiny envelope, passed down from Lucy's brother, Brice Larimer McClure (1878-1970), hubby's granddaddy. My local gen club is having a photo expert speak this week, and I'm hoping to learn more about the nature of the photo, plus an approximate date. My guess: 1905-1910.

UPDATE: The expert says this is a tintype dating from the early decades of the 1900s. Tintypes were relatively fast and easy to make and therefore quite cheap in comparison to other photo techniques. This photo may be what it looks like, a casual pose by tourists visiting a travel destination (you can't see it but there's scenery in the background). Maybe Lucy and John were on honeymoon or taking a trip with her mom? Oh, I can make up a dozen stories about why the three of them might be in this photo together.