I found this adorable photo for sale online and was able to pick up the family trail, so I purchased it and got busy compiling the family story.

Earl and Rita Butler were siblings, children of Chester M. Butler and Etta Mary Hemingway of Union, Knox, Maine. Whether it was a special occasion for the brother and sister to be so dressed up is unknown. They are definitely dressed to the nines, but the photo was taken in the Victorian Age, during which time, minimalism was not a frequently used word!

Earl Matthias Butler was the elder of the two children, born 12 November 1894. Rita C. was born on 28 February 1898. Both were born in Union, Knox, Maine.

In 1900, the children lived with their grandparents Mathias and Liana Jane (who were heads of household, their parents, an aunt, Blanche, and a cousin, George.

By 1910, their grandmother had died, their father was the head of household with their grandfather, Mathias, and cousin George still living with them.

Earl and Rita were the only two children born to Chester and Etta and that might also explain the fancy dress in the photo – two loved children who were adorable together.

What became of Earl and Rita?

Earl married Lottie Marie Messer on 25 December 1915 in Union. They were the parents of four children:

1. Chester Herbert, born 10 March 1917; died 13 April 1987, both in Union, Knox, Maine. Chester never married.
2. Muriel Irene, born 30 November 1919; died 31 March 2017, born and buried in Union, Knox, Maine; married Robert Carl Heath, 20 May 1948, Union, Knox Maine. They had three children.
3. Marjorie Louise, born 5 March 1923; died 20 December 2010, born and buried in Union, Knox, Maine; married (1) Elton M. Rich, 15 June, 1944, Maine (2) Clinton A. Olsen, 28 October 1971, Clark County, Nevada. She had four children.
4. Wendell Earl, born 31 August 1929; died 20 February 2000, born and buried in Union, Knox, Maine; married Priscilla J. Gushee, 3 February 1951, Maine. They were the parents of two children.

Earl Matthias Butler died on 26 June 1975 and is also buried in Union, Knox, Maine with other family members.

Rita married Everett Linwood Storer on 28 February 1922, her 24th birthday, in Union, Knox, Maine. They were the parents of one daughter:

1. Laura Etta, born 27 June 1923, Union, Knox, Maine; died 5 June 2007, buried Union, Knox, Maine; married Stephen Wentworth Kirkpatrick, 8 May 1944, Maine. They were the parents of two children.

I never did discover Rita’s middle name, nor am I sure if her given name was spelled as Rita, Reta or Ritta. Even her birth record only calls her Rita C. However, Rita died in 1952 and is buried in Union, Knox, Maine.

Let’s end with a fun fact – Earl and Rita are 8th cousins, once removed, to writer Ernest Hemingway, through their mother’s line.

This cute photo has gone home to a great grandchild.