Vance Mystery Photos

Location: Afton, Iowa, United States
Surname/tag: vance

Contents 1 Photos Purchased at Auction 2 Evidence Connecting Photos to Alva and Florance Vance 2.1 James Vance in Wyoming 2.2 Portraits of young woman in Iowa 2.3 Portraits of young man in Iowa 2.4 Illinois connection 2.5 Identified photo of Alva James Vance, Jr.

Photos Purchased at Auction

This a small group of photos purchased by me in an auction near Chicago, Illinois, about 2001. They appear to belong together and to have been once glued into a scrapbook.

In research today (10 Jan 2020) I have connected a few individuals. An Alex Jacobson to whom a photo postcard was addressed, and a group that appears to include Vance family members. I will document why I think it may be Alva James Vance and his family. All this is speculative, though, and it is possible that the Jacobson postcard and the Vance photos don't belong together.

I hope that these photos find their home. I will be happy to mail them to you if you're a descendant or cousin of those photographed.

Evidence Connecting Photos to Alva and Florance Vance

James Vance in Wyoming

Vance-4298.jpg: Has "James Vance Cheyenne Wyoming" written on the back.

In the 1910 census^[1] there is an A J Vance with wife Florance. Among their children are two who were born in Wyoming (Winston, born about 1901 and Constance born about 1910).

We know from other sources that the A J in the census is Alva James. We don't know if Alva went by "James" but that is plausible. He has a son named Alva James, Jr. who sometimes appears as James.

Portraits of young woman in Iowa

Two studio portraits in the group -- young woman 1 and young woman 2 -- appear to show the same girl at about the same age. One is taken in Afton, Iowa, and the other has a clear date: 1887. One says "Flo" on the back and the other has "A. J. Vance, Robare(sp?), Mont."

Alva James Vance and Florance Crawford were married in Union County, Iowa, in 1893. Afton is in Union County.

Florance was born about 1870, so she would have been about 17 in 1887.

Portraits of young man in Iowa

Two studio portraits in the group -- young man 1 and young man 2 -- appear to show the same boy at about the same age. The studios where they were taken were in Afton and Creston, Iowa. These are both towns in Union County, where AJ Vance and Florance were married.

Illinois connection

These photos were purchased in Illinois.

Florance Crawford was born in Illinois. Perhaps these photos belonged to a family members of hers.

Identified photo of Alva James Vance, Jr.

I found a 1946 immigration/visa record for Alva James Vance, Jr. in which he looks very much like the man in the found photos that may be his father.^{[2] [3]}