52 Ancestors 2025: Favorite Photo

This is the second week of the “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” challenge. When those of us in the Cassatt family think of a favorite photo, this one probably comes to mind first. It’s a picture of my great-grandfather, David Cassatt, with his wife, Susan Corilla Houseworth, and their children: Orville, Virgil, and Bascom. Virgil, the middle child, is my grandfather.

David was born on January 23, 1844, in Warren County, Ohio. He was the son of William Peter Cossairt and Nancy Tharp, who married just two months before his birth. During the Civil War, David served as a private in the Union Army, initially with the 146th Ohio National Guard, which was later reorganized as the 183rd Ohio Infantry Regiment. After the war, he moved to Missouri, where he became a successful farmer. David is also Mary Cassatt’s 3rd cousin.

But—back to that picture. When I first received a copy, I was thrilled to see this family portrait. However, the more I looked at it, the more questions I had. Do I see rabbits on leashes? Is that a dog? And what’s with all those brooms and that machinery? After some research, I discovered that David made brooms as a side business. The collection of unfinished brooms surrounding the device in the photo suggests it’s a broom-making machine, with a broom actively being assembled.

Then came the biggest question: When was this picture taken? Everyone is dressed nicely, so perhaps it was Easter. But what year? The boys were born in 1875, 1878, and 1883. They all appear shorter than their father, who stood about 5’9”, according to his Civil War records. This suggests the photo might have been taken in the late 1880s or around 1890.

An intriguing possibility is that this photo might be linked to the Cassatts’ daughter, Laura, who lived from 1885 to 1888. Could this have been taken at her funeral? The boys would have been about 13, 10, and 5 at the time. Or perhaps the picture was taken in the fall, after the broom corn harvest.

There’s so much to ponder, but one thing is certain: this photo is a true family treasure.