Mystery photo needs more clues

I have a photo of an ancestor; the stamp on the back says “M.H. Gonzalez photo studio. 915 S. Laredo St.” I have tracked it down to a photo studio in San Antonio. There is a number (and) writing on the back of the photo. We were told it said, “To my brother Rafael Hernandez from your sister Nellie P. Hernandez.” Rafael Hernandez was my grandfather. Supposedly this Nellie P. Hernandez was married to Rafael’s brother. I have been researching the family for a few years now and have not found a spouse with this name. Rafael was from Santa Maria Del Rio, San Luis Potosi, Mexico. It is a long shot, but I was hoping to find a descendant of Manuel H. Gonzalez, to see if they have records from this time period — maybe to identify this person. I would appreciate any help or ideas.

— Lisa Hernandez Sawa

This question is one of the “stumpers” — unanswered questions submitted to this column in the past year that need crowd-sourced help to push them over the finish line. We’re getting to them a bit past the traditional last column of the old year because we had an irresistible 100-year anniversary with the one about the tragic New Year’s Eve accident that claimed the life of the chief of the San Antonio Fire Department (covered here Dec. 31).

The photographer for the portrait you sent probably was Manuel H. Gonzalez, born in 1885 and self-employed in his trade, according to his World War I draft registration card, dated Sept. 12, 1918. According to research by staff at two local archives, he probably worked out of his home.

“We don’t have any photos by Manuel Gonzalez or photos of his studio and residence,” said Tom Shelton, senior curator of the Institute of Texan Cultures photograph collections at UTSA Libraries Special Collections, which includes more than 3 million images from the San Antonio Light, the Express-News and individual photographers. “It wasn’t one of the larger, better-known studios.”

Shelton checked the address stamped on the back of your photo with the Sanborn Insurance Co. map for 1924, updated to 1935, that shows the studio as a frame building with a front porch extending into the street and a connecting frame residence at the rear. Shelton characterizes the neighborhood as mostly residential, with some single-family houses and several tenements; nearby, at the corner of Guadalupe Street, was a service station, and across the street, “The block was also mostly working-class residential (with) a bakery on the corner and a movie theater in an old caliche-block building.”

The location, as a neighborhood business, might indicate that the photo’s subject lived nearby. I posted the photo, front and back, on the Facebook pages of Los Bexareños Genealogical and Historical Society and We Are Cousins — South Texas and Northeastern Mexico Genealogy. No one commented with recognition of the face or names, but on the latter page, Paul Muraida noted that “Nellie is short for Manuela. There are numerous Manuelas listed in San Antonio in the late 1800s through the 1900s.” Working from the birth date of Rafael Hernandez and any known siblings, you might be able to narrow that field.

As for the date of the photo, Shelton said, “I would hazard a guess of early 1920s — based on our photographs (with) similar hairstyles and blouses.” So you’re probably looking for a Manuela/Nellie Hernandez — maybe with a maiden name that begins with a P — who was born in the late 1800s, since she is an adult in the photo.

City directory research from the San Antonio Conservation Society library corroborates Shelton’s estimate. From the 1917 volume through 1921-1922, Gonzalez was living and working at 704 Dolorosa St. with “Luisa,” presumably his wife. As of the 1923-1924 directory, he was working and living, respectively, at 807 and 809 S. Laredo. It’s not clear when he moved to 915 and 915½ S. Laredo, but that’s where he was in 1942 by the time of his World War II draft registration.

It’s a challenge that the principals in your question have two of the most common surnames in the United States as of the 2010 U.S. Census: Hernandez, the 11th-most frequently occurring; and Gonzalez, 13th. Maybe someone reading this will recognize the name of an ancestor; anyone with information to share about Nellie P. Hernandez and Manuel H. Gonzalez may contact this column. All replies will be forwarded and may be published in a future column.