Full Circle 13

I find it quite fitting that our thirteenth full circle was a really lucky one, one out of the blue,  one of those it was meant to be things!
I was contacted by email after this photo was featured.

Photo Number 377

Hello!
My sister sent me a link to your Photo #377…. and we think it is our Grandmother, Julia Formella Lanzel. I have attached a photo of her. What do you think? She lived in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She passed away a few years ago, in her 90’s. She was quite a character. Wondering where you acquired the photo. Thanks for posting.
Regards, Charlene

Julia Formella Lanzel

I wrote back saying that the photo was purchased at an Antique Shop in Dorset, Minnesota or at a garage sale in Park Rapids, Minnesota.  I told her that I thought it was a match and that I would like to feature her old photo on my blog and let the readers give their opinion.  The next day I wrote a blog post called Second Look at Photo 377.

Hi Connie,
Thanks for getting back to me! Go ahead and use my picture on your blog.
The more I look at this photo, the more I know it is my Grandmother, Julia Formella. When my sister Katie first saw the photo she said she got goose bumps! I just contacted one of Julia’s daughters, my Aunt Betty, and she also thinks it is her mother. She thinks Julia was about 16 when this photo was taken. Julia was born in 1909, so that means the photo was probably taken around 1925. She had family in St. Paul, so I can see how the photo ended up in Northern MN. Julia was very “fetching” and married my Grandfather, Anthony Lanzel, when she was just 17. He was much older (35)… and a friend of her Father. They had 12 children together, and 44 grandchildren. She loved fishing at her boathouse on the Mississippi River and was famous for her Friday night “happy hours” at home with her family in La Crosse, WI.
I had never seen your blog before… but now I am a big fan! I’ll be checking back.
Charlene


Then she wrote again after she received the photo!

Hello Connie,
Thanks so much for sending me Photo #377. It is beautiful, and it sure was fun for our family to compare with the photo of my Grandmother over the Thanksgiving holiday. As a portrait artist, who is accustomed to scrutinizing features, I do not see any differences in the features. The teeth would be a dead giveaway... and they are a match. I am convinced it's my Grandmother Julia. Most of the people who have seen the two photos also think it's a match. Of course, there are a few who disagree. I guess there will never be a way to know if it is our Julia for sure, but thanks for an interesting addition to our family history!



Warm Regards, Charlene


I am always thrilled to reunite a family with an old photo..and this was one that I never expected to go anyplace. The journey back to family was certainly meant to be, and I was happy to be a part of it.

Thanks for stopping by, do come again:)

Update from Katie:
Hello, I am Charlene's sister, the one who first saw the photo. I happened to be looking for a different blog and saw your site featured on Blogspot. Since I love old photos I thought I would pop over and see what this site was about. Like Charlene said, when I saw the familiar eyes of my Grandma, I got goosebumps! What are the chances of coming to a site that I have never been to before and have a relative featured on that day?!?!? It is a special treat to have this photo to add to our family history. I am glad to have been a part of the "reunion". I look forward to enjoying many more of your photos from the past.