Historic Hood River
John Culbertson?
Notes
I’m not sure if we have any other ambrotypes in our collection. Ambrotypes were invented in the early 1850s as a cheaper alternative to daguerreotypes. A negative emulsion was made on glass using the wet plate collodion method. The glass is displayed against a black background, which reverses it– sort of. The clear parts of the negative show up as black, but the dark parts show up as gray instead of white. Since they tended to be dingy, it was common to add some blush to the cheeks as we see here. By the 1860’s ambrotypes were replaced by tintypes, which were cheaper and easier to make but had the same dingy appearance.
This image was in the John M. Culbertson folder. As he was born in 1879, I suspect this is an ancestor. I doubt anyone was making ambrotypes in the 1880s.
John M. Culbertson was a pioneer in the real estate business in Hood River.
l.e.
Whoever he is…he’s not happy.
In fact…he looks a bit ornery.
Maybe an ornery little Scotsman.
Thanks for the photo explanation. Is that the name of the studio on the bottom left corner?
charlott
There is a chance that it might be his father, Elijah. Looks like he is ready to brawl with anyone who crosses him.
John Culbertson was quite a land owner here in Hood River, having over 600 acres of land. Came here from the Fort Worth area of Texas, but where did he end up?
l.e.
Boy…there are quite a few Culbertson names connected with Oregon and HR.
This might be why. John Milton’s grandfather Andrew came to Oregon in 1852 by ox team. He settled in Powell Valley Multnomah County and lived there the rest of his life.
Here is some history of John Milton’s brother George by D.M. Coon:
GEORGE D. CULBERTSON AND FAMILY
George D. Culbertson was born in Denton County, Texas, March 1st, 1868, the son of Elijah H. and Helen (Curtner) Culbertson….. The father of George Culbertson was born in Indiana, December 28th, 1824. His mother was born in Mo. Her parents were natives of Crab Orchard, Kentucky and the family was of Scotch descent…..His father, Elijah Culbertson, founded the village of Stringtow, Indian Territory, where he was mill, owner and merchant before the days of railroads. Moving to Texas he raised stock and engaged in building and contracting. He built the first courthouse in Fort Worth. In addition to his business activities he was an Indian missionary and was instrumental in founding many M.E. churches……George was educated in the district schools of Indian Territory and an academy in north Texas. He taught school in Choctaw and other Indian nations for three years, then became secretary and one of the Faculty of the Fort Worth Business College in Texas. He and his brother also carried on a profitable mercantile business in Savanna Indian Territory until they were burned out. He came to Oregon and for two years was an accountant in a dry goods house at Salem…… In 1901 he entered the real estate business in Hood River. In 1903 he was married to Miss Caroline Booth…..In the following summer they built a neat little cottage in Winan’s Addition on Lover’s Lane and moved into their new abode. Mr. Culbertson’s activities in the real estate business took him all over the county and finding some vacant land in the upper valley, he filed on it. Mrs. Booth, who made her home with her daughter, also filed on an adjoining tract. In 1908 the county of Hood River was created by an act of the Referendum and George Culbertson was chosen the first County Clerk.
Mrs. Culbertson was ill and they moved to Portland for her health. Caroline Booth Culbertson passed away in 1920. They had one daughter Louise who married Kenneth Murrell.
l.e.
John Culbertson was in the HR area at least until 1930.
He passed away Aug. 1964 in San Diego. His wife, Mary J Rothrock who was born 1886 in Oregon, passed away Sept. 1967 in San Diego.