Springfield

 

It's pretty obvious that the man is Eddie Rayburn from the previous post.  I still can't find any info on the Rayburn family, but I was able to dig up a bit of information on photographer G. N. Burleigh. He had a studio in Taylorville, Illinois from 1878 to 1886.  Then he was in Jerseyville, Illinois for a year in 1888, and finally ended up in the Illinois state capitol, Springfield from 1891-1900.  So, at the very least we can pin down this image to a ten year period.  But, what was Eddie, his wife, and by the look of it, a new child doing in the state capitol?  Did he move from Mason City?  A visit?  

Mason City

 

I hadn't purchased any cabinet cards for awhile, but I just picked up four of them at a reasonable price.  Two of them have names written on the back.  The top one, "Eddie Rayburn & Family."  Then a bit lower on the back, "Ralph, Floyd."  I guess the mother didn't merit a mention.  The other photo, "Arthur Rayburn."  The other two cabinet cards, which I'll be posting in the next two slots, are almost certainly members of the same family.  I wasn't able to find anything on the Rayburn family.  

As of right now, I haven't been able to locate any information on T. H. Eulass, the photographer of the top photo, but I was able to find a mention of S.M. Miller, whose mark was found on the back of the second image.  Samuel M Miller was born in Illinois, in 1839.  He's listed in the 1860 census as a farmer.  I couldn't find any indication that he served during the Civil War.  In 1863 he married Lucea A. Whitney, the daughter of his boarding house landlord.  From 1870 to 1900 he's listed as a photographer, and, over the years, father of four children.  By 1910, he's a widower and retired.  So far, I haven't been able to find a date of death, but I'll try a few more searches with the next two posts.