Sometimes, photos tell another story than the one we think they are telling. At first glance, I thought what a cute picture, wtih two girls, a wife and husband. The back of the photo said Dr. and Mrs. Vogler, as well as daughters and Cleve Holtman’s cousin. Well, if they were Cleve’s cousin, that meant that they were Regina’s cousin too. Regina is my great-grandmother.
Also on the back of the photo was writing that said her parents were Fred Schuleter and …, Hulda was a cousin to Cleveland. So now, at least, I had a name. I first looked for Hulda Vogler in Beardstown, but none was listed. I did find a newspaper clipping that said the Voglers had come to Beardstown to visit. So, I decided I’d try Fred Schuleter. I found him and his wife Ellen there in Beardstown. Fred’s full name was John Henry Fredrick Schuleter. Fred and Ellen had six children: Hulda, Anna, Dora, Laura, William, and Cornelia.
I believe that Fred is the brother to our Anna Schuleter Holtman, mother to Cleve, Regina and 10 other children born to her and August. This would agree with what is stated on the back of the photo, that Hulda and Cleve were cousins. So now that I had found Hulda, I needed to look for Dr Vogler.
Dr Alfred Theodore Vogler was born, lived, and died in St. Louis, Missouri. His first wife, Lillian, died March 7, 1917. They had three children, Virginia, born 5-22-1906; Marcella, born May 9, 1910, and Ruth, Born January 1, 1914. Marcella died at the age of 2 in 1912. I found a WW I draft card for Alfred, in which he indicated that his next of kin was his wife Hulda. Alfred and Hulda married betweenin March of 1917 and turning in the draft card in September of 1918 his wife dying .
I believe that this photo could have been the first of a new family upon their marriage. At first, my eye is drawn to Alfred and Ruth. Isn’t she cute in her cotton dress? It looks like a pin is on her dress, but I can’t tell what it might be. I estimate that Ruth would have been about four years old.
Then there’s Alfred, who is very distinguished in his suit and stiff collar, which are common at the time. The typical men’s business suit shirt had a narrow banded collar in which a tall detachable shirt collar made of stiff celluloid, linen, or rubber was attached in the front and back of the neck with a shirt stud. Detachable white collars allowed men to clean or discard dirty collars more often, extending the shirt’s life by a few years. You can see his striped shirt under his tie. I could not find out if Dr. Vogler specialized in a specific medicine specialty; he was just a physician.
Next comes Virginia, standing behind her father. Wearing a sailor collar blouse and a large hair bow with her hair in curls. It looks like she might have had a necklace on, but it’s pulled into the collar of her shirt, so I can’t tell what it might have had on it. Virginia would have been about 12 years old.
Finally, we have Hulda Schuleter Vogler. I first noticed that she was not looking where the rest of her family was. Perhaps something else was happening in the photography studio that had her attention. Her hair was worn in the style that was common in 1918. She is wearing a lightweight blouse with a wide collar, double buttons, and what looks like embroidery. You can see her wide belt at her waist, which is of a dark color, but I can’t tell if her skirt is the same color.
Hulda and Alfred were married 30 years until his death on April 1, 1948, of pneumonia. He was 66 years old. Upon her death in 1964, her obituary lists her surviving daughters Virginia and Ruth.
While this was not the story I expected from this photo, I am happy that I had the tools to bring more of the Voglers to you. I’d like to know more about Hulda’s parent’s story and see if we can find Fred and Anna’s parents. But until then, I’m glad we have Hulda and her family to represent the Schuleters for us all.
