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The Rakestraw-Bushong Clan Photographs

By Rick Bushong








The 2 original photos showing Lot #3,
containing the 11 Daguerreotypes an Ambrotypes.


What a family treasure to lose! On March 9, 2013, at the Daguerreian Society 2013 Symposium Annual Benefit Auction. One of the lots sold then was of special interest to the Bushong family. Lot 3, was titled Eleven Images from the Bushong Rakestraw Clan. It sold for $350(plus 10% buyer's premium),which was a bargain, even if you aren't related.

.
Daguerreian Society's Description.
Eleven Images from the Bushong Rakestraw Clan

  • 1 Sixth plate ambrotype young woman.
  • 2 Sixth plate daguerreotype handsome white-haired gentleman.
  • 3 Sixth plate daguerreotype man.
  • 4 Sixth plate daguerreotype woman with perhaps clothes of religious sect, next to a plant.
  • 5 Ambrotype mother and daughter.
  • 6, 7 & 8 Sixteenth plate daguerreotypes of various men.
  • 9, 10 & 11 Ninth plate daguerreotypes of two men and a girl.


BUSHONG LINEAGE: Abraham Rakestraw and Lydia Bushong/ Henry Bushong and Sarah Gilbert/ Johannes John Bushong and Eve Dorothea Eckman/ Hans Philip Bushong and Anna Eva Hergard/ Hans and Barbara Bushong, the immigrants.


The Rakestraw and Bushong families came together with Abraham Rakestraw who lived from 1799 to 1874 and his wife, Lydia Bushong Rakestraw who lived from 1807 to 1885. The daguerreotype style photograph was introduced in America in the early 1840's and ambrotype came into use in the early 1850's. Both were used until the 1860's. So this period would definitely encompass Abraham and Lydia Rakestraw's lives.

Even though these historical and rare photographs have likely passed out of the Bushong Family, the good news is, there are two published photographs showing the entire group. They are fairly nice and pretty well detailed photographs, that show the entire group of daguerreotype and ambrotype. I know, from experience, it is possible to put names to some these old photos using genealogy, later family photos, and family knowledge.

Fairly nice images can be made from them, all though not very large, but they weren't all that big in the beginning. The sixth plate daguerreotypes of the old couple, were at first suspected to be Henry Bushong and his second wife, Esther Valentine Bushong, but with the discovery of their identified CDV's it is now proven that these two can't be them. See announcement. It still is not known, how these photos were lost from the family, but with the other heirlooms showing up from this line, it's a good bet descendants of Gilbert Bushong are involved.




Click to enlarge photos to maximum size.
            
Possibly
Abraham Rakestraw
,
see their Photo Album page for comparison
            





                         


                         
Click to enlarge photos to maximum size.


What a family treasure to lose!





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