Keating Ancestry

  Let's start by saying, I love this photo! It's another photo given to me by Petra and I am fascinated by it.  The photo is undated, but I know it is of the Motier siblings and their children.  The date must be right before WWI, sometime between 1916-1917.  I have no idea where it is taken, but it must have been taken by a professional photographer using a tripod.  I am guessing this is at some family event, maybe a wedding or a holiday party.  Who knows? It seems to me it is taken in a banquet hall or a hotel, it does not look like a private residence or a church, but I'm just guessing. I'm quite sure it is taken in Chicago because they were all Chicago-based at this point. They are all dressed nicely and they look to be having a blast together! Someone (I think it must have been Irma) tried to write the names of the people on the back, but due to the disorganized configuration, it's hard to tell exactly who's who even with the key. Here is the "key"

            I remember when I first learned about the 1918 influenza pandemic, my dad told me he had an aunt who died in that pandemic.  Here's her story as best I can piece it together from photos and documents generously shared with me by both my dad and Cousin Petra.  Eleanor Motier and Edward M. Keating's third child, a girl, was born on November 5, 1898.  She was named Mary Felicite, surely for Eleanor's French grandmother, Felicite Constant.  The undated photo  seen above is a portrait of Mary taken when she was a young girl.      Here's another family photo that includes Mary.  This photo is also undated but was probably taken around 1905 when Eleanor and Edward already had six children (three more would come!) Mary had the Keating artistic talent that my grandfather also shared. Irma told Petra that Mary had been studying art as a young person. We can still see that artistic talent in many family members, but especially Emily Keating Ballew and one of John'

    Here's an intriguing photo that I found in the album from Petra.  Nobody in the photo is identified, but it has the date June 12, 1912 written on the back.  So, who is in the photo? I am fairly sure the man seated with the hat on is Edward M. Keating, grandpa's father.  I've seen many photos of Edward M. Keating and that is him. At first I thought the other seated man (Colonel Sander's look) was the Motier grandfather, Joseph, but he died in 1880, so it's not him.  Then, I thought the other woman in the front right was Grandma Motier, but she died before 1900, so that's not her.   My hunch tells me these are Motiers, so it may be these are some of Eleanor's older brothers (Colonel Sanders and the guy with the tri-corn hat).  Edward M. Keating's sister, Mary, married Eleanor's brother George, so it could be that both George and Mary Keating Motier are in this photo.   I think the person in the far back with the black hat on is Eleanor Keating.  In

  This is a photo of our ancestor, Joseph F. Motier.  In records, he is sometimes called Joseph Motie and sometimes his middle initial is listed as G, but I think that may be confusion with cursive handwriting.  I think his middle initial is F for Francis, his father's first name. Joseph was born in 1818 in Portage Des Sioux, St. Charles County, MO.  Motie's ancestors were French, both from French Canada and France.  Joseph spent most of his adult life living in Iowa, both in Dubuque and Davenport.  He was a brick mason and later a contractor.  As is apparent from having a professional photograph taken in the mid 1800s, he was a man of means.  He built a home which was listed on the historic register.  It is no longer standing, but has a wikipedia entry!  See here: Wikipedia Motie House Here's the home listed with the National Parks: Motie House Motie married an Irish immigrant, Mary McGuire, and together they had many children, but his youngest was a daughter named Eleanor