If you look closely, the caption is written on this photo at the upper left. From the family records we have, I have to say the boys are Ted (Edward) and Len (Leonard) with their sister Margaret. We have other photos of the same boys, the ones following. The Comment by Mrs. Elizabeth Shapiro, Leonard's granddaughter, says that in the group photo--if I understand--the second from the left with tie and sportcoat is Leonard, as are the two bottom photos (though those look very different to me). She thinks the house in the background was Tom's, next door to Leonard's. This is just the sort of help these entries need, which I am always grateful for.
Given the clothes, those photos seem to be the Twenties and Thirties. The following skip several years, Apparently written on the back is my caption, but I thought the L-R order should be Len, Tom, Joe, and Ted, the two younger brothers flanking the two older brothers. In the Comment by Mrs. Elizabeth Shapiro, she thinks the L-R order is Tommy, Ted, Joe, and Leonard, agreeing that the younger brothers flanked the older two.
Elizabeth Shapiro says in her comment that both these photos were at "the side of Leonard's house, where he lived until the 1980's." The names on the left photo are clear enough, though the little girl, Kitty, is named in the top border, Kathleen Ann, b. 25 November 1945 ( which helps date the photos), the daughter of Leonard Francis Maher, the son of Thomas Francis Maher. At the right are the wives: Mae was married to Robert, Tom and Maggie's oldest son; Wilma was married to Joseph, Tom and Maggie's fourth son; Sylvia was married to Leonard, Tom and Maggie's third son; and Frances was married to Edward, Tom and Maggie's second son. Note the Comment: Mrs. Shapiro "always thought that Joe was married to Fran," which leaves Wilma married to Edward. [I was going by my grandmother's identification."
I have labelled both following photos "Leo Maher," though there seems to be a possible age difference in the uniform styles. But embossed on the more formal pose at the right is "May 1948," and Leonard's birth year was 1911. The comment by his granddaughter,positively identifies the left photo as her grandfather. As I recall, the family provided Irish policemen to Muscatine.
Hello,
My daughter was doing some online research for her 3rd grade family history project and we found your website. I am Leonard Maher’s granddaughter. His older daughter, Patricia was my mother. I have some of the same photos of the Maher family as you have posted on your website – they are in Leonard’s old family photo albums that I inherited after he passed away in 2003.
I can identify Leonard in most of your photos, but I am unsure of which the other brothers.
In the first photo, Leonard is the second from left, wearing the tie and sportcoat. I believe Leonard is also shown in the two photos of the man in the white shirt in by the porch stairs– in one he’s wearing a bow tie and in the other he’s standing with his hands on his hips. This house belonged to one of the brothers (Tom I think) and was actually next door to the house Leonard owned.
In the photo that is captioned “Tommie, Len, Ted, and Joe,” Leonard is on the far right, and Joe is standing to his left. I don’t know for sure, but I think Tommy is on the far left and Ted is to his right – so yes, it is the younger brothers flanking the older brothers, but in a different order.
The 2 photos that contain the brothers with Margaret and Kitty (my Aunt), and the wives were taken on the side of Leonard’s house, where he lived until the 1980’s. I spent a lot of time at that house and have many memories of it. Leonard was indeed married to Sylvia, but I had always thought that Joe was married to Fran.
In the bottom photos, the picture of the fireman that is dated May 1948 id definitely Leonard. I do not know who the other fireman is and have not seen this photo in the family album.
I have shared your website link with my Aunt Kitty (the little girl in the photo). Perhaps she can shed more light on who I who in the Maher family photos.
Best regards,
Elizabeth Shapiro