We have several Iowa connections past and present, not least that all the Peters of Great Grandfather Edward's family were born in Wapello, Iowa, according to a great niece of his; and, of course, Great Grandmother Mary Jane Maher Peters was born in Muscatine, as were her five brothers. Their father, Edward Maher, was born 19 May 1821 in Waterford, Ireland, of glass-making fame, died 21 October 1902; married Mary Wise, also probably from Waterford, with simply the birth-death years of 1821-1869. The latter couple are buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Muscatine, Iowa.
Great Grandmother Peters' youngest brother was Thomas Francis Maher (3 December 1866-16 November 1933), married to Margaret Brossart (29 June 1878-18 July 1942), both also buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Muscatine. One of our oldest photos is of their third child, Robert. The photo below has the caption, "Robert Maher aged 3 years," after which I added "b. 30 June 1902 to Thomas Francis and Margaret Brossart Maher, Thomas being the youngest son of Edward and Mary Wise Maher and the youngest brother of Mary Jane Maher Peters."
Clearly the closest connection was to "Uncle Tom" and "Aunt Maggie," as Grandma Koftan called them, for we have the most photos of them and their family. Their children's families are the ones I remember visiting in the 1940s. Here are Tom and Maggie.
Their first two children, Albert and Mary Frances, died young, at the ages of three and two, respectively, in 1900 and 1902. Then come Robert, (30 June 1902-13 May 1965), Edward (23 July 1904-7 February 1968), Leonard Frances (5 June 1911-?), Joseph Glen (8 February 1913-15 August 1971), and Margaret (12 May 1918-25 August 1941).
The following three photos have no data, but the first is clearly of Tom and Maggie with their sons, a good guess, and perhaps a brother, the figure at the right stocky like Tom. The next two are Myrtle with, first, Maggie and Len (Leonard) and then with Tom and Ted (Edward). I might have the boys reversed.
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