9th Edition Smile for the Camera: Who are You?

For the 9th edition of "Smile for the Camera" we are asked to post a photo of one of our "unknowns". Unfortunately, I have more than a couple but the one I have chosen is the one I would most like to know more about.

The photo comes from my paternal grandmother's side of the family, but Grandma Ritchie was never sure about the identity. She also was not sure if the picture was someone on her mother's side or her father's, although she always thought it was from her father's side. I tend to be of that opinion also as on her mother's side, which would be GRABER and ZAUGG, there are many pictures and I have found no resemblance to this man.


My Grandmother was born and lived most of her life in and around Apple Creek, Ohio which is in Wayne County. There is a very strong Swiss-German heritage there. As a matter of fact, my Grandpa used to tease her that she only spoke German until she went to school. Although that is not quite true, both of her parents did grow up in German speaking households.

If this picture is from her father's side the names involved would be SAURER and FLORY. The picture is a tintype in a very ornate wooden case. I don't believe it is a companion to the one of Caroline FLORY posted earlier as the cases are very different and the one of Caroline has not held up well. This picture is cracked but otherwise very clear. [I restored the picture somewhat to "erase" the crack before I posted it here]

I used to think it might be Caroline Flory's husband, John Ulrick SAURER but I'm not so sure. I have large charcoal drawings of a number of ancestors on that side and I can identify the actual picture from which each is done. [see my post here on Caroline Flory]. If this were indeed Caroline's husband I would have thought a similar drawing would exist.

So I now wonder if this is a collateral relative on either the SAURER or FLORY side? I am not at all good at seeing similarities in pictures, but for those of you with that type of eye, here is a picture of John F. SAURER, my Grandma Ritchie's father. He is the son of John U. SAURER and Caroline FLORY.

So, at the end of the day I am still left with the mystery, "Who are you? I REALLY want to know!"