Who is the Man in the Photo?

Family History is a hobby that encompasses many different aspects: research, writing, familial relationships and detective work.  With the advent of the Internet, we can quickly connect to so many cousins. We can share information and photos so easily.

Today I present to you, what I consider to be a mystery. These photos were posted online and labeled as my direct ancestors. Let’s take a closer look.

Who is the man in the photo?

Mystery Man and Woman Dressed in White. A posed photo from the Riechel Studio in Red Lake Falls, Minn.¹This photo was posted on FamilySearch on July 30, 2018 by user gaylynn. The couple is tagged as Horace Lydick and Susan Roy.

Is the Mystery Man Horace Lydick?

Some family members believe that the Mystery Man is actually Horace Lydick (1880-1956).
I don’t think so.

Mystery Man and Horace Lydick²Photograph of Horace Lydick. J. D. Givens Photo: San Francisco CA, 1904. Original owned by Mary Peterson, Mayville ND. Digital Copy made by Karrie Blees, March 2023.

I see several differences between the men:

• eyebrow arch
• line of the nose
• ear shape
• widow’s peak at the hairline
• jawline

Is Susan Roy Lydick in the first photo?

Woman Dressed in White from Mystery Man Photo and Susan Roy (inset from 1909)³Inset of Susan Roy from Gamache Family Photo from the Collection of Malvina Ayotte Paradis (1864-1957). Probably before she married Horace Lydick in October of 1908.

There certainly is a resemblance. Both woman have dark hair and similar expressions.

However, when I showed the photo to the last two surviving children of Horace and Susan (Roy) Lydick, they told me that the Woman Dressed in White was not their mother.  (And the Mystery Man was definitely not their father.)

So who is the Mystery Man?

I found one other photo of the Mystery Man:

Theodore Roy and Lucy Lizotte wedding portrait, April 16, 1903.⁴Posted by user H. Noel at Find a Grave Memorial 180304691 for Theodore J. Roy.

The Mystery Man is standing behind the seated groom’s right shoulder.
(Note that the Woman Dressed in White is not in this group.)

More research needs to be conducted to determine the identity of the Mystery Man. A big clue rests with the Mystery Man standing in this 1903 Roy-Lizotte group photo. He knew Theodore Roy (Susan Roy’s half-brother).

Who is the Woman dressed in White?

A large number of Acadians lived in Red Lake Falls, Minnesota in the early 1900s. Family history among Acadians has the added difficulty of endogamy; the custom of marrying only within the limits of their community. Therefore, cousins share a greater percentage of DNA and often resemble each other.

Susan Roy lived with her mother and step-father, Elise Ayotte and Prudent Gamache. The family resided in Red Lake Falls until the late 1890s or even the year 1900. Then they moved to Cass Lake. Susan certainly visited her cousins in Red Lake Falls.

But did she marry someone else before her marriage to Horace Lydick in 1908? Doubtful. She was 18 when she married Horace.

Help Solve the Mystery

Do you have photos from the Riechel Studio in Red Lake Falls?
Who are the other people in the 1903 wedding photo?

Hopefully more photos will be found and I can label the Mystery Man with his given name.

SOURCES

• 1
  This photo was posted on FamilySearch on July 30, 2018 by user gaylynn. The couple is tagged as Horace Lydick and Susan Roy.
• 2
  Photograph of Horace Lydick. J. D. Givens Photo: San Francisco CA, 1904. Original owned by Mary Peterson, Mayville ND. Digital Copy made by Karrie Blees, March 2023.
• 3
  Inset of Susan Roy from Gamache Family Photo from the Collection of Malvina Ayotte Paradis (1864-1957). Probably before she married Horace Lydick in October of 1908.
• 4
  Posted by user H. Noel at Find a Grave Memorial 180304691 for Theodore J. Roy.