This photograph is courtesy of Ron Casbon.
(Click on image to enlarge)
The older man is Sylvester V Casbon, my second great grandfather. The man sitting next to him is unidentified – does anybody recognize him? The photograph is undated and location unknown. I wonder if it was taken near his farm in Deep River.
Sylvester was born June 6, 1837 in Meldreth Cambridgeshire, England, the eldest living son of Thomas Casbon (1803-1888).[1] Sylvester was the first Casbon to settle in Indiana, after moving from Ohio.[2] He had three children with his first wife, Adaline Aylesworth (1842–1868) and three with his second, Harriet Emiline Perry (1842–1874).
After moving to Indiana, he initially settled in Boone Township, Porter County, but later moved to Deep River, in Ross Township, Lake County.[3] In 1892 he moved to Valparaiso, Porter County, where he remained the rest of his life.[4]
Although there is little detail in the photo, I’m guessing that Sylvester was in his 50s or 60s at the time. This would date the photo to the late 1880s or the 1890s. Compare to this photo, taken at a family reunion in October 1901.[5]
Group photograph taken at Casbon family reunion, Valparaiso, Indiana, October 24, 1901. Sylvester is standing just to the left of the left-hand porch column. Names added by Jon Casbon. (Click on image to enlarge)
Or, compare to this photo of Sylvester and his living descendants, taken about 1905.[6]
Undated photo of Sylvester Casbon and extended family ca. 1905. Sylvester is sitting next to his third wife, Mary Mereness. Location is not indicated, but I believe this was Sylvester’s home on 501 Academy Street, Valparaiso. The home is still standing. (Click on image to enlarge)
Referring back to the original photo of Sylvester on the cart, I believe this kind of cart is known as a buckboard. It is a simple cart, with a seat place on a platform of planks. The platform is not suspended on springs. On some buckboards, the seat may be placed on springs.[7] That does not appear to be the case in the photograph.