Workday Wednesday:

M. HOWARD STEWART (1858-1932). Photographer in
Ellicottville (Cattaraugus Co), NY: 1886-1888, 1889-1890 in Huenerfeld Block on Monroe Street; March 1891 moved to Stewart Block on Main Street until about June of 1899
Middleton (Dauphin Co), PA: about June 1888 to August 1889
Washington (Washington Co), PA: about 1899-1900s

M. Howard Stewart was born in 1858 in Utica (Venango County), Pennsylvania. He died in 1932 in Apollo, a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 35 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. He came to Ellicottville (Cattaraugus County) New York around 1886 and set up a photo gallery with L.L. Zuver. By 1887, their partnership had dissolved and Stewart carried on the business. In 1888, he left for Middleton, PA (Dauphin County) but came back by August of 1889. He built a studio of his own on Main Street in Ellicottville by March of 1891. In June of 1899, it was advertised that Alfred H. Coit bought Stewart’s photography business. Stewart then moved to Washingon (Washington Co), PA where he carried on his photography business within the Pittsburgh Metro Area. He was enumerated there during the 1900 and 1910 Federal census. The Ellicottville Post carried the story of his death on July 7, 1932.

                M. H. Stewart married Matie Greene, the daughter of C.B. Greene and Jeanette Huenerfeld. They were married in Ellicottville in 1889. It was Jeanette’s father and Stewart’s grandfather-in-law, Peter J. Huenerfeld who owned the Huenerfeld Block on Monroe Street in Ellicottville where Stewart had his photography studio before he built his own. 


Sources: Ellicottville Post advertisements, items of interest and obituary notice from the online newspaper project at Fultonhistory.com; 1900 and 1910 Federal census.

Identified as Thomas McMahon, accession #2013-7-13. Courtesy Ellicottville Historical Society
with kind permission from Mary E. Dunbar, town historian

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