Taft family Photograph Collection

Taft family Photograph Collection, circa 1914-1920

Overview of the Collection

Creator

Taft family

Title

Taft family Photograph Collection

Dates

circa 1914-1920 (inclusive)

Quantity

16 negatives (1 box) : glass plate negatives
scans printed from glass plate negatives

Collection Number

PH0848

Summary

Photographs of Beulah May Taft Godfrey, her daughter Loyal Taft Godfrey, and other family members. Also includes photographs of the Niedergesaess family's yacht Yankee II

Repository

University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu

Access Restrictions

Access to the original glass plate negatives is restricted for preservation purposes. The scans are available for viewing and the entire collection is available on the digital site. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Additional Reference Guides

Languages

English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Beulah May Taft (1881-1974) was born in Waco, Texas, to Sarah Frances Gurley and William B. Taft. Beulah came to Seattle as a baby with her parents. In 1907, she married Otto Christian (Bert) Niedergesaess (1884-1963), an immigrant from New Zealand. Beulah and Otto had two daughters, Carol (1909-1933) and Loyal (1914-2001). During World War I, the family adopted the surname Godfrey, which was the family name of Otto's mother. During the 1920s, the family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where Otto operated the Godfrey Propeller Adjusting Corporation. Beulah was an avid photographer, particularly of her children. This collection includes examples of her work. Beulah's elder daughter Carol became a Broadway dancer known as Joan Winters. She was arrested as a spy in Istanbul in October 1933 and was murdered the next month in Jerusalem. Loyal spent her later years on Bainbridge Island where she was joined by her parents.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Photographs of Beulah May Taft Godfrey, her daughter Loyal Taft Godfrey, and other family members. Also includes photographs of the Niedergesaess family's boat Yankee II . It was sold in 1915 and used to transport passenger and freight traffic in the San Juan Islands.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

View the digital version of the collection

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Gift of Loyal Taft Morgan and Ken Ward (her son), 1998.

Processing Note

Processed by Marion Brown, 2009; processing completed by Jack Falk, 2012.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box/Folder	item
1	1	Beulah May Taft Godfrey and newborn daughter Loyal Taft Godfrey According to Loyal's son Kenneth Ward, "My grandmother, Beulah May Taft, set up her camera in a room where she would give birth to her second child. The picture was taken within 15 minutes of the birth of my mother Loyal Taft Niedergesaess. On that day a General Mobilization was announced by Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary. My grandmother wanted anti-German Seattle to know that the child of Otto Christian Niedergesaess was born to a patriotic family. The child, my mother, would be known as "Loyal T"."	July 31, 1914
1	2	Loyal Taft Niedergesaess at age 1, wearing a sash bow
1	3	Group of children dressed in kimonos Written on sleeve: Bill Taft's gift of kimonos to all the cousins.	circa 1916
1	4	Group portrait of family members	circa 1917
1	5	Grandma Sarah Gurley Taft and her sisters from Texas (Ada and Elizabeth?) showing Loyal how to knit	circa 1917
1	6	Children on a beach with boatYankee IIin background	circa 1918
1	7	People standing on the deck ofYankee II	circa 1918
1	8	Grandma Sarah Gurley Taft and her two sisters from Texas (Ada and Elizabeth?) knitting	circa 1919
1	9	Grandma Sarah Gurley Taft with her sisters and other family members	circa 1919
1	10	Loyal Taft Niedergesaess as little girl	undated
1	11	Loyal's cats in a basket	undated
1	12	Two children in a boat	undated
1	13	Child seated with older woman (possibly grandmother or great-aunt)	undated
1	14	Woman (possibly a nurse) and child near a bush	undated
1	15	Two children in living room (possibly Loyal with older sister Carol in chair) in front of a fireplace	undated
1	16	Child and baby in baby carriage (possibly Loyal with older sister Carol)	undated

Archives West Finding Aid

Table of Contents