These photos were given to me by my Aunt Miriam, the granddaughter of George and Amarilla. She said they were their wedding photos.
The first one is my great-grandfather George Angus Barclay as a young man.
George A. Barclay ca. 1878
On the back Aunt Miriam wrote: “George Angus Barclay, Born _____ Died 1898. 1878 Wedding picture. Enlisted Aug. 15, 1862, at Fort Snelling (Not correct it was Fort Ridgely) as wagoner, Co., I, 9th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. Honorable Discharge 1865. Marched with Sherman. (George probably didn’t march with Sherman as indicated in a past posts dated June 15 and June 25, 2010.) ”
In dark pen and in another person’s handwriting it reads: “Print from Screened neg. ,Z3668, Historic Heartland Assoc.”
This photo is supposedly of Amarilla as a young girl. Miriam indicates that it is her wedding photograph.
Amarilla Spracklin Barclay
On the back in Aunt Miriam’s handwriting: “Amarilla Spracklin Barclay, Nov. 17, 1858 – Aug. 10, 1942. Born near Marengo, Iowa, died in Pine River, Minn. 1878. Wedding picture age 20.”
Again the same black pen and different handwriting: “Print from Screened neg., Z3666 , Historic Heartland Assoc.”
Carl Zapffe was the founder of Historic Heartland Association. His photo collection is housed with the Nisswa Historical Society as far as I know. I talked personally to the president of the Nisswa society in 2007 about these two photographs and later sent copies and wrote to them. They eventually wrote me back and told me they were unable to identify or give me any further information on these two photographs. In exchange he referenced an article about George that I will discuss in a later post.
When I visited Pine River in 2000, I shared these two photographs with the Editor and they were printed in the Pine River newspaper in an article about my visit. See my March 15, 2010 post – An Appointment – Pine River Journal for more information.
Mr. Zapffe wrote several oversized historical booklets about “Oldtimers” in Minnesota that I purchased and will feature later on in my posts. The Crow Wing Historical Society in Brainerd may still have copies. You can Google his writings which are still out there? He died sometime in the 1990’s, I believe?
Mr. Zapffe actually corresponded with my Aunt Miriam at some point. I found a brochure that had family photographs in color in her possession. There is a photograph of a bride – Christina Ethel Zapffee and groom Thomas Richard Anderson, Jr. dated 1973. A family group photo with all the names of the children but just Mom and Pop listed and I suspect that Pop refers to Mr. Zapffe. Other family groupings photos are included in the brochure. The brochure/pamphlet is 4 pages long. On the back is a discussion of the Mystical Window featured on the front page and a Merry Christmas at the bottom. The envelope has a Baltimore, Maryland address and is stamped with Dec. 1973. The brochure is a real treasure of family photographs for both Anderson and Zapffee who are not my family.
Would I be interested in the story behind this and how my Aunt Miriam obtained copies of these photographs of Amarilla and George, my great grandparents? Just another mystery in my family!
The Barclays of Pine River 
My great-grandfather’s brother was Rev. Herbert Root who married your ancestors, Amarilla Spracklin Barclay and George Angus Barclay in 1878.
Yes, he did. Did you read my post before these photographs. 1878 Enter Amarilla! I state that Rev. Herbert Root married them about 1/2 down. How nice of you to stop by and visit. I wonder what stories your great grandfather’s brother would tell?