Young man was a teacher in Kansas in 1913. Photo returned to granddaughter in Georgia.

This photo was purchased on September 23, 2015 at Enchanted Frog Antiques in Lathrop, Missouri, just north of Kansas City, Missouri.  The photo is on a post card.  The back is labeled Ted Schraeder (or Schroeder) – teacher and a date of 1913.  I have not been able to find any online records for Ted Schraeder but FamilySearch.org has a Theodore Carl Schroeder in the Family Tree.  Theodore was born February 14, 1893 in Block, Miami County, Kansas.  That puts him about the same birth year as the guy in this photo.  Could this Theodore and the photo of Teddy be a match?  Theodore married Maria Susanna Engelken in 1921 at Zion Lutheran Church, Alva, Woods County, Oklahoma.  His WWI draft registration found at www.familysearch.org states his occupation is teacher.  Although Theodore is listed at FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, and Findagrave.com, there is no photo of him.  Therefore, it is not conclusive that this is a match.  More information is needed to confirm we have a match.

UPDATE:  I messaged the person who had a Ted Schroeder in their family tree on Ancestry.com.  Within 24 hours I had a response from Sharon Britton of Rome, Georgia who said, “Yes, that is my grandfather!”  She explained that the name Schroeder is German but it was originally pronounced “Schraeder” hence the apparent misspelling on the back of the photo.  Sharon added that the family eventually changed the pronunciation of the name to match the spelling of “Schroeder” since that was easier than always correcting people on how to say the name.

Sharon kindly provided a nice biography of her grandfather as follows: I have been blessed to have some wonderful genealogical work done by my father and others. I have copies of lots of old pictures but no idea how to put them on Ancestry. Maybe someday I will take the time to figure it out. However, I do not have the one you found and will be thrilled to receive it. I wonder if it was something like a school picture? Thank you so much! Theodore Carl Schroeder was born in 1891 in Block, Kansas, a small German-Lutheran community. He was one of 11 children and a first-generation American citizen, his parents having immigrated from Germany in the late 1800’s. After graduating from Concordia College in Seward, Nebraska, with a teaching degree he served Lutheran schools in California, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as a Negro Mission in New Orleans, Louisiana. While teaching in Alva, Oklahoma, he met and married my grandmother Marie Susanna Engelken, also a first-generation American. In addition to being a teacher and principal, Ted was an accomplished organist and served in churches as organist and choir director. He was a master gardener, fisherman, and avid Cardinals baseball fan. He retired from teaching in La Grange, Texas in 1959 and moved to Enid, Oklahoma in 1974 to be near his children, who all lived in that area at the time. He died in 1977. Ted and Marie had three children – Roland Walter Henry (my father), Lorna Ruby, and Carolyn Marie. They were all born in Fedor, Texas. My parents met when Ted was teaching at the Lutheran school in Breckinridge, Oklahoma, where my mother Marcella Louise Freeman lived on a farm, They were married in 1950, and had four children. They are in their 80’s now and still live in Enid, Oklahoma.

Thank you, Sharon, for providing the rest of the story about your Grandfather!  The photo has been mailed to Sharon Britton of Rome, Georgia.  I’ve also uploaded the photo to the profile of Theodore Schroeder on FamilySearch.org.  Another happy return from www.ReturnthePhotos.com!