Description: The gentleman in this portrait leans back slightly and looks forward with a fixed gaze and stern demeanor. He is formally dressed in a simple but elegant jacket and vest. His jacket has wide lapels and a contrasting, dark velvet collar. His white shirt has been fastened at his neck with a textile partially hidden behind his wiry, goatee, and his thick, wavy hair is parted on his left side.
Biographical Note: Isaac and Jeremiah Lafferty were born in Clarke County, Illinois, to Marshall Lafferty (1808-1892) and Elizabeth Criss Lafferty (1805-1878). In 1857, the family traveled by covered wagon to California, establishing themselves on a 270-acre parcel of land on Sonoma Mountain that they purchased in 1859 from Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo(1807-1890). The family remained on the land, which was located on the outskirts of Petaluma until it changed ownership in 1888. The water- rich parcel is still known today as “Lafferty Ranch”.
Isaac was a successful educator in the community, but in 1874, at the age of 34, he departed Petaluma for Mendocino County to teach in the newly constructed school in Covelo. He was awarded a life diploma in 1877 by the California State Board of Education, and in 1882, he moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he was elected County Superintendent of Schools. The Seattle Star stated in his obituary ( Jan. 18, 1902, p.1) that he was one of the most prominent educators in the state and a leader in the order of Odd Fellows.
Jeremiah was a farmer, and he remained on the family ranch raising cattle and tending a large fruit orchard. The Petaluma newspapers reported that he was also a hunter who rid Sonoma Mountain of wild cats and a musician who played the violin at social occasions. Later in his life, he purchased a ranch on the Glen Ellen side of Sonoma Mountain, where he lived for over twenty-five years. Jerry died there in 1914 from blood poisoning, which was the result of a leg wound.
Family Affiliation: Isaac and Jeremiah were the two youngest sons of Marshall Lafferty (1808-1892) and Elizabeth Criss Lafferty (1805-1878). In 1889, at the age of 49, Isaac married Mary J. Smith, who died less than a year later. In 1892, he married Myrtle “Mertie” Lillian Blair (1866-1936), and together they had two daughters, Zenobia Ruth Lafferty (1896-1920) and Lillian Newton Lafferty (1900-1964). Jeremiah married Annie Olena Johnson (d.1939), and together they had one daughter, Mary Elizabeth Lafferty Jenkins (1877-1973), and one son, Claude Lafferty (1872-1898).
Bibliography:
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: carte de visite
Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front: This head-and-shoulders portrait is framed within a vertical oval, and the sitter gazes to his right. Handwritten in cursive in pencil along the bottom edge of the photographic paper is, “Mr Lafertie”.
Description, back: Hugh Anderson’s imprint is on the center of the back of this carte de visite. Anderson created several versions of his Petaluma imprint. An expanded, possibly later, version appears here. It is printed in red ink and includes four lines of text, each in a different font. The text is embellished above and below with a horizontally flipped, elaborate flourish.
Date: January 1872 - December 1873
Condition: Both the front and back of this carte de visite are slightly soiled and marked with small dark spots.
Owner: Pete Vilmur Collection, digital copy by permission.
Reproduction rights: The Petaluma Museum Association makes no assertions as to ownership of any original copyrights to the digitized images here reproduced. These images are intended for personal or research use only. Any other kind of use, including, but not limited to commercial or scholarly publication in any medium or format, public exhibition, or use online or in a web site, may be subject to additional restrictions including but not limited to the copyrights held by parties other than the Association. USERS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for determining the existence of such rights and for obtaining any permissions and/or paying associated fees necessary for the proposed use.
