Middle aged husband and wife identified as William Sandusky & Mary Elizabeth Baum Sandusky. Both anonymous oil on canvas 3/4 (30 x 40") length portrait in original gilt framed, 39 1/4 x 49 1/2". Each has pasted inked family genealogy to back with His reading: William Sandusky was born in Bourbon County Kentucky on November 1st 1827. Abraham Sandusky his father and Jabe McDowell gave their slaves their freedom and came to Vermilian County,Illinois in 1829. They brought $22000 with them and bought land from the Government at $1.25 per acre. The McDowell family was one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in Kentucky. Janes fathers wedding present to her were two slaves valued at $1800 each. One of these slaves followed them and ??? them before they reached Illinois. Her name was Pol Neil and Abraham was obliged to put up a $500 bond to be able to bring her into Illinois. Abraham Sanduskys grandfather was Captain James Sandusky. He married Mary Brown (born 1756 Died 1812). The first Sandusky to come to America Mr. James Sandusky. He came to Virginia in 1721. He was a nobleman and was banished from Germany for participating in an upraising against the government. He married the sister of Governor Islip. They had three sons, Gabriel, Jacob and James. William Sandusky died Jan. 25, 1910 in Danville, Illinois at the home of his daughter Addie Sandusky Mellan. The inscription of the reverse of her portrait reads: Mary Elizabeth Baum Sandusky was born in Cleamount (sic Clermont) County, Ohio July 4th 1829. Samuel Baum her father was born in Cleamount (sic Clermont) County, Ohio Feb. 15th 1805. Sarah Wasun Baum, her mother was born Jan. 16th 1804. In about 1830 the Baum family and her grandparents Micheal Neaser + his wife left Ohio and came to Vermilion Countu, Illinois. Her mother road horse back and carried her. The House is still standing in ? Illinois that her grandfather had built. The Neaser were aristocrates from Germany, and their bible was in German. The name Neaser family has completely died out. She was married April 20th 1848 to William Sandusky. On July 11th 1913 Elizabeth Sandsky was killed in an automobile accident at Catlia, Illinois.Abraham Sodowski was born March 29, 1793 in Bourbon County Kentucky. He married Jane McDowell in Kentucky and "Americanized" his name to Sandusky after moving to Illinois. He had been a surveyor with Daniel Boone prior to moving to Carroll Township in Vermilion County, Illinois. and had staked out his claim before homesteading there. His land was two and one-half miles from the Village of Indianola. His brother, Jacob and family homesteaded near Westville, Illinois and his brother Isaac near Catlin.At the time, there was a tribe of friendly Indians living on the north acreage of the land grant. The Indians told Abraham that the creek which ran through part of the farm, later named Sandusky Branch, had never run dry. This has been proven true in the following one hundred fifty and more years, even during several droughts. Condition Both Fine, her portrait has small patch left middle in gray background, not visible on face. Worthy of a local museum.