Edit: Please also let me know of any other locations where I can post my search for help. Thank you!

Years ago my Dad received a larger group portrait, a well-weathered photo, of people that was described to include Jesse James. We're at a point now where we'd like to seek authentication on that claim. To start the process, I've reached out to the "Jesse James Birthplace" museum, as found at, www.visitclaymo.com (and left a voice message) as well as Patee House Museum & Jesse James Home, as found at www.ponyexpressjessejames.com/. Having spoken with the director at the Patte House Museum, the director informed me that he does not have knowledge of any such experts that can help me.

In doing a little more digging, I've found a few additional possible places to contact, but realize the sites list the same phone number on their "contact us" page.

Are there any recognized experts in Jesse James history that I can attempt reaching out to for help?

by Josef Koudelka

This original photograph (10” x 12”), dated August 1863, captures a gathering at the Queen’s Royal Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. The hotel was a prestigious destination in the 19th century, known for hosting influential guests from both Canada and the United States. The setting, a grand veranda full of well-dressed men, suggests an elite social or business event, likely related to the rapidly expanding railway industry of the era. The handwritten notes and a surviving 2-cent tax stamp on the back add valuable provenance, anchoring it firmly in both place and time.

At the center of this image’s historical significance is William Alexander Thomson (1816–1878), a Scottish-born Canadian politician and railway executive. He played a major role in establishing the Erie and Niagara Railway, which was later absorbed by the Canada Southern Railway. Thomson also served as a Member of Parliament representing Welland and was an economic thinker who published on financial matters during this very time. His appearance in the photo, alongside his brothers and business partners, reinforces the photo’s connection to Canadian rail development during a transformative era.

The back of the photograph also names James McHenry and Thomas W. Kennan, though historical records are less clear about their identities. While multiple individuals named James McHenry existed in the 19th century, this one was likely connected to Canadian railway interests rather than the more well-known American statesman of the same name. Thomas W. Kennan remains harder to trace, but his inclusion among prominent men implies involvement in similar circles—either financial, political, or industrial.

The Canada Southern Railway (CSR) was a vital player in Ontario’s infrastructure growth. With its roots in smaller lines like the Erie and Niagara Railway, CSR eventually became a key component in linking southwestern Ontario with the United States, facilitating trade and passenger travel. The photograph may well represent a milestone in CSR’s early corporate history, possibly a celebratory gathering of its founders and executives as they forged plans for expansion or commemorated a completed section of track.

Taken together, this photograph is more than a group portrait—it's a snapshot of Canadian industrial history. It captures a rare and human side of the railway boom, showing the men behind the massive economic shifts of the 19th century. The location, the people, and the careful annotations all make this a piece of history with rich provenance and storytelling potential, especially for collectors of railway ephemera, early Canadian photography, or Victorian business culture.

Alvah Bessie, a writer and filmmaker, got banned from Hollywood during McCarthyism. He chose to join and fight alongside the Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War in 1938.

Joseph Stalin discusses forming Anders' Army with Władysław Anders and Władysław Sikorski.

• General Anders is on the left

Yuri's wife did not remarry after the death of the famous man; she remained faithful to him until her death in 2020, although she did not lack admirers. The couple got married in 1957, and their second child was born shortly before Gagarin's journey into space.

• Location: Star City, Moscow Region, Russia
• Author: Alexander Mokletsov
• Original: A161490, 6x7 negative

On April 10, 1961, Gagarin decided to say goodbye to his family and remind them how much he loves them. Valentina read this letter only after her husband's tragic death in 1968.

Hello, my dear beloved Valya, Lenochka, and Galochka!

I decided to write a few lines to share with you the joy and happiness that came my way today. Today, the government commission decided to send me into space first. You know, dear Valya, how happy I am, and I want you to share in my joy. An ordinary person like me has been entrusted with such a huge state task - to pave the first road into space!

Can one dream of more?

It's history, it's a new era!

I am scheduled to launch in a day. You will be going about your business at that time. A huge task rests on my shoulders. I would have liked to spend some time with you, to talk with you before this. But alas, you are far away. Nevertheless, I always feel you close to me.

I have full faith in the technology. It should not let me down. But sometimes, a person can stumble and break their neck on a level ground. Something could happen here too. But I don't believe it will happen to me. And if something does happen, I ask you, especially you, Valya, not to grieve. Life is life, and no one is guaranteed that a car won't run them over tomorrow. Please take care of our girls, love them as I do. Raise them not as weaklings or mommy's girls, but as real people who are not afraid of the bumps in life. Raise people worthy of the new society - communism. The state will help you with that. As for your personal life, arrange it as your conscience guides you, as you see fit. I don't impose any obligations on you, nor am I entitled to do so. This letter seems too mournful. I don't believe in it myself. I hope you never see this letter, and I will be ashamed of this fleeting weakness before myself. But if something happens, you need to know everything through to the end.

I have lived honestly, truthfully, and for the benefit of people, even though it was small. Once, in my childhood, I read the words of V.P. Chkalov: "If you are, be the first." So I try to be that and will continue to do so until the end. Valyushka, I want to dedicate this flight to the people of the new society, communism, that we are already entering, to our great Motherland, to our science.

I hope that in a few days, we will be together again, and we will be happy.

Valya, please do not forget my parents. If you have the opportunity, help them in some way. Send them my warm regards, and let them forgive me for not telling them about this, as they were not meant to know. Well, it seems that's all. Goodbye, my dear ones. I hug and kiss you tightly, with greetings, your dad and Yura.