The World’s First Eyewitness?
I’ve written about the first photograph of a human being, here is another old photograph that has historical significance in an obscure way. The fine gentleman above is Conrad Heyer, this picture was taken circa 1852. He was approximately 103 when photographed, having been born in 1749. He was reportedly the first white child born in Waldoboro, Maine, then a German immigrant community. He served in the Continental Army under George Washington during the Revolutionary War, crossing the Delaware with him and fighting in other major battles. He eventually bought a farm and retired to Waldoboro, where he happily regaled visitors with tales of his Revolutionary War exploits until his dying day.
Conrad’s life sounds sounds like an historical footnote for sure, but this is not a Revolutionary War post, and isn’t what I find of interest in this particular photograph. It’s the venerable Mr Heyer’s age I find of interest, or more accurately, his date of birth. By being born in 1749, he may very well be the earliest born human being ever photographed. There weren’t any pictures taken in 1749, but at least we have a picture of someone who was there. In some small way, this picture is a real connection with that long ago era.
What was the world like during Conrad’s youth? The United States wasn’t even an idea yet, the colonies were just that, colonies. You wanted to get around? Walking, horse, or sailing ship was it. Candles, fireplaces, and chamberpots were about as far as indoor amenities other than furniture went, no running water or bathrooms except for the very rich. Still, the industrial age was fermenting so to speak, primitive steam engines had been in use for decades…for pumping water out of mines. Though this was mostly in England, few if any of them were in America. The 1750s is also the decade when scientific navigation was introduced, so the world was starting to get smaller.
The world population was under eight hundred million in 1749, most of these in Asia and Europe. Only about 16 million people lived in South American, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In the rest of North America, Conrad’s stomping grounds, there were only about 2 million people. The 1750s finally saw the threat of Indian raids diminish in New England, and the American colonies were starting to grow wildly. Still, 2 million people is nothing, I find it hard to imagine how empty North America must have been then. A squirrel could have gone from the east coast to the Mississippi River without touching the ground.
Though safe from Indian attack, the 1750s was not a safe decade in Maine, bordering as it did on a hostile French Canada. From 1754 to 1763 was the French and Indian War, a smaller part of the Seven Years War. This basically pitted France and its allies against Britain and its allies. The Seven Years War has also been called the 2nd World War, it was the second major war to involve fighting on multiple continents. At the time Canada and environs were under French rule. In 1759 was the historic Battle of the Plains of Abraham, where British General Wolfe defeated the French General Montcalm at the gates of Quebec city. Both died in this historic battle, afterwards Canada was under British rule.
In nearby Maine these events would certainly have been news, but one must remember that in this era news took weeks to travel. I suspect this gave people a more contemplative view of the world. Even if world shaking events were reported, one knew they had happened weeks or months before. No need to get excited, though I’m sure some did. And after the war Britain wanted to tax the American colonies to help defray the cost of “defending” them, thus sowing the seeds for the American revolution.
Old Conrad lived through it all. When he was a kid America was just a motley collection of hardscrabble British colonies. By the time he was an old man the United States was 75 years old and a rapidly emerging world power. The industrial revolution was in full swing, and other great events had occurred during his times: The French Revolution, the War of 1812, the Napoleonic wars, the year without a summer. He lived during the invention of the telegraph and the railroad and the steamboat, such things undreamed of in Conrad’s bucolic youth. And he lived to see the beginning of the age of photography.
Conrad Heyer saw the American Revolution and George Washington with his own eyes, captured forever above. Can you see them too?
(The above image is claimed as Fair Use under US copyright law, it is not being used for profit, is central to illustrating the post, and is being used for educational purposes. Thus it was legally copied and used from this site: Vintage Maine Images. Thanks to commenters John, Anders, and Tom for suggesting this post and pointing me at this site and this site. And yes, there is some question about Conrad’s birth date, so his status as oldest eyewitness is debatable.)
SCOTT said,
January 13, 2008 at 8:44 pm
fantastic! I wanted to find this, but wasn’t sure how to word it for a google search – oldest photo of oldest person…
great site!
Tom said,
May 20, 2008 at 4:07 am
Hi, I don’t think there’s any dispute surrounding Conrads birthdate. As you can see in this post(from the Heyer Family Genealogy Forum):
http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?conrad,heyer::heyer::2.html
Conrad was born 4/10/1749.
Anyway, thanks for taking the job and put this in perspective for us!
Tom
Oslo, Norway
Sonfjourn said,
May 27, 2008 at 9:06 am
I have come accross 2 other extremely old pictures of people born in the 1740’s.
First that of : Hannah Stilley Gorby (v.1746-1850), which can be found on the web, and a certain “Jersey Centenarian”, daguerreotyped in 1848 with his great-grandson, aged 103. This would indicate a birth date of 1745…I saw this picture in a book and have never seen it since.
Stasha said,
December 7, 2008 at 10:06 am
I am related to Conrad Heyer. I think I am the 8th or 9th generation! I am reseraching him right now with my grandmother!
Sonfjourn said,
December 30, 2008 at 7:45 am
Hi Sacha (are you also related to Sacha Distel?), can you confirm that your great, great, great, great, great grandfather is the person on the picture and his dates? thanks. Sonfjourn
Sarah said,
February 19, 2009 at 6:50 am
Sofnjur, his name is STASHA, not Sacha and therefore he is probably not necessarily related to Sacha Distel, the American actor.
Richard said,
February 27, 2009 at 9:10 am
Snofjounr, I have a photo of an ancestor Keel Van Der See born in 1633! The picture was taken in 1712 and has been authentified as one of the oldest in the world by daguerrotype specialists in Holland.
Billy Ray Conway said,
March 3, 2009 at 7:18 am
Richard, what you are saying don’t stand in a Court of Law! Photography was invented by a dude caloled Niepsce in 1727 therefore you’re ancestor cannot have been taken in 1712. Its mathematically impossible. Are you darn sure its him? Could it be his son?
Eugene "Chips" Van Der See said,
March 4, 2009 at 2:39 am
Hi Bill Ray,
I am the direct descendant of Henrik aka “Keel” Van Der See. He was born in Holland back in 1633 and came to the US as a pilgrim because he was persecuted back at home, probably for being gay or something (not entirely sure if this was the cause?). He was not photographed and what we have left is a drawing.
Are you related to the canadian singer “Billy Ray” Cyrus?
Sidney "Skip" Chorizo, III said,
March 4, 2009 at 9:39 am
Guys,
I have that picture of Henrik Van Der See! it says behind in Dutch:
” Els clar Henrik Van Der See, Sr, ols naci um jahr 1633 um tod if 1728. Est ward um 1712 gefarb.”
Dont understand old Dutch. Anyone out there able to translate?
Regarding Henrik Van der See, he was definetely not gay as he was a preacher!
Eugene "Chips" Van Der See said,
March 6, 2009 at 8:47 am
Sidney, (or should I address you as “Chips”),
I think you are confused as I, and I alone, am in possession of that picture!
The only thing I can think of is that either this was a fake picture (but why would anyone do that?) or perhaps Henrik took the picture himself?
Jo Gaillard said,
March 10, 2009 at 2:40 am
Response to Billy Ray Conway: Sidney Chorizo III(aka Skip) claims he has a picture of Henrik Van der See (aka Keel). You say that you have doubts because he was born too early to be photographed. However, Eugene Van Der See (aka Chips) figures that this may well be because he was homosexual and persecuted therein. Sonfjourn is probably the only one who knows the truth!
Sonfjourn (aka Sulu) said,
March 11, 2009 at 2:19 am
Sidney Chorizo III aka “Chips” is damn wrong! So is Eugene Van Der See aka “Chips”! The “Earliest ever picture of a human”, the record of the oldest heneceforth, cannot be Henrik Van der See aka “Keel” (why does everyone have a nickname on this Forum???) for the simple reason that photography was invented in 1827 NOT 1727! Therefore, as Billy Conway aka “Ray” (did I get that right?) pointed out, its darn impossible!
BTW, my nickname is “Sulu” !!
Sonfjourn (aka Sulu) said,
March 19, 2009 at 2:55 am
Apologies to Siney Chorizo III whom I wrongly referred to as “Chips” mistaking him with Henrik Van der See…I meant “Skip”!!!
Eugene "Chips" Van Der See said,
March 20, 2009 at 4:06 am
Sofjounr,
Henrik Van der See’s nickname is NOT “Chips” but “Keel” !
By the way, I dont recognise your name but I believe there is an oriental character in Star Trek called Mister Sulu. Like Henrik Van der See aka Keel it is possible that both were gay although not necessarily related to one another or to Sacha Distel.
Henrik"Popo" Van Der See said,
March 23, 2009 at 2:27 am
I AM Henrik Van Der See aka “Popo” (and sometimes Patato) and I’m definetely alive!!!! I was not born in the 1600’s but in 1955!!!
Is it possible that you are confusing me with another Van Der See? For instance I know that there is a picture of one of my ancestors Henrik Van Der See aka “Peel” (with a “P” not a “K”). He was picyured in the 1850’s a centenarian. Could you be looking for this individual? (excuse my English as I am Afrikaner).
Sonders "Hank" Van Der See said,
March 24, 2009 at 7:55 am
Henrik aka “Popo”, you must be confused. Van Der See is very common and in the 1600-1700 nearly all Dutch people (and Afrikaners to that effect) were called Keel , Peel or Jonkers so how can you be sure that its not Chips or Skip? What makes it so rationally improbable should Henrik have been and yet there is doubt! Thus, my impression is that one would certainly NOT!
Why cant you understand this?
Sonders “Hank”.
Billy Ray Conway said,
March 25, 2009 at 9:05 am
Sonders, you aint learnt english in a civilzed City! Darn! I cant understand nothing you said! Who is Jonkers? What’s he got to do with this Forum about folk on pictures? This is all horsecr*p to me!
Sonders "Hank" Van Der See said,
March 26, 2009 at 7:46 am
Billy Ray,
You are NOT the king of this website and therefore I flush you and your sense of humor!
Vulgar americano!
Billy Ray Conway said,
March 31, 2009 at 2:22 am
Get! Sonders! get! You SOB! Dont you never call me a vulgar americano, comprende?! Because I aint open to this bullcr*p! You bad! Dont you cross my path no more cos I aint a patient dude!
Stupido retardo!
Els Grans Couillons said,
March 31, 2009 at 6:56 am
Sonders aka “Hank” and Billy Ray, STOP you’re bickering and get back to the topic! We are here to discuss Daguerre photography!!!! You morons!
Obama, Iraq, Af-Pak, history, French prostitutes win a battle, and other random and insightful thoughts « Doug’s Darkworld said,
April 8, 2009 at 7:30 am
[...] mention them here. The first is the “1 shot 2 kills” post and the other is the “World’s First Eyewitness” post. Join the discussion if you dare. Another reader recently asked if Doug’s [...]
Sonders Verbeck said,
April 16, 2009 at 2:32 am
I would like to suggest that Els Gran Couillons start by stopping himself! I do not know whether all the akas ie Chips, Keel, Hank, Popo, Sulu, Skip, Peel or Chorizo are right but they have contributed NOTHING to the topic!
By the way, I am also known as Couilles and sometimes Bite.
Rick "Fatso" Bestia said,
May 15, 2009 at 7:11 am
I have a very old picture of Vinnie “u pazzo” Cucurredu who was born in 1889 and emigrated to the States in 1910. I think its possibly one of the oldest italian-american pictures ever. Does anyone know?