From a prominent family, the Earle brothers probably wanted for nothing in life. At sixteen, Timothy took over his uncle’s card cloth manufacturing company, changing the name to TK Earle and Company. It went on to be quite a large concern. You can find images of the factory online.
Eventually, Thomas became part of the ‘company’ in the name. Both men served in the Civil War. Thomas joined first, in 1861, and was listed as a merchant. He fought, came home, and joined up again in July 1863 with his brother. That time, his occupation was “gentleman.” As often with Quakers, there were a lot of abolitionists in their greater family. Timothy often spoke at Society of Friends meetings. He was a temperance advocate who ran for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts with the Prohibition Party. There is quite a bit about the family online and about Timothy especially. Their daguerreotype was probably made in Worcester, MA in 1844-1845, where both young men lived. Timothy holds an open daguerreotype case and Thomas what looks like a metal pen. Their names and birth/death info is pasted on the silk case pad. Thankfully, the writer noted that Timothy was holding the “book” so we know which brother is which. The dag is in nice condition with a few teeny tarnish spots here and there. There are a few mold spiders as well. The dag has been archival resealed and has had the glass replaced. The case has a broken spine. The image of the factory is one I pulled from the internet.
