In genealogy research, one of the side benefits is discovering a place I’ve seen in an old family photograph still exists.

My 2X great grandmother, Melissa (Walker, Fuller) Gurin (1849-1920) came to Adrian, Michigan, after the death of her first husband, Dr. George Fuller. She arrived from Erie County, Ohio with her widowed mother, Cynthia (Mann) Walker (1814-1897), and her three young children. Two of Melissa’s brothers, Chauncy and Perry Walker, had already settled in Blissfield, Michigan.

In Adrian, Melissa met my 2X great grandfather, William Gurin, and the two married in September 1882.

The historical photograph shown here was taken outside their home on North McKenzie Street. Standing in front of the house are Melissa, her daughter Florence Nightingale (Gurin) Maynard (1883-1970) – my great grandmother – and Melissa and William’s son, Benjamin Gurin.

I was given a copy of this photo by Ashley Chase and had it for years without realizing that the house behind them was still standing.

At the time the Gurins lived there, the address was 24 North McKenzie Street. As Adrian grew and its houses were renumbered, the address became 220 North McKenzie Street, near the corner of Rich Street.

William died in 1916, leaving Melissa to support the household. By the 1920 census, the home was occupied by Melissa, her widowed sister, Emma, her son, Benjamin, and two lodgers who provided additional income.

Seeing the modern photograph of the house alongside the old family image is one of those ‘icing on the genealogy cake’ moments. More than a century later, the house where Melissa raised her family is still there – a tangible piece of my family’s story in Adrian, Michigan.