Not one of the grandfathers of collecting, but I was lucky enough to buy about 20 or so t206's on ebay last fall from a husband and wife in virginia whose uncle was the original collector of the cards I purchased.
We had a few email exchanges and I asked if I could know more about the uncle.
They sent this reply:
Tony
My uncle Robert Buchanan Owens was born in Mason County Kentucky in
1901 and passed in 1970. He was in the military, I think the signal
corp and stationed in England during WWII. His family had a English
ancestry and he enjoyed having his tea each morning, with a cut rose
on his table from his flowers. He was a Travelers insurance agent for
30 to 34 years. He and his brother Frank S. Owens must have collected
these cards together. You can go to
http://books.google.com/books?id=qPs...e%20ky&f=false
to find more about his brother Frank S. who father had a Ohio River
ferry named after him. Uncle Bob was a kind man, who with my aunt
Viola, were very involved in the community and their church. Since he
lived close to Cincinnati, the Reds were his favorite team. He was a
gardener having as I remember huge flower beds of rose. He enjoyed
golf and was an active golfer. Finally, I cannot remember many days
that Uncle Bob did not have a crisp starched white shirt, a tie, with
a sport coat or suit. I hope you children and yourself enjoy he and
his brother's baseball cards. ,,