Tag: schemas

Dating Photographs

A REID roadside picnic – 1928/9

A lot of magazine articles dedicated to the subject of dating photographs, would use clues such as fashion and the model of the car to date this photograph.  Fortunately, my grandmother wrote on the back of almost every photo so I can use my family tree to make the job a bit easier:

“Grandad Reid; Grandma Reid; Aunt Mona; & probably Ron; & Eric; Uncle Walter’s car”

‘Grandad and Grandma Reid’ are Alexander Gibson REID and Janet HUNTER who married in Glasgow 1886 and emigrated to New Zealand soon after.  It’s quite exciting to have photographs of people who for a long time were only names on the 1871 and 1881 censuses.

‘Aunt Mona’ was mentioned in my previous post so it is also quite exciting to have a picture of her.  ‘Uncle Walter’ must have been taking the photo.  They married in 1925 – my grandmother and her older sister were flowergirls for their wedding – so the photo is obviously post 1925.

Eric BRUNDELL, the baby being held by ‘Grandma Reid’, was born in October 1928 which means this photograph was taken late 1928 or early 1929.

‘Grandad Reid’ died in late 1929 which to me makes this photo as poignant as the one of Ngaire (see here).

I’d love to know the make and model of ‘Uncle Walter’s car’.  Any vintage car enthusiasts care to hasten a guess?

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The Buchan Trio

The Buchan Trio (1925) Alex, Gwen & Ngaire BUCHAN
The photograph above is of my grandmother, Gwenyth Jean BUCHAN (centre) and her siblings – younger brother Alexander Lewis BUCHAN and older sister Ngaire Margaret BUCHAN (their youngest sister Margaret was to appear 6 years later).
Tragically, Ngaire died of peritonitis (a ruptured appendix) when she was only ten years old (December 1927). Grandma recalls that her family received Ngaire’s school first prize after her death.  I’m not familiar with school ‘prizes’ but I assume this means she was a very clever little girl.  I can only imagine the tears that flowed when the mail was delivered that day.

I have two copies of this photograph.

On the back of one in an unknown hand is written ‘With the Compliments of the Season. from the Buchan Trio – To Auntie & Uncle from Ngaire, Gwenyth & Alex’. I’m excited to think the handwriting is that of one of my great grandparents (Charles BUCHAN or Margaret Hunter REID).
On the back of the other, in my grandmother’s handwriting is ‘Ngaire (died at age of 10); Gwen; Alex; We were flower girls for Aunt Mona’s wedding to Walter Brundell’.

A quick check of the family tree shows that Aunt Mona married Walter on the 1st June 1925.  This means that my grandmother was 2 weeks shy of her 5th birthday, Alex was under 2 and a half years old and Ngaire 9 and a half.  She was to pass away six months later.

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Inside the Hare & Hounds, Witheridge c1940s via Historical Witheridge
On the night of the 1861 census, in the Devonshire village of Witheridge, 14 year old Drusilla WREFORD was recorded as head of the household and her occupation as ‘Innkeeper ?’ (note the question mark). Also in the household were 4 siblings aged 7 and under (including my direct ancestor, Augusta Harriet), and a 17 year old servant, Emily CHERITON. Their parents, George and Harriet, were nowhere to be seen. I knew they weren’t dead, as George WREFORD and his family emigrated to New Zealand in 1864. So where were they?
12 Fore Street, Witheridge – 1861 census
This remained a mystery for some time until a chance search led me to discover that George WREFORD was in jail for bankruptcy at the time (you can read my post about that discovery here and here). I still haven’t been able to locate the parents on the 1861 census but I’m still keen to find out more about the business.

George was recorded on bankruptcy notices as an innkeeper, butcher and farmer but I haven’t been able to discover which inn George (and Drusilla) was keeping.

On my last visit to Witheridge (I’ve been twice), I picked up the ‘Witheridge Village Trail & Local Walks’ pamphlet which mapped some of the pubs (old and current) in the village.  Armed with this pamphlet, I used Google Maps to pinpoint the pub locations.
Witheridge Pub Locations
Assuming the family lived in/above the inn being kept, the map indicates the pub was the Hare and Hounds (in Fore Street).  According to the pamphlet, “it burnt out in 1995 and was rebuilt”.  I was able to find this picture of the Hare & Hounds Inn circa 1955 from the excellent Historical Witheridge site:
Hare & Hounds on Fore Street, Witheridge
Here is a picture of Fore Street today from a similar location and perspective via Google Street View:

I’m now in the process of trying to find a directory closer to 1861 which will hopefully attach George’s name to the correct pub.

UPDATE
I have found evidence that they actually kept the Commercial Inn – see post here

Next Steps:
  • check for 1860 directories
  • obtain a copy of  ‘Researching Brewery and Publican Ancestors’ by Simon Fowler for more information

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More Chiropody at Trentham

My mother found more of my great grandfather’s cartoons depicting Trentham military training camp (New Zealand) in World War I (see the original post here):
That First Trentham Feeling
on Trentham Pebbles in Bill Massey’s boots
(Buck – Copyright)
Recruits Coming into Camp
(Buck.17. Copyright 1917 – Trentham)
S.M. Try one on his head Sergeant
[sign] Massey’s Massage Institute – hours any old time – cupping done gratis
[sign] Notice – Don’t hurry – Wait your turn
(“Buck” Copyright 1917 – Trentham)
Innokulatin dun ere – Don’t sass the dokter – By order
(copyright Buchan)
Bill Massey was New Zealand’s prime minister at the time.
I received a reply from Archives New Zealand.  Unfortunately, they seemed to ignore my request to accredit the images to Charles BUCHAN and instead focussed on which records I could access for a fee.

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(See original post here.)

Another message from my husband’s aunt seems to indicate the belief that Eliza Tharm is the ancestor in question:

“this Eliza Tharm isn’t a direct ancestor but down the line from either a brother or sister of one of our direct ancestors.”

I had come across Eliza in my initial research as she was famously the maid living at Dr. Palmer’s house who became Palmer’s mistress after his wife’s death.
Staffspasttrack.org.uk says that Eliza gave birth to an illegitimate son in the Palmer House and this child was sent to be cared for by a ‘nurse’. It was claimed that Palmer sent for the young child saying that he wished to see that the child was well.

Sounds very much like the story originally given to me (see here) but that seems far too easy.  If Palmer really was the rogue he was rumoured to be, there was sure to be other mistresses and possibly more illegitimate children.  Google Books have available a copy of Illustrated Life and Career of William Palmer of Rugeley.  I have yet to read it but a skim through revealed this snippet on page 55:

Some time after his marriage, William Palmer had an illegitimate child by a Rugeley woman, of the name of Jane Mumford, and he had, in consequence, to pay for its keep. It is related that this child, a little girl, was brought to him that he might satisfy himself that it was still alive; he saw the child, and sent her home again. Shortly afterwards she died.

Sounds tragically familiar…

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