Are you connected to Richard Gregory THOMAS or Mary Carruthers MURDO?

Another fantastic old photograph postcard find was this lovely old image of a couple on their wedding day with clues on the back:

On the reverse of the postcard is written ‘ With Mr & Mrs R G THOMAS’s Compliments 16th June 1913’, but unfortunately no clues to the area or publisher.

Some initial research on Free BMD showed a marriage int he April to June quarter of 1913 between Richard Gregory THOMAS and Mary Carruthers MURDO in the Birkenhead Registration District.

The 1911 census, as below, showed Richard Gregory THOMAS aged about 26 living in Chester with his parents Richard and Mary THOMAS and siblings Percy, Ethel, George, Charles and John – father’s occupation was shown as a Professor of Music whilst Richard was an Accountants Clerk.

Source Citation: Class: RG14; Piece: 21851 Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1911 England Census

The 1911 census for Mary Carruthers MURDO showed her aged 21 living in Manchester and working as an Asylum Nurse.

the 1939 World Two Register showed Richard and Mary THOMAS with two children Doris and Richard living at Hoole in Cheshire.

Richard Gregory THOMAS died in the April quarter of 1945  aged 58 and Mary Carruthers THOMAS nee MURDO died in the January quarter of 1971 aged 80 both in the Chester Registration District.

I have found a possibly family link on Ancestry and have sent a message tot he tree owner, but if you think you also have a connection please send me a message ass I would love to reunite this lovely old photograph with a family member if possible.

Many thanks

Simon LAST

charnwoodresearch@virginmedia.com

http://www.charnwood-genealogy.com

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Can you help to reunite this World War 1 photograph with the WOOLLARD family from Holloway?

Many of the fascinating old World War 1 photographic postcards I find at Postcard Fairs unfortunately have no clues to help identify them to research and possibly reunite with a  family member.

However on this occasion a lovely old photograph that I found seemed to show husband, wife and son and had Mrs WOOLARD of 34 Bryantwood Road in Holloway written on the back.

I started by searching the surname WOOLARD on the 1911 census but nothing showed up but then on trying a variant spelling of WOOLARD I found the family living at 34 Bryantwood Road in Holloway.

The occupants of the address in 1911 were George Henry WOOLLARD aged 34 a Civil Servant working for the Post Office, his wife Martha Elizabeth WOOLLARD aged 35 and their son Cyril Richard WOOLLARD aged 4, as below:

Source Citation: Class: RG14; Piece: 1002 Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1911 England Census

George Henry WOOLLARD married Martha Elizabeth AUSTIN on 17th November at St Peter’s Church in Islington, as below:

Source Citation: London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: p83/pet2/019 Source Information: Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932

George Henry WOOLARD survived World war 1 and in 1939 he and his wife Martha were living at Tintern in Amersham in Buckinghamshire.

George Henry WOOLLARD died aged 70 in the April quarter of 1946 aged 70 and Martha Elizabeth WOOLLARD nee AUSTIN died aged 87 in the January quarter of 1963, both in the Islington registration District.

If you have a link to the WOOLLARD or AUSTIN families please send me a message as it would be great to reunite this super old World War 1 photograph with a family member if possible.

Many thanks

Simon LAST

charnwoodresearch@virginmedia.com

http://www.charnwood-genealogy.com

The CAMERON family from Kent – are you connected?

In a box of old mixed social photograph postcards at the Reading postcard Fair yesterday I found a lovely photograph of a young baby, which on the reverse was written ‘John  Grant CAMERON aged 5 months’ – knowing I could research this I placed the photograph to one side and carried on looking through the others in the box.

Imagine my surprise when further through the box I found two more photographs which seemed to connect to the first one I had found and on the reverse of each was written, as follows: ‘ John Grant CAMERON age 2 years 5 months and Dorothy CAMERON age 9 weeks – Xmas 1927’ – I bought all three of them to research and hopefully to reunite with a family member.

Further research into these three lovely old photographs showed that John Grant CAMERON was born in the July quarter of 1925 in Dartford Registration District and that Dorothy CAMERON was born in the October quarter of 1927 again in Dartford Registration District – mother’s maiden name was GRANT.

John CAMERON married Frances Emily Leonard GRANT in August 1924 in Marylebone Registration District in London, as below:

Source Citation: London Metropolitan Archives; London, England Source Information: Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932

Frances Emily Leonard CAMERON nee GRANT died on the 27th August 1986 in Bexley in Kent.

Do you have a connection to the CAMERON or GRANT families, as it would be great to reunite these three fantastic old photos with a family member if possible.

If you have a link please send me a message.

Many thanks

Simon LAST

charnwoodresearch@virginmedia.com

http://www.charnwood-genealogy.com

 

Are you related to Sarah Ann BROADBENT nee JONES from Salford in Lancashire?

A great old photograph postcard find at the Reading Postcard Fair yesterday was this lovely image of an elderly lady sitting out in her garden and even more exciting were some clues on the reverse!

On the reverse was written ‘Great Grandmother Sarah Ann BROADBENT (Nee JONES)’ so it was obviously part of a families photograph archive at some point – the Photographer was Isaac Richards, 124 Northenden Road in Sale.

I started my research by looking for a JONES to BROADBENT marriage and found only one possible record between Sarah Ann JONES and Thomas BROADBENT in the April quarter of 1852 in the Salford Registration District in Lancashire.

Knowing from the photograph that Sarah Ann BROADBENT lived to a ripe old age I searched the census records and found her as a widow aged 79 on the 1911 census, as below, living with her daughter Hannah DOOLEY also a widow and her grandson Frederick DOOLEY and niece Winifred BROADBENT a nurse, all living at 3 Vere Street in Salford.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1911 England Census Source Citation: Class: RG14; Piece: 24071

Sarah Ann and Thomas BROADBENT had had seven children four of who were still living in 1911.

Hannah BROADBENT aged 24 had married Septimus DOOLEY aged 29 on 26th August 1876 in Broughton in Lancashire.

I then looked for the death of Sarah Ann BROADBENT born about 1831 and found that she died aged 86 in the January quarter of 1917 in Salford Registration District.

Do you have a connection to the BROADBENT, JONES or DOOLEY families from Salford in Lancashire, as it would be great to reunite the lovely photograph with a  a family member if possible – if you have a link please send me a message.

Many thanks

Simon LAST

charnwoodresearch@virginmedia.com

http://www.charnwood-genealogy.com

Looking for relatives of Mollie Lawrence!

Another Battlesbridge Antiques Centre find was this lovely old baby photograph which has written on the reverse – Mollie LAWRENCE aged 10 months in 1925.

The most likely birth registration I can find is for a Mollie K LAWRENCE in the July quarter of 1924 in Kingston Registration District in Surrey – mother’s maiden name is shown as GRAY.

I have then found Mollie on the 1939 World War 2 Registers living in Benfleet in Essex with her parents George and Annie E LAWRENCE – Mollie’s date of birth is given as 9th July 1924 and her occupation is a Camel Shirt Machinist – her father George LAWRENCE was born on 2nd November 1879 and his occupation is a Ships Joiner and his wife Annie was born on 4th September 1880.

The 1939 Register shows that Mollie’s surname changed to MATTHEWS and I have found that she married Harry A MATTHEWS in the April quarter of 1953 in Thurrock Registration District in Essex.

If you have a connection to the LAWRENCE or MATTHEWS families please drop me a line as it would be great to reunite this beautiful old photo with a family member if possible.

Simon LAST

http://www.charnwood-genealogy.com

charnwoodresearch@virginmedia.com

 

Are you connected to the GEER family from Barnet?

Whilst at Battlesbridge Antiques Centre in Essex on Tuesday meeting up with my lovely friend Lynn from Lynn’s Waffles Blog we were both searching for old postcards and photographs, when we discovered two old shoe-boxes full of them!

Among them I found this beautiful old baby photograph which had written on the back – Martyn Edward GEER aged 5 months and 3 days 28th June 1924 – the photograph had been taken by McLennan 110 High Street in North Finchley.

After some quick investigation I discovered that Martyn Edward GEER ‘s birth was registered in the January quarter of 1924 in Barnet Registration District and that his mother’s maiden name was COLLINS.

The only GEER to COLLINS marriage that I have found so far is in the October quarter of 1916 in the Isle of Wight between Charles A GEER and Nora A COLLINS and from this marriage the birth of a son Augustus N GEER in the January quarter of 1918 again in the Isle of Wight.

If anyone has a link to the GEER family it would be great to reunite this lovely old photograph with a family member.

Simon LAST

http://www.charnwood-genealogy.com

charnwoodresearch@virginmedia.com

Reginald Stephen COPLESTON Bishop of Colombo – an unexpected family photograph find!!

At the recent Shepton Mallet Postcard Fair there were several stalls selling old family photographs, as well as postcards, and as always I was on the search for any with writing or clues on the back!

On one stall I was immediately attracted by a beautiful family group photograph which showed several generations of what seemed to be one family and also included two men wearing ‘dog collars’

– so imagine my delight when I turned it over to discover lots of writing and information about the people in the photograph!

The writing showed the family name to be COPLESTON and mentioned references to the Bishop of Colombo and the Judicial Commissioner, so before searching Ancestry for family trees containing the COPLESTON name I googled Bishop of Colombo and immediately found a whole Wikipedia page about Reginald Stephen COPLESTON and his family, career and even a photograph of him that matched with my photograph – to discover more on the family click this link COPLESTON Family

I then looked on Ancestry to see if I could find any family trees researching the COPLESTON family and although I found a couple of matches and messaged them, they seem to be quite distant connections at this stage.

My aim now is to find an Archive or Museum that would like to add this beautiful COPLESTON family photograph to their history of the family, so that it can be given a much wider audience – unfortunately there is no photographers name , location or date, but I am sure with more research it could be dated quite accurately.

I wonder who it belonged to and how it ended up at a Postcard Fair in Somerset!

Therefore if anyone knows where it could receive a very good new home please get in touch with me.

Many thanks

Simon LAST

http://www.charnwood-genealogy.com

charnwoodresearch@virginmedia.com