Another recent lovely old photograph find was this one below which has written on the back ‘Constance Muriel SHERATON born October 13th 1903’ and someone has also added Dies 1977 – could I discover more? Constance Muriel SHERATON was baptized on 22nd November 1903, as below, in Clearwell in Gloucestershire and her parents were called Richard Frederick and Maud Jane Rose SHERATON – Richard married Maud Jane Rose HOOK in 1902 in Stroud registration district in Gloucestershire. Source Citation: Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucester, Gloucestershire; Gloucestershire Church of England Parish ..read more

Another recent old photograph find was this one below of a baby, possibly in her christening gown, and on the reverse is written ‘ Darien Winifred LAIGHT born March 17th 1920’ I quickly found the birth registration for Winifred W LAIGHT in the April quarter of 1920 with mother’s maiden name HALE in the Dursley registration district in Gloucestershire. Using the HALE surname I discovered that Henry F LAIGHT had married Winifred H HALE in the September quarter of 1916 again in the Dursley registration district in Gloucestershire. The 1921 census, as below, shows Darien and her parents Henry an ..read more

Another recent find at the Canterbury Postcard Fair was this lovely old informal wedding photograph below which had writing on the back saying ‘ Wedding October 8th 1929 Clara Hannah IBBOTSON and Tom ELLIN (Ruth’s parents) – could I discover more? I started by looking at the quarter four wedding registrations but could find nothing to match and then found that the year 1928 was wrong, as it was actually 1929 and using this information I found the actual wedding certificate on Ancestry, as below: Source Citation: Borthwick Institute for Archives; York, Yorkshire, England; Parish Registe ..read more

UPDATE: This lovely old photograph has now been reunited with David GARNETT who emailed me to say that William Tinnion GARNETT was his 1st cousin 2 times removed and that William’s grandfather was his 2 times Great Grandfather and that he would love to add this to the many old photographs that he had (many without names) as it may help to identify them. The photograph has now been sent on to him for his own family history archive, which as always makes all the research and time spent so worthwhile. Simon – 28th June 2024 ———————————————————————————————————————— At the recent postcard fair in C ..read more

On Saturday I was able to visit a Postcard Fair in Canterbury in Kent where I found some interesting old family photographs, which helpfully had names or dates on the back that could help me to identify them further. The first one that I have researched is a lovely old photograph, as below, of four children including three boys in sailor suits and a girl in a very pretty dress – the photograph was taken by Lambert, Weston & Son in Folkestone in Kent – on the reverse, as below, were written four names Violet 1877, Edgar 1879, George 1881 and Alfred 1883. Could I identify them further and di ..read more

I have recently found this lovely old photograph of a soldier dressed in uniform with a Scottish cap that has very little information on the back – it reads Cousin Alfred WAGSTAFFE D.S.M – could I possibly discover more? Using the possible Scottish connection I have searched World War 1 military records and I found a medal roll index as below, which shows a Sergeant Alfred WAGSTAFFE who had served with the King’s Own Scottish Borders and the Machine Gun Corps under service numbers 16631 and 15482 – underneath the entry someone has written D.C.M – is this a link? Source Citation: The Nationa ..read more

Another lovely old photographic postcard that I found recently, as below, showed a girls baton group that was based in Bournemouth – the card was posted in 1914 from Bournemouth to a Miss E BORER in Wealdstone in Middlesex – as always could I possibly discover more? I started by looking for the address of 124 High Street in Wealdstone on the 1911 census and struck lucky finding the record and discovering that the BORER family had been living there – the 1911 census, as below, shows Ernest Alfred and Clara Beatrice BORER and their children Evelyn Clara aged 8 and Reginald Ernest aged 6. Ernes ..read more

Another recent old photograph find was this lovely one below of a wedding which had written on the back ‘ Sincerely Yours Mr & Mrs H BYROM 22nd December 1928’ – could I discover more without a location? On checking the marriage registrations in 1928 I quickly found a marriage of Harry BYROM to Mary E DUNCAN in the October quarter of 1928 in the Stockport registration district. Using this information I found Harry BYROM on the 1911 census, as below, aged 8 born in Denton in Lancashire living with his parents Joe and Bertha BYROM and a sister Alice aged 12 – Joe and Bertha had been marrie ..read more

Another great old family photograph that I have recently found is this one below of a lady with two girls, which very helpfully had writing on the back – ‘ 45 Newboro, Scarboro Best Wishes Xmas 1912 Mrs A THORNTON’ taken by a Scarborough photographer. Could I possibly locate the THORNTON family on the 1911 census to find matching people to this old photograph? Using the above address I quickly found the family, as below, living at 45 Newboro in Scarborough and the occupants of the house were Alfred THORNTON aged 46 occupation a Barber, Joanna THORNTON his wife aged 40 and they had five child ..read more

As you already know I love finding an old photographic postcard with clues on the back and I recently struck lucky with this fantastic photograph as below – on the back is written ‘Auntie Edie & Uncle Steve with love from Clifford Owen MESNEY 3 years, 8 months June 1910’ – could I discover more? I started by looking at the birth registrations online and found that Clifford Owen MESNEY was born in the October quarter of 1906 and his birth was registered in the St Thomas District in Devon. Moving on I then found Clifford on the 1911 census, as below, aged 4 living with his parents Robert L ..read more