RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: PaulThommo on Tuesday 04 July 17 05:37 BST (UK)
-
I know it is a long shot but I have exhausted all other avenues. The attached photograph I thought was my mothers parents wedding photograph, but when I was given photos of my mothers side of the family I realised that was not the case. So I turned to my fathers side as we have no photographs of my Grandparents on that side. I posted on RootsChat last year this photo to be dated as my fathers parents married in 1911. However a couple of people replied stating that it was a late 1930's/40's wedding all agreeing that the brides dress was of that period and the large bouquets padded out with a lot of fern/assorted greenery were also very fashionable at that time. My fathers father did remarry in the 1940's, however he was 60+ at the time and he certainly is not of that age. There is no writing on the back of the photo. My mothers family (Bullough/Wood/Crompton) came from Lancashire (Manchester/Bolton area) and my fathers family from South Shields/Gateshead, Co.Durham. My last thought is that it is a friend of theirs marriage as my mother had a habit of cutting people out of photos if she didn't know them!!
If anyone has any idea of who these mysterious people are I would be so grateful as I just want to put names to faces.
Thanking you, Paul Thompson
-
Hi there Paul,
sorry - I don't actually have anything to add to your search - apart from the fact that it is such a lovely photo - and to suggest that though the groom doesn't look like 60'ish - he certainly isn't young - and neither is the bride. But what a happy couple they are! Good luck with your search!
-
Hi there Paul,
sorry - I don't actually have anything to add to your search - apart from the fact that it is such a lovely photo - and to suggest that though the groom doesn't look like 60'ish - he certainly isn't young - and neither is the bride. But what a happy couple they are! Good luck with your search!
Hi Maggbill, Thanks for that, my mother was born in 1908 so would have been in her 30's when this wedding took place. I am thinking more towards a friend of hers, but who!!!!!
-
Hi Paul
Do you have other photos of the same event that have not been snipped?
Maybe, as a 1st step, someone could identify the location from a bigger picture.
-
The type of collar the groom is wearing was way out of fashion in the 1940`s, his gloves and what appear to be spats make me think of 1930`s at the latest.
Dress style and large bouquet are so like my cousin`s wedding in the 30`s.She was an adult when I was just a very little girl.
Lovely photo , such happiness. Viktoria.
-
My father wore a very similar outfit, down to the spats at his wedding in 1931. My mother also had a rather overlarge bouquet. This couple don't look very young, though I've found that people looked much older in old photographs when compared to present day people. I would put them at early 30s, or perhaps even a little older. Still, they certainly look happy.
-
Hi Paul
Do you have other photos of the same event that have not been snipped?
Maybe, as a 1st step, someone could identify the location from a bigger picture.
Hi Dawn, unfortunately that's all I have, the one photo. Trust my mother to cut off the rest!!
Thanks, Paul
-
The type of collar the groom is wearing was way out of fashion in the 1940`s, his gloves and what appear to be spats make me think of 1930`s at the latest.
Dress style and large bouquet are so like my cousin`s wedding in the 30`s.She was an adult when I was just a very little girl.
Lovely photo , such happiness. Viktoria.
Thanks Viktoria, it looks as though it's coming down to a 30's wedding at the moment. Yes they look very happy, mind you they should do on their wedding day!!!!! If only they could tell me who they were!! Thanks, Paul
-
My father wore a very similar outfit, down to the spats at his wedding in 1931. My mother also had a rather overlarge bouquet. This couple don't look very young, though I've found that people looked much older in old photographs when compared to present day people. I would put them at early 30s, or perhaps even a little older. Still, they certainly look happy.
Hi Gill, thanks for the information, looks like a 30's wedding at the moment. Yes I would say that they were in their 30's, she looks older than he does, she could be close to 40, hard to say. If only they could talk!!! Thanks, Paul
-
It's a very nice photo. I hope someone visits the forum soon who can identify the couple for you. Have you considered the bride or groom could be a cousin rather than friend of your parents? Do you know of any of your mother or father's cousins who might fit?
-
Hi,
He looks about 36 to 38 yrs old to me.The lady looks of a very similar age to me ,athough she looks old in todays standard....She has not many wrinkles, I would actually put her younger than the man, maybe 34 ,35(zoom in on the photo, the lady is not old, she is less weathered than the gentleman )
Kind Regards
-
It's a lovely photo; their smiles are so genuine. I think she looks older than him, her crow's feet (laughter lines) are quite pronounced, so I'd guess she's possibly late thirties/early-mid forties?
Sue
-
It's a very nice photo. I hope someone visits the forum soon who can identify the couple for you. Have you considered the bride or groom could be a cousin rather than friend of your parents? Do you know of any of your mother or father's cousins who might fit?
Hi Martha, thanks for that. My parents married in 39 (no photos of the wedding) and my fathers brother and sister in 39/40 but I know it's not them. My mother had 1 brother and it's not him. One wedding on my fathers side in the 20's but she was 50 when married all others 00/10s. Have checked with a cousin on my mothers side and not ringing a bell with him. But why would my mother keep a photo of someone not immediate family until she died, maybe an old boyfriend who she regretted not marrying!!!!!!!! Paul
-
Hi,
He looks about 36 to 38 yrs old to me.The lady looks of a very similar age to me ,athough she looks old in todays standard....She has not many wrinkles, I would actually put her younger than the man, maybe 34 ,35(zoom in on the photo, the lady is not old, she is less weathered than the gentleman )
Kind Regards
Thanks Cell, getting conflicting reports on who is older!!!! But I think they are both mid to late 30's. It's not my fathers side as a 30's marriage to people 35-40 doesn't fit in with family members. My mothers side is still largely unexplored but a cousin on that side doesn't recognise them all from photos he has. Ah well. Paul
-
maybe an old boyfriend who she regretted not marrying
. . . .Or her very best lifelong girl friend. e.g. my best friend has kept photos of my wedding.
Doubt they would be having such a finely dressed wedding during the war or soon after - - unless of course the dress is 'hand me down' from some rellie or friend.
Wiggy
-
maybe an old boyfriend who she regretted not marrying
. . . .Or her very best lifelong girl friend. e.g. my best friend has kept photos of my wedding.
Doubt they would be having such a finely dressed wedding during the war or soon after - - unless of course the dress is 'hand me down' from some rellie or friend.
Wiggy
Very true Wiggy, my mother was born in 1908 and when she married in 1939 she was 31, however the lady in the photo was probably 8-10 years older than her. If the marriage was in 1935 and she was 35 years old she would have been born in 1900. Most people have dated her (including me ) as mid to late 30's in the wedding photo. Oh the plot thickens!!!!!! Paul
-
It's a lovely photo; their smiles are so genuine. I think she looks older than him, her crow's feet (laughter lines) are quite pronounced, so I'd guess she's possibly late thirties/early-mid forties?
Sue
Thanks Sue, the jurys out re who is older, personally I think she looks older, but I am a mere male!!!! But majority of people say mid to late 30's. Still a mystery. Paul
-
I'm not so sure that an "older" bride would have worn the "full-monty" wedding outfit like the lady in the photo. If aged mid to late thirties she would perhaps have opted for a less girlish, more low-key outfit.
The hair styles were very aging in those days. The lovely smiling bride could well be only in her twenties.
-
Hi
Similar to you I have a photo of an unnamed couple, however I do know the nickname of the woman, approx when she was married and approx how old she was when she was married. She was a friend of my mothers. I've attached the photo so you can compare. People aren't always the age you guess at. The couple in the picture I've attached were married between 1943 and 1946 and were in their mid to late twenties, although they look much older. The veil she is wearing is similar to your brides, but the dress is satin. The man doesn't have the same type of shirt, but is carrying gloves. I have a wedding photo of an aunt married in 1942 who is wearing a similar dress to your bride. I think the photo is from the war years and that the couple are in their 20's.
J
-
Its also a lovely photo, but your bride looks a lot younger than the original posted photo. I agree they look older than mid - twenties, I'd have put your bride at late twenties/early thirties. However, she has no crow's feet, and her face is still plump and not as weathered. As far as the costume of the original bride goes, I married for the second time at age 47 and I had a full length ivory (not white lol) dress, with a lace bolero, so not all older brides opt for something restrained. (OK, I'm a show-off :)
-
Edit- I'd have put them both at mid-twenties/early thirties. Part of my assumption of an older age might be the bloke's weight, which is heavy for a young man.
-
My mother was also born in 1908 so would have been 21 when she married Dad in 1929. He was born in 1903.
If bonnets were more of a feature in the 1920's then your photo, Paul, would I think have been well into the 1930's or later. But then the spats and especially the stiff collar with turned up edges. When did they drop out of fashion?
The photo has been cut - note the curving in edge top right and that must mean that your mother didn't know the people on the missing part of the photo very well. So the couple could be some very good friends, possibly from work. Did she talk about old friends at all? Do you know where either Mum or Dad worked, say during the war? If so then try looking for a forum where people want to share memories of an old work place and the friends they worked with. Even perhaps a South Shields forum could do the trick.
I have solved the odd mystery on the Consett & District Heritage page on Facebook _ https://www.facebook.com/groups/213017885386150/ For example I have a photo of my Mam standing outside a Butcher's shop in Consett alongside the Butcher and another lady. When I posted that on the Consett Forum somebody replied within moments saying that the Butcher was his granddad, so I was not only able to add a name to an unknown on the photo but discovered where she worked in the 1920's.
Same with friends I knew in Aden in the RAF in 1952. Several of my photos have been identified through a facebook page on Aden and one member who is still around is standing quite close to me in a photo.
In any case it is nice to catch up with the English we once used. I just had a look at the Consett page and someone has just posted a weather report - "It's stotting down, it'll be clarty the morra".
Good Luck - I think you will strike lucky before too long, Cheers Malcolm
-
Hi
Similar to you I have a photo of an unnamed couple, however I do know the nickname of the woman, approx when she was married and approx how old she was when she was married. She was a friend of my mothers. I've attached the photo so you can compare. People aren't always the age you guess at. The couple in the picture I've attached were married between 1943 and 1946 and were in their mid to late twenties, although they look much older. The veil she is wearing is similar to your brides, but the dress is satin. The man doesn't have the same type of shirt, but is carrying gloves. I have a wedding photo of an aunt married in 1942 who is wearing a similar dress to your bride. I think the photo is from the war years and that the couple are in their 20's.
J
Many thanks for your thoughts and also the photograph, yes the couple certainly look much older than in their 20's, especially the male, you never can tell. I seem to be getting a date range of early 30's to early 40's and ages from late 20's to early 40's. Phew!!!!! Thanks, Paul
-
My mother was also born in 1908 so would have been 21 when she married Dad in 1929. He was born in 1903.
If bonnets were more of a feature in the 1920's then your photo, Paul, would I think have been well into the 1930's or later. But then the spats and especially the stiff collar with turned up edges. When did they drop out of fashion?
The photo has been cut - note the curving in edge top right and that must mean that your mother didn't know the people on the missing part of the photo very well. So the couple could be some very good friends, possibly from work. Did she talk about old friends at all? Do you know where either Mum or Dad worked, say during the war? If so then try looking for a forum where people want to share memories of an old work place and the friends they worked with. Even perhaps a South Shields forum could do the trick.
I have solved the odd mystery on the Consett & District Heritage page on Facebook _ https://www.facebook.com/groups/213017885386150/ For example I have a photo of my Mam standing outside a Butcher's shop in Consett alongside the Butcher and another lady. When I posted that on the Consett Forum somebody replied within moments saying that the Butcher was his granddad, so I was not only able to add a name to an unknown on the photo but discovered where she worked in the 1920's.
Same with friends I knew in Aden in the RAF in 1952. Several of my photos have been identified through a facebook page on Aden and one member who is still around is standing quite close to me in a photo.
In any case it is nice to catch up with the English we once used. I just had a look at the Consett page and someone has just posted a weather report - "It's stotting down, it'll be clarty the morra".
Good Luck - I think you will strike lucky before too long, Cheers Malcolm
Hi Malcolm, many thanks for your response, judging my the replies it seems to be a late 30's to early 40's wedding. When did spats go out of fashion? Good question, I may put it onto the forum and see what replies I get (very informative lot are the Rootschatters). Also the width of the trouser legs, different era's different widths. Mind you a northern wedding, " Divn't wurry aboot it not being fashion you'll still look canny in it"
Yes my mother was a good un for cutting people off photos if she didn't know them. My father was in the RAF during the war, married in late 39 and my mother lived with her father in Manchester (where she was from) during the war years before heading to N'cle to live. I know she worked in an accounts department before marriage, not sure when she stopped but my elder brother was born in 42. Yes quite possible a workmate, friend, but not a relative as far as I can see. Thats why I posted it on Rootschat, you just never know, as you said you will strike lucky, I hope so.
You know what it's like you never ask questions when you are young but my mother only went to Manchester to visit her brother (and with me when I was young) so she seems to have severed any ties with friends there. Up in N'cle it was just rellies that they seemed to visit although one or two other friends very occasionally, but I have no memories of them.
I don't know if you have visited Consett recently but you wouldn't recognise the place. I passed through a couple of times with my brother last year, I say passed through it's all ring roads so you don't go through the town but all the iron and steel works have totally gone, green fields now. No longer do you hear the sound of two 9F's (steam engines) fighting their way up the inclines fully laden with iron ore for the furnaces ( sorry my brother is a steam engine fanatic he is a founding member of the Tanfield railway formed over 40 years ago).
Once again thanks for your help, I hope the Melbourne weather is good, here in Perth it has been raining for the past week. We've both escaped and live in the land of sunshine (well most of the time). Thanks, Paul
-
Hi Malcolm, many thanks for your response, I don't know if you have visited Consett recently but you wouldn't recognise the place. I passed through a couple of times with my brother last year, I say passed through it's all ring roads so you don't go through the town but all the iron and steel works have totally gone, green fields now. No longer do you hear the sound of two 9F's (steam engines) fighting their way up the inclines fully laden with iron ore for the furnaces ( sorry my brother is a steam engine fanatic he is a founding member of the Tanfield railway formed over 40 years ago).
Once again thanks for your help, I hope the Melbourne weather is good, here in Perth it has been raining for the past week. We've both escaped and live in the land of sunshine (well most of the time). Thanks, Paul
Unfortunately not and my last trip to Consett was in March 1991 when I took my late wife Ede back for a trip. Though she was born in Melbourne, Ede's first husband was a Scottish Sea Captain who drank himself to death. They married and lived in Paisley for 7 years so naturally Ede wanted to see Paisley again and we stayed with some of her friends in Kilbarchan until my late cousin Kenneth Heath had managed to clear a hole in the deep snow, to park our hire car outside his front garden in Consett. I saw many changes then but I still cherish my memories of all the tank engines shunting up and down rail lines by the 'Warks'.
My cousin Audrey Thompson nee Draffan is still in Delves Lane so I get the odd bit of news from her too.
Talking of close family friends ours were 'Uncle Frank' Thompson and Auntie Dolly. He was from Walney Island and she from Barry Island. They shared a rented cottage in Hunstanton with my Mam and Dad in the depression years and remained life long friends.
My cousin Jean Vickers - Audrey Thompson's sister - lives close to Perth, but we are just about the last of our generation.
Nice chatting, bye for now, Malcolm