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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: Rachael89 on Saturday 26 December 20 16:30 GMT (UK)
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I came into the possession of an old Edwardian photo album ages ago, and am trying to track down the identities of the subjects in the photographs (which are rather delightful). They're unusual in that they're all spontaneous snapshots, and they show the family's children, animals and servants (among other subjects).
I'm no expert but the photos are evidently from the early 1900s, most likely the Edwardian period (1901-1910). The most frequently occurring subjects are two young boys named Frank and Bob, and the most frequently occurring place is called 'Spencer Park' (which seems to be a house with an estate).
Several of the pages of the album are also labelled 'Bournemouth', and the best clue I can find is the page labelled 'Red House, Bournemouth' which features appearances from 'Mother' and 'Uncle George & Nora'. Red House appears notable enough to have its own Wiki page and various people lived there in the right period:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langtry_Manor
I'm particularly interested in Louisa Lucy Sitwell, who lived there around 1911 and was the grandmother of poet Edith Sitwell. There's a girl in one of the pictures seen running in the sea, and facially she looks very much like a young Edith Sitwell. I don't have any means of confirming it, though.
I have scanned several pages from the album, including names of places and people, and they can be found in the album here:
https://imgur.com/gallery/V6dRKHO
If anyone could help me do some detective work to see if the names/placenames match up with any particular individuals on the census records, I'd really appreciate it. I'd do the research myself but I don't have an Ancestry account at the moment, so I'd be grateful if anyone else could help me play detective!
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Wow! How lovely are they, yes Edwardian for sure. Some of them would benefit from a clean and brighten up.
It may be time consuming but I suggest that you scan at a resolution of 300dpi and post the important ones two at a time.
Look forward to seeing them on here.
Carol
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The photo of the house in Spencer Park would appear to be this one on Wandsworth Common London.
Pat
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Wow that's great detective work - thanks so much! Could someone check who was living at that address in the 1911 census so we can compare the names and see if there's any correspondence?
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It's better to look on the 1901 census at that address. The family then moved to West Coker, Somerset. The family name was Whiting/Jackson.
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Marriage St Stephens, Ealing 1889
Matthew Noel WHITING, 31y, Colonial Broker, Lavender Hill Wandsworth, father Henry WHITING gentleman
Una WILCOX, 31y, Ealing, father John WILCOX gentleman
Witnesses - Richard PURDUE, Juliette WHITING
1891 census
41 Spencer Park Wandsworth
Noel Whiting
Una Whiting
Noela Whiting - daughter 4 months
Servants - Martha Gibby, Margaret Phelps, Ellen Phelps
1897 - death of Matthew Noel WHITING
1898 - marriage of Una WHITING to Claude JACKSON
1901 census
9 Spencer Park Wandsworth
Claude JACKSON 29y, Living on own means
Una JACKSON 42y
Noela WHITING stepdaughter 10y
Marian WHITING stepdaughter 8y
Henry N WHITING stepson 5y
Francis G W? JACKSON 1y
Servants include Ellen Phelps 38y, Sarah Phelps 27y, Mary L Davis 27y
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I think this is "Frank" in the photos.
Baptism 19 Dec 1899 (Birth 14 Oct 1899)
Francis Gordon Ward Jackson
Parents Claude Ward and Una Jackson
Father's occupation: Gentleman
Abode 38 Spencer Park - Note the photo of the Spencer Park house in the album has "38" written beneath it
More about Frank here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Lane_Fox
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Oooo, how exciting! Amazing photos and great detective work everyone. :)
A random observation .... photos are not very clear when I zoom in in my iPad so I might be missing some detail ..... however in some of those photos in the album marked as being taken at Spencer Park they show pillars which seem to be bigger and grander than anything on the house labelled “Spencer Park”. I can’t see any pillars of that size at the front of the past or present house. Stairs wider and grander too? Perhaps the photos may have been taken at the back somewhere?
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1901 census
9 Spencer Park Wandsworth
Claude JACKSON 29y, Living on own means
Una JACKSON 42y
Noela WHITING stepdaughter 10y
Marian WHITING stepdaughter 8y
Henry N WHITING stepson 5y
Francis G W? JACKSON 1y
Servants include Ellen Phelps 38y, Sarah Phelps 27y, Mary L Davis 27y
I wonder if the servant Mary L Davis is the lady in the photo with "Davis" written beneath it.
Added: There is also a photo of "Phelpie" Ellen Phelps or Sarah Phelps
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Possible for 'Winnie and Dick Watney'
1901 census
45 Spencer Park Wandsworth
Walter WATNEY 40y
Kathleen 35y
Winifred 9y
Ricardo 5y
Charlotte and Charles 8 months
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1891 census
41 Spencer Park Wandsworth
Noel Whiting
Una Whiting
Noela Whiting - daughter 4 months
Servants - Martha Gibby, Margaret Phelps, Ellen Phelps
Margaret and Nella in the photos look like they could be sisters, Margaret may be married and living elsewhere by 1901
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I think this is "Frank" in the photos.
Baptism 19 Dec 1899 (Birth 14 Oct 1899)
Francis Gordon Ward Jackson
Parents Claude Ward and Una Jackson
Father's occupation: Gentleman
Abode 38 Spencer Park - Note the photo of the Spencer Park house in the album has "38" written beneath it
More about Frank here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Lane_Fox
This is fantastic - thank you so much to you and everyone else who put the work in! I've reached out to Frank's grandson as I'd like to get the album back to the family if possible. Fingers crossed I hear back!
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It would be lovely if you could get the album back to the family, fingers and toes crossed that the grandson gets back to you. An amazing set of photographs, I really enjoyed looking at them and hunting for clues.
I did see newspaper reports regarding the wills of Claude and Una, they both left something to their servants, how kind.
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That is a lovely gesture Rachael89. Let's hope the grandson is interested in this fascinating album.
Astonishingly, some people have no interest in these things, but perhaps other family members may do - there is generally at least one keeper of the family history in every family. :)
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That is a lovely gesture Rachael89. Let's hope the grandson is interested in this fascinating album.
Astonishingly, some people have no interest in these things, but perhaps other family members may do - there is generally at least one keeper of the family history in every family. :)
Yes I went through a stage a few years ago of picking up old photo albums from second hand shops, and have recently been making attempts to research the families/reunite the albums with descendants if possible. Several people have been thrilled to hear from me, but others haven't responded at all! It's astonishing to me that some people have no interest, as I always think about how delighted I'd be if someone contacted me out of the blue to say they had a whole album filled with photos of my relatives! I guess everyone has different priorities, though...
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Good luck, and let us know if you hear from the family. :)