Sepia Saturday give bloggers an opportunity to share their family history and memories through photographs.
I must admit that my inspiration was failing when faced with a "Free for All" choice of theme. I clearly need the photo prompt to get my brain buzzing. All I could think of were themes I had already featured.
Eventually I decided this was the opportunity to show for the first time the friendship photographs from my Great Aunt Jennie's collection.
Jennie Danson (1897-1986) was the only daughter and last child of James
Danson and Maria Rawcliffe of Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, born on 24th
December 1897, after eight surviving brothers - George then aged 3,
Frank 5, Albert 7, Tom 9, William 12 (my grandfather), Robert 16, John
18 and Harry 20 - a large family in a small terraced house. Her father
died when she was eight years old. Jennie managed the home for her bachelor brothers, following her mother's death in 1919, and married in 1928.
In Jennie's photograph collection, besides family pictures, were about 50 photographs of friends and I presume friend's children. Very fortunately in most instances, she had
written names on the reverse of the photographs. Many were taken at W. J. Gregson & Co., W.P. Beck Proprietor, Photographers, 92 Talbot Road, Blackpool or the While-U-Wait Studio, Wellington Terrace,The Promenade, Blackpool.
Was it the custom to exchange such photographs? Perhaps faced with a household of all those brothers, Jennie was especially grateful for the company of her female friends.
Annie
Jolly was a popular subject amongst Jennie's photographs.
In the
1901 census, she could well be the 2 year old Charlotte Annie Jolly, living at
Queen's Square, Poulton, daughter of
Edward and Jane Jolly. Edward was a joiner like Jennie's father. Also in the household was Jane's sister Sarah
Haydon Lounds, a domestic servant, who married Jennie's older brother, John Danson. By
the 1911 census Annie Jolly was
aged 12, living at Longfield Avenue,
Poulton with her uncle Richard Jolly, and his wife Isabella. Jennie's
brother William ((my grandfather) lived on the same road with his wife
and young family.
|
Nellie Jolly |
|
Any Dodd |
|
Landgirl Becky Bennet |
3.
|
Billy Hopkins with Lizzie and baby. |
|
Billy Long |
Many of the photographs in Jennie's collection featured young men in uniform, looking apprehensive and about to go to war. One cannot help but wonder if they survived. Given the scale of causalities, and the fact I had only basic details, it has not been possible to identify them on
the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.
This is a puzzle! Identified
as "Mr Ashcroft, Postman at Poulton
- daughter Melita". According
to her daughters, Jennie worked in Poulton Post Office. Butthe reverse of the
photograph indicates it was taken by by Photographie
Kramer in Gronungen, a city in the
northern Netherlands.
To end this short selection, two charming photographs:
|
Granny Jolly & Grandchild |
|
Young Jacky Threlfall |
Click HERE to see how other Sepians have taken up this week's open theme challenge