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Wednesday 18 May 2016

Generations of Bonnie Babies - Sepia Saturday

  Sepia Saturday give bloggers an opportunity to share their family history and memories  through photographs.

This week's prompt shows three Bonnie Babies.  I have gone for the obvious - with babies down the generations,  all sitting up beautifully for the camera, taken  from my own collection and that of my cousin Stuart. 




FROM STUART'S FAMILY:  THREE LITTLE GIRLS,  1861 to 1935





Ann Elizabeth Shaw (1860-1917) was the great grandmother of Stuart's wife, Jennifer. She looks so sweet in this photograph taken c.1861. Unusually in photograph of that time, we see a smile
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She was born in Canning Town, Essex to  Henry Shaw and Mary Suzanna Wingfield.    At the age of 19, she married Edward Henry Coombs whose family ran a grocery business and a jam factory.  They had ten children between 1880 and 1899.  





Hilda Florence Coombs, granddaughter of Ann Elizabeth (above), in a photograph  dated on the back as 9.9.1908.   The photographer was J J Hilder of 257 Barking Road, Plaistow, Essex.   

    Hilda's father Edward Henry Coombs  was one of ten children with five brothers and four sisters.  He married Ellen Florence Hooker, with Hilda the eldest of  three daughters,  and one son who died in infancy. 

    Hilda married Arthur Leslie  Williams and had three children, with daughter Jennifer marrying Stuart Smith.   
 



Hilda Florence Coombs, granddaughter of Ann Elizabeth (above), in a photograph  dated on the back as 9.9.1908.   The photographer was J J Hilder of 257 Barking Road, Plaistow, Essex.   

    Hilda's father Edward Henry Coombs  was one of ten children with five brothers and four sisters.  He married Ellen Florence Hooker, with Hilda the eldest of  three daughters,  and one son who died in infancy. 

    Hilda married Arthur Leslie  Williams and had three children, with daughter Jennifer marrying Stuart Smith.    

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Gloria Smith (1934-2004), Stuart's sister, c.1935daughter of  Arthur Edward Stuart Smith and Elsie Oldham, whose story has appeared before on my blog.

The Oldham family had a carter and coal merchant  business, opposite the North Station in Blackpool, Lancashire.  Arthur worked initially in the business whilst Elsie  offered hair-dressing services in the family home under the   name  of  "Elise". 

Gloria's  fair curls were a family trait seen down the generations. 

The photographer is thought to  have been J. Buckle 
of North Promenade, Blackpool whom the family 
often used. 

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     FOUR GENERATIONS  OF MY FAMILY1908-2009
MY MOTHER 
One of the oldest photograph in my collection shows, on the left, my aunt Edith and on the right my mother Kathleen - taken late 1908. The sisters were born one year and one week apart,  daughters of William Danson and Alice English of Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire.   Aunt Edith played an active role  as my godmother   and the sisters remained close all their lives.  



MYSELF
Following the deaths of both  my parents, I found a number of letters they exchanged in 1944, whilst my father was serving in the RAF as a Code and Cipher Clerk in France. In one letter, Dad asked for a "Photograph of Baby" - and this studio portrait was the result!  


The Photographer was W. R. Buckley & Son, Regent Studio, Cocker Street, Blackpool.  

Below a more casual pose on the back door step, 1944. 



MY DAUGHTER

Making a speech?  Taken 1973


MY GRANDDAUGHTER  


Keeping up with the news! (Taken 2009)



Goodbye! (Taken 2009)

Click HERE to see more of this week's photographs
from Sepia Saturday bloggers.

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13 comments:

  1. Beautiful babies all - I especially like the one of you and your mother. They are all such characters though.

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  2. A wealth of darling photos into the past & coming forward. I laughed at the one of your Aunt Edith and your Mom - with your Mom appearing to be losing her balance due to the photographer taking too long to 'snap' the picture.

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  3. What a delightful family history of baby pics. Ann is indeed sweet -- and love her shoes! Hilda, lovely, and Gloria's gorgeous golden curls!! But most of all, I loved the pics of your mom -- and your mom and you -- toppped off by daughter and granddaughter. Verra nice.

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  4. The 1944 photo of you is fabulous. You were an adorable baby. So are all the others, but you stand out with such a wonderful smile.

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  5. How beautiful that you have all these old baby photos. such a treasure. All are adorable.

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  6. It’s marvellous that you have baby photos going so far back. They’re all charming, but your Dad must have loved receiving that one of you and your Mum especially.

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  7. Absolutely wonderful photos and beautiful babies!

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  8. I love Ann Elizabeth Shaw, but love even more the four generations photos...

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  9. All gorgeous baby photos, but Ann Elizabeth Shaw is my favourite.

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  10. I like that Gloria's hair is different from all the others. And that so many of "your" babies are smiling!

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  11. A delightful set, and with more bare feet than usual for infant photos. I never understood the point of baby shoes for children who have yet to walk, much less run. Bare toes are more sensible.

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  12. These are a great set of photos of the babies through generations! And many are sepia as well! But it does make one look closer to see if the combined traits show in the children and grandchildren of those two families. They just look like cute babies to me, but I didn't see them in "real life!"

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  13. Thank you all for such lovely comments. This was a very enjoyable post to write. I was delighted to get the baby photos from my cousin. The photograph of my mother is very special - the only one I have with me as a baby - she looks so elegant, and I can only remember her with grey hair.

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