Generations of Bonnie Babies

This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt photograph shows a nurse/nanny with her charges – a baby on her lap and two young children.  I have gone for the obvious with photographs from my family collection and that of my cousin.

 

Here is a charming picture of  Ellen Florence Coombs nee Hooker with her baby daughter  Hilda Florence. 

I know nothing about this photograph , apart from the message o.n the back “Best Wishes  from Baby Constance”.  It was in a collection of some 50 photographs I inherited from my great aunt Jennie Danson and  featured friends, family of friends with children and men in uniform. Taken I guess in the period 1916-1922.  Jennie fortunately in many cases wrote names on the back of photographs - but not in this case. 

 

 

FIVE GENERATION 1908-2009 

 

My Grandmother

 

This is one of my favourite  family photogrpahs – my grandmother Alice Danson, nee English with on her lap baby Billy born in September 1915.  -  with his sisters Edith and Kathleen (my mother) and his brother Harry Rawcliffe Danson, with his middle name after his grandmother Maria Rawcliffe.  I would guess that this photograph was taken in 1916, as my grandfather  was due to set out for Flanders field in World War One.  Alice remains my solid brick wall, as I have never  been able to trace a record of her birth, c.1884  - a big mystery there!

 One of the oldest photograph in my collection, taken in 1908.  It  shows, on the left, my aunt Edith and on the right my mother Kathleen - 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 in my life  as my godmother   and the sisters remained close throughout their lives.

 My Mother

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. 

 

 

This photograph too means a lot of me, as my mother looks so happy and stylish, and I can  only remember Mum with grey hair worn  in a French pleat.  But the picture came as a surprise, as I had  never seen it before,   with no copy in the family album of my childhood.  Just before my marriage, my  future husband and I were visiting an old family friend of my parents,   when she brought out this picture and gave it to us.  I was delighted to have it!

 MYSELF

 

With my daughter, 1974.

 

GRANDDAUGHTER

Three generations

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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity

to share their family history through photographs

 

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