"A Favourite Photograph" is the theme of this week's prompt from "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks". What to choose? Some images in my collection I have featured frequently on my blog over the years, so rather than repeat those, I have opted for a portrait of my Great Aunt Jennie Danson (1897-1986).
N A lovely portrait of a young woman in a hairstyle that shrieks 1920's and contrast with Jennie's previous schoolgirl look.
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My
great aunt Jennie Danson (1897- 1986) was, by all accounts, quite a
feisty character. She was the only daughter and last child of James
Danson and Maria Rawcliffe, 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.
The earliest image I have of Jennie, with a determined look on here face.
c.1909.
Jennie
was only eight years old when her father James died. A year
later, her eldest brother Harry died at the age of 30 . Jennie must
have been 16 years old when the First World War broke out, which saw
five Danson brothers serving. In September 1916, George, the brother
nearest to Jennie in age, was killed on the Somme a few weeks after his
22nd birthday. Eight months later, second eldest brother John
tragically killed himself whilst in army training, leaving his
motherless daughter an orphan - two events which devastated her mother
and contributed to her death in 1919
On
leaving school, Jennie went to work in the local post office. Her
daughter recalls a story that during the First World War, a
telegram came through for hMrs Maria Danson. Fearing the worst, Jenny
was allowed to run home with it. Fortunately it was good news to say
that Frank was in hospital in Malta. wounded but was doing well.
Jennie ( from the left) thought to be with a group of her work colleagues.
According
to her daughter, Jennie by her late
twenties decided she had had enough of fulfilling a domestic role for
her four brothers, who showed no inclination to marry and set up their
own homes. So 1929 saw her marry Beadnell (Bill) Stemp at St. Chad's
Church, Poulton. This move prompted her brothers all to get married in
the following few years!
The local newspaper reported on Jennie's wedding in effusive journalistic style that makes entertaining reading:
"A
wedding of much local interest took place in the Poulton Parish Church
on Saturday afternoon the bride being Miss Jennie Danson daughter of the
late Mr and Mrs James Danson, Bull Street and the bridegroom Mr
Beadnell Stemp, son of Mr and Mrs B. Stemp, Jubilee Lane, Marton.
The
bride, who was given away by her brother Mr R. Danson, was stylishly
gowned in French grey georgette, veiling silk to tone. The
bodice which was shaped to the figure was quite plain, with a spray of
orange blossoms at the shoulder, while the skirt, which was ankle
length, was composed entirely of five picot edged scalloped circular
frills, and the long tight sleeves had circular picot edged frilled
cuffs in harmony. Her hat was of georgette to tone with uneven pointed dropping brim, having an eye veil of silver lace and floral mount. She carried a bouquet of pink carnations with silver ribbon and horsehoe attached.
Jennie and Bill had two daughters and Jennie died in 1986 aged 89. She left to her daughters a legacy of memories of her own mother Maria, tangible family artifacts such as her mother’s tea set and jewellery, a large collection of photographs
(with names inscribed on the back) and other family memorabilia, much
relating to her two youngest brothers Frank and George.
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I vaguely recall in my childhood seeing my Great Aunt Jennie when she visited my grandfather's home, but she moved south to the English Midlands and we moved north from Lancashire to Scotland and we never met again.
Many
years later, I was getting involved in my mother's family history and
her Danson cousin put me in touch with Jennie's daughters. We met and I
was given a wealth of information and even better a collection of
family photographs and memorabilia.
The lesson here - do not delay in getting in touch with relatives you have lost contact with.
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to read
posts from other bloggers taking part in the
"52
Ancestors" Challenge, 2021
I love that photo of Jennie as a little girl. I don't believe I have ever seen the picture of Jennie with white hair. She was lovely even then.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Wendy, for your kind comment. I tried to give a different slant to this post on Jennie, and the two photographs of Jennie at opposite points of her life certainly helped. She still retained her attractive looks and that little determined smile.
ReplyDeleteI love the first photo of Jennie with the stylish bob, and she seems to have liked it well enough to continue with a similar style in her senior years. Good for her that she married to set up her own household -- and that she saved and passed on a family history legacy in photos and artifacts.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Molly, for taking the time to comment . My own childhood memories of Jennie are very slight, but it was wonderful, many years later, to make contact with her daughters and hear, first hand, stories of her life.
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