A Century of Families Together - Sepia Saturday

My cousin's Great Grandparents -  Joseph  & Mary Oldham and Family. c.1908

Here are Joseph Prince Oldham (left) and his wife Mary Alice Knowles (right) with their son and heir John William Oldham,  and three daughters - Edith (standing), young Beatrice (holding the dog lead),  and seated  Sarah Alice.

The Oldham family of Blackpool, Lancashire were carters and coal merchants for three generations.  The business was founded around 1890, steadily became prosperous and in 1905 moved to near North Station, Blackpool in a house with a large yard, hay loft, tack room. and stabling for around seven horses. An accident at the coal sidings in the railway station resulted in Joseph being blinded and he died in 1921, with his will, signed with his "mark". 

Joseph's son  John William took over the business.  Five  years earlier, John had married my grandfather's cousin Mary Jane Bailey.  

**********

Weddings of course are a great occasion  for family group photographs - as seen here: 

 A magnificent array of hats (and buttonholes)  in this wedding group at the marriage in 1910  of  Wilfred Hyde and Annie Coombes, relations of Stuart's wife.

 

 Another Coombs wedding -  Albert Leslie Williams & Hilda Florence Coombs in London  in 1931. 

  
At this time, hats in the  Dutch style were obviously in fashion across the country  for bridesmaids - below at the wedding in 1929 at Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire  of my great aunt Jennie Danson to Beadnell  (Bill) Stemp.  

 

 Jennie was the last child and only daughter out of a large family  of sons, born to James Danson and Maria Rawcliffe.  At her wedding she was given away by her eldest brother  Robert Danson (on the left),  The little bridesmaid on the left was  my aunt Peggy Danson, with the matron  of honour on the right, Jennie's niece Annie who had married a year earlier.

**********

 TTree generations of the New Zealand branch of the Oldham family, c.1927 

The little girl, Edith Nancy stands between her grandmother Sarah Oldham, ee Cross and her father and mother seated  - James William Oldham and Edith Keyner.  Arthur Oldham,  Standing are young Dorothy Lilla and grandfather Arthur Oldham.   

Alfred and Sarah Oldham emigrated to  New Zealand in 1906, where they ran a wholesale tobacconists and stationery business on Karangahape Road,  Auckland.   

 

**********

Onto 1938 and a post-wedding photograph.   This is the only photograph I have,   where I can identify my  paternal grandfather.  It was taken in the garden of my mother's home,  after my parent's wedding  with Mum's  parents (William and Alice Danson) on the left,  and my father's parents on the right (Mary and Albert Weston)

 

 

 

 

 

A wartime picture of my grandmother, Alice Danson, nee English, with her youngest daughter Peggy (the tiny bridesmaid above)  who served in the  WAAF on a barrage balloon station, Alice's  son-in-law,  my father, serving in the RAF Code & Ciphers Division   and,  Alice's youngest son Billy, ith his Italian born wife.  

And to bring us more up to date to a typical 1950's family - my parents with myself and brother Christopher - probably taken by my aunt who often joined us on outings. By today's standards, we are very formally dressed for a picnic, with my father wearing a jacket, collar & tie and my mother a stylish dress and necklace.   I am in my school blazer and note my  Clark sandals that all little girls seemed to wear then.  

 

 

 

 

 Three generations - myself, my mother and my daughter, 1981. 

 

Nearly 30 years later - years later, I am the granny, with daughter and granddaughter, 2009.  
 

 

With thanks  to my cousin Stuart's collection for his contribution towards my theme this week of  of "Families Together". 

 

*******************  

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

                              

Click HERE to see what other Sepia Saturday bloggers 
have come up with this week. 

 

 

***********************