Thursday, February 9, 2017

Now That We Know


Confirming the identity of the woman behind all those white-inked comments in the photo album I found at a local antique store certainly helps amplify her personality. Can't you just hear the older sister in her comment labeling her brother Penrose's photo outside the front door, "Penrose, looking very cross!"?

We now know just who the mom was who doted over the two young girls in the album's pages, Ruby and Iris. (And believe me, there are more photos of Ruby and Iris to be had!)

While many of our other questions about this family might not yet be possible to answer—Irish records available online for births must be farther removed from current day than one hundred years, marriages greater than seventy five, and deaths beyond fifty years—we can still extrapolate a few more details about our target family.

For one thing, now knowing that the Harry and Alice who signed the Christmas greeting in the photo album were Harry and Alice Reid, we can be almost certain that the children's names were Ruby Reid and Iris Reid. Furthermore, since their mother revealed their ages at a fixed point in the album, we can estimate their years of birth. Using that fixed point of June, 1936, as the basis, Ruby was probably born in the summer of 1928 and her younger sister Iris toward December of 1929.

Granted, records of these two are as sealed up as can be made possible—although we can only speculate as to whether either of them is still alive. The likelihood of either daughter's subsequent marriage adds another twist in the path to connecting the album with its family's rightful heirs.

There are, however, some threads to this story for which we can find closure—albeit not a very satisfying closure. There is the matter of what became of Penrose, himself. And there is that small detail of the several photographs I've yet to share with you from the album's remaining pages.

Apparently, part of the purpose of the 1936 visit to his homeland by Penrose—or at least an outcome of the occasion—was a social gathering, for which several guests joined together for a group portrait. Thankfully, many of those names were recorded in the album, itself.

We can only hope, in working through those details, we may glean more useful clues, not only regarding the family who sent the album, but the ones who were intended as its recipients. After all, there is that one additional question in my mind: how did that album make it from the hands of Alice Ruby Bridget Hawkes Reid into my possession, nearly half a world away from her Bride Park home in County Cork, Ireland?

Rest assured: we are not done with this search, yet.

Another move in the game! Looking very harmless!


11 comments:

  1. I’ve very much enjoyed watching you trace this family back to Cork, Jacqi. Well done! and don’t forget the BMD index on FamilySearch - The birth of Alice R P Reid was registered in Q3 1928 and Elizabeth I Reid in Q2 1930 – mother’s name Hawkes.

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    1. Glad you have been enjoying this, Dara. I so wish I could be making my way back to Ireland to deliver this album to a family member in Cork. We have so fallen in love with that place, thanks to our visit a couple years ago, as you know.

      Dara, could you send me the links to those two records from the BMD index on FamilySearch? For whatever reason, I am having trouble finding that collection on the website here. I am wondering if it is specific to a collection more easily accessible on your end?

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    2. Apologies for my delayed response, Jacqi. I hope this links works for you - https://familysearch.org/search/collection/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3AReid~%20%2Bmother_surname%3AHawkes~&collection_id=1408347

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    3. Yes, it does, Dara. Thanks so much for providing it. Now that you've linked to the collection, I see it is the original one from which the Ancestry.com collection drew its reference, as well.

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  2. I have been enjoying watching the master sleuth at work too -- makes me want to go find somebody's castoff photo album. Lord knows I'm getting nowhere identifying the family my great grandmother visited in New York.

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    1. See? That's exactly how I feel, watching all the photos being discovered by family members on Far Side's Forgotten Old Photos. Go for it, Wendy! And afterwards, maybe somehow the puzzle pieces will fall into place on your own great grandmother's photo collection.

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  3. Well done! At least you know who they are and their names are out there should someone be searching:)

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    1. Thank you, Far Side! And you should know...thankfully, along with a huge dose of patience, you've seen those search engines guide people to your orphan photos for years now!

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  4. Farside's record of "finding homes" for old photos is probably the best to be had! I always think, "Shame there isn't a name" on the true unknowns.

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  5. Hi Jacqi! I was wondering if you would have a hi-resolution version of the below image

    https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wqY84HUyLPU/WJ1S8Gw0jeI/AAAAAAAAImw/CvDct9UhTTckl53_QHJJrpDKodshphiZACLcB/s1600/A%2Blittle%2Btea%2Bparty%2Bat%2BBride%2BPark%2B-%2BJuly%2B1936.jpg

    My wifes grandfather (Alfie Allen) is in the picture as a young boy and would love a copy of it for Christmas. She has thousands of photos of her relatives going generations back but I don't think she has seen this one and it would make her year (even though we just got married in October haha)

    If you could help I would be really grateful and I'm sure I could return the favour if you wanted any old pictures of the Allen family in Clashanure, Co. Cork.

    thanks again,
    Dave

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    1. Dave, thanks so much for getting in touch. First of all, congratulations on your marriage. I'd love to do what I can to help you get a copy of the picture for your wife. Of course, I've since returned the original to a descendant of Henry and Alice (Hawkes) Reid in County Cork, but I have electronic images I could email you which you might be able to manipulate electronically for better effect. Because I was working from original photographs created much before our current high definition capabilities, even a hi-res copy might not suffice, but let's talk.

      Please send me an email at afamilytapestry gmail com and we can discuss this further.

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