My sister Ann has an ability to put a narrative to an object
It's a way of storytelling inherited from our mother.
She is investigating our family tree and yesterday showed me a photo I had never seen before
The photo shows two teenage girls.
They are of my very Scottish great aunts. Aunt Bella and Aunt Lizzy and the photo was sent to their brother , my grandfather during World War One .
He was in hospital after being gassed in the trenches .
My sister noticed the tiny drawing pin hole in the top of the post card
" The photo was pinned over his bed when he was recuperating " my sister mused
I suspect she was right.
It's a way of storytelling inherited from our mother.
She is investigating our family tree and yesterday showed me a photo I had never seen before
The photo shows two teenage girls.
They are of my very Scottish great aunts. Aunt Bella and Aunt Lizzy and the photo was sent to their brother , my grandfather during World War One .
He was in hospital after being gassed in the trenches .
My sister noticed the tiny drawing pin hole in the top of the post card
" The photo was pinned over his bed when he was recuperating " my sister mused
I suspect she was right.
The lovely lady on the left in the picture bares a striking resemblance to you I think.
ReplyDeleteJo in Auckland, NZ
What a wonderful story. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been a life line for your grandfather. Did they all have long and happy lives? I hope so.
ReplyDeleteI need to find out about the sisters. My grandfather died around 1965 I don't remember him
DeleteThings can't talk, but we can bring their stories to life.
ReplyDeleteYour sister's work will be appreciated by your family in years to come. Loved hearing of your kin and must admit I teared up a little over the pin hole issue.
ReplyDeleteIt's so difficult to be the last person looking. Good for your sister, and good luck to her.
ReplyDeleteI have great appreciation for those engaging in family history research. It's a hard and sometimes frustrating activity, but always interesting and mind opening. Kudos to your sister for her genealogical efforts!
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ReplyDeletePlease let us know which part of Scotland they hailed from.
ReplyDeleteCalder Lothian
DeleteThe pin hole is almost as important as the photo itself.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am sure they helped that recuperation.
ReplyDeleteInteresting.
ReplyDeleteI have photos of my family from over 100 yrs ago & would love to meet them x
ReplyDeleteA lovely photo and a lovely story. x
ReplyDeleteHow are you feeling today? Better I hope x
ReplyDeleteNot really Rosie , thank you for asking. Am off to bed , early x
DeleteThat drawing pin hole says so much doesn’t it ?
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better in the morning John. XXXX
I love this stuff. Connections are at once tenuous and frequent. I have photos of Victorian relatives - including aspidistras.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are feeling much, much better.
ReplyDeleteThat photo is precious. I don't have any photos of relatives other than immediate family, and feel the lack.
Photos were so much rarer even one generation ago, let alone two or more. It must be lovely to see one you hadn't seen before.
ReplyDeleteFeel better soon.
I do not have nearly as many old photos of relatives as I would like. Hope your well, ya sodding bloke ;)
ReplyDeleteThinking of photos, don't forget I have a pile of your old photos still abandoned in my cellar.
ReplyDeleteNice story. With the Scottish connection you must be entitled to wear a kilt made from the Gray clan tartan. But watch out for sudden gusts of wind as you are walking the dogs!
ReplyDeleteSee:- https://www.kinlochanderson.com/tartan/gray
Hope you are getting better John and now comfortable. My father always wrote on the back of our old photographs- names, location and date. It was very helpful as most of them I had never met but heard about.
ReplyDeleteI am a part of a family that is always looking at the past
ReplyDeleteThe stories are so beautiful and often so sad
Then there are the surprises when you suddenly get to see the ancestral home!
Just happened to me
:)
Bella and Lizzy - interesting that they share a name. Lizzy, of course, is short for Elizabeth. Bella could be short for Isabella, which is a form of Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteSomebody liked that name!
Lovely picture, John.
What a fabulous photo!
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