Identifying Photos

Monday, January 27, 2014

Another Line Discovered.
As many already know I was handed down a photo Album originally belonging to my 3x great grandfather or at least he and his wife, my gg grandfather's step mother who reared him.

There were many photos in this Album mostly of people unknown. Some had hints written on them, such as initials, dates or even a first name. These along with the name of the photographer and his address is helping very much to identify the photos.

Ben and John Woodhead both came to Australia with their wive's and children. Ben arrived first with his second wife Sarah (nee Clark) and her son John (who took on the Woodhead name). Ben's son Alfred (my ancestor who names Sarah as his mother) and their daughter Fanny. They arrived in Adelaide in 1851 but Ben did not like the climate (it was an extremely hot summer by newspaper accounts) so the family moved on to Melbourne a few months later.
John arrived with his wife Martha and their 3 children in 1858, they arrived in Melbourne where they settled.

Martha Woodhead (nee Wardall)  died in 1860 and John entered into a relationship with Margaret Savage and they had four childen, 2 died with days of their births, Fanny died aged 12 years but Walter did marry and have a daughter. John and Margaret parted ways and he married Jeanie Kirkland and they had five children.

From the photo album I was able to identify photos of the five children of John and Margaret. Names were written on the back and the photographer's name and address gave me approximate years the photos were taken so they all fitted into place.

There were also other photos that I eventually identified as John Clark and his family, these were Sarah's brother and his children and that of his mother Elizabeth Clark (Bell) who was born in 1806, the photo taken in Kendall in 1878. I though that was pretty impressive!.

The photos that really held my attention however were six that were taken in Huddersfield, Yorkshire. The Woodhead family came from Almondbury, which I liken to be a suburb of Huddersfield.
These photos consisted of two older ladies then four younger adults, again 2 ladies and 2 gentlemen.
I was sure these were the sisters of Benjamin and John and their children. My problem was I could not find marriages for these sisters. The younger people had the names, Frank, Tom, Louisa and Emily written on the back.

Months looking at possible marriages the following up with the census and the names of the children came to nothing but I was not willing to give up.

I was looking at these photos a few weeks back when I realised that one of the ladies was quite elderly. I then believed the photo of that of Fanny Woodhead and was more than excited by this.
A few weeks later I realised I had looked for John (Ben's Father) in the census but had not looked for Fanny. So I went looking, I put in Frances as this had been written on another document I had found. I found a Francis Woodhead living in Almondbury in 1871.
I checked this entry and found she was living with Tom Boothroyd. Tom was the name on one of the photographs. Next door was living Joshua Boothroyd, Ann Boothroyd and their children including, Frank, Louisa and Emily! these were the names on the photos.
From there I was able to check the 1861 census and again that Tom was living with Fanny Woodhead and was listed this time as her grandson, 1871 had him as a border.

I figured then that the older lady was Fanny, the other her daughter Ann (Hannah) and then four of Hannah's children. However I have now found that the photographer was not there in early 1870s but in the later part of 1870s after Fanny had passed away. So now not sure who this lady is. She looks far to old to be Ben's sister.
This is who I believed was Ann Boothroyd (nee Woodhead) she was born Hannah as her older sister was born Ann but she had died as a toddler. The name Ann and Hannah were often interchanged. Ann married Joshua Boothroyd and they had a number of children before she passed away.
I have now found the photographer was not around until after Fanny died so the photo above cannot be her. I am yet to find Mary Woodhead and now wonder if this is Hannah above and Mary is the younger sister.
Update yet again, Ann was the eldest daughter and I believe the photo of the older lady. I have since found the marriage of Hannah, she was older when she married William Heaton. This came about with the will of Fanny Woodhead. So Ann did not die as a toddler, but still have not been able to find Mary.

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