The question I am asking myself: How many times can I use this wedding image as my contribution to Sepia Saturday before being asked to STOP!!? This is the 4th (5th – if you count the clue on the wedding cake) part of a continuing series on how I identified the people in a photograph of a wedding party and those I still need to identify.
I have an idea about how to tie in to the prompt picture. We’ll see if I can manage it by the time I get to the end of this post.
Here is the wedding photograph in question:
In previous entries, I recounted how I identified a few of the people using other photographs in my grandmother’s collection. The groom is George Elgey and the bride is Bella (her surname revealed to me only a couple of weeks ago). John Elgey stands to the left of the groom. Ethel Elgey stands second from the right behind the seated girl.
After identifying these three Elgeys and the bride known only as Bella, I was stumped. I thought I might be able to identify the girls seated in front, but I wasn’t sure. The other men – nothing. And I still didn’t know exactly how these people were related to my grandmother, Eveline Coates.
Then my mom sent me copies of a few letters my grandmother had received from her English relatives. The undated letter below provided several clues.
There is a wealth of information here, but today’s task is identifying people in the wedding photograph.
This portion of the letter….
… refers to the photo I included in my previous post about John (with pipe) and sent me looking for a picture of two women with glasses, one seated in a chair.
The back of this picture says “Nellie and Bella Elgey”. Bingo! John’s wife, Nellie, is sitting in the chair. George’s wife, Bella, is standing.
Here is Bella, the young bride in the wedding photo, compared to the later photo above.
But what about John’s wife, Nellie? He is presumably an older brother to George. Is his wife – or future wife – in the wedding photo? I’ll sandwich this later picture of Nellie between the two young women in the wedding photo who are the likely candidates.
The woman on the right looks like she could be Nellie, although she isn’t wearing glasses. Maybe she took them off for the picture, or didn’t need glasses at the time the wedding picture was taken. The woman on the left looks a little young to be Nellie, although John could have married a younger woman. Her mouth is smaller and so is her nose, I think. Of course, it’s possible that Nellie isn’t even in the wedding picture.
My vote is that the woman on the right is Nellie, wife of John Elgey. Do you think I am correct?
At the risk of this post becoming too long, I’ll continue the photo identification in future posts. Which, of course, is at the risk of the continuing series being too long. Oh well.
And now to find a way to make this all fit with the Sepia Saturday prompt picture which features trees, houses, a pier and a steamer.
My guess is that this letter was written in 1939-1940. Aunt Jennie’s only mention of war is her concern that her youngest son, Alfie could be “called up,” and she writes that it takes longer now for her to receive letters from Eveline and that it will take a few weeks for this letter to reach her. The little internet research I did doesn’t give me any real answers about the route Aunt Jennie’s letter might have taken from Easington Lane in England to the small town of Mystic in Iowa. And so I’ll venture a guess that this letter traveled by ship, making this post on theme for Sepia Saturday.
Cruise on over to Sepia Saturday to see where others have ventured this week.
I definitely think the woman on the right is Nellie! Both the shape of the face and the nose, and the width of the mouth. The woman on the left couldn’t smile as widely as the woman in the middle. And I think you should use this wedding picture as often as you want to and find more discoveries! After all, it is a picture of 12 people, so why not use it 12 times at least, if you want to? I’ve just been archiving family photos, and it’s hard to recognize my dad as he changes from age 1 though age 80, let me tell you! Identifying people in a photograph is a kind of art.
Your mom’s letter has so much information. That’s great — how often does that happen? It makes me want to draw a chart. : ))
Thanks, Mariann! I may very well end up with at least 12 posts based on this picture. Glad you agree about Nellie. I know what you mean about wanting to make a chart. I have a scribbled chart of the people in the picture I did several years ago that may just make it into a future post.
Too long? That’s a short post by my standards 😉 In my book, there’s certainly no problem whatsoever with returning to the same photo if you have new information, or a new angle from which to view it.
If I remember correctly, last week you picked out Nellie as having her sights on John. Turns out you were right!
Oh so that’s Bella. I kept scrolling up and down the post 🙂 It was fun. You did a nice research on them. People in those days had very pretty handwriting, like this one you shared.
Thanks for your comment Hazel. I love a good letter!
What a detective story and it was worth scrolling down to the end to see your link with the prompt. I look forward to finding out more about Aunt Nellie. Like you, I must admit to using the same photographs quite often in different postings.
Thank you. Once I got started posting about this photograph and the people involved, I’ve wanted to see it through to the … end? End doesn’t seem the right word.
People don’t seem to write letters these days. Typed versions just don’t have the same charisma at all. You have done really well to find all the links from one photo.
I agree with you about letters. Afraid I’ve fallen out of the habit of writing letters myself.
BTW – I’m using a new spam control. Let me know if you encounter any problems with comments.
A fine photographs with this much life in it deserves to be reviewed many times. (It’s the woman on the right.)
Thanks for the confirmation!
Use Georges wedding photo as often as you like. I can’t afford to make the guests at my two daughter’s weddings look any more enthusiastic !!
I agree the woman on the right is Nellie. The woman on the left is much more scrunched, Nellie is wide.
I also agree, use the photo every week if you can make a link! Sort of a challenge to see how often one photo can touch on the theme. And added info is just a bonus 🙂
It’s nice to se the story developing week by week, a bit like a serial!
Nigel, Kristin and Little Nell – thank you for your comments and input about Nellie. I’ve not had much time to write recently so it has become more of a weekly serial although that was never my intention.
You are not going to be asked to stop by me : the photographs are always so good and the commentary is so interesting. Forgety the theme – eventually we will get around to weddings and you will be on theme.
The woman on the right shares the same puffy lower eyelids as the one in the wedding pic,
and the arc of her mouth would produce such a smile,
a bit downward. Could be her!!
🙂
HUGZ
Thanks for chiming in. Those puffy lower lids were unchanged over time!