Sunday, February 4, 2007

Eliza? Jane? Mary?

I ran across the original of this photograph today and looked at it a little more closely. On the back, written in pencil and hard to see, was Age 81. On the front is Sproule & O'Connor, Ottawa, Can.


Being from Ottawa it must be from my father's side of the family. I am guessing that it is a direct line ancestor but it could be an aunt. I felt I could eliminate all those that didn't live to 81 years. Grandma Lottie only lived to 68 and her mother only to 34. Sarah Lower Ross made to to only 72. Ann Berry made it to 81 but she died in the Shipston Union Workhouse, so we can eliminate her.

Agnes Adam Craig 1802-1882 Dalhousie Twp
Eliza Ewing Hollington 1815-1897 Ottawa
Isabella Craig White 1826-1908 Dalhousie Twp
Jane Rawlings Berry 1830-1914 Ottawa
Mary Kelly 1830's-aft 1900, wish I knew more about her, I don't know if she ever lived in Ottawa
Isabella White Kelly 1865-1951 Syracuse, lived Ottawa

I can probably eliminate Agnes Craig and Isabella White because they did not live in Ottawa but they could have traveled there to see family and had a picture taken.

I have no reason to think that Mary Kelly lived in Ottawa but she, too, could have visited there and had a picture taken. Her son, James, lived in Ottawa and I can't locate her after the 1900 census.

I have pictures of Isabella Kelly so I know it isn't her.

That leaves:
Eliza Ewing Hollington 1815-1897 Ottawa
or
Jane Rawlings Berry 1830-1914 Ottawa

The clothing makes me think it must be Eliza taken in 1896, which would have been the year that Sproule and O'Connor started their photography business (or at least the first year they were listed together in the city directory.) But it is possible it was taken in 1911 and is Jane.

Any thoughts? Do any of these others resemble her? I've never been good at making facial comparisons.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good luck with putting a name to the face. I hope you work it out.

We have hundreds of photos here with no names on. Dad is able to name some of them but not all of them. I've managed to work out who one or two of them are due to finding a distant cousin through Genes Reunited. She'd got some similar photos to us and I've helped her name a few and she's helped me with a couple.

Smalltown RN said...

I know there is nothing more frustrating that having pictures with no names....alright already I guess I better get at it and get some names on pictures...Geesh....

have a great week!