This Old Postcards collection was altogether in a box at Shepton Fleamarket and I realised very quickly that they had belonged to one family. So I bought them all and after some research, I have found Nellie and her family who owned them.

I sorted them into groups and wrote down all the names and clues of areas before I started my research. This first one below is to a Mrs Nell ???? living in Seven Kings, Essex. So although I can’t read the surname I know she married. The interesting thing here though is that it wasn’t Nellie who wrote these names but another member of her family in the next generation of descendants. So I’m thinking that a niece or nephew may have inherited Nellie’s collection as she didn’t have any children of her own. I also now know that she married William John Loveless at St Mary the Virgin, Little Ilford, Essex, England on 11 April 1925.

Nellie Mary Calverley was born on 15 October 1894 in Manor Park, Essex. Her parents were George Calverley and Jane Julia (Hopley). Here’s their family group.

The couple didn’t stay together as in the 1939 Register for William John Loveless states: Marital Status: Divorced
Birth Date: 7 Oct 1887
Residence Date: 1939
Address: 89
Residence Place: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
Occupation: Pions Action Fitter and Cabinet Man. He was living at the home of his brother Reginald and his wife Elsie and his family.

I haven’t been able to find Nellie as yet on the 1939 census. Nellie died on 17 June 1961 at the Kings Hospital, Ilford although she had still been living at 14 Westwood Road, Seven Kings, Ilford at the time of her death. On her probate record she is described as single. She visited America for a while after she retired and returned on 12 Nov 1957. Maybe one of her family lived there?

This next photo postcard was a gem as it is written to Miss Nellie Calverley, Park Hill, Bickley, Kent and written by a sister Nance. So before Nellie married. I believe this could have been her sister who was born Anne Emma Calverley. I found that the name of Nancy was originally a diminutive form of Anne or Ann. 

More clues about the family are written on the backs of most of the photos.

The first family group below it says on back ‘A.Beat. U.Jack. Cousin Bob/Flora’. John known as Jack in the family and Louisa known as Beat/Beatrice, Robert known as Bob.

They were John Diaz Calverley, brother to Nellie, who was born on 19 May 1883 in London, he married Louisa Beatrice Heffernon (1885-1944) on 12 Sep 1908 in Essex. They had two children Robert George Calverley (1913-1978). John died on 23 Aug 1942.

The lady on the right it says on the back: ‘Flora. Died 26 Jan 1931 aged 20′. Flora had been born Flora Elizabeth Millicent on 14 Dec 1910. How awful that she died so young.

This is also John Diaz Calverley, dated 15 Oct 1917, he was a Fireman. Earlier in the 1901 census, he was a Telegraph messenger. By 1907 I found him at the city of Westminster, London, Firestation. By 1911 he was at ‘L C C Firestation, Tabernacle Street, Shoreditch E C. Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Fireman. Then on the 1939 Register living at 25 Trelawney Rd, Ilford, Essex, England, his Occupation is still a Fireman (Fire Brigade). Does anyone have any idea what the Medal could have been? Could it have been a long service medal as he was a Fireman that I know of for over 30 years?

This next photo dated EASTER 1914 of the four young women is named along the bottom and the name on the far right is Flora, this is not the same Flora as the previous photo but is a sister of Nellie, born Flora Juliet Calverley 24 Mar 1891-20 May 1971.

This photo below is also the same lady. Aunt Flo.

These next three again all sent to Nellie.

This next one is absolutely tragic and I have never ever found something like this written on the back of an old photo before. The is the same Mary Calverley that is in the centre photo above at age 12.

Born Mary Adelaide Calverley in July 1903, her father was Ernest Walter Claverley (1875-1950) son of Henry John Calverley (1849-1912) and his wife Matilda Martha (Peploe) (1852-1886) and her mother was Mary (Dawe)(1880-1952) Mary Adelaide had one sister Constance Annie (1916-2010). She died on 11 August 1928 at the London Hospital, Whitechapel, Middlesex. Henry John was a brother to Nellie’s father so Nellie was Mary Adelaide’s Aunt.

Written on the back of this next one is ‘Yours Faithfully R.Lewishon? Levisoln? not too sure of the signature. Dated Aug 1919. I’ve not come across a similar name in the family so maybe a friend.

This next group photo is really interesting. It was taken by Photographers Hawksworth Wheeler, 109a Sandgate Rd and 9 Church St, Folkestone, Kent. Written on the back is Blackborough Park. Shorncliffe. June 1918. Unfortunately no names but assuming one of the family could be in the group. I do know that there was a Military Hospital at Shorncliffe Camp. The camp was operational during both WW1 and WW2 (3 miles west of Folkestone in Kent) as I had an uncle who served in WW2, who lived in married quarters there before he was sent to Europe. But would be grateful for any more information concerning this photo taken earlier.

Left to right written on the backs: January 1916, no name. Centre: Rockingham WA. Christmas 1929. Rockingham is in Western Australia. Who was Eva?. Far right: To Dear Auntie Nell. With love from Jenny. 5 years 11 months. Jan 1933. I’ve been able to identify her, she is Jenny Eileen Marchant who was born on 12 February 1927 in Ringwood, Hampshire, her father was Walter John Marchant and her mother was Flora Julia (Calverley), a sister of Nellie’s. Jenny married William Stanley Wheeler in April 1955 in Christchurch, Hampshire. She died on 5 November 2020 in Lymington, Hampshire, at the age of 93.

This last named old photo is an old copy on very thin paper and it just says on the back ‘U.Wall‘ so could it have been Jenny’s father known as Uncle Wally or Uncle Wall short for Walter?

I wish this last one had had some writing on the back, isn’t it a lovely family group, again on very thin paper, it’s a wonder it survived.

This is the link to the public family tree, with about 100 people on it, on Ancestry: Nellie Mary Calverley Tree

If they are your family please do get in touch either with a comment on this blog or via email to lynnswaffles@gmail.com

Till next time then……..