🎄Christmas time is usually a time for most people to be with family members or to be thinking about their family and often their ancestors, so I do get some interesting messages and emails at this time of year. Mostly from someone Googling their family names and coming across one of my blogs or old photos that mentions a name that they recognise.

This Christmas has been great as I’ve been able to send a box of old photos back to their family in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, England. I’ve also sent a file of scans of old photos to the second family who live in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The Harvell Family

The first family was fairly recent, I only put the blog on at the end of November, a few weeks ago. The Harvell Family, are you a descendant?’ Treasures in a Box.

Here’s the blog link dated 25 November 2023: The Harvell Family

A lady contacted me and said “This is my family!!! Most of the photos are taken at Holmdene in Studland or the Bankes Arms Hotel. I can put names to a lot of the faces including mine” So we exchanged messages and it was her nephew who had let her know of my post on Facebook mentioning the blog about their family. The relative she thinks they came from was living in Swanage and died there in 2021, so it likely ended up for sale as a result of a house clearance.

After more emailing, these old photos have now just arrived this morning in Ross on Wye, back with their family, huge thanks once again to Diana who found this collection and passed them on to me, great to have them reunited.

The new owner of the Box of Old Photos told me “Unfortunately I am the only person in the photos still alive as my parents had me late in life but it will be lovely to show my kids their ancestors! The relative who died and left this box had no family so that’s the end of that line. I have 4 kids so the Harvell family will continue!“

The Reading Watson and Redman Family

My second family to be reunited with their ancestors’ images is a Great-grandchild of Joseph Russell Watson and Ann Burden Pook. She first made contact with me on Ancestry and then after we emailed. This is the Family tree on Ancestry here: Reading, Watson & Redman Tree

This Blog whose family descendant lives in Australia was called The Reading, Watson and Redman Family dated 22 January 2023: Reading, Watson and Redman Family

Part of her messages/emails to me “Unfortunately when my grandmother (Mabel Edith “Madge” Watson nee Baker) died, my father threw out all her albums of carte de visite and family snaps before I could rescue them. I remember being fascinated paging through them when I was a little child“.

“If only I’d read your note sooner, as I was in England in August visiting a dear friend in Reading, Berkshire, as I have over the years, we might have been able to meet. We often go down to her cottage in Dorset (Sydling St Nicholas) when I visit. Hopefully, I’ll go again in the next year or so“.

“Just to let you know, there may have been a reason Joseph Russell suffered bouts of depression. He must have carried a burden of guilt for many years as he was partially responsible for the death of his mother (Sarah Watson nee Snow) in a runaway carriage accident in 1864. I’ll put the newspaper report in the Tree Gallery for you to read“.

In fact, I had already come across the newspaper report of the carriage accident, here it is:

It was a lovely collection of old photos of this family and I’m so pleased that many other members of the family will now be able to see them digitally. A few of them are here below.

Some good results to end the year. In January I shall be tackling the last few families of my Holworth Collection so do look out for those blogs.

Wishing you all good health and much happiness in 2024.

Till next time then……..