Sifting Through the Family Shoebox

One thing about extended illness is that introspection is inevitable, so it’s actually been quite useful to harness that, and just go along with it. The family tree has always been a project on the back burner. We’ve managed to get some way with one wing of the family, but others have eluded until last week, after some forays into the deep archives at Bishop Auckland Register Office. It’s all been fascinating, but as always, the stories are all the better for a photograph. And in this case, the story is in the photograph.

It’s an outing: maybe a works outing, or Sunday School trip. Everyone’s dressed in their best, and since the young women are wearing very stylish longer length dresses, it’s probably post WW2. In fact we know it’s post war, since several of the little children in the photograph are my aunts and at least one of the small boys is my uncle. The tall woman on the right in the dress with the fancy brooch and embroidery, is my father’s sister, the eldest girl in the family. One of the little girls in the middle looks pretty much the same today.

The original photograph was folded down the middle at some point, and then a couple of strips of sellotape down the fold really did for the faces in the centre. It was restored for us by a young photographer and student, and all credit to him for that.

If you know anyone in the photograph, or if you have any suggestions for useful genealogy applications or better still, a WP theme, please do let me know via email or in the comments. One job for 2008 will be to get all these shoebox photographs and the family tree onto a website.

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