Lost Images Reunited

07/12/2025

case #147: Rose triumphs again with this Shoemaker and his wife

I have had this photograph for a while in my "interesting pile"! It's a characterful portrait of “Grandad and Grandma Moorewood”, likely taken or copied around the 1910s. I bought this one myself, thinking it looked promising! The photo came with the intriguing annotation "C.E. Hamilton" and lots of studio information. I am often struck by these photographs how the men's fashion seems far more flattering than the women's (I certainly like Grandad’s coat , watch chain and cane more than Grandma’s headgear).

I wasn't having much luck until the excellent Rose (LIRs own Special Investigation Unit lead) came to the rescue by researching the photographer's studio location in Congleton, and building a small family tree. She discovered that the Moorewoods married into the Hamilton family, which explained the annotation—it referred to their granddaughter, Caroline Hamilton.

This is Hugh Moorewood (1856-1923) and his wife, Mary Moorewood (née Hancock 1857-1920). Hugh was a shoemaker in Congleton, and he and Mary certainly had their hands full as they had lots of children! I wonder if any of their children or grandchildren continued the shoemaking trade? I come from a long line of shoemakers in Portsmouth (the Smees) and it seems to have been common to pass on this trade - everyone needs shoes. The family connection to C.E. Hamilton (Caroline), who was known to the reunitee as “Auntie Carrie,” really helped complete the picture. It's lovely when a small clue like a name on the back ends up being the key to the whole story!

I'm really pleased to say this photograph has now been reunited with a Great Granddaughter! (who actually doesn't live far from me). She was especially delighted because she also possesses Hugh and Mary’s family bible, which was passed down, and was actually the item that started her on her own family history journey. She didn’t have a photograph of her Great Grandparents, so that is even more pleasing.

02/12/2025

My Great Grandfather has made the front page!
Not a lost image, but just sharing that my research and my Great Grandfather's story is in the Christmas Issue of Who Do You Think You Are Magazine! Ironically photographs of William are very hard to find! It is strange to think that our ancestors would never consider that one day their skeletons in the cupboard would be of such interest (and they would have got away with it “if it wasn't for those pesky kids” ;)

23/11/2025

case #155: Annotations, seaweed and emigration!
I have found some wonderful albums recently, and this one was packed with information and lovely portraits! There was a particularly useful and fantastic annotated portrait of Caroline Millier (nee Manning) and her ten children (I wish my Great Grandparents did that with their 10 children!). The album contains many additional useful clues, including a photograph of William Henry Elston (1852-1939), with annotations that state he was a GWR Manager at Derby who emigrated to Australia around 1910, and later in the album a picture of his sons likely sent back to the family. (there’s also a statement that the family bible went with them, you can hear the longing for that information. I wonder if that still exists and who has it now? If anyone can track them down that would be great to add to the story). So it was relatively easy to track down who they were and find family trees with these families in. Looking through the album and all the annotations it appears to have belonged to Charles Edgar Millier (1872-1956), top right in the photograph, and his wife Alice Mary Elston (1864-1958). It would seem, looking at the annotations, that they were made by their daughter Edith (1902-2000).
The family have shared with me a fantastic story about Augusta’s descendents, she is Charles’ eldest sister and is on the left in the photograph. She once worked as a schoolmistress, married Walter Drew and they had four children. Their eldest was Kathleen Mary, Kathleen studied botany and was one of the first women to graduate from Manchester University in 1922. She stayed on to research edible seaweed from the North Welsh coastline. Sadly, she had to give up her employment when she married Henry Wright Baker, an engineering professor. However, a fellowship allowed her to continue her vital research. Her story then takes on a surprising international turn when her discoveries about the life-cycle of seaweed helped Japanese seaweed farmers recover from poor harvests. To honor her, the Nori farmers in Uto, Japan, erected a memorial (see photograph) for her and celebrate the Drew Festival every year on April 14th. She is locally known as the Mother of the Sea. Isn't that an incredible legacy? I've included a photograph of the memorial the Nori farmers erected to Kathleen in Japan! .
Considering the context of the photograph featuring William Elston (Alice’s brother) and his sons in Australia, it's worth noting that emigration was significantly more prevalent in the past. In a world with far fewer communication channels—prior to email or Zoom—it was common for emigrants to lose touch with their family entirely. Consequently, photographs like this one would have been highly treasured possessions.
I am so pleased this album is now back with the family, reunited with a 1st cousin three times removed of Charles (they share the reunitees 3xGGparents). It’s great to hear a woman’s story like Kathleen’s, and the next time you have sushi, perhaps you will remember her!

09/11/2025

I've created a blog!

I am constantly thinking of ways to help people accept my messages at face value and not view them as a scam. Which is why I created this FB page, which has helped.

But of course, in order to view this you have to be a member of facebook, and not everyone is, and my target demographic are probably less likely to be on social media than average. |

So, I've started a blog (using the same content) and am gradually transferring these posts over. I will, in future be creating posts on both platforms. Please go and have a look - and leave comments if you'd like - it will help with the launch of it.

https://lostimagesreunited.wordpress.com

Do you think this is a good idea?
Would you respond better to a message from someone with a blog and page? Please let me know what you think.

Reuniting vintage photographs with their families so they can be treasured again.

08/11/2025

𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 #𝟭4𝟭: Elusive Foxes

I bought this photograph a while ago. It came annotated with "Charles and Ida Fox," was taken in Liverpool, and even dated "4th March 1880." On the face of it, this looked like an easy case. I wasn't sure if they were husband and wife or perhaps siblings, but I thought it would be the work of a moment to track them down.

Well, this one proved surprisingly difficult, which is why I've had it a while. I had to call in what I am now referring to as the "Lost Images Reunited Special Investigations Unit"—who is actually my wonderful follower and now friend, Rose! Rose has helped me out on a few occasions now (you might remember her excellent work on other cases as a follower) and she loves digging a bit deeper into the ones I find difficult (I tend to stick to the "low hanging fruit"!). She has loads of research skills, and after constructing a short list and whittling it down, she found the answer. She is utterly brilliant and also really makes me laugh!

This is a portrait of siblings, Charles James and Ida Alma Fox. We think it was possibly taken to celebrate Charles' qualification as a Master Mariner (what we would recognise as a ship's Captain), a role that took him all over the world. Their father was also a mariner, and Charles was actually born in Cape Town, South Africa (Master Mariners regularly took their wives with them on ship). Charles was a good mariner, too—he invented a ship's hatch cover that was also a lifeboat! In 1880, the same year as this photo, he was awarded a bronze medal for "services to shipwrecked seamen" after he was involved in a rescue.

I'm thrilled to say the photograph has now been reunited with a Great Grandchild of Charles and Ida's sister, Emily Jane Fox. And Emily's story is just as fascinating! The reunitee told me:

"Emily Jane Fox... married Elias Joste in Chile – they are my great-grandparents. Reportedly, it must be true, Elias had been shown a photograph of Emily Jane and asked her brother (which one, there were several who went to sea) whether she would consider coming to Chile to marry him. She was very brave and accepted… It was said to be a very happy marriage."

How amazing is that? She travelled all the way to Chile to marry a man who had only seen her photograph! I've included a photograph of Emily and Elias presumably taken in Chile.

This case has also brought Fox family members together as others have responded to my messages and I have been able to put them in contact with each other.

27/10/2025

case #137: The Typist, the Widow, and the Bootmaker
I found this fascinating photograph for sale on eBay. It had a lot of information on the back. It took some deciphering but there are interesting relationships and a few stories to tell here! Luckily there were plenty of names, including Alfred Woodruff, Emile Monchablon, and Annie Gilbert, so I was able to track them down and research them. This photograph was taken in the late 1890s or early 1900 in Wellingborough, where Alfred's family was from.

It all centres around Alfred Woodruff (born 1870, centre middle). Behind him are mother and son Elizableth Monchablon and her son Emile. Elizabeth (a widow, who had, with her late husband been a leading light in the emerging world of stenography) and Emile were so close to Alfred that they listed him as an "adopted son" on both the 1901 and 1911 census! Also in the photograph are Alfred's sisters: his older sister Annie Gilbert (b. 1864, on the right) and his youngest sister Louisa Robbins (Mary Louisa b. 1873). In 1906 Louisa married Walter Robbins in China, where he was a clergyman in Ningbo Cathedral. How Louisa came to be in China is unclear. As the annotation says, sadly it appears that Walter and Louisa's life together was sad and short, they had three children together, and Louisa dies shortly after the birth of her 3rd child. None of the children appear to have survived. Walter went on to remarry in 1912.
Alfred's own family was involved in boot manufacturing. Alfred began his working life selling boots, but during his time living with the Monchablons he seems to have been a typist and stenographer. He later returned to the trade as a boot buyer. This is probably how he met his wife Alice (20 years his junior!), who was the daughter of a boot shop manager. They married when Alfred was 50, they went on to have two children.
I am so happy to report that this photograph has now been reunited with the Great Great Granddaughter of Annie Gilbert (pictured on the right)! Which is a great outcome. It's wonderful when a photo with such a complex and interesting story finds its way back to the family.

26/10/2025

case #28: A Meticulous Gentleman

I bought this photograph a while ago, as I was intrigued by it. It's a portrait of Kenrick Alexander Dowse, and the back is annotated with an incredible amount of detail, including his exact age in years and days, and even his height! He does look quite particular in this photograph. I wonder if this was a photograph for an official reason? Perhaps it was taken around the time he qualified as a solicitor.

With a little research, I found that Kenrick did indeed become a solicitor and was eventually a partner in his own law firm. His father, Frederick, appears to have been a self made person, who set his son on a good path to succeed in life. Kenrick and his wife, Alice, married late (around 37) and didn't appear to have any children of their own.

I'm glad to say it has now been reunited with a relative. She told me that this has given her a stimulus to research this part of her family tree, which is always a wonderful outcome! It does appear to be quite interesting with an international feel and artists in the family (although sadly I couldn't find any of their art).

05/10/2025

case #132: Another Policeman!

I found another! You know I have a soft spot for photographs of policemen, as one of my own ancestors was one of the first policemen in Portsea. So I was delighted to find this portrait of a young officer. The back was clearly marked with his name, Leslie, his birthplace of Newlyn and that the photograph was taken in Plymouth. With all these clues, it was a relatively straightforward task to trace his family history and find some potential descendants to contact. In my research I was surprised to find that Crowle is quite a common name in Cornwall and also there there were quite a few PC Crowles - maybe there was a relative who inspired Leslie to join the force?

So, this is Leslie Crowle, born in Newlyn in 1909. He tragically lost his father at a very young age in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. He later joined the police force and moved to Plymouth, where he married and raised his own family. He went on to have an illustrious career which culminated in a role with the security department of the Foreign Office. This important position took him all over the world! I wonder if anyone can recognise where this photograph was taken (and I wonder what's behind the drape?)

I’m so pleased to say that this great photograph has now been reunited with Leslie’s grandchildren. They were delighted to receive this portrait of their grandfather as a young man in his police uniform. It’s always special when a photograph finds its way back to such close family who will treasure it and the memories it represents.

28/09/2025

I was having a play with AI today to see if it could generate a good image, possibly as a logo. I asked it to look like the back of an old photograph (cdv). It came up with these, what do you think? I'm pretty impressed. I particularly like the wear and tear on the light ones.

28/09/2025

case #130: An Architect, an Artist and a Fine Memorial

I found this photograph of a stylish gentleman with an admirable beard for sale on eBay. Luckily it was clearly annotated as "Lewis Shanks" in a beautiful and clear hand. It was taken in a studio in Largs, Scotland, sometime in the 1870s. This gave me plenty of clues and I was able to find him.

This is Lewis Shanks (1841-1913), and he was a man of many talents. He began his career as an architect but later in life became a landscape artist (I have tried to find some of his art but I've been unsuccessful). He was also part of the well-known Shanks thread manufacturing family from Renfrewshire, a company that is remarkably still in business today. They managed to survive despite fierce competition from huge international companies like Gutterman. Lewis married his wife Catherine, and they had a daughter named Eleanor.

Unfortunately, I haven't managed to track down any direct descendants to reunite this photograph with. However, when a direct reunion isn't possible, I like to make sure the image is saved for the future. I found that Lewis is buried in the Kilbarchan Cemetery in Renfrewshire, alongside his siblings, as can be seen on this rather great memorial. I have now added this great portrait to his online grave entry on Find A Grave, so his story and image will be available for any future family or local historians. I hope he won't be forgotten.

31/08/2025

case 102 An Early Photograph

This rather grand photograph appeared on eBay with a really useful contemporary annotation on the back of “Mary Anne Nicholson, Keinton, 1864” taken in Bath. This made finding descendents easy.

This is Mary Anne born in 1828, so was around 36 when this photograph was taken and still single. She was born to Henry (a stone cutter) and Harriet.

She married and was widowed twice, first in 1870 to Henry Lloyd, a Sergeant in the Royal Artillery and a widower, when she was 40. Her second marriage was in 1889 to Caleb Ridewood, a stone merchant and widower, when she was 62. Unfortunately Caleb died the following year. It doesn't appear that Mary Anne had any children.

Mary Anne ended up working as housekeeper for her sister in law. She died, where she lived her whole life, in Somerset in 1903 when she was 75 years old.

The picture has now been happily reunited with a descendent.

30/08/2025

pending case #82: A tragic story that I couldn’t resist

Some time ago I found this tantalising image annotated as “Mrs Evans & Family, father drowned on Verulam 6 Jan 77”. I posted asking for information and managed to track it down. I have reached out but been unsuccessful.

It’s a very sad story. Evan Evans, from a family of mariners, married Elizabeth Evans (yes that was her maiden name - I have now develop a great deal of sympathy for family historians with very common last names) in 1863 in Cardigan. They quickly had two sons, John in 1873 and Thomas in 1875 (the observant amongst you will notice a third child, I am unsure who that is and what happened to them, as Elizabeth only appears on the census with her two sons).

Evan prospered in his career as a Mariner and became the Master of the Verulam, a new ship, built in Glasgow. His young family must have been proud of him reaching the position of Master at such an early age and being given a shiny new ship! In early 1877 had a successful voyage to collect cargo from Natal. She returned to the Thames, offloaded her cargo and then, through some freak squall, capsized and was lost in the harbour, killing several crew members including Evan, at the young age of 35 (see the report of the inquest). It appears that his body was never found (update, in the inquest Evan’s body was found in the Thames on 28 th January, thanks so much to the excellent Rose Booth for finding that, amongst a lot of other information). This left poor Elizabeth a widow with two young boys.

Elizabeth must have been made of strong stuff as she went on to become the post mistress and grocer of the village of Verwick, living in Maencoch. This was one of the few respectable careers open to women. She raised her boys to adulthood. Looking at the census’ over the years she remained in this position as a pillar of the community.

I originally researched Elizabeth and Evan’s story back in May. I reached out to people who had them in their trees, but to no avail. Periodically I have been seeing the photograph, still for sale on eBay, and was reminded of the story. Well, it made me sad every time I saw it and I couldn’t think of them being forgotten so I’m afraid I bought the photograph! I would really like to find where Elizabeth is buried (and possibly Evan) to add this photograph on Find a Grave or something. Or to get the photograph to some local history society. If anyone could help reunite this photograph I would really appreciate it.

I've just looked up the Cardiganshire Family History Society and found that nearly all of the committee members last name is Evans!