Spotlight on ... Going Solo!

I've decided to branch off for a while and share things other than just the stories of my direct ancestors.  The main motivation for this is my desire to share some of the many wonderful photos I've found of my extended family (not too many degrees of separation from my direct ancestors).  These photos deserve to be in the spotlight, so I thought long and hard about an interesting way to do this.

I've decided to put together collections of photos that all share a common thread.  For the third collection post, the spotlight is on ... Going Solo!

The individual portraits are either photographic portraits or painted portraits that cover the time period from the mid to the late 1800s. Each one is truly a treasure.

James Wright

1822-1875

He was the second husband of my paternal 3rd great aunt Hannah Browning.

James was born in London in 1818, but he died in New South Wales.  He was transported to Australia as a convict at the age of 19.  He went on to marry Hannah in 1848 when he was 26 years old.  

Together they had 21 children, including 4 sets of twins.  Tragically, not all the children survived into adulthood.

James died at the age of 57. He was accidentally killed by a falling tree while out cutting down the said tree with his sons in an attempt to collect a bee hive that was lodged in the tree!

What a life story!  I don't have a date for this portrait, but James does look like he is in his early 50s, so perhaps this photo was taken to celebrate his 50th birthday in 1868!

Common Ancestors (with his wife Hannah):  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns  (my paternal 3x great grandparents).

This is one of James's sons, William Edward Wright.

1852-1931

He is my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed.

William earned his living as a miner for many years, married Mary Jane Aspinall when he was 21 and went on to have six children.

I think this portrait speaks volumes about the sort of man William was - unassuming, no-nonsense and hard-working.  I think perhaps that was his best set of clothes.

No date for this portrait either, but I'm guessing it would be late 1880s to early 1890s.

Common Ancestors:  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns  (my paternal 3x great grandparents).

This is a portrait of  Harriet Matilda Thomas nee Wright.

1860-1920

She is one of James's daughters and one of  William's sisters, making her another of my paternal 1st cousins 3x removed.

Harriet married Andrew Thomas at the age of 16 and they went on to have a family of thirteen children, including one set of twins.

Harriet's husband died in 1915, aged 59, and Harriet herself died in 1920, also aged 59.  

I find the enormous lace collar that Harriet is wearing to be quite extraordinary.  I wonder if it was a family heirloom and held special significance for her?  I imagine it was only worn on very special occasions.

Common Ancestors:  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns  (my paternal 3x great grandparents).

This kind-faced man is Joseph Fullagar

1820-1915

He is my paternal 1st cousin 4x removed.  Born in Woodchurch, Kent, England, he lived his entire life in that village, working as a gardener.  That would be my dream job!

He married Charlotte Morphett when he was 21 years old in 1842, and they had a family of eighteen children, including one set of twins.

Joseph passed away in 1915 at the age of 94.

I'm unsure of the date of this photo but Joseph looks to be in his late 40s, so it could have been taken in the late 1860s.

Common Ancestors:  John Fullagar and Elizabeth Bourne  (my paternal 4x great grandparents)

This is Joseph's wife Charlotte Fullagar nee Morphett

1824-1895

She married Joseph in 1842 when she was 17 years old, and (as mentioned) went on to have eighteen children, including a set of twins. 

I think she would have been one rather remarkable woman and I'm amazed she still has such a kindly countenance in her golden years, as seen in this portrait.

I don't have a date for this photo, but Charlotte looks to be in her 60s, so perhaps it was taken to celebrate a milestone 60th birthday which would have been in 1884.

Perhaps that cap/bonnet on her head was a real fashion statement at the time, but it's hard to imagine wearing something like that on a daily basis!

This distinguished man is John Potter Davis

1834-1917

He is my paternal 3rd cousin 4x removed (quite a distant relationship!)

John was born in Woodchurch, England but emigrated to the U.S.A. with his parents in 1849 when he was 15 years old.

He married Mary Elizabeth Mack when he was 21 and they eventually settled in Wisconsin.  

Both John and Mary worked as a team when John became the Superintendent of the Walworth Poor Farm in in 1882.

They ran this poor house and lunatic asylum for sixteen years, and apparently were known as quite a caring couple displaying humane (for the times) treatment of the inmates.  Those poor inmates ended up living in this place because of poverty, that was often accompanied by mental illness, a physical or cognitive disability; or they were young, poor, unmarried pregnant women who could not take care of themselves or their offspring.

Common Ancestors:  John Fullagar and Elizabeth Potter  (my paternal 6x great grandparents).

This is Mary Elizabeth Davis nee Mack, John's wife.

1837-1918

Mary was born in Madison County, New York and died in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, as did her husband.

Mary's husband John died in 1917 at the age of  83, and Mary herself died the following year, 1918, at the age of 81.

It's likely that the photo portraits of both John and Mary were taken when they left Walworth Poor Farm, around 1898 which would put them both in their early 60s.

Emily Adelaide Hukins

1847-1942

This is my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed.  She was born and died in New South Wales, Australia.

Emily married Thomas John Dixon Barnes in 1865 when she was 18 years old.  They went on to have eight children, losing only one daughter in infancy. 

Sadly, Emily's husband died when she was 53, but Emily herself had a very long life and passed away in 1942 when aged 95.

I don't have a date for this portrait unfortunately, but given the usual practices of this era, it could have been taken on her wedding day, on the day she turned 21 or to celebrate a wedding anniversay.

Common Ancestors:  James Hukins and Susannah Fullagar  (my paternal 3x great grandparents).

Here is Thomas John Dixon Barnes, the husband of Emily

1842-1901

Thomas was 23 years old when he married.  He had emigrated from England just the year before.

In 1901 Thomas passed away at the age of 59.

Again, I'm unsure of the date this photo was taken.  Thomas is holding a top hat which could suggest the photo was taken on his wedding day in the mid 1860s, but he looks older than 23.  

Perhaps this photo was to mark a special occasion of some other sort.

Nancy Eliza Robertson nee Browning

1875-1939

My paternal first cousin 3x removed

Born in New South Wales, and died in Gympie, Queensland.

Nancy married William Hector Robertson in 1896 when she was 21 and went on to have a family of nine children.

Perhaps this portrait dates from her wedding day.  

Nancy passed away in 1939 when she was 64 years old.

Common Ancestors:  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns  (my paternal 3x great grandparents).

This is William Hector Robertson, Nancy's husband.

1868-1950

He was born in Scotland and died in Gympie, Queensland, Australia.

William married Nancy when he was 21 years old.  When Nancy died in 1939, William was 71 years old, but interestingly he re-married the following year 1940 at the sprightly age of 72!

He passed away in 1950 at the age of 82.

Now this rather dapper young man is John Thomas (Jack) Browning, brother to Nancy pictured previously.

1879-1951

My paternal first cousin 3x removed.

John Thomas, known as Jack, married Margaret Ellen O'Reilly when he was 31 years of age.

They went on to have eleven children, not all of whom survived to adulthood.

This photo shows John as a young man. It was possibly taken when John turned 21 in 1900. 

John was born and died in Queensland. He passed away when he was 72 years old in 1951.

Common Ancestors:  William Henry Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns  (my paternal 3x great grandparents).

This lady with the quite stylish bonnet and rather sad face is Eleanor Jane Atkin nee Jones

1863-1957

She is my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed.  Born in New South Wales, Australia to a convict named John Michael Jones and his wife Harriett Lancaster-Exton, Eleanor was raised in a family of nine siblings and two half-siblings.

Her father died when she was only 3 years old, and her mother re-married three years later.

I think Eleanor would probably have had a tough upbringing.  It's likely she would have perhaps remained a little unnoticed with eight older siblings, having a sister born just a few months after the death of her father, and then two half-siblings born when she was aged 7 and 11.

Eleanor married Joseph Atkin when she was 19 years old.  They were married for 59 years and had six children.  Joseph passed away in 1941 when Eleanor was 77 years old.  Eleanor herself died in 1957, aged 93.  

Common Ancestors:  James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

This sweet jovial face belongs to Elizabeth (known as Betsy) McQuilty nee Exton.

1849-1917

She is my paternal 3x great aunt.  Elizabeth was born in New South Wales, but died in Beaudesert, Queensland.

Elizabeth married Francis Thomas McQuilty in 1866 when she was only 16.  They went on to have eleven children.

Along with raising their children, Elizabeth worked as a domestic for most of her life.

Her husband passed away when Elizabeth was 58 and she kept on working after that.  Elizabeth died in 1917 at the age of 61.

Common Ancestors:  James Exton and Susannah Lancaster  (my 3x great grandparents and Elizabeth's parents)

I'm joining Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2020 project / challenge.

This time I'm catching up with the prompt for Week 27 of 2020 - ''Solo".

You can join by blogging or posting on social media with the tag #52Ancestors.

Check out Amy's FB pages:  Generations Cafe  or  Amy Johnson Crow

Spotlight on ... Who's In The Middle?

I've decided to branch off for a while and share things other than just the stories of my direct ancestors.  The main motivation for this is my desire to share some of the many wonderful photos I've found of my extended family (not too many degrees of separation from my direct ancestors).  These photos deserve to be in the spotlight, so I thought long and hard about an interesting way to do this.

I've decided to put together collections of photos that all share a common thread.

For the second of these collection posts, the spotlight is on ... Who's In The Middle? 

Going through old family photos, I've noticed that sometimes the people in the middle of a group photo just seem to stand out and become the focus of the shot for me.  I've put together a collection of photos where the person in the middle really draws my eye!

Who is that amazing looking woman in the middle?

Those polka dots, those sunglasses, that hat!

That's Lily Mary Anderson nee Wright

1875-1957

my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed

Born and died in New South Wales, Australia.

Lily was the last born of eight children and she became the mother of eight herself, after marrying at the age of 18.  

She was also grandmother to thirteen, and she's with two of her grandsons, Keith and Bruce Anderson, in this photo.

Shared Ancestors:  James Hukins and Susannah Fullagar   (my paternal 3x great grandparents)

Now, a complete opposite.  Who is that rather refined and poised woman in the centre of this family photo?

That's Elizabeth Shaw nee Farrell

1873-1934

my maternal great great aunt

Born in Durham, England.

Elizabeth emigrated to Australia with her family when she was 14.  She married when she was 24 and settled into married life in Innisfail, Queensland.

She's posing with her five children Frank, Edwin, Mary, Margaret and Dorothy.

Photo is c. 1911 when Elizabeth would have been aged 37.  

Shared Ancestors:  Michael Farrell and Susan Downey/Muldowney  (my maternal 2x great grandparents)

The young man in the middle of this photo would have held a special place in his mother's heart.

That is Edward Joseph McCane

1907-1983

my maternal great uncle

Born and died in Queensland, Australia. He is posing with his mother, Margaret McCane nee Farrell (my great grandmother) and his brothers Thomas, John (known as Jack) and James (known as Jim).

Edward Joseph was the second Edward born to my great grandparents.  Sadly, their first born Edward, Edward William, died by accidental drowning, about four years before this photo was taken.

Shared Ancestors:  Owen McCane/Muckian and Margaret Farrell (my maternal great grandparents)

Can you see her?  The rather diminutive old lady sitting in the centre of this group?

That's Margaret Jane Brown nee Bustard

1853-1931

the wife of my paternal 2nd great uncle

Alexander Johnson (known as Sandy) Brown

He is also in the photo, standing tall on the right; but my eye is always drawn to Margaret in her hat.  Without that hat, she'd be even smaller!

This photo was taken in 1929.  Little Margaret and tall Alexander were posing with their daughter Sarah and their grandchildren Eric, Alan, Hilton (known as Bill) Keith, Mabel, and Dorthea. The other girl is unknown.  Margaret would have been 76 years old.  She lived all her life in New South Wales, Australia.

Shared Ancestors (with Margaret's husband):  Henry Johnson Brown and Caroline Penelope Browning  (my paternal 2x great grandparents)

The lady in the middle has a rather weary look about her.  To me, that's a face that has seen a full life.

The lady is Esther McCann nee Johnson

1860-1937

She is the mother-in-law to two of my paternal 2nd cousins 2x removed, brother and sister, Alfred Barrow Jr. and Alma Florence Barrow.

Alfred married Esther's daughter, Mary Ellen (Nell) McCann and Alma married Esther's son, Charles John McCann. 

This remarkable old woman married Charles McCann in 1876 when she was 15 years old.  They had at least 5 children together, including Mary Ellen and Charles John mentioned above.  Eight months after her husband Charles's death in April 1889, Esther re-married at the age of 29.  She became the wife of her first husband's brother, John Beale McCann.  They wed on December 31st, 1889 and went on to have three children together, but only one survived into adulthood.

Esther survived both her husbands and died in 1937 when she was aged 76.  She was born in Victoria, but lived most of her life in New South Wales. In the photo she is posing with her grandson Les and her great grandchildren Nita, Dawn and Cecily McCann.

Shared Ancestors (with her son-in-law Alfred and daughter-in-law Alma):  James Exton and Susannah Lancaster (my 3x great grandparents) 

Look at the gorgeous baby perched between her parents.  That is baby Ethel, but my eye is always drawn to her sister sitting on the chair in between her parents.  

She's sitting slightly askew, with the face of a cherub that's framed by a mass of curls.  

That young lady is Violet May Browning 

1896-1974

She is my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed, born in New South Wales, but died in Queensland.

In the photo, Violet May (known as May) is with her father Joseph William Browning, her mother Ellen Frances Browning nee Redmond and her younger sister Ethel Frances Browning.

Her parents went on to have another five daughters, although their last two died as babies. 

Shared Ancestors:  William Henry Browning and Anna (Nancy) Littlejohns  (my paternal 3x great grandparents)

Here is that family again, in a portrait taken about twelve years later.

My eye is drawn again to the little one sitting on the chair in between her parents nonchalantly leaning on her mother's knee, with her face framed by masses of ringlets.

That little girl is Josephine Dulcie Ellen Browning 1906-1969.  Her sister Violet May (highlighted in the photo above this one) is the young lady standing to the right, next to her mother.  Baby Ethel ( also from the photo above this one) is standing next to her father; and the other two daughters are Elsie Margaret, sitting to the right, and Eileen Roxena Maud standing between her mother and father.  All these young ladies are, of course, my second cousins 2x removed.

An interesting fact ... Violet May, the eldest daughter, outlived her parents and all her sisters.  

Shared Ancestors:  William Henry Browning and Anna (Nancy) Littlejohns  (my paternal 3x great grandparents)

Here's another of my family tree photos where my eye is drawn once more to the little one sitting between her parents.

That lovely baby is Deldee Daisy (known as Della) Snedden.

1896-1967

She is my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed, daughter of Robert Snedden and Sarah  Anne Snedden nee  Exton.

Deldee Daisy is such a memorable name.  It's unlike any other names in my family tree.  I have yet to find out its origin.

Sadly, Deldee Daisy's mother, Sarah Anne, died when Deldee was just 11 years old.  

In this next photo, Deldee is once again in the middle of the shot.  She is the one seated on the chair.  The other little girl is unknown.

This photo would have been taken just a couple of years before Deldee's mother, Sarah Anne, standing to the right, died.

Deldee's father, Robert Snedden, re-married seven years later when Deldee was 18 years old. A sister named Rita was born the following year, in 1915, when Deldee was 19.  Deldee married the very next year, in 1916, when she was 20 years old.  She lived all her life in New South Wales, and died at the age of 71.

Shared Ancestors:  James Exton and Susannah Lancaster  (my paternal 3x great grandparents)

Just look at the angelic face on the little boy in the middle of this family photo.  Adorable!

That little man is George Atherton McCann

1914-1938

He was actually born in the town of Atherton, in Queensland.

This photo was taken in 1916 on the eve of his father's departure for service in WW1 and George would have been aged 2.

His father was Herbert John McCann.  His mother was Margaret McCann nee Auld Brindley.  His siblings, going left to right, were Ethel Vera (with the big bow), Jean Thelma, baby Heather Mavis, and older brother Herbert James.

George Atherton's father did return from the war and his parents went on to have another two children.  Sadly, out of all the family members, George Atherton was the first to pass away.  He died in 1938 at the age of just 24, having lived all his life in Queensland.  He never married and was survived by his father Herbert, mother Margaret and his six siblings.

Shared Ancestors (through his father's brother-in-law):  James Exton and Susannah Lancaster (my 3x great grandparents) 

The couple in the middle of this family photo are James Connors

1859-1922

my paternal 2nd great uncle

and his wife Margaret Connors nee Mulvihill

1870-1938

James and Margaret married in 1893 and went on to have six children.  This family photo includes all those children, and their son-in-law and first grandchild.

Back row L to R:  Maurice Edward (known as Bob), Thomas John, and son-in-law Thomas Francis O'Connor.

Middle row L to R:  Eilee Joan, father James, mother Margaret, Margaret Connie O'Connor nee Connors and her daughter Margaret.

Sitting on the mat in the front row L to R: Bede Anthony (known as Dick) and Frederick Archibald (known as Fred).

The photo was taken in 1920 and sadly James, the father, died just two years later at the age of 63.  

Shared Ancestors:  William Conners/Connors and Eleanor Hickey  (my paternal 2x great grandparents)

Look at the earnest young girl standing between her mother and father, with her hands on her brother's shoulders.

That is Annie Frances Bridget Cusack

1883-1979

my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed

This photo was taken around 1896 when Annie was 12 years old.  Her mother was Emma Bridget Cusack nee Lofts and her father was John Thomas Cusack.  A mere four years later, Annie's mother died when Annie was 16.  No doubt, as the eldest, Annie would have stepped into her mother's shoes to care for her younger brother and sisters.. 

Annie married when she was 20 in 1904 and went on to become a mother of eleven children herself, although the first-born twins died when they were babies in 1905.  Annie died in 1979 at the age of 95, having outlived all of her siblings, her husband and another of her daughters who died in 1934.

Shared Ancestors: Michael Cusack and Mary Green  (my paternal 3x great grandparents)

The photo below shows an older Annie Frances Bridget with her husband James Venn, and six of their children.

This photo was taken in 1919 and it's the young man standing between his mother and father that draws my attention.

That young man is James Frederick Venn

1907-1986

my paternal 3rd cousin once removed

James was 12 years old in this photo, the same age as his mother in the last photo.  He somehow looks a lot younger though!  He, like his mother, was to be the eldest child in the family, although he had a lot more siblings than his mother had.  His role though never became that of primary caretaker for his siblings, so he would have had an easier childhood than his mother. James Frederick lived a long life and died when he was aged 79.

Look at the serious face on that young man in the middle of this family portrait.  

That is John Edward O'Donnell  

1908-1957

my maternal second cousin once removed

The photo was taken in New York in 1913, when John was 5 years old.

He is posing with his mother Catherine Ford O'Donnell nee O'Connor and his father John (known as Jack) O'Donnell; along with his brother William, sitting on his mother's lap, and sister Mae, sitting on her father's lap.

John Edward's parents went on to have another five children, with the last of John's siblings born when John himself was 18 years old.  John Edward lived his life in New York.  He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1940.

An interesting anecdote passed on by a family relative goes:

"John, his wife Mary & a female friend were walking in Greenpoint when the friend's ex-boyfriend came at them with a knife.  John ran to protect them, and was stabbed in the lung. 

Later on he developed TB and he died a long horrible death in an old TB ward." 

John died in January of 1957, aged only 48.  One of his brothers, David (known as Davey) had died the year before and they were both buried with their mother Catherine.

Shared Ancestors:  John O'Donnell and Catherine Joy  (my maternal 2x great grandparents)

Well, that's just a few short, short stories about the wonderful people found in the middle of precious family tree portraits.  

I'm joining Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2020 project / challenge.

This time I'm catching up with the prompt for Week 26 of 2020 - ''Middle".

You can join by blogging or posting on social media with the tag #52Ancestors.

Check out Amy's FB pages:  Generations Cafe  or  Amy Johnson Crow

Spotlight on ... Hats!

I've decided to branch off for a while and share things other than just the stories of my direct ancestors.  The main motivation for this is my desire to share some of the many wonderful photos I've found of my extended family (not too many degrees of separation from my direct ancestors).  These photos deserve to be in the spotlight, so I thought long and hard about an interesting way to do this.

I've decided to put together collections of photos that all share a common thread ... and for the first of these collection posts, the spotlight is on hats!

It's been an unexpected surprise just how many hats there are in my assorted family photos, and the variety is simply amazing.  I will attempt to put match periods of time, starting with the Victorian era (1837-1901).

Early to late 1800s 

Wearing what looks like an American Civil War soldier hat ...

Benjamin Samuel Fullagar 

1835-1919 

born in England

died in the USA

my paternal 2nd cousin 4x removed

He fought with the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry.  This photo would have been taken in the USA.

Common ancestors:

John Fullagar and Sarah Gilham

my 5x great grandparents

An interesting cap for the older woman looking a bit like a turban cap ...

Charlotte Fullagar nee Morphett 

1824-1895 

born and died in Kent, England

wife of my paternal 1st cousin 4x removed 

Joseph Fullagar

This photo would have been taken in England.

A drawn bonnet ...

Rebecca Jane Davis nee Kingsnorth 

1811-1892 

born in England

died in Wisconsin USA

paternal 2nd cousin 5x removed

This photo would have been taken in England

Same relative, just older:

Rebecca Jane Davis nee Kingsnorth 

1811-1892 

2nd cousin 5x removed

Photo likely to have been taken in England

Common ancestors:

John Fullagar and Elizabeth Potter

my 6x great grandparents

A small bonnet with flowers and ribbons ...

Elizabeth Daw nee Hukins 

1815-1903 

born in Kent, England

died in New South Wales, Australia

my paternal 3rd great aunt

with her husband Edward Bannister Daw

This photo would have been taken in Australia.

Common ancestors:

James Hukins and Susannah Fullagar

my 3x great grandparents

A bonnet that stands tall and proud ...

Mary (Ellen) McCarthy c.1842-1926 

born in County Donegal, Ireland

died in New South Wales, Australia

wife of my paternal 3rd great uncle 

Michael Hickey 1842-1916 

Photo taken in Australia.

Another example of a cap for an older woman ...

Harriett  Jones nee Lancaster-Exton 

1833-1915 

born in Lincolnshire, England

died in New South Wales, Australia

my paternal 3rd great aunt

Photo taken in Australia.

Common ancestor:

Susannah Lancaster

my 3x great grandmother

This looks like a straw bonnet ...

Annie Exton 

1839-1919 

born in Lincolnshire, England

died in New South Wales, Australia

my paternal 3rd great aunt

Photo taken in Australia.

Common Ancestors:

James Exton and Susannah Lancaster

my 3x great grandparents

A rather elaborately decorated hat ...

Sarah Anne Snedden nee Exton 

1870-1907 

born and died in New South Wales, Australia

my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed

Photo taken in Australia.

Common Ancestors:

James Exton and Susannah Lancaster

my 3x great grandparents

A simple straw hat ...

Caroline Maria Kean nee Browning

1859-1956 

born in New South Wales, Australia

died in Queensland, Australia

my paternal1st cousin 3x removed

Photo taken in Australia.

Common ancestors:

William Henry Browning and Anne (known as Nancy) Littlejohns

my 3x great grandparents

Whilst there are no particular dates attached to any of these photos, I think I've dated most of them correctly to the Victorian era.  Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Early 1900s

Now onto photos that belong to the Edwardian period 1901-1910 and the WW1 era.  Some of these do have dates associated with them, so my job was a little easier with this little collection. 

An extraordinarily large and elaborately decorated hat ...

Charlotte Hannah Marrott nee Brown 1887-1961 

born and died in New South Wales, Australia

my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed

Photo taken in Australia.

Common Ancestors:

Henry Johnson Brown and Caroline Penelope Browning

my 2x great grandparents

William Connors Jr.

1864-1959

born and died in New South Wales, Australia

my paternal 2nd great uncle

Photo taken 1905 in Australia.

Common Ancestors:

William Connors and Eleanor (Ellen) Hickey

my 2x great grandparents

From the 1905 photo above:

Top left -

Elizabeth Duffy

wife of my 2nd great uncle

William Connors

Top right -

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Sharp nee Connors

1868-?

my 2nd great aunt

Bottom left -

Mary Ann Connors

1855-1940

my 2nd great aunt

Bottom right -

Eleanor (Ellen) Connors nee Hickey

my 2x great grandmother

Love this example of an elegantly decorated hat ... flowers, feathers and bows ...

Grace Olive Brown

1885-1974

born and died in Australia

my paternal grandmother

Photo taken c.1906 in Australia

Such a debonair air about this man in his cap ...

Francis McQuilty

1801-1875

born in County Waterford, Ireland

died in New South Wales, Australia

father-in-law of my 2nd great-grandaunt

Elizabeth (Betsy) Exton

1849-1917

Photo taken in Australia.

Loads of ribbons on this large hat ...

Catherine Ford O'Connor

1885-1941

born and died in Brooklyn, New York, USA

wife of my maternal 1st cousin 2x removed

John O'Donnell 

1886-1936

Photo taken c. 1911 in New York, USA.

Love this straw sailor hat ...

Walter Henry Cusack Jr.

1910-1978

born in New South Wales, Australia

died in Queensland, Australia

my paternal 2nd cousin once removed

with his mother Mabel Cusack nee Hicks

1886-1933

wife of my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed

William Hugh Fay Cusack

Photo taken 1911 in Australia.

Common Ancestors:

Ellen Cusack and Richard J. Brown

my great grandparents

Whilst it's quite large, this hat is decorated rather simply ...

Mary Margaret O'Donnell

1890-1971

born and died in Queensland, Australia

my maternal great aunt

Photo taken 1912 in Queensland, Australia.

Common Ancestors:

Edmond O'Donnell and Bridget Burke

my great grandparents

Another sailor hat ... looks like it's part of a costume ...

Francis Sydney Busine

1899-1982

born and died in New South Wales, Australia

husband of my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed

Charlotte Bertha Cusack

1899-1971

Photo taken c. 1915 in Australia.

Everyday 1920s hats ...

Charles John Hugh McGuiness

1859-1952

born and died in New South Wales, Australia

my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed

Common Ancestors:

James Exton and Susannah Lancaster

A pith helmet ... ?

Charles Barrow

1886-1948

born and died in New South Wales, Australia

my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed

Photo taken upon enlistment 1914

5th Australian Light Horse Regiment.

Common Ancestors:

Patrick Cusack and Eliza Exton

my 2x great grandparents

Ernest Johnson

1889-1941

born and died in New South Wales, Australia

husband of my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed

Ruby May Connors

Photo taken upon enlistment in 1914

1 Light Horse Regiment in Australia.

Robert Henry Johnson Gall

1882-1939

born and died in New South Wales, Australia

my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed

Photo taken upon enlistment 1915

13th of 2nd Light Horse in Australia.

Common Ancestors:

Henry Johnson Brown and Caroline Penelope Browning

my 2x great grandparents 

More restrained hat fashion of the 1920s ...

Norah Elliott nee Lonergan

1902-1982  (on the left)

born and died in the USA

my maternal 1st cousin 2x removed

with her mother Mary (Minnie) Lonergan nee O'Donnell

1872-1951

my 2nd great aunt

Photo taken 1927 in New York.

Common Ancestors:

John O'Donnell and Catherine Joy

my 2x great grandparents

I'm joining Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2020 project / challenge.

This time I'm catching up with the prompt for Week 25 of 2020 - ''Unexpected".

You can join by blogging or posting on social media with the tag #52Ancestors.

Check out Amy's FB pages:  Generations Cafe  or  Amy Johnson Crow