Spotlight on ... Small!

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 eighth collection post, the spotlight is on ... Small!

I have just a few photos showing small children and I'll focus on the littlest one in the group, or the only child in the portrait.

This photo shows John Herbert Smith, the little baby in front, and his siblings.  It was taken in late 1884, and sadly these children lost their mother the following year. John Herbert was not quite 2 when his mother died. 

He grew up to become the husband of my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed, marrying Lily Anne Cusack in 1910 when he was 26 years old.  They went on to have five children.

Here is John Herbert later on and I'm guessing from his attire that this portrait might have been taken on his wedding day, aged 26.

Shared Ancestors:  (with John's wife Lilly Anne) Michael Cusack and Mary Green, my paternal 3x great grandparents.

This photo shows baby Sidney (Sydney) Matthew Kean sitting on his mother's lap.  It would have been taken end 1890/early 1891.  Sidney's mother, my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed Caroline Maria Kean nee Browning, is with her children Elsie Eugene Maria on the far right of the photo, Caroline Ann on the left, with Sidney in between (all my paternal 2nd cousins 2x removed). 

Sidney's sister Caroline (on the left) died within two years, in 1893.  Sidney gained a new sister Adeline, that same year; and a new brother Lewis, the following year. Sadly, Sidney's father died just two years later.  His mother re-married the following year and went on to have another three children, Ester, Henry and Elizabeth.

By the time Sidney was in his late 20s, he had lost four more of his siblings, including his brother Lewis who had died been killed in action in France in 1918.  Sidney married that same year at the age of 28, in Queensland, and went on to have six children.  He lived his married life in Queensland and died at the age of 63.

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

This is a photo of a young man named Percival William Legge.

Yes, he's a boy and looking like a girl as was the custom of his time.  When we look at these photos we see boys dressed in clothes that looked like they should be worn by girls.  In their time however, this was the norm.

This photo was taken around 1900 when Percival would have been three years of age.  Percival (known as Percy) was born in England but emigrated to Australia in 1909 when he was 21.

Percy married my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed, Elizabeth (known as Lizzie) Irene Jones, in 1912 when he was 25 years old.

He enlisted in September of 1918 when he was 31.  Tragically though, Percy died the following year, in December of 1919.  His death was not related to his war service.  Although he couldn't swim, Percy had joined friends in the water at Evan's Head one afternoon and got caught in a very strong undertow which resulted in his death by drowning.  He was survived by his wife and three children.

Shared Ancestors:  (with Percival's wife Elizabeth Jones)  James Exton and Susannah Lancaster, my paternal 3x great grandparents

In this photo, taken upon the eve of the soldier's departure to war in 1916, you can see a tiny little baby laying on her mother's lap.  That little lady is Heather Mavis McCann, daughter of Margaret McCann nee Auld Brindley, and Herbert John McCann.  Heather would have been about a month old.

Heather was born in June of 1916 and already had two sisters and two brothers, seen in the photo.  Her oldest brother had died eight years before this photo was taken.  

My relationship with Heather is quite distant.  She is the niece of my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed (through his marriage).  

This next photo was taken just over a year later in late 1917 or early 1918.  Heather is sitting on her mother's lap, surrounded by her siblings.

At this stage Heather's father was away fighting in the Middle Eastern theatre of WW1.  This portrait may have taken so it could be sent to him as a reminder of why he needed to return!

Thankfully he did and after her father's return from the war, Heather gained another two brothers born in rapid succession in 1920 and 1921.

Heather married Alexander Bell in 1938 when she was aged 22.  This photo shows the married couple on their wedding day.

I have very little information about Heather's life other than she wed Alexander and they had a long married life.  She died at the age of 89 in Queensland.

Shared Ancestors:  (with Heather's father's brother-in-law)  James Exton and Susannah Lancaster, my paternal 3x great grandparents.

The baby in this photo is Hazel Joyce McCann, my paternal 3rd cousin once removed.

Hazel was born in 1920, in Lismore, New South Wales; the daughter of Charles John McCann and Alma Florence Barrow.

This photo was likely taken in late 1921 when Hazel was aged one.  She was the last of nine children born to Charles and Alma.

In 1943, at the age of 22, Hazel married Victor Kleiss, a sailor in the U.S. Armed Forces.  

The wedding portrait shows Hazel with her husband, and on the far left is her brother Cecil (known as Pat) McCann.

After WW11, in early 1948, Hazel and her husband emigrated to the U.S.A. where they settled down and raised a family of five children.

Hazel died in Florida, United States, in 1977 at the age of 56.

Shared Ancestors:   James Exton and Susannah Lancaster, my paternal 3x great grandparents.

This charming young man is Cecil Eric (known as Pat) McCann, my paternal 3rd cousin once removed and the brother of Hazel mentioned above and youngest son of Charles John McCann and Alma Florence Barrow.

(He was in the previous wedding portrait taken on his sister's wedding day).

Cecil was born in late 1914 and this portrait was taken around 1916, when Cecil was not quite 2.

Interestingly, Cecil married when he was 22 years old, like his sister Hazel; and died at the age of 56, like his sister Hazel.  He died in 1971 in Lismore, New South Wales.

This photo taken in the late 1930s shows Cecil (known as Pat) McCann and his wife Kathleen.

Shared Ancestors:   James Exton and Susannah Lancaster, my paternal 3x great grandparents.

This baby, swaddled in his blanket, is Noel Kenneth Goddard, the son of Arthur Sidney Goddard and wife Rita Snedden.  Baby Noel was born just over a year after his father's return from service in WW11.  

The relationship between Noel and myself is quite a distant one.  He is the grandson of my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, Sarah Anne Snedden nee Exton's husband.  Sarah's husband re-married after her death, so the relationship with Noel is purely through marriage.

This photo, taken almost ten years later in 1956, shows Noel on the left, his brother on the right, standing with a U.S. fighter pilot!  What an exciting experience that must have been for both boys.

This last photo is one of my favourites, probably because it's obviously not a professional shot.

That baby snuggled in between her grandparents is Dawn, granddaughter of Alice May Beakey nee Bidgood (my maternal great aunt's sister-in-law) and Michael J Beakey.  This photo was taken in 1957 when Dawn was 3 months old.

I noticed so many great details in this shot which makes it a favourite. You can see a mat has been strung up behind the group to provide a lovelier background.  The mat covered the old shearing shed behind them.  Shearing sheds are certainly not the most picturesque background for a family photo!

I love the fact that Grandma Alice May didn't take off her apron, although it looks like she's wearing one of her best pair of shoes. I love Granddad Michael's spotted jumper, and I simply adore that mop of thick jet black hair atop Dawn's head!  It's a wild look!

Alice May, standing on the left, was 70 years old (she was the sister-in-law of my maternal great aunt Susan Bidgood nee McCane) and her husband Michael would have been 67.

I think it's quite wonderful that they were still meeting their very young grandchildren in their twilight years!  Alice May and Michael had both sadly passed away within six years, so perhaps little Dawn did not have all that many memories of her grandparents.

Shared Ancestors:  (with Dawn's grandmother's sister-in-law Susan Bidgood nee McCane)  my great grandparents Owen McCane and Margaret Farrell.