Mystery Solved

Back in May of 2010 I wrote this post about a picture of an unknown couple.  One of my second cousins in England had sent it to me.  He thought it might be from the New York branch of the family.  The copy of the picture he had was in a cardboard folder with the name of a photography studio in Brooklyn, New York.  My Grandfather and a couple of his brothers from England lived in Brooklyn, New York.  I had hopes of it being my grandparents. 

 

Well time has passed and my second cousin found another cousin and went and meet her and they had a lovely visit.  This cousin is a granddaughter of the second youngest son of our Great Grandparents.  So she is a generation closer then we are.  She told us the picture was an engagement picture of our

Great Grandparents. 

 

My first reaction was this is right, I could see a younger version of my Great Grandparents in the faces.  But I had to raise the question of the Brooklyn folder.  My cousins went back and checked with the granddaughter and she confirmed it was a picture that was in her home as she grow up and it was of her grandparents on their engagement.  I am taking her word for it.   There must have been several copies of the picture.  Somehow one of them made it to New York and was placed in a folder from Brooklyn.  Maybe someone needed the frame it was in to put a new family picture and placed the old family picture in the folder.  Somehow that folder with the picture made it back to England.  The granddaughter confirmed that the sons in New York sent money back to their Mom when she became a widow.   

 

So here is the picture of

Mary Ann Holmes and Walter Thomas Chaplin

on their engagement.   

 

I wonder why her face is so serious.  Maybe it was the style of photography at that time. 

 

Here is the only other picture I have of my Great Grandparents together. 

 

 

 

 

The Unknown Couple

One of my new found cousins in England sent me this picture today. We do not know the couple, my cousin thinks the young man is a Chaplin. We know 3 Chaplin brothers came to the USA and lived in Brooklyn, New York. We know it was taken in Brooklyn New York. I think her dress is more 1890's in style than 1900's but I'm not a fashion whiz. In other words I have no clue what year the dress is from.

This picture evokes strong emotion in me, she almost looks like she is grieving a lost and he is comforting her. It is very tender and caring.



Here is a picture of my grandmother at about age 36, with my aunt Bea & my mother Edith. Do you think there is any resemblance? Part of me thinks there is, or is it just because I want it to be my grandmother and grandfather?