Astonishment envelopes a local family, after discovering photo albums dating back to the late 1800's. From secret love letters, to faded poems, the Bird family happened upon more than they had anticipated.
On the afternoon of a long Friday, the Bird residents were ready to settle down for the evening. Holding off some well deserved rest sounded almost criminal; and yet a sudden turn of events sent the sound of sleep running for the hills.
"I had picked up some old photo albums to go through, from my mum's house." Says Carshalton resident, Sarah Bird. "We hadn't realised how old some of the photos would be though." It was estimated that some were over 100 years old.
A favourite family photo, depicts Sarah's Great Grandmother Eliza. The young girl is dressed in Victorian Era clothing, clutching a fan and leaning against a mantle piece. Written in pen, is a description: 'Mother when she was about 18 years old before marriage'. It's estimated that Eliza would have been born around 1898. The photography firm, 'U.S.A Studios' was a popular choice during the war, according to photohistory-Sussex.co.uk. Sarah Bird explains the first time the family encountered this photo:
"It was a real surprise that these photographs even existed. We weren't aware of just how old some of them were. This particular one was actually the first to show us that. It was strange seeing into my ancestors' past."
Sarah leaned in across the hundreds of photos. "There had always been a rumour that my Dad's side of the family were wealthy. Though we didn't know for sure." Intrigued by her words, an investigation was spurred to attempt to find some answers. And interestingly, it turned out that the Bird family's suspicions weren't far off.
One photo in particular had caught everyone's attention. It's colour had faded, the smartly dressed man's features hardly distinguishable, but the prominent eyes a recognisable trait. It was obviously much older than the others. An inscription on the back: 'James Bird, Grandma Eliza's Husband'. Though it wasn't the man that caught my attention - it was the photography firm's poster on the back:
'Hellis & Sons - Regent Street. Photographers to his highness'.
The prestigious photography firm, 'Hellis & Sons', was established in the late 1850's. In fact, another photo published by the firm has been archived in the V&A Museum. It's product note? Limited Edition. Considering how distinguished the firm was at the time, it was likely the family's suspicion was partly based on fact. Though what had happened to the Bird family's affluence? For now, the answers remain a mystery.
Among the countless array of photo albums, Sarah discovered another interesting find. A scrap book created by Jessica Bird, Sarah's Grandmother. "The scrapbook was beautiful," says Sarah, "I think because it wasn't just photographs, it was full of drawings, letters, poems and newspaper cuttings from the 1940's." She continued, flipping through the pages, "My favourite item was a letter my aunt Beryl had sent home after she had emmigrated to Canada in the 1950's. It was full of details we weren't aware of and had some very funny notes."
The letter dated back to October the 16th, 1956 and enclosed details such as: the progress of Beryl's pregnancy, hay fever troubles and a funny anecdote regarding her Uncle - "Auntie Rosie has asked me to write to Uncle Harry, but he didn't reply to the last letter that I wrote to him, so I don't feel very inclined to do so. It's a pity that he's turning out to be such a hermit."
On another note, Leah Gomez, (the daughter of Sarah Bird, who also lives locally to Carshalton), shared her thoughts on the subject. "I would have to say the love letter from my uncle to my aunt is my favourite. It's very romantic; he tries to put his feelings of addoration into words for her." The letter is eight pages long, the paper yellowing from age. It was a moving letter, concluding, 'Darling, this letter has taken three hours to think of, and our love will take the rest of our lives to prove.'
Although the albums provided a look into the past for the Bird residents, the memories feeling an era away, Sarah Bird stood by one line. "No matter the time or place, family, love and laughter will always survive. Looking through our lineage proved that to us."
