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Yelland
/Allin /Harvie Family Photo Album |
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THE ALBUM AS IT WAS FOUND Album Binding Back of Album It is a miracle the photos survived! Where the Album Came From The original album was discovered, by fortunate chance, on the North Augusta, Ontario, dump by a bulldozer operator whose machine uncovered it in the summer of 2011. Miraculously, although the front and rear covers were torn off in this process, the interior of the album remained intact, and the photos and identifying slips therein remained in remarkable shape. It seems unlikely that the album was in the dump for more than a few days prior to it being rescued, given the superior condition of the contents. The operator jumped down, grabbed what was left of the album, and gave it to his brother who listed it on EBay for him. Rod Anstee, from Ottawa, bought it and picked it up just outside of Kemptville, Ontario, just south of Ottawa. The surnames are Yelland, Allin, and Harvie for the most part. While surfing the internet in this regard, Rod came across my site, sent me an E-mail, and asked if I had an interest in the photos; to which I of course said yes. Rod’s hobby is old photos and old photo albums especially, and in this case most of the photos in the album were labelled by some kind souls, making it extra special. This was a typical late 19th century family photo album containing slots for Cabinet Card-sized images about 4” by 6” (which came into use about 1866) at the front; and slots at the back for CDV-sized images "carte de visite" meaning “visiting card,” approximately 2.5” by 4” (which came into use about 1851). The album contained a total of 28 images - 25 Cabinet Cards and 3 CDVs. Almost all of the photos have been identified on slips of paper slipped into each sleeve along with the photo. It appears that two different people wrote these notes - i.e. there is an older looking, larger and shakier hand on most slips, and on some of the slips there is a younger looking, more smoothly cursive hand adding to the information. Thus, there could have been two owners of the album. Although it was not possible, at the time of discovering the album, to say for certain, it appeared likely that the primary writer of these notes was one of the three daughters of Grace (Yelland) Allin - her eldest daughter, Elizabeth "Bessie" Fishleigh (Allin) Harvie [1869-1941], her middle daughter, Mary "Maude" Alice (Allin) Cunningham, (M.A.C.) [1876-1970], or her youngest daughter, Anna "Annie" Fidelia (Allin) Stewart [1878-1945]. Their particular use of identifiers in these notes -- like “brother”, “cousin”, or “uncle” -- supports this conclusion. The younger, second handwriting, may have been done by an adult child of either of these women or by another close friend or relative. On the unattached slips found loose in the album, one states “Ida Hicks/Mrs. Art Deviney /who is Uncle Dan’s (Daniel Stryker Harvie) sister.” This reference to Ida Hicks Harvie as “Uncle Dan’s sister” supports the theory of the second owners of the album. This would also suggest that the second writer was a child of Elizabeth "Bessie" Fishleigh (Allin) Harvie, Mary "Maude" Alice (Allin) Cunningham, or Anna "Annie" Fidelia (Allin) Stewart. Actually, to make the story more interesting, I received an Email on 24 Sep 2012 from June (Northey) Rice, the daughter of Grace Lillian (Cunningham) Northey (G.N.) telling me that she put the album in the waste transfer station in Maynard, ON; from there it was taken to the landfill in North Augusta, ON, where it was found by the bulldozer operator. She confirmed that it was indeed her mother, Grace Lillian (Cunningham) Northey (G.N.) and her grand-mother, Mary "Maude" Alice (Allin) Cunningham (M.A.C.), who originally owned the album and wrote the information slips. She said she recognised the handwriting. Almost all of the photos in the album were taken at Peterboro/Peterborough, Ontario studios – the spelling varies -- and the majority of them were taken at one of the P.H. Green studios. This studio operated in Peterborough, in at least two different locations, between 1886 and 1896. The key to this album lies with two of the children of William Yelland Sr. [1797-1862] and Thomazin Northcott [1799-1877] of Thrushelton, Devon, England - William Yelland [1832] and Grace Yelland [1845] - both eventually were immigrants to Canada. The elder child was William Yelland [1832-1920] who came to Canada in 1851, at 19 years of age. He married here, 1 Sep 1857, to Elizabeth Fidelia Sweeting; after setting himself up as a blacksmith and later a carriage maker, in Peterborough, Ontario; and proceeded to raise a large family. The other, younger child was Grace Yelland [1845-1927] who married Samuel Fishleigh Allin in Devon, England, 30 Apr 1868, and started a family there before coming to Canada in 1872. The note attached to Photo #13 in the album indicates that it was her brother William who convinced Grace, his younger sister, and her husband, Samuel Fishleigh Allin, to come to Canada. Grace (Yelland) Allin and Samuel Fishleigh Allin also settled in Peterborough, where they had the rest of their family; and remained for the balance of their lives. The Allin family were for a time the proprietors of a pottery manufacturing firm, Peterborough Pottery, which the family continued to run for some years after the death of Samuel Fishleigh Allin in 1884. As the list of photos makes clear, the bulk of this album is filled with images of members of these two families, along with their spouses, friends, and acquaintances. The Bold printing above the photos is what was written on the identifying slips and the Italics printing below the photos are my notes and comments. Some of the photos are listed without the photo attached because I didn’t receive them from Rod Anstee as they were not actual family members. THE PHOTOS Photo #1. “Will Allin, M.A.C.’s brother /born 1873? /died age 22-23 /TB” Will is William
George Allin [3 Apr 1873 - 8 Jul 1898]
He was a
harness maker; probably in the shop owned by his Uncle
William Yelland.
Photo #2. “Will, Annie (youngest) and Maude (Mary)” William George
Allin [b.1873], Anna Fidelia Allin [b.1878], and Mary
Alice Allin [b.1876] M.A.C. is Mary (Maude) Alice Allin, Will’s sister, who married Amos Cunningham, 22 Oct 1901; which would suggest that at least part of the album was labelled after 1901.
Photo #3. “Grace Irene Harvie” /“Pt. Colborne (Fleming?)”
Grace Irene Harvie [b. 30 Jun 1894]
The
reference on
the identifying slip
to “Pt Colborne” and “Fleming” refers to
Photo #4. “Joe Yelland” Joseph Henry Yelland [23 Aug 1859 - 1 Sep 1951] Joseph Yelland is my Great-Grandfather.
He is the
twin brother of Benjamin Cragg Yelland [23 Aug 1859 -
23 Jun 1939], shown in Photo # 22.
Photo #5. “Alf? Plummer /friend of Will” Photo #6. “Aggie Smith /Mrs. Jack Smith” Photo #7. “Jack Perry /Friend of Will”
Photo #8. “Mima Creamer /Sister of Mrs. Joe Yelland”
Mima Creamer is Jamima
Isabella Creamer [b. 29 May 1873]
She
is the younger sister of Sarah Ann Creamer [9
May 1866 - 1 Apr 1953]
Photo #9. “Mike Halpin /in Uncle William’s Carriage Shop”
Mike Halpin
probably worked in William Yelland’s carriage shop.
Photo #10. “Mrs. Mike Halpin /Kept grocery store, S.W. corner of Geo. and Perry”
Photo #11. “Jack and Bessie (twins) /about 1884” "Jack" is John Fishleigh Allin; Bessie is Elizabeth Fishleigh Allin both born 18 Jan 1869.
Photo #12. “Fred Yelland” Fred Yelland is Frederick J. Yelland [4 Jun 1861 - 15 Sep 1898]. The son of William Yelland, he was a wheelchair cripple and died of Polio at age 37.
Photo #13. “Uncle Wm. Yelland” /“Grace Yelland Allin’s brother who persuaded her and her husband to come to Canada” William Yelland [10 Mar 1832 - 19 Sep 1920], my Great-Great-Grandfather. He came to Canada, 1 Jun 1851; and married Elizabeth Fidelia Sweeting, 1 Sep 1857.
He returned
to Devon, England in 1872 and convinced his younger
sister, Grace,
Photo #14. “Aunt Fidelia Yelland /wife of Wm.”
Elizabeth
Fidelia Sweeting [15 Sep 1832 - 15 Oct 1891]
Reference
to “Uncle” William and “Aunt” Fidelia again suggests
that the photo album belonged
Photo #15. Unidentified woman [Possibly Elizabeth Fishleigh (Allin) Harvie] Given its placement in the album, i.e. adjacent to Photo #16 [“Daniel Stryker Harvie”], it seems likely that this photo is one of Daniel Harvie’s four sisters, or is in fact a photo of his bride, Elizabeth Fishleigh Allin. Given family references on the identifying slips in the album, i.e., that William Yelland is identified as ”Uncle William,” there is a possibility that Elizabeth Fishleigh (Allin) Harvie was the owner of this album and the person who actually wrote some of the information on the identifying slips. If that were the case, it is perhaps not completely surprising that she did not trouble to identify herself. Also, close comparison of Photo #11 with Photo #15 certainly reveals a strong resemblance between the younger and older picture of the woman. To me, it certainly appears to be Elizabeth.
Photo #16. “Daniel Stryker Harvie”
Daniel Stryker
Harvie was Elizabeth Fishleigh Allin’s husband Daniel and Elizabeth married at Peterborough, Ontario, 4 Oct 1893.
Photo #17. “Mr. Hawley”
Photo #18. “John Fishleigh Allin”
John Fishleigh
Allin [1869-1963], twin brother of Elizabeth Fishleigh Allin;
Photo #19. “Miss Norish (sp?) /Now Mrs.--- /at Lakefield
Miss Norish was
Mary Grace (Norish) Preston, [26 Jan 1880 - 28 Apr
1976]
Daughter of
William Richard Norish and Elizabeth Ann Bickell
Photo #20. Unidentified Woman
Photo #21. “John F. Allin”
John Fishleigh
Allin [1869-1963], twin brother of Elizabeth Fishleigh Allin;
Photo #22. “Ben Yelland (blacksmith) /(M.A.C.’s cousin) + Mary + Dr. Max”
Benjamin Cragg
Yelland [23 Aug 1859 - 23 Jun 1939], Benjamin Cragg Yelland and Joseph Henry Yelland were the second set of twins in William Yelland’s family. M.A.C. is Mary Alice (Allin) Cunningham, daughter of Grace (Yelland) Allin, William’s sister.
Photo #23. “Miss Lemay /Related to the Battens /An acquaintance” Photo #24. “Miss Tena Elliott /Sister of Mrs. Sophie (Norman) Moncrieff”
Photo #25. Unidentified Young Woman* Photo #26. Unidentified Young Woman* These were two unattached slips found loose in the original album. It is unclear which of these two slips belongs with which of these two unidentified photos. * The first states: “Ida Hicks (Harvie) /Mrs. Art Deviney /who is Uncle Dan’s sister” This reference to Ida Hicks Harvie as “Uncle Dan’s sister” supports the theory of the two owners of the album. This would also suggest that this writer was a child of Elizabeth Fishleigh (Allin) Harvie (Elizabeth possibly gave the album to her child, who carried it on.) * The second states: “Miss Neill /sister of Robert Neill /Will’s Sunday School Teacher.”
Photo #27. “Mrs. Grace Allin and child /(Will?) G.N.’s grandmother” Grace (Yelland) Allin [1845-1927]
The child
is wearing a dress so it is not likely Will,
In the
reference to G.N.’s grandmother, G.N. is Grace
Lillian Cunningham, married to Clare Maxwell Northey,
daughter
of Mary
(Maude) Alice Allin, married to Amos B. Cunningham;
In a recent Email from
G.N.'s daughter, Linda Claire (Northey) Ashby, she
said that her mother, G.N., often used initials when
designating people in photographs. Photo #28. “Wm. Yelland?” William Yelland [1832-1920] This is a CDV photo, which came into use about 1851.
It appears
that William is about 20 years old in this photo and
it was possibly
taken shortly after |
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