WEEK 2 – Favourite photoThis gets
harder every year because once you’ve used your “favourite photo” you
can’t use it again and therefore no other photo is your “favourite photo”.
However,
I have sat and gone through some of the old photos and decided to use this one
of Elizabeth Ann Tanner she was the wife of my 2nd cousin 4x
removed.
The look on
her face says everything! She had a very hard life. If only photos could talk,
but they say a picture paints a thousand words and this certainly does.
Elizabeth was
born 16 March 1847 In Greenwich, London. She was the daughter of William Tanner
and Elizabeth Ruzbridge. Records have been few and far between for Elizabeth,
and many people have her (photos and date of birth etc) linked to various
parents. I have her mother’s name from GRO index and her fathers from her death
record. However, I am not 100% sure that these are correct as I can’t find a
marriage that matches, and others have her father married to 3 different
Elizabeth’s!
I have not
been able to locate Elizabeth on any England census records, there are plenty
for her name with matching parents but locations and year don’t match of birth.
In 1863 at
aged only 16years and 5months she was married off to Daniel Frederick Haylock
who was 24years old, in New Zealand – their marriage licence says she was a minor!
His family had left England over 10years earlier linked to the Gold mine
industry. As with everything else linked to Elizabeth transport from England to
New Zealand is hit and miss as well. I found one possible record but the age
was out by 3 years.
Linked
to the above photo, it was sent to me from a Haylock ancestor who lives out in
Australia, it was linked in with the family Bible. She told me that this photo
was taken the day before Elizabeth’s wedding. Is this why she looks so sad because
she was being forced to get married? Who knows. It sure can’t have been fun
being a teenage bride!
As well as
this information about the photo I was told that she had a baby just before she
turned 17years old but sadly it never lived, I have not found information on
this. But she did go on to have 12 children the last was when she was 45years
old.
Even in this later photo of Elizabeth, she still looks like
she has the weight of the world on her shoulders, bless her. She is one of
those people who I would like to sit and have a coffee and a chat with to find
out her story.
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