All Because of a Photograph

"All Because of a Photograph"

As I described in an earlier issue of Buckets and Spades, it was a photo which started me off on the family history quest. And now, another recently discovered photo has led me to one of the most exciting finds of the search so far. This photo comes from a collection by my father-in-law, who died in 1957. He was an avid photographer in the early 1920's and we have about 20 albums of his. Unfortunately, these were never labelled and so it is difficult to name many of the people portrayed and there is no one left to ask who they were. There is one I particularly like which we know to be my husband's great grandmother who is being wheeled in a bath chair! However, the most intriguing ones are those of places. Why were they taken? They must have had a family connection.

My husband and I grew up in Cambridge and he knew very little about his family history. So he was pleasantly surprised when I found that the Pilgrims originated from Great Chesterford which is a village 10 miles away, just outside Saffron Walden. We often go to stay with my cousin who lives in Saffron Walden and we took the albums with us on a recent visit to see if she could recognise any of the places. She believed that some of them were of Great Chesterford which she knows well. With my husband laid low with a very bad cold, she and I set off to have a look to see what we could find. Driving slowly round the village, we spotted what we thought must be the cottage in the picture shown, there is a pub in the background and the cottage, now beautifully restored, was clearly the one in the photo. And the clincher was the name near the door, "The Old Bakery".

I knew from Census returns that 2X great grandfather, Thomas Pilgrim, had been a baker in this village. Urged on by my cousin, I knocked on the door which was answered by a charming gentleman. After showing him the photo and explaining the reason for calling, I was invited in and unbelievably, shown the deeds of the property which proved that it was indeed a former Pilgrim residence. The deeds showed that The Old Bakery was:
Acquired by John Pilgrim (4X great grandfather) in the late 1700's from the Marquis of Bristol, the Lord ofthe Manor.

John Pilgrim bequeathed it to his youngest son, William (3X great grandfather) William bequeathed it to his son Thomas (2X great grandfather) on 28 October 1851 Thomas bequeathed it to his son Robert (2X great uncle) on 26 November 1877 Robert sold it out of the family in 1918 and went to live in London.

This encounter left me shaking with excitement and I couldn't wait to report back to the sick husband who was most disappointed not to have been there. We now had the reason for the photo being taken.

So, this chance meeting proves to me yet again, that there is often an element of luck in this continuous search for our history and that you should never be afraid to knock on doors for you never know what you will find.

Journal Article: 

all-because-of-a-photograph-73.pdf