Friday 11 February 2011

Elizabeth Ann Mercer and Elizabeth Morris - Sepia Saturday


These two ladies are my Grans mother (left) and Grandmother (right)
I have no idea when this photo was taken, I'm guessing before Elizabeth was married in 1907.

 I wish I had a sweet story about these two ladies, however Mum remembers her Grandmother as being very horrible! She used to leave her children outside the pub whilst her and husband drank the afternoon away! She lived with my Mum for a few years in the 1950's and would steal all the fireside warmth with a huge chair and tell the kids to sit behind it!


Left: Elizabeth Ann Mercer 1886 - 1968
Born and died in Salford, Manchester
Married David Doak Hendry 24/08/1907
Children: Harold 1911, David 1914, Lily 1918 and John 1922

Right: Elizabeth Morris 1863 - ?
Born Manchester
Married Charles Albert Mercer in 1884
Children: Elizabeth, Charles 1890, Jane 1891, Alice 1894, William 1897, Lily 1898

14 comments:

  1. That is an incredibly interesting image! It almost looks like a piece of slate with the image etched into it. Perhaps cold as slate is an apt description of them.

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  2. Two fascinating images you have there!

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  3. what a sad story. I wish I could like your grandmother - but alas, no. I wonder if she had any redeeming qualities at all.
    Nancy

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  4. And I guess if your Mum's grandmother was leaving her children outside the pub that many years ago, it wasn't in an automobile either. So, they must have been sitting out in the elements. Poor dears.

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  5. But what hats! What could you keep in such hats? Both the fireside chair and enough bottles of beer to keep you away from the pub in days.

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  6. I love the photo... I love those HATS! And look at how tiny the waist is of the woman on the left *sigh*

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  7. Sad story aside, the photo is wonderful. The dresses, the hats! Photos like these make me think so many things, especially how the picture cannot begin to tell the tale. This picture has been through quite a bit on its own. Great post.

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  8. I too love the hats! And the story shows that not all family memories are warm and fuzzy, another slice of the darker side of life; there are shadows and skeletons in all closets..

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  9. Oh my goodness! I'm happy my grandmothers were sweet! My mother's grandmother even used to have my Mommy put her cold frozen hands underneath (yes really) her arm pits for warmth when she came in from outside! That's a grandma! Wonder if this lady was related to the Johnny Mercer family??? the music composer???

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  10. Great picture from the past. I've seen kids outside a pub years ago; these days they get taken inside!

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  11. People still do that with their kids, but they get arrested and there's a mug shot on the evening news. But I imagine the children outside the pub probably had 42 other children out there to play with. Perhaps someone came out now and again with some chips to snack on.

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  12. It's always sad to have a great photo and then bad memories to go with it. I'm so sorry she was such an awful mother. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. That's a very decorative dress "Gran's mother" is wearing and I agree, the hats are splendid. It's a shame you have the negative stories, as Nancy says, perhaps they had redeeming features that you don't know about :-) Jo

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  14. That picture is still hanging in there despite the wear and tear. I am glad you know who they are and you really can appreciate that you have that visual memory.

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