My contribution to Sepia Saturday this week, with its request for mother and baby photos is this carte de visite presenting John Henry Baynham Bosley born in Adelaide 6th June 1869 and sitting on the knee of his mother Corah.
This photographer changed the information on the back of his cards from time to time and this allows us to date this photo to 1869 – 1870.
Also in the photo is Thomas George Dufty Bosley. born October 1867, sitting on his father’s knee, with Eliza Bosley born 1864 standing between her parents. There had been another daughter Annie but she had died. These children are my grandfather’s cousins.
The father in the photo is Thomas Bosley who came from Coleford in Gloucestershire and he was the older brother of my great grandmother Eliza Fricke We have seen her before in Tea Time with Bikes , at home in Newland St Coleford and as the mother of the bride in the Bride was Eliza.
But we have also met the toddler Thomas George on the right of the photo when he was older in Men in Aprons – Potters When this Tom Jr. was nine years old he began work at Hindmarsh Pottery as an apprentice to his Uncle George, now his stepfather. His job was to weigh up the clay and prepare the balls for “throwing”.
Thomas and Corah had six children before Thomas died in 1873, three months before his sixth child was born. Corah who was still in her twenties then married Thomas’s younger brother George and had six more children.
This photo was in the possession of Eliza Fricke (nee Bosley), when she died. She lived in Carisbrook, Victoria and her two brothers in Adelaide, South Australia. Eliza Fricke’s two Bosley brothers are the only Adelaide connection discovered in the family , No one has said that this is a photo of Thomas and Corah Bosley and their children but my identification is based upon the fact of Eliza Fricke’s two brothers living in Adelaide , the dating of the photo from recorded identifications used on the back of the carte de visite, and the order and ages of the children.
Another carte de visite from Adelaide dated at 1874 – 5 is this photo which I believe is the younger brother George, the second husband to Corah. He was a prominent potter in Adelaide at that time.
I am quite confident with my deductions; Until someone proves me wrong.
More Mums and Bubs and other bits and pieces are to found on this week’s Sepia Saturday.
Bound for Australia 
Good Work!
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I like all the clues you found in the photo to date it. I have found several cases in my own family tree of young widows marrying their husband’s brother and widowers marrying their wife’s sister.
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That makes the kids doubly-related: both cousins and half-siblings! Very confusing for family trees, but very interesting.
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Your deductions are probably correct, but it is good that you are keeping your mind open to being proved wrong.
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I always think, when I see family portraits from back in the day, how unfortunate they couldn’t be allowed to smile because of the camera’s limitations. Otherwise, that family portrait would have had a much happier look. Corah appears to be a very pretty woman, & Thomas, a rather handsome fellow which would have shown up even better, had they been able to smile. Oh well. They’re still a handsome family. But TWELVE children? Aaaack!
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Late 1860s looks about right for that first photo, to me.
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I am green with envy that you have photos of so many ancestors.
Despite that I am enjoying your writing. Please keep going.
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Great when you can deduce the identity of people in old family photographs. Poor Coral might not have had too much to smile about, even when not posing for the camera, with all those children coming in quick succession!
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Well, no-one can say Corah didn’t do her bit for carrying oin the family name!
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I wonder how many copies were made. The family group looks like something one would send to distant relations to announce a newborn.
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I’m in awe of Corah. When photographed she’s been pregnant four times and lost a child and she’s still very, very young but look how beautifully dressed the family is. How sad that her handsome Thomas died.
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None of my family were the kind who thoughtfully dated, named persons and places on the back of photos. Drives me crazy!! And, are my photographs so identified?? HA, not by a long shot. Good sluething, you did.
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