From Herts to Hants and over to Wales for a donkey ride

 

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This is one of my favourite kinds of postcards to research. The recipient wasn't at their usual place of residence when they received the card. So would it be possible to confirm their identity?

Although the card's stamp has been removed it's still clear that it was sent from St Albans. So, I began by searching for a child born in St Albans in the first two decades of the 20th century. Fortunately, I only found Phyllis Harris and she was born in 1905. With that information, I searched for her in 1911 and found her with her parents, Frederick Harris and Susan nee Jones, and sister Marjorie. How did I confirm I had the correct family? As head of the household in 1911, Frederick had completed that year's 1911 census and the handwriting on that record was a perfect match for that on the card.

Why was Phyllis in Bournemouth? I couldn't find a close relative being in that area. In 1911, the address was a boarding house. Phyllis's parents were born in Penzance and Liverpool. They also lived in Rodborough, Gloucestershire. 

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Although this card of the donkeys on a beach was bought at the same time as the first postcard, it was only much later that I realised the connection. I know what you're thinking – but with thousands of names in my tiny head, it does happen. The address on the card is the one I found in 1911, but who sent it? 

I didn't spot a brother of Phyllis's father named Arthur but had more success with her mother. Arthur Jones was possibly Susan's youngest sibling. I found several brothers and sisters and some of these were step-siblings as Susan's father, William, married a widow – Harriet Hopkinson – in 1879. His first wife, and Susan and Arthur's mother, was Susannah Hamar. Her surname was passed on to a son, Frederick Hamar Jones. Susannah died in 1876 and in her probate records of 1879, William's occupation is coal merchant – which follows through the other records (marriage and census).

Very often my research is similar to a jigsaw puzzle – you have all the pieces and you just need to place them correctly. Other times, I'm joining the dots. Whichever it is, you can see with these two cards how I follow the families to bring it all together.

I'm so pleased I chose two postcards sent to the same person from a seller who had hundreds to choose from. I'm sure that many of the others would have belonged to Phyllis's collection.