Unclaimed/unidentified Wylie family photographs (Killycowan/Ballymena)

[James18]

Hi all,

A second cousin of my mother's recently sent me a CD with 250+ digital photos of various Wylie family members. Most of these photos were taken in the Killycowan and Ballymena areas of Antrim, Northern Ireland in the early part of the 20th century.

Sadly, with the exception of a single photograph of my great-grandfather and his siblings, I cannot verify who is on any of them, but they are beautiful photographs taken of everyday family life in rural Antrim, and I would very much like to find someone who recognizes old relatives on them.

I'm not going to upload the entire collection online, but I will post a couple of examples here, and if anyone has family from that neck of the woods and recognizes the Wylie name, please do let me know.

I do hope to find another home for them, as they are fantastic photos but sadly will remain unidentified for now.






Cheers,

James

[Tamara Brooks]

Hi James,

I have a James Douglas Wylie (abt 1859 - 1916), who married Elizabeth Annie Thompson (1866 - 1942). He had siblings, however I have had no luck finding out names... His father was named John, mother unknown. His wife and he, had a number of children. Some of which ended up moving to Australia.
I am unsure if any of these photos would fit with this part of the Wylie tree, or even if your part does.. But I would be grateful if you could share any info you may have.

Tam

[James18]

Hi Tam,

Thanks for getting in touch. Sadly the name does not ring a bell with me, and it's certainly not a name that appears on my family tree as of now. I've e-mailed your query to a cousin in the US who has a more expansive family tree covering her side of the family, so once she gets back to me I'll let you know.

James

[Cell]

Hi James,
what gorgeous photos - I love the one of the little boy with the ducks. That's the type of photo  that I would hang on my wall even if he was no relation to me. Is that other one a  school photo or Sunday school etc? I don't suppose there is anything on the back of that one saying what school it is. Incidentally I think that little girl in the front row , second from left bears an amazing resemblance to the lady behind that has her hand on the girl in front of her.
 I noticed that child( second from left) the most in the picture as she looks the spitting image of one of my mother's sisters at that age ( she's not though )

 I'm sure many, many people would be very interested in seeing them.
A site I browse a lot  is this one http://www.downmemorylane.me.uk/ - I even found a pic on there of my mum's first cousin in school as a child back in Ballymena - I was really stoked!
The site will watermark them for you so they remain your property.

Another place I love looking at old photos of the area is this facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Oldphotosballymena/timeline.
so another possibility for you if you do want to post them online.

Perhaps if you post them to any of the above sites, someone may recognise something. Even if they don't recognise anything, they will still bring much joy to others.
 I think I would also be tempted to upload them to a webpage of my own to preserve them for future generations. So many photos are forgotten/ lost in people's attics or cupboards and eventually get destroyed. I know you say you have a cd, it may be worth backing them up if you haven't done so already.

Kind regards

[James18]

Hi Cell,

Yes, I agree, they are wonderful photos - a fantastic glimpse into the past. I agree that the photo of the boy with the ducks is wonderful, and I do wonder who it is. It's possible he is still alive, but I am unable to verify the dates of the photos. I would guess 1920s - 1950s, as I don't think they're all from the same era. Certainly the one with my great-grandfather and his siblings on (not uploaded here) must be about 1950.

I've taken your advice and contacted (by e-mail) the Ballymena Facebook group you linked to, so hopefully they get back to me.

Thanks again for your help. I really hope someone is able to come forward.

[Treetotal]

How lovely they are too James...thanks for sharing...do you know if there were any photographers in the family...there must be a family connection somewhere.
Carol

[James18]

Well, praise be, I now know who a lot of those people are! Having spoken to a relative of mine on the phone this evening, it seems that many of the photos in the set I received are of her grandmother's family, and so not relevant to myself. However, of the photos that are relevant to me, I now know who most of the people are, including the cute wee man feeding the ducks there (and in another photo, he's riding a pig!)

As suspected, the photos of the large house (you can see a part of it above, with the girl stood outside a corrugated shed) are the Wylie family farm in Killycowan.

(Reply copied from another post on Family Tree Forum)

[Treetotal]

Great news James....so pleased you have found out who they are
Carol

[indianlisa22]

Hi James,
My grandfather was born in Ballymena (Balleywatermoy) Antrim County in 1900. His name was William James Wylie. He was the 5th of 9 children of John Wylie and Elizabeth Russell.  The photo with all the people in it looks like my great grandmother (Elizabeth). My great Grandfather John is a sibling of 10 children to Andrew and Jane.
You also mention Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. My great grandmother had lived there when she was 20 and went back again in her end years.
I believe this may be part of my family.  My mother is quite the researcher of our family and would know for sure.  I've been to Ireland and explored my history and still have family there. I look forward to hearing from you and am quite excited to see if these are part of my history.
Thanks, Lisa