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Messages - seemex

Pages: 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 ... 39
19
Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs / Re: William Leyland Hunter or John Hunter?
« on: Thursday 27 August 20 16:59 BST (UK)  »
I wonder what it would have cost to have a portrait painted back then? It's quite large, maybe 24 x 30 inches. That may settle it? I've also looked at sample collars and found some with that high wing in the 1890s too. My mother was given the painting in the 1960s by a relative in England and she had it shipped back to Canada. John Hunter was a tea merchant in Manchester and one point was partnered with Binyon's.
Why can't any of this ever be straight forward and simple? :)

20
Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs / William Leyland Hunter or John Hunter?
« on: Wednesday 26 August 20 20:08 BST (UK)  »
I have a painting of who I was told was my great grandfather, but I'm now thinking it may instead be my great great grandfather ( a generation earlier ) I'm wondering if someone can tell by the clothes or other details which t might be? 
The choices would be GGF  William Leyland Hutner 1844-1894 died at age 49 in England
Second choice,  John Hunter GGGF born 1815-1882 died at age 67 in England

Other facts are, my GGF died bankrupt with a wife and two young children and I wonder if he'd have had the money to have a portrait of himself done under those circumstances? Also the man in the picture looks older than 49 and I know in the UK portrait photography was readily available, as there are photos of his brother in the same era.

One the other hand, if it's his father, who died in 1882, aged 67, the painting would seem a more logical choice, not to mention the father would have had considerably better finances and more able to afford a commissioned portrait.

Thanks,
Brian





21
Other Countries / Re: India: Birth and marriage of Elsie Solan or Solon - surname unknown!
« on: Friday 10 July 20 22:57 BST (UK)  »
Funny!  :D I see there's a couple of more Elsie Jones in Ferndale...older ones, but coincidence.

22
Other Countries / Re: India: Birth and marriage of Elsie Solan or Solon - surname unknown!
« on: Friday 10 July 20 20:36 BST (UK)  »
How did she end up in Ferndale Washington?

23
Other Countries / Re: India: Birth and marriage of Elsie Solan or Solon - surname unknown!
« on: Friday 10 July 20 02:03 BST (UK)  »
Yes, today the use of English or American style names is quite common all over Asia But back in the day there were different reasons. Regardless of what those reasons were they were deemed necessary or useful. Both Asians and Europeans made use of aliases as each could open doors or make life easier. In the case of mixed races it became even more confusing but still there were legitimate reasons behind it all. The more I study the subject the more difficult it is to explain! The name Fok is of particular interest.  I wonder how it entered in your case?

24
Other Countries / Re: India: Birth and marriage of Elsie Solan or Solon - surname unknown!
« on: Thursday 09 July 20 21:58 BST (UK)  »
 I'm on so many pages looking for info, but someone recently posted that the name FOK is actually
 霍Huò. The FOK it seems, is just a close English word for the sound of that character. I'm catching on now. My great uncle appears to have had the same Chinese family name. I'm learning that Chinese names didn't necessarily mean a person was Chinese, nor did a British name mean they were not. There were reasons for it all. How the names were selected, either way, is still a mystery!

25
Other Countries / Re: India: Birth and marriage of Elsie Solan or Solon - surname unknown!
« on: Thursday 09 July 20 21:18 BST (UK)  »
Interesting this FOK name. I have it in my family too. So, the Chinese character for FOK is: 霍 which is Huò and when pronounced in Chinese, sounds a lot like FOK. So the translation is really of the "sound" of the character! Confused? :)


26
Other Countries / Re: Hong Kong:marriage Elsie Solan Fok or Huo and Leslie David Jones
« on: Thursday 09 July 20 15:52 BST (UK)  »
It looks like Solan and Solon were fairly common names in colonial India.

27
Other Countries / Re: Hong Kong:marriage Elsie Solan Fok or Huo and Leslie David Jones
« on: Wednesday 08 July 20 17:36 BST (UK)  »
Hi,
     Sorry, I've never really been able to figure out the alias process. I know with caucasians, the names are often given to a person by someone else, like a nickname. Chinese tend to have a series of names, a baby or nursing name, then later ones as they grow older, sort of like we might have Bobby, then Bob and finally Robert.
In my family, that FOK names seems to repeat. I wonder in your situation, how sure are you of Solan? Could it have been Sloan and mistranscribed along the way? Even if not, I'd check that in case there's a missed clue.

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