EGGINS FAMILY - Grafton NSW area

[Ed1946]

Hi Sue,

Wow, your ‘impressions’ are comprehensive – thanks for the trouble you have taken.

Unfortunately I don’t have any other Eggins photos for comparison.

I agree with you that the photo is probably circa 1900-ish. 

I did a search of the NSW Birth Register using some ‘educated’ assumptions.
i.e. assuming the girl is 14 and the photograph was taken in 1903 – her birth would be 1889.
A search using a five year variation from 1889 i.e. 1884-1894 resulted in 17 female Eggins births in Grafton.
A search using a three year variation from 1889 i.e. 1886-1892 resulted in 13 Eggins births in Grafton. (Any births at Alumny Creek would have been registered at Grafton).

My problem is that the small community of Alumny Creek was ‘awash’ with Eggins inhabitants so it is impossible to narrow it down enough using assumptions to achieve any meaningful result.   

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Kind regards,
Ed

[maddys52]

Some other thoughts for consideration:

A William EGGINS of Alumny Creek had his left ear badly damaged in a accident in 1885. I think this is the William married to Susan.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18883895
The man in the photo has both ears that look the same.

Also, Susan (Susie) EGGINS died in 1913 aged 43 (after an operation for goitre).
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/235419401

William and Martha EGGINS were having marital problems in 1882, unsure whether they reunited. Also, unclear whether they were in Alumny Creek.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/235155648

James EGGINS (husband of Mary A) died in 1904 (deceased when daughter Annie married in 1906).
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/127709608
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/61451106

So depending on when the photo was taken, it is possibly not James.

From these thoughts, it is possible then that the photo is of either Thomas and Eliza (with Amy, Lena or Lilly) or Albert and Sophia and daughter Linda.

However, these are just speculation.

[Neale1961]

My money is still on it being Frederick and Evalyn, and a daughter.

[maddys52]

I think it very much depends if the date of the photo can be narrowed down. No offense meant to Wiggy and Sue  , but Jim and Carol and Gadget (and others) are really good at dating photographs, so putting it on the "dating photographs" board would be a good idea.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/free-photo-restoration/

[sparrett]

I do agree Maddy.
However, more thoughts on a quiet Saturday afternoon.

Regarding Neale's thinking the couple are Frederick Clarence Eggins and wife Evelyn Maud Eggins (nee BALE)
I can see a resemblance to the seated man in the photo in Reply #1.
Also in the one I have found online which is stated to be Frederick Clarence EGGINS. See below.

Evelyn had a girl in 1889 before she was married, Muriel Florence.
BALE Florence
33818/1889
Mother EVELYN M M
At LISMORE

After the marriage between Federick and Evelyn, the girl sometimes used the surname EGGINS,
This (unpleasant) news clip confirms the relationship.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/234800194

In the in Memoriam following Frederick's 1913 death, placed by his children, Muriel is not mentioned .
The photo may be of mother, daughter and stepfather.

[wivenhoe]

"It's the Eggins Family from the Alumny Creek area"

How do you know that they are EGGINS?.

What is on the back of the photo ie. name of photographer?

Can you scan and put here an image of the back of the photo.

If it is the EGGINS family that you have named, and there is only one child in the photo, you might suspect that the photo was taken for a particular event involving that girl....maybe a birthday?

Any noteworthy events in the family ie daughter gained music scholarship to study in Sydney etc.?

[feno]

Hello,just my tuppence worth,Strange but  this family   do not strike me as being from  a farming background,very well fed and tailored,good leather shoes on the man,i think the girl is nearer 16 than 12,has she two different coloured buttons on her belt? best of luck,Feno.

[Gadget]

The man's clothing is definitely Edwardian and he does look very like Frederick.  If the daughter is Evelyn, it would be (say)1908-12.

Maybe Jim and Carol could add their thoughts.

Gadget

[Ed1946]

Thanks everyone for the thoughts and suggestions.

Maddy – Thanks for your research I will check out all the links. I appreciate the trouble you have taken. I have posted the photo on the dating photographs board but no reply as yet.

Neale – There certainly is a resemblance between the two photos but there is a possibility they could be brothers; sometimes brothers can be very similar.   

Wivenhoe – The photo I have is a copy of the original which was given to me some years ago. The back of the photo is completely blank except for ‘Eggins’ hand-written.  There are no other markings and no photographer name.

Feno – The photo is a studio portrait so I guess that accounts for the man in a suit and the lady ‘dressed-up’. It was very common even for farming men to go to town in a suit around the time of this photo and even much later. My grandfather farmer wore a suit to town as late as the 1950’s and early ‘60’s.

Sue – Thanks for all the trouble you have taken. The men in the photos are certainly similar but as I said to Neale there is a chance they are brothers.

Thanks again, Ed