Gallery
Portraits and family photographs collected for the scrapbook, people first, then houses and graves, then documents. Click any photo to enlarge it.
1860s–1890s
Victorian portraits and cartes de visite, from the Miles family group to the Berkeleys in mourning.
c. 1868–1874. Inscribed "Mr & Mrs Miles & Family" in ink below the photo. This is almost certainly James Miles (1825–1874), the lead and glass merchant, and his wife Sarah née Brown (b. 1828), with their children: Sarah Ann (1850), Henry (1852), Alfred (1855), James (1858), Elizabeth (1861), Marion (c. 1865) and Kate (1868). The youngest girls look about 5–10, which points to about 1868–1874, before James died in 1874. The 1871 census has the family at Woodford Green, Essex. To check: name each person; the seated young man with a cane may be a son or a son-in-law.
c. 1870–1885. Rev. Robert Fitzhardinge Berkeley (1825–1893), identified by the family as "Canon Berkeley". Rector of St Philip, Barbados, and a canon; father of Fitzhardinge John Earle Berkeley and of Bishop Alfred Pakenham Berkeley, and Ursula's grandfather. A head-and-shoulders vignette carte de visite; he looks to be in his late 40s or 50s, which fits the 1870s or early 1880s. To check: the photographer's stamp on the back, which would say whether it was taken in Barbados or England and narrow the date.
c. 1875–1885. Unidentified. A full-length studio carte de visite. The fitted, buttoned bodice and long draped skirt date it to about 1875–1885. Given the other photos in this batch, she could be Sarah Ann Miles (b. 1850), who married into the Berkeley family about this time; compare her with Sarah Ann's 1877 portrait in Chapter 9.
c. 1893–1900. Caroline Anna Millard (1834–1900), identified by the family — Sancia's great-great-grandmother and wife of Canon Robert Fitzhardinge Berkeley. She wears a white widow's cap and dark dress, on a card with a black mourning border, so it was probably printed after Robert's death in Barbados on 18 July 1893. She died at Steyning, Sussex, on 9 January 1900. Her other portrait, and the Canon's, are in the Berkeley ancestry section of the scrapbook.
c. 1880–1895. Unidentified. A small child in a white dress on a buttoned chair. The studio is W. Avenell & Co, 48 West Street, Brighton — the same studio as Ursula's 1898 card to "Ted" (below), so the family had a Brighton connection over several years. Could the child be Ursula (b. 1877) or one of her Beane or Miles cousins?
June 1889. Wharton Embree Glean (1841–1901) with J. Wildman, at Streatham, London, in June 1889 (identified by the family). The mount is inscribed "Streatham — June 1889". Two men in hats stand at a wooden field gate with a woman in a long dress, a track and open country behind — Streatham was still semi-rural then. Wharton would have been 48, so this records a visit to England from Grenada. The scan was sideways and has been turned upright here. To check: which of the two men is Wharton; who J. Wildman was (a relative, friend or business contact?) and who the woman is; and whether a passenger list shows Wharton travelling to England in 1889.
1890s. Unidentified. A girl of perhaps 12–15 with very long loose hair tied with a bow, in a dark dress. Studio: M.N. Liza, Barbados. You sent two copies; one is kept. John Edward Haines Thomas was born in Barbados in 1870, so she may be from the Thomas side.
1890s. Unidentified. A young woman in a white dress with full puffed sleeves (fashionable about 1893–1898), standing behind potted ferns. Studio: Anton, West Indies. The card is damaged at the top corner. You sent two copies; one is kept. Compare her with Ursula (b. 1877), who would have been in her late teens.
c. 1893–1900. Caroline Anna Berkeley née Millard , wife of Canon Robert Fitzhardinge Berkeley and Ursula's grandmother. The first card is dated 1895 by the family. Its black border and her white widow's veil both point to mourning, which fits Robert's death in 1893. The second portrait, with the high puffed sleeves of the mid-1890s, looks to be from about the same time. To check: her birth and death dates, which aren't yet in the scrapbook.
c. 1893–1900. Caroline Anna Berkeley née Millard , wife of Canon Robert Fitzhardinge Berkeley and Ursula's grandmother. The first card is dated 1895 by the family. Its black border and her white widow's veil both point to mourning, which fits Robert's death in 1893. The second portrait, with the high puffed sleeves of the mid-1890s, looks to be from about the same time. To check: her birth and death dates, which aren't yet in the scrapbook.
c. 1895–1910. Sarah Ann Berkeley née Miles (b. 1850). The back reads "Evelyn — with love. Feb. '28" in dark ink, and "Grandma Berkeley" in a later blue hand. To Ursula's children, "Grandma Berkeley" would be Sarah Ann. The dress and hairstyle look c. 1895–1910, so the print was probably given away in February 1928 rather than taken then. To check: who "Evelyn" was (sender or recipient?); whether Sarah Ann was still alive in 1928; where the photo was taken — the landscape looks Caribbean.
c. 1895–1910. Sarah Ann Berkeley née Miles (b. 1850). The back reads "Evelyn — with love. Feb. '28" in dark ink, and "Grandma Berkeley" in a later blue hand. To Ursula's children, "Grandma Berkeley" would be Sarah Ann. The dress and hairstyle look c. 1895–1910, so the print was probably given away in February 1928 rather than taken then. To check: who "Evelyn" was (sender or recipient?); whether Sarah Ann was still alive in 1928; where the photo was taken — the landscape looks Caribbean.
April 1898. Ursula Saranne Berkeley (1877–1961), aged 20. The note records what is written on the card: On the back: "Write dearest love to Ted from Sara — April 1898". The last digit of the year looks as if it was written over. On the front: "Mother" and "U Thomas". Studio: Avenell & Co, 48 West Street, Brighton ("W. Avenell & Co" is printed on the mount). "Sara" is Ursula Saranne, and "Ted" is almost certainly (John) Edward Haines Thomas. She sent it to her future husband about two years before they married on 6 Jun 1900. "Mother" was added later, presumably by one of their children.
April 1898. Ursula Saranne Berkeley (1877–1961), aged 20. The note records what is written on the card: On the back: "Write dearest love to Ted from Sara — April 1898". The last digit of the year looks as if it was written over. On the front: "Mother" and "U Thomas". Studio: Avenell & Co, 48 West Street, Brighton ("W. Avenell & Co" is printed on the mount). "Sara" is Ursula Saranne, and "Ted" is almost certainly (John) Edward Haines Thomas. She sent it to her future husband about two years before they married on 6 Jun 1900. "Mother" was added later, presumably by one of their children.
April 1898. Ursula Saranne Berkeley (1877–1961), aged 20. The note records what is written on the card: On the back: "Write dearest love to Ted from Sara — April 1898". The last digit of the year looks as if it was written over. On the front: "Mother" and "U Thomas". Studio: Avenell & Co, 48 West Street, Brighton ("W. Avenell & Co" is printed on the mount). "Sara" is Ursula Saranne, and "Ted" is almost certainly (John) Edward Haines Thomas. She sent it to her future husband about two years before they married on 6 Jun 1900. "Mother" was added later, presumably by one of their children.
c. 1895–1905. Unidentified. Two small vignette portraits of a young woman with her hair drawn up, in high-necked, puff-sleeved blouses of about 1895–1905. They may be the same person. The black border on the second card is the style used for mourning cards. Compare with Ursula's 1898 card above.
c. 1895–1905. Unidentified. Two small vignette portraits of a young woman with her hair drawn up, in high-necked, puff-sleeved blouses of about 1895–1905. They may be the same person. The black border on the second card is the style used for mourning cards. Compare with Ursula's 1898 card above.
1900s–1930s
The Edwardian and inter-war years in the West Indies, including the “Four generations” photograph.
Early 1900s. Sarah Ann Miles (b. 1850), identified by the family. Hair drawn back, high white collar, tropical foliage behind. The print is badly spotted; of the three versions you sent, the full image and the tightest crop are kept. She would have been in her fifties, and the setting fits the family's life in Grenada. Compare her with "Grandma Berkeley" above.
Early 1900s. Sarah Ann Miles (b. 1850), identified by the family. Hair drawn back, high white collar, tropical foliage behind. The print is badly spotted; of the three versions you sent, the full image and the tightest crop are kept. She would have been in her fifties, and the setting fits the family's life in Grenada. Compare her with "Grandma Berkeley" above.
Early 1900s. Unidentified. The print is so heavily spotted that the sitter is hard to make out: a head-and-shoulders figure in light clothing against foliage. It may be another print of the same sitting as the damaged photo of Sarah Ann Miles above.
c. 1915–1925. Unidentified. A woman seated beside a small child in a white dress, who holds a book or paper, in a garden. The woman's hairstyle suggests about 1915–1925. She could be Ursula with one of her younger children (Maud was born in 1913).
c. 1928–1932. Captioned "Four generations" and "Phyllis, Bobby, Mother, Daddy, Grandma Berkeley & baby Patricia", written from Phyllis's point of view. Standing, left to right: Phyllis Ursula Thomas (1905–1995), her husband Robert (Bobby) Alefounder , her mother Ursula and her father John Edward Haines Thomas . Seated: Sarah Ann Berkeley née Miles ("Grandma Berkeley"), holding baby Patricia (Patsy) Alefounder, later Mrs John Hind. The four generations are Sarah Ann, Ursula, Phyllis and Patricia. Adds to the tree: Phyllis's husband Robert Alefounder and their daughter Patricia; and proof that Sarah Ann was still alive when Patricia was a baby, around 1928–1932. To check: Patricia's birth date, which dates this photo.
c. 1920s–1930s. Unidentified. A woman in a long light dress sits on brick steps beside a toddler, in front of a thatched cottage — an English setting.
c. 1930s. The white-haired man sitting behind may be John Edward Haines Thomas. The woman looks younger than Ursula would have been, so she may be one of their daughters (Phyllis, b. 1905, or Maud, b. 1913).
Date unknown. A close crop of Ursula's photograph (IMG_3403), whose full version is in her chapter.
1940s–1960
Later snapshots of the Thomas family and their relatives.
1940s?. Probably John and Ursula Thomas. The white-haired man matches John's portrait, and the woman's long face and centre-parted hair match Ursula's. If so, the baby is a grandchild: candidates include Jennifer Ann Brown (b. 1944) and Sancia (b. 1948), both born in Port of Spain.
1940s?. Probably John and Ursula Thomas. The white-haired man matches John's portrait, and the woman's long face and centre-parted hair match Ursula's. If so, the baby is a grandchild: candidates include Jennifer Ann Brown (b. 1944) and Sancia (b. 1948), both born in Port of Spain.
1940s. A white-haired man in a light suit, probably John Edward Haines Thomas, with several women and a young woman holding a baby, under trees beside a car. The setting looks like the grandparents-with-baby snapshot above, so the baby may be the same grandchild (Jennifer Ann Brown, b. 1944, or Sancia, b. 1948).
1940s. Unidentified. A woman in a patterned dress holding a baby in a white romper and socks, in a garden. Possibly Maud with Jennifer Ann Brown (b. 1944), or another mother and baby of the 1940s.
1940s. Unidentified. A middle-aged woman with her hair rolled back, in a light blouse with a ruffled collar, photographed outdoors.
c. 1950s. Probably John and Ursula Thomas. John died in 1960 and Ursula in 1961. To check (Thomas snapshots): names or dates on the backs of the prints; who the baby is.
April 1960. From the Trinidad Guardian , annotated 15/4/60: "Arriving in Tobago on Tuesday was Mrs. John Hind, the former Patsy Alefounder, daughter of Mr and Mrs Robert Alefounder of Studley Park. Accompanying her were her two children Allison and Peter. This is Mrs. Hind's first visit to her home in six years as she has been living in England. Their visit was planned to coincide with the celebration of the 60th wedding anniversary of Mrs. Hind's grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Thomas of Oneida on June 7, and also for Mr. Thomas's 90th birthday which is on the following day." Adds to the tree: Patricia (Patsy) Alefounder married John Hind and lived in England, with children Allison and Peter; the Alefounders lived at Studley Park, Tobago, and John and Ursula Thomas at "Oneida". To check: the dates. The cutting puts the wedding anniversary on 7 June and John's birthday on 8 June, but the tree has the marriage on 6 Jun 1900 and his birth on 7 Jun 1870. Each is one day out.