Brisbane, QLD


Saturday, August 24, 2013

SIBLINGS

Florrie, Ada and Gilbert Greenall
about 1918 or 1919.
My mother came from a family of 8 born between 1896 and 1916. They were the Greenall family from north England.  The eldest was a boy, Harry. The second eldest was a girl, Ada. The two youngest were my mum, Florrie and her younger brother Gilbert.

This photo is of the eldest girl Ada who had become a nurse and often helped her mother look after the little ones, especially Florrie and Gilbert.

Unfortunately there is no date on the photo but guessing the age of the siblings puts it around 1918 or 1919.

All the Greenall boys except the youngest, Gilbert, migrated to the USA. Gilbert stayed in England, my mum migrated to Australia and Ada mostly lived in England, Canada and her later years in Australia with my parents.

Florrie, Gilbert and Ada about 1988
In the late 1980's my uncle Gilbert came to Australia to visit his sisters, for the first time. My mum, Florrie (on the left) and Aunt Ada (on the right).  So these two photos of the siblings were taken about 70 years apart. They had lived a long way from each other for most of that time.

37 comments:

  1. Cool I do like the old photo and the later one as well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It looks like even after years apart there was still a very warm bond between Florrie, Gilbert and Ada.

    Photography has evolved on both sides of the camera since those studio days - in the original the three siblings look a tad wary.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Both photos are lovely but I do like the first one the most..

    ReplyDelete
  4. How wonderful that they could all be together again. So many people who emigrated never saw family again.

    ReplyDelete
  5. There's no doubting the relationship - such strong shared features.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wonderful photos Diane, you only need to look at your mother and you will know what you are going to look like in years to come. Such a resemblance.

    ReplyDelete
  7. lovely family photos and how sweet a moment for brother to visit with his sisters after such a long time...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Isn't it great how despite distance siblings still stick together. Ian and I both come from families of 5 children so we have lots of siblings and siblings-in-law who we don't see all the often but enjoy when we do get together.

    I think it is great that you have this pair of photos ... it is made more special by having the pair.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a sweet story behind the photos! A family so spread out over the world it is amazing and so nice they have met each other at an certain age.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Diane, they are both cool photos. Neat seeing their photos and so many years apart. Nice story! Happy weekend to you!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I can sure see the resemblance.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lovely photos. How good to have these family reminders.

    ReplyDelete
  13. i loved that bottom photo. how very sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, I love this post, Diane! Great shots -- and how lucky you are to have them together again for an older photo...

    ReplyDelete
  15. this is wonderful, 70 years, wow on that and they look as sweet as they did way back when.. i love this..

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is beautiful. They still look great and so happy together after all those years. What a treasure these two photos are.

    ReplyDelete
  17. They look a lot alike, especially in the 1988 photo.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Two fine photos, especially the second one 70 years on. I can relate to that.

    ReplyDelete
  19. The children are so sweet and shy in their beautiful clothes. And they look so comfortable and happy to be reunited in their later years. There is nothing like family!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Was Florrie's mum a nurse? And do you think Florrie was named after Florence Nightingale?

    I love the photos!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Such warm, inviting smiles. It is a treat to see happy people.

    ReplyDelete
  22. That's a great story, seeing each other after seven years.

    Greetings,
    Filip

    ReplyDelete
  23. How lovely that you have the photo of their get-together in later life; definitely a bond.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Before I read the details about the last photo, I thought the woman on the left looks very like Diane.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Great story of family bonds ---and what a family resemblance. I also liked how mobile Ada was, Canada, Australlia --- a far piece apart.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Isn't that the story of the last two centuries in most of our families? Siblings scattered to all four corners of the world.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Those are fabulous photos, Diane. How neat that some of the siblings could get together. Seems like most of them scattered out and moved far away from each other.... Do you have alot of cousins left from any of those siblings? Have you all had a recent reunion?

    Thanks for sharing.. Your mother was so pretty.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  28. I think it's marvelous that you have both of these photos. Both of these are precious.

    ReplyDelete
  29. How cool to see them before and later!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Diane

    Just beautiful photos....I love them and could look at them forever. The second one particularly. The love shines through.

    Alex

    ReplyDelete
  31. Living so far apart for so many years, it's a miracle that the last photo was made possible.

    ReplyDelete
  32. how cool to have these family reminders. lovely photos!

    hope you're having a great remainder of the weekend~
    big hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  33. The family resemblance to each other is so much stronger in the more recent photo. When ( and where) did each pass on, Diane?

    ReplyDelete
  34. These are precious photos....nice you have them

    ReplyDelete
  35. Oh Diane, those are both awesome photos.

    ReplyDelete
  36. In the end, it's really all about family and our relationships with each other. What a beautiful heritage you have.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Love this old family shot, especially of ADA who was a nurse. I am also a nurse, and it is amazing to me how different people look now in the same profession. So fun to see the evolution of this, and what a great photo to have.

    ReplyDelete