From Dora Kelland to Annie Jones, Exeter, Ontario, Circa 1901

According to the inscription on the back, Dora Kelland gave this photograph of herself to Annie Jones. Dora was probably Dora Jane Kelland, b. 20 December 1884, who appears in the 1901 Canada Census in Exeter, Ontario, daughter of John and Mary Murley Kelland. At the time of the census she had four siblings:  Ada, 10; Franklin, 7; Wilber, 5 and Elva, 2.

Dora has her hair pulled back in the puffed up "Gibson Girl" style, popular in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The shirred bodice of her dress, and the standing collar and bow, point to the same time frame. I'm guessing that this photograph was taken around 1900-1901.

I investigated the photographer, "Senior," located on Main Street, Exeter and discovered that members of the Senior family were in the photography business from 1867 to the 1940's, so I wasn't able to narrow down the dates that way. Charles Senior began operating the studio in the Carling store in Exeter in July of 1867, and later, in the Royal Hotel building. Both, I believe, were located on Main Street. His son, Joseph, took over the photography business some time before 1906.

Dora married Henry George Rufus Waghorn in 1907, and had ten children. Dora died in 1979 and is buried in Kirkton Union Cemetery in Kirkton, Ontario.

Sources:

"Canada Census, 1891," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWG9-XRR : 3 August 2016), Dora J Kelland, Fullarton, Perth South, Ontario, Canada; Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; Library and Archives Canada film number 30953_148164.

 "Canada Census, 1901", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KHLN-G9V : Wed Oct 04 10:34:05 UTC 2023), Entry for John Kelland and Mary E Kelland, 1901.

"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVN-LD5G : 10 June 2021), Dora Jane Kelland Waghorn, ; Burial, , Huron, Ontario, Canada, Kirkton Union Cemetery; citing record ID 18782257, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

"Ontario, Canada Births, 1832-1917," online database, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca), Dora Jane Kelland, Births, Huron, Ontario, Canada, 20 Dec 1884; citing original data at Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, 1869-1913; Reel: 70; Record Group: Rg 80-2.

Phillips, Glen C. The Ontario Photographers List, 1851-1900, Volume One., Global Heritage Press. Milton, Ont: 2002. p.27.

Exeter, situate on the London & Goderich Road in the township of Stephen and Usborne, 30 miles from London and in the County of Huron, C.W. : a history of Exeter, Ontario by Wooden, Joseph L, 1973, Exeter, ON. Digitized on Internet Archive:  https://archive.org/details/localhistory_2kx/mode/2up