The four-year-old girl with the amber-tinted ringlets looked abandoned and neglected. I noticed her immediately as I walked into my community thrift shop. Her cheeks were softly touched with pink and her eyes were fixed a deep sky blue. When I pulled her down from the wall I soon realized I probably wouldn't be able to find a new home for her because the information on the back of the picture frame was so incomplete. There were names and dates, written in a shaky hand but, unfortunately, there wasn't a location anywhere. And, she was a wee bit expensive. I didn't want to put her back on the wall. My husband then commented that the price of the portrait was less than a visit to the coffee shop with friends. That's all I needed to hear. Could you have passed her by?
The inscription from the back of this portrait from 1900: "Edna DALLING, 4 years old. 1896-1998. Born 1896 March 7th." There was a notation about two other living relatives. This portrait was found in Parksville, British Columbia. If you knew Edna, or have her in your tree, feel free to contact me.
I originally wrote the above post about Edna Dalling in 2011, during the early days of this blog. Since then, many new records have been added online. I thought it might be interesting to see what a search might uncover now, and was pleased to discover that many new passenger lists and Canadian voter's lists are now available on Ancestry.
I suspected that Dalling was Edna's married name, because a son, Brian Dalling, is mentioned in an inscription on the back of the frame. I found an Edna Louise Dalling, age 26 in The Seattle, Washingington Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882 -1897 on Ancestry1 . The year was 1923 and Edna was travelling with her husband, Earl Simpson Dalling, and two children, William Ernest (b. abt 1919) and Garth Edward (b. abt 1921). They were headed to Culver City having departed from the port of Vancouver, BC, and listed Earl's father-in-law, Wm. Parsons, Edmonton, Alta, as their nearest relative.
The family seems to have spent a few years in California, where the youngest child, Garth E. Dalling died at age 72. His is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, in Los Angeles.
It's unclear as to what exactly happened next, but I found Edna L. Dalling many years later in several voter's lists while she was living in Edmonton, Alberta between 1949 and 19743,4. I also found her son, William E. Dalling on the 1949 Voter's List for Edmonton East5, and then, in 1974, on the Vancouver-Quadra [BC] Voter's List, with his wife Betty and possibly, two sons6. Written on the back of the portrait is a short provenance of the photograph so I knew it belonged at one time to Brian Dalling. Brian appears on the Vancouver-Quadra list with William. E. Dalling at the same address. According to the same inscription, Brian's daughter, Eleanor, received the portrait next.
I searched for Edna L. Parsons in the censuses, with a father named William, and found one hit with a matching birth date of the 7 March 18967. Edna L. parsons was born in Langford, Manitoba, youngest child of William A. and Kathryn Parsons. In the 1911 census her father is listed as William. A. Parsons, but in other censuses he is shown as Robert W. Parsons8. It appears that Edna had six siblings: Percy William, Richard N., Edwin, Marnie, Bessie E., and Ernest H.
If you have Edna Louise Parsons Dalling in your tree, I hope you will leave a comment.
1 "Seattle, Washingington Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882 -1897," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 May 2013), entry for Edna Louise Dalling, age 26, arrived Seattle, Washington, arrived July 1923, [no ship stated].↩
2Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, digital image (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 20 May 2013), photograph, “gravestone for Garth E. Dalling (1920-1927), Memorial No. 57522236, Records of the Westlawn Cemetery, Los Angeles, California;” photograph © TLS.↩
3 “Canada, Voters Lists, 1935-1980.” Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 May 2013), entry for Edna L. Dalling, Year: 1949, Edmonton, Alberta, citing Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Voters Lists, Federal Elections, 1935-1980; Microfilm reel: M-4871.↩
4 “Canada, Voters Lists, 1935-1980.” Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 May 2013), entry for Edna L. Dalling, Year: 1974, Edmonton, Alberta, citing Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Voters Lists, Federal Elections, 1935-1980; Microfilm reel: M-4871.↩
5 “Canada, Voters Lists, 1935-1980.” Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 May 2013), entry for William E. Dalling, Year: 1949, Edmonton, Alberta, citing Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Voters Lists, Federal Elections, 1935-1980; Microfilm reel: M-4871.↩
6 “Canada, Voters Lists, 1935-1980.” Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 May 2013), entry for William E. Dalling, Year: 1974, Vancouver-Quadra, BC, citing Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Voters Lists, Federal Elections, 1935-1980; Microfilm reel: M-4871.↩
7 1901 census of Canada, Langford, MacDonald, Manitoba, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 8, subdistrict # E-4, p.5 (penned), family 41, Edna L. Parsons in household of Robert W. Parsons family; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 20 May 2013); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm T-6428 to T-6556.↩
8 1911 census of Canada, Portage la Praire, Manitoba, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 20, subdistrict # 11, p.1 (penned), family 3, Edna L. Parsons in household of William A. Parsons, digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed May 23, 2013), citing microfilm LAC microfilm T-20326 to T-20460↩
Great detective work! I hope someone sees this and claims this beautiful hand-colored photo!
ReplyDeleteReceived this note from a distant relative of Edna's:
ReplyDeleteHi
Pleased you bought the photo and good research!
Just to add a few details. Edna Louise was the daughter of Robert William Parsons and Catherine Emily Thurston who married on 25 Nov 1882 in Cambelford, Ontario. Robert William Parsons was born in Laneast, Cornwall, England in 1860 and emigrated to Canada with his family about 1871.
Would have added these to the blog but not sure how! Looks like you need an account which I don't have.
Regards
John
This is an email from Elliot, who agreed to let me post the contents here:
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog because you have the portrait of Edna. She is my wife’s 5th cousin 1x removed. Your research pretty much matches mine. Her sister Marnie’s actual name is Ethel May and Bessie’s is Emily Elizabeth. There is one more sibling Stanley who died @ 3 weeks old in 1897.
A small correction related to John’s comments. Her mother’s name is actually Catherine Emily Gerow. Thurston is the surname of her 1st husband, Joseph Thurston, with whom she had 3 children.
Hopefully some day members of her immediate family will find your blog. I’d found William and Garth, but didn’t know about Brian or anything about William’s future family, so it would be great if they end up letting you know more (and I could put it in my tree!).
Elliot