The Bride Arrived in Time (And Was Exquisitely Dressed): Alice Annandale Mence, 1870-1951

Alice Mary Annandale, Circa 1890

Genealogists and family historians understand the value of labelling family photographs. How many of us have inherited photograph albums containing unidentified portraits? It's a shame when this happens because the identity of those unnamed individuals may never be learned. Fortunately, this photograph has been labelled on the reverse with both the maiden name and the married name of the woman in the photograph, along with the recipient's name. Unfortunately, the faint pencil inscription on the reverse was written quickly, without much care, and so it took some time to decipher, but after much squinting and some magnification I am confident it reads:

"Alice Mence, Nee Annandale.
Promised to Edith Town."

The image was captured at the Walter Davey Studio, 10 James Street, Harrogate,  Yorkshire, England.The studio started up around 1886 and continued on for many years, operated by Walter Davey's sons, Walter Jr. and Sydney, in the years following Walter Davey's retirement in 1909. At some point prior to 1893, the studio moved to 26 James Street, Harrogate. I suppose another possibility could be that the numbering system for addresses on that street changed.

Alice Mary Annandale, born 1870 in Lintzford, Tanfield, Durham, was the daughter of William and Jane Annandale. Her father was a paper manufacturer employing roughly 41 people.

According to a notice in the Yorkshire Gazette, Alice Mary Annandale married Capt. Oscar Tooley Mence, 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment on 27 Jan 1894 in York.
The account of the wedding from Berrow's Worcester Journal on the day of the wedding contains the most detailed description I've ever read of a wedding party's attire. Here's an excerpt describing just the bride's outfit:

The bride, who arrived in good time, was attired in a gown composed of ciel amazone cloth, smart basqued bodice with waistcoat of lovely blue and Selby brocade (Victorian design), revers and basque of clothfaced brocade and edged with Russian muquash, full round skirt, finished round foot with deep band of same fur; large picture hat of Lyons velvet with shaded ostrich feathers and carried a lovely bouquet of flowers.

Wait! No detailed description of the bride's flowers? Seems like a oversight. An equally sensuous and lengthy description of the bridesmaid dresses, trousseau and bride's travelling dress follows, as well as an account of the mother of the bride's outfit. There, we learn Alice's mother held a bouquet of "shaded Neapolitan and wood violets." The report concludes by noting "the presents were numerous and costly."

The couple and their daughter, Phyllis Rose Mence, lived in Forthampton, Gloucestershire in 1911. They employed a nanny, a butler, a housemaid, a kitchenmaid, and a cook. I am curious to know what the household looked like in the post-war period, less than a decade down the road. 



Sources:

"British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPC2-KRXZ : 18 April 2019), Alice Mary Annandale in entry for Oscar Tooley Mence, Captain 3rd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment, York, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing York, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, 27 Jan 1894, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland; FHL microfilm .

"England and Wales Census, 1871", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VB83-WLL : 30 September 2019), Alice M Annandale in entry for William M Annandale, 1871. 

1911 England Census [database on-line],  Ancestry.com. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Alice Mary Mence in household of Oscar Tolley Mence, Forthampton, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom; from "1911 England Census," Schedule 51, Piece 15588,  citing Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA) Series RG14, 1911. 

Walter Davey & Sons  https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28297/page/7599/data.pdf  

"Marriage of Mr. Oscar Mence," Berrow's Worcester Journal (Worcester, England),  27 Jan 1894, p. 4

UK, City and County Directories, 1600s-1900s; database with images, Ancestry.com. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Entry for Walter Davey, 26 James Street, Harrogate; citing 1893 Kelley's Directory, page 1000.
 

Miss Amy E. Creaser, From Yorkshire, England to Lawrence, MA, Circa 1880s

I had a little bit of an advantage with this photograph.  It's clearly labelled, "Amy Creaser" and although it was taken in Boston at the Towne Studio, I know that Amy lived in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  Once again, it's a case of provenance.  It was discovered with a collection of portraits from Lawrence, Mass and Nova Scotia that once belonged to Mary Harrison of Maccan, Nova Scotia.  Mary lived in Lawrence during the 1880s.  In addition to Amy's carte de visite portrait, there were also photographs of George, Annie, and Joe Creaser, taken in Lawrence.

So, who was Amy?  Well, I started by searching around Lawrence.  In the Massachusetts Town Vitals Collection, 1620-1988 I found a marriage record for Amy E. Creaser, born about 1861, and Edward S. Riley, who married on the 19th of July 1890 in Lawrence, Mass.  Amy's parents are listed as Elizabeth and John Creaser.

In the 1900 census, I found John and Elizabeth Creaser, with children Annie, born 1867, England; and Mary E., born 1874, England.  It appears John and Elizabeth Creaser immigrated to the US in 1881.  I also found Amy and her husband in Lawrence.  At the time they had five children:  Cora, Charles, Edward, Edith and Marion.

I thought I'd see if I could find Amy and her parents in the 1881 England Census.  Amy and her sisters Edith Jane (b. 1870,  London Lower Norwood, London, Middlesex, England) and Mary Ethel (b. 1874,Oldham, Lancashire, England) are living with their grandparents Thomas and Mary Cole of Nafferton, Yorkshire.  The parents are not there.  Amy and her eleven-year-old sister, Edith are working as factory hands.  It is interesting to note that the Smith grandchildren of Thomas and Mary Cole are also living there, and again, no parents.

On April 25 1881, Amy, her mother, and siblings arrived in New York aboard the ship, Nederland.  They travelled in steerage.  Note the appearance of Joseph, age 2.

I searched for her father next.  I found a  John Creaser who arrived about year earlier, on the 19th of April, 1880 at the port of Philadelphia aboard the Indiana.  George W. Creaser, a young man of 15, accompanied him.   It's unclear if George is a son or some other relative of John's.  Of course, without more research I can't say for certain if John and George even belong to Amy's family.  I know that in Yorkshire, there are a number of Creaser families with similar given names.

This photo probably dates to the early-to-mid 1880s.

UPDATE JULY 24, 2012:  This photograph of Amy, along with three other Creaser images, have been reunited with a descendant who wrote, "I just stumbled unto your 4/12/12 post on Amy E. Creaser while googling a family relative and was just amazed at the photo and information which you provided. I have been spending months getting this side of my family recorded. All your information agrees which what I have been able to piece together --cudos. The 2 year old Joseph who immigrated with his mother and sisters in 1881 was my paternal grandfather. The George who arrived in Philadelphia in 1880 was a son to John and the older brother to Joseph."  So glad these photographs are "going home."