1800's Southport Peters family mystery

[Jon Maddox]

Thanks Barbara, I am in the muddle I have a book, scraps of paper and webpages. I think I need to do it the old fashioned way and cover a wall in post it notes.

[Bertieone]

Jon,

How confident are you on the dating of the photograph?

Can anyone else see a resemblance to the survivors, John Jackson & Henry Robinson, though the photo would have to be much later. Taking Hilary's views on dress, etc. perhaps kitted out for a photo shoot.

[Jon Maddox]

I do wonder how many descendants these proud men have that would love this photo. I really do hope to help them home.

Thanks Bert, I think they were all close family. I am confident in the dating of this early photography style.

[Bertieone]

Ah well, never mind, Clutching at straws, Wishful thinking, etc.

The gentleman on the right of the photo has part of his little finger missing, left hand.

It appears that John Jackson may have also,

[Hilary]

If it was me I would be wanting to contact the other descendants of the Peters family that I am in contact with. They may well have other photos and information.

At the moment, although it is likely that you are related to other men who died in the disaster, you need to research them properly and make family trees to see the correct relationships.

I am not at all sure how you have now arrived at Thomas Rigby being the man in the photograph. Maybe the Canadian descendants also have this photo?

[BarbaraW]

No way would I connect with anybody without a paper trail, and Jon I believe you said you had gleaned things from the Internet I hope it wasn't just Ancestry trees because there are some terrible muddles on there, TERRIBLE.

I believe you can do a tree for free on Ancestry and I know for sure you can do one on Family Search, there is a lot of free basic stuff out there plus of course you can download charts and handwrite them.

[BarbaraW]

Jon,

How confident are you on the dating of the photograph?

Can anyone else see a resemblance to the survivors, John Jackson & Henry Robinson, though the photo would have to be much later. Taking Hilary's views on dress, etc. perhaps kitted out for a photo shoot.

Perhaps if somebody did a side by side shot?

I do remember thinking when first posted that they were extremely well dressed for poor fishermen, then I wondered if studio photographer's hired out clothes back in the day? But then would getting a photo be a priority if you were living in such poor conditions?

There are people who can date and tell you about the clothes worn as I know a dress expert in one of the Family Tree magazines does that.

[Jon Maddox]

Thank you all again as ever. I am confident in the genealogy page I use. I am not so confident now on the dating of the Ambrotype photo. It appears that the style was continued being used longer than I thought.
The missing finger does seriously look to be a possible big clue?
My first thoughts when I learned of the Eliza Fernley was that the photo was maybe of the survivors. The fact that the famous photos of Henry Robinson and John Jackson are said to be taken years later made me dismiss it. The Ambrotype photo could of also been taken later at a professional shoot.

Hilary the dating I had for the photo made me suspect it could be Thomas Rigby. I think there is a very close looking family resemblance with a few of the men on the Victorian postcard. I do also believe that Thomas Rigby was the cousin of my gt gt gt grandma Alice.

[Jon Maddox]

Does anybody else think that the man on the left of my photo appears to have the same crooked nose as the known photo of Henry Robinson?

[Jon Maddox]

The survivors John and Henry were each given a house, a boat, and a 15 Shilling allowance from a disaster fund. I think that could well go some way to explaining the smart clothes and gold chains?

[Jon Maddox]

The picture I have shared is of a reverse negative type. Thanks Bert, I think the hand edit is maybe the same style?
I have seen another photo where it looks that he could have part of his right finger missing? That photo is not a reverse negative on glass.

[Jon Maddox]

I hope people can laugh with me. I've gone round in a big circle back to the first conclusions that I talked myself out of. Is it most likely of the survivors? Who else could of afforded the picture at the time?
The clues have always been here for me. My family is Peters from Southport. The photo is of lifeboatmen remembered at Southport (my nan did not say lost). It was always said that they were not our close family. My nan was not told of the loss of her great grandfather. The picture that hung on her mums wall was not talked about and simply explained as great uncles.

[BarbaraW]

The survivors John and Henry were each given a house, a boat, and a 15 Shilling allowance from a disaster fund. I think that could well go some way to explaining the smart clothes and gold chains?

Oh yes right thanks for that, could well explain it.

[BarbaraW]

I just found these 2 interesting portraits online.

[BarbaraW]

[Bertieone]

Does anybody else think that the man on the left of my photo appears to have the same crooked nose as the known photo of Henry Robinson?

Yes noticed that, wanted someone else to comment on it.

John and Henry also received £8 each from the German fund.

[Bertieone]

Does anybody else think that the man on the left of my photo appears to have the same crooked nose as the known photo of Henry Robinson?

[BarbaraW]

John and Henry also received a boat each I read somewhere......

[Jon Maddox]

Thank you very much for that newspaper report Bert. The wives names have all matched who I expected to find. I'm now sure I am related to most of those men. I'm not so sure how my family would of ended up with the photo. I don't think there can be an exact contemporary copy as the picture is the negative.
I do confess to not being sure. I think that if the glass was flipped after the photo had been taken on the reverse, then framed, we would see a reverse mirror image? I think it's his right little finger missing?

[MaryA]

Not an easy job to do, but I was wondering if there was ever a photograph of the crew in a newspaper, where each member may have been identified.