A Case Study in Photos

Way back in January of 2011, I received 4 portraits from my mother. She had received them from her mother, many years before, and had no idea who the people were. I have since solved the mystery of the identity of two of the people. I had affectionately called them Liverpool Man and Liverpool Woman. Below is the original blog post about the portraits.

These photographs were found in the cedar chest of my grandma, Ellen "Nell" Johnstone Borgreen. She had no recollection of who these people might be. The two Burrell and Hardman portraits, which I've affectionately dubbed Liverpool Man and Woman, might be identifiable and I've made efforts to contact the curators of their collection. I'm just waiting to hear back. The two older framed portraits are much more a mystery to me. The woman's portrait says "Ellen" on the back. I don't think the name "Ellen" refers to Grandma though. Grandma's godmother's name was Ellen, according to her baptismal certificate. I'm hoping and wondering if this might be the godmother, Ellen Coleman, who I suspect was the sister of Grandma's mother, Mary Alice Coleman Johnstone. The man has a familiar family resemblance. When I first saw this portrait I thought he looked like one of Grandma's brothers. Grandma's godfather's name was Thomas Coleman. I've long suspected that he might be Mary Alice's brother. But I have no proof. The fact that these portraits were found together, similarly framed and the same size would lead me to think they might be related, somehow. Such a mystery. So much fun to try to figure out. 

http://theycametomontana.blogspot.com/2011/01/mystery-mondaywho-have-we-here.html

 The following is a Facebook post from 8 Apr 2019

"So the mystery of two of these folks has been solved. Today I got an envelope from Uncle Johnny. In it was an old letter and a funeral card. The large portraits are of John J. Murphy and his wife Ellen "Nellie" Coleman Murphy. I still need a few supporting documents, but I believe she is Mary Alice Coleman Johnstone's sister. Huge thanks to Uncle Johnny, for sending it to me. There was a bit of shrieking and jumping in my house, today."

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John J. Murphy Funeral Card

Letter to Ellen Johnstone Borgreen from her aunt, Ellen Coleman Murphy 7 Mar 1951

23 Mount Merrion Ave.

Blackrock

Co. Dublin

March 7, 1951

My Dear Nellie,

I can't tell you how I felt when I got your letter, telling me of your mother death. I just had to put on my hat and coat and go into Maureen and I stayed nearly a week. I am in a flat. It is a great change for me. I needn't tell you and at times I get so lonely. I just don't know what to do with myself. Uncle Jack died two years ago on the 24 Feb. He was ill two years and most of the time he was in a nursing home and for the rest of the time I had two nurses in the house. It was a terrible time and the Allenswood was sold and everything in it. I stayed with Maureen for a time and then I got this place. It is some distant from the city. The girls were very upset about your mother R.I.P. I will have some masses said. Maureen has four children and Annette has two and they will write you. Are all the family still in Great Falls. I did not tell the girls what your mother died of and if they write you need not say what is was as it might only worrie [sic] them. I did not tell her age. I thought I would mention it in case they might ask you. I don't know how many times I was going to write to your mother but I was so upset I couldn't seem to do it and by the way I sent you quite a lot of photoes [sic] Annette wedding and Maureen's and I never heard whether you ever got them or not and I would like to know. My brother in law was here from Cork this week and we all had lunch in the hotel. He was very ill after Uncle Jack died. I think it was shock and his sister died a few months before Uncle Jack so that is the third in two years. Is Kathleen still in Great Falls. 

I think this is all I have to tell you for this time and I hope to hear from you again soon. I am taking your address in to Maureen and Annette tomorrow so you will hear from them. 

So for the present good by--Nellie and remember me to all the rest of the family.

With fondest love,

Aunty

16 Aug 2021I was completely satisfied with this information but things just got better. Yesterday, I went to a family memorial service and while in that town, I stopped in to visit with Uncle Johnny. Completely unexpectedly, he handed me a little gift bag. In it were a series of old portraits, snapshots and a post card. I turned over the largest portrait of two young girls and saw my grandmother's handwriting on the back. In blue ink it says "Cousins in Ireland Annette and Maureen Murphy" and in black ink the date "1935". All the items in the gift bag had the date "1935" written in black ink and the identifying information written in blue ink. The photo captions are as they appear on the back of each photo. All the photos can not be from 1935 as there is a photo of Ellen Coleman Murphy and her daughter, Maureen who appears to be about 2 years old. Then there are photos showing Maureen at approximately 12 years old but also marked "1935". I wonder if this collection of photos didn't arrive in Montana in 1935. 

Cousins in Ireland Annette and Maureen Murphy "1935"

(I believe Maureen is the older girl)

Auntie Nell and Maureen in Ireland "1935"

(I believe that Maureen was born around 1920)

Auntie Nell, Ireland

Taylor Photo Company

Aug 29, 1935

This photo was developed just 5 days after the New York post card was mailed. Was Ellen Coleman Murphy in New York when this photo was taken?

Auntie Nell, Maureen and Annette in Ireland "1935"

Aunt Nell, Maureen and Annette Ireland, Mom's sister, Murphy "1935"

Uncle Jack, Auntie Nell's Home Ireland "1935"

In another's handwriting

Front of Achnacarry

sending large one later

Uncle Jack, Dublin Ireland "1935"

Post Mark New York, N. Y. 24 Aug 1935

To: Mrs. W. H. Johnstone, 1701 11th Ave. South, Great Falls, Montana, U. S. A.

Saturday, Hope you got the wire alright. ? will get word from the bank about Monday. I sent on your Return fare and I learned that the top sleeper was cheaper than the lower one. Will expect a wire when you leave Great Falls and I hope you enjoy the trip. Love from all here.

(this handwriting matches the writing on the letter sent in 1951. It appears to be from Ellen Coleman Murphy to her sister, Mary Alice Coleman Johnstone)

Woolworth Building, New York

What I know, so far, Ellen Coleman is the sister of Mary Alice Coleman, my great grandmother. Their parents were Stephen Coleman (1850-1908) and Mary Carberry (1856-1932). Ellen Coleman married John Joseph Murphy in the late 19 teens or early 1920's. They had two daughters, Maureen the elder who's birth and death information is unknown and Annette the younger daughter. Annette was born in 1926 in Co. Dublin, Ireland. She married Timothy Lynch and they had 9 children. Annette died in 2002 in Dublin, Ireland. The search for information regarding Maureen continues. In the 1951 letter, Ellen Coleman Murphy mentions that Maureen had 4 children and Annette had 2. I will search for birth, marriage and death information on Maureen to try to locate cousins who may be living. 

Cabin Memories

I've written about The Cabin before. We just enjoyed a lovely weekend there. We spent time with Uncle Johnny, Aunt Julie, my brother Carl and his wife, Heather and daughter Emily and cousin Molly with her children, Grace and Logan. It was great weather, though a bit hot. We hiked, ate, talked, played in the creek and slept like babies. It all passed too quickly. Every time I go to the cabin, I'm reminded of the generations who were there before me. Recently, Mom brought some old photos for me to scan and many of them were taken at the cabin. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

John Borgreen, Bill Johnstone, Elvira Borgrren Whiting, Nell Johnstone Borgreen, Judy Borgreen, John Whiting

John Whiting, Carl Borgreen, Bill Johnstone, John Borgreen, Elvira Borgreen Whiting, Judy Borgreen

Nell Johnstone Borgreen

Jerry, Carl and Jimmy Borgreen

Bert, Jim, Steve, Rose Mary Johnstone and Nell Johnstone Borgreen

Carl Borgreen and Steve Johnstone

Jim Johnstone

Nell Johnstone Borgreen

Gust Borgreen

Gust, Nell and Carl Borgreen

Nell and Carl Borgreen



Carl Borgreen and Jack Johnstone

Nel and Carl Borgreen

Facebook Family History Group Pages

So I did an inventory of the number of family members I was connected to on Facebook and decided that the Johnstone family line needed a family history group page. We are at 11 members to date and a New-To-Me relative was added by my cousin. Bonus. I've been adding old family photos, scans of documents and family history information so everyone can see the research that's been done. I'll be posting questions to the elder family members in hopes of solving a few history mysteries too. Here's hoping they step up and share what they know.

Titanic Sinks

source unknown



Don't many of us have a Titanic tale in our family history? Our family story goes something like this; William H. Johnstone came over in April 1912. Family lore has his wife and children turned away at the docks due to Ellen Johnstone being too sick to travel. It all seemed so romantic until the ships' passenger lists were found and the math was done. William did come over in April of 1912. In fact, he came one week before the Titanic disaster, arriving on 7 Apr 1912. He disembarked in Halifax Nova Scotia, not New York and he traveled on the ship Grampian, of the Allan Shipping Line.

In June of 1913, Mary Alice, Stephen (age 3), and Ellen (age 1) Johnstone and Mary Alice's mother Mary Coleman, came to Quebec on the ship Laurentic, of the White Star Line.

 It seems that the horrific news of the sinking of the Titanic at nearly the same time William was sailing would have sent shivers of fear through the family. I think that the story probably grew and morphed over the years, like a game of telephone. The fact that Steve and Ellen were so small probably contributed to the misunderstanding. An interesting fact about the Laurentic; on 25 Jan 1917, it was sunk by a mine off the north coast of Ireland with a loss of 350 lives. I'm not sure if this factors into the family lore, but it's worth noting.

Workday Wednesday....Nurse Nellie

Nellie Johnstone

Ellen "Nell" (Johnstone) Borgreen graduated from the Columbus School of Nursing in Great Falls MT in 1933.
She was employed by Dr. C. H. Peterson for a time, before her marriage to Carl Borgreen. After Carl's untimely death in 1959, Nell went back to work as a nurse, first at Park Place and then the Cascade County Convalescent Hospital.

I remember going to work with Grandma Nell and all the antics she would share with us. Her stories were hilarious and even though she griped about her job, I'm sure she secretly like the work because of the way she told the stories.

There was the man who hoarded sugar packets in his boots.
One day, as she walked past a patient's room she was hit with a bucket of water. The poor man thought he was back on the farm and cleaning stalls. Once she heard a woman's voice coming from the closet. When she opened the closet door the old lady shouted "I'm not done yet!" She thought she was in confession. But another resident had shut her in the closet because they were tired of listening to her talk.
One elderly lady needed something to do every day to keep her busy. Grandma Nell found a basket of hand towels and that lady folded towels happily. When she got near the bottom of the basket, Grandma would "accidentally" knock the pile over and the lady would gladly start folding again. There are too many stories to share on one small blog. Grandma Nell was a colorful gal who brought fun and frivolity everywhere she went.

Mary Alice (Coleman) Johnstone's Obituary

Mary Alice (Coleman) Johnstone

click to enlarge

William H. Johnstone's obituary

William H. Johnstone circa 1923

Click to enlarge

Wordless Wednesday...follow the sound of the whistle

Wordless Wednesday – a great way to share your old family photos! Create a post with the main focus being a photograph or image. Some posters also include attribute information as to the source of the image (date, location, owner, etc.). Wordless Wednesday is one of the longest running “memes” in the blogosphere and is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

William Johnstone
1854-1911

My Great great grandpa, William Johnstone. Here he is in his field in Green Lane, Liverpool, with his trusty sheepdog. The dog was blind but could corral sheep by following the sound of William's whistle. The young boy is a grandson to William.

source: Philip Green, great-grandson of William Johnstone.

What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger

March 13 - Moment of Strength: share a story where a female ancestor showed courage or strength in a difficult situation

Mary Alice (Coleman) Johnstone

Our story begins in July of 1930 when Great Grandpa William H. Johnstone finally went to see a doctor about what had been ailing him for some months. The diagnosis; Rectal Cancer. His wife,  Mary Alice (Coleman) Johnstone, was likely the primary caregiver.  Their daughter, Nell (Nurse Nellie of yesterday's post) was only 17 years old at the time, and still in school.  The other 7 siblings were also either working to help out or in school. William would eventually become so ill that he could no longer work and on Oct. 16 1933, he passed away at home. He was 48 years old 


But there is more to this story. Mary Alice's mother, Mary Coleman, was living with them all these years. And while William was ill, she herself was suffering with something unknown, but she didn't see a doctor until May 27, 1932 and by June 14th 1932 she was gone, at the age of 71. Her diagnosis? Cancer of the bladder with extensive metastasis. Did she tell anyone that she was ill, or did she suffer in silence for as long as she could bear it? 


As I read the supporting documents, I have to wonder what Mary Alice and her children went through during these years. Times were tough anyway and then we have two deaths right at the beginning of the Great Depression. How on earth did they carry on? One thing is made clear through this research, though. Grandma Nell was always so terrified of cancer. Now I know why. Now I understand.

Happy 99th Birthday Grandma Nell

Mystery Monday....Who Have We Here?

Liverpool Man circa 1925

Liverpool Woman circa 1925

Burrell & Hardman photography

unknown man, photo date unknown

photo taken in Dublin date unknown

These photographs were found in the ceder chest of my grandma, Ellen "Nell" Johnstone Borgreen. She had no recollection of who these people might be. The two Burrell and Hardman portraits, which I've affectionately dubbed Liverpool Man and Woman, might be identifiable and I've made efforts to contact the curators of their collection. I'm just waiting to hear back. The two older framed portaraits are much more a mystery to me. The woman's portrait says "Ellen" on the back. I don't think the name "Ellen" refers to Grandma though. Grandma's godmother's name was Ellen, according to her baptismal certificate. I'm hoping and wondering if this might be the godmother, Ellen Coleman, who I suspect was the sister of Grandma's mother, Mary Alice Coleman Johnstone. The man has a familiar family resemblance. When I first saw this portrait I thought he looked like one of Grandma's brothers. Grandma's godfather's name was Thomas Coleman. I've long suspected that he might be Mary Alice's brother. But I have no proof. The fact that these portraits were found together, similarly framed and the same size would lead me to think they might be related, somehow. Such a mystery. So much fun to try to figure out.