I was really excited recently to have the opportunity to visit Ascot House where my Great Great Grandfather used to work in the early 1900’s as coachman to Lady Rothschild. My mission was to match up the photos in an inherited family album with locations at the house so I could take photos…..
As I showed the photographs of my GG Grandfather and the estate photos to one of the guides, I could see recognition in his eyes and emotions building as he exclaimed ‘I know this man!’ it’s my Godfather!
Serendipity meant I’d picked the one person who could identify the photos, Geoffrey had been butler at the house for many years. He actually remembered my GG Grandfather, who was born in 1854, could tell me what he was like and where he lived on the estate. How precious is that, to hear personal memories from someone about an ancestor who lived over 100 years ago!
The moral of this story? Never underestimate the power of a photograph to connect people and unlock the past!
