Friday's Faces from the Past

Do you know this soldier?

This photograph of an unidentified young
soldier was in a frame with a family tree
group, hanging on a wall in my Aunt's
 living room. Is he English?

When my family and I traveled to Mexico City to visit our Huesca family in June 2003, I spotted a large frame on the wall of one of my paternal aunts. The frame contained a pictorial family tree of the Huesca family, lovingly made for her by one of my Huesca Sánchez cousins. 

Most of the photographs on the family tree were of my paternal grandparents, José Gil Alberto Cayetano and Catalina (Perrotin) Huesca, my great-grandmother and great-aunt, Maria (Amaro) Perrotin and Blanca Perrotin, and their 11 children, including my father, Gilbert Huesca, my aunt C., and their brothers and sisters. There were about five other small photographs in the frame that I did not recognize. These pictures were not placed on the family tree, because no one seemed to know who they were.  At the time we looked at the photographs, neither my father nor my aunt were able to identify them.

I immediately asked my aunt, or Tía C. for permission to borrow the frame and make copies of the photographs from behind the glass.  She was happy to loan it to me, and I am eternally grateful to her.  It took some time to find a copy and print shop near our hotel.  Bundling the frame with sweaters, I made my way through the press of pedestrians and headed to the shop, taking care to not bump into anyone on the way. Those who have been in Mexico City know this is no easy task.

The job took over an hour to complete, but it was worth the effort.  Most of the copies turned out well, considering the photographs themselves were still under glass.  This one, however, turned out a bit fuzzy, and it is hard to make out the name and location of the photographer on the bottom.

I cannot be sure, but I wonder if it is a portrait of Charles Bennett, son of Timothy and Maria Dolores (Perrotin) Bennett, of Ruardean, Gloucestershire, England.

If you can identify this handsome young man or have any thoughts on possible clues, let me know, and I will share the information in a later post.

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Copyright ©  2013  Linda Huesca Tully

Are you a member of the Bennett, Huesca, or Perrotin families, or do you know the identity of this young man?  Share your memories and comments below.

Sentimental Sunday: "...Wise unto Salvation"

Inscription in bible by
Catherine O'Grady Perrotin
to her grandson, Edward Bennett, 1893

The small bible pictured here was a gift from my great-great grandmother, Catherine O'Grady, to her three-year-old grandson, Edward Bennett, eldest child of Maria Dolores Perrotin and Timothy Bennett. 

Cover of bible given to Edward Bennett.  The bible has
been passed down to my cousin, Dorothy (Meek) Stephens, 
daughter of Jane Bennett, Edward's sister and 
the youngest child of 
Maria Dolores and Timothy Bennett

Edward also was Francois and Catherine Perrotin's first grandchild. He was born in Orizaba, Veracruz, on October 21, 1891, just a few months after Francois' death.   His birth must have been quite a comfort and source of joy to Catherine, who was grieving for her beloved husband.

The inscription reads,

Edward W. Bennett

by his Grandmother

Catherine with Love

Search the Scripture

which is able to

make you wise

unto Salvation.

1893

Catherine would have sent this to Edward, now in Ruardean, Gloucestershire, England, with his parents, from her own home in Orizaba, Mexico.   Two years later, she would leave Mexico forever to join Maria Dolores, Tim, and their family in Ruardean.  Surely Edward and his brothers and sisters must have enjoyed the blessing of their sweet and loving grandmother Catherine.  As she was now widowed, the children must have been blessings in return to her.  

Graveyard at Saint John the Baptist Church (also known as Ruardean Church). The family graves are located  just behind the church, along with quite a few graves of the Bennett family, many of whom lived in the area.  The graves at center are those of Timothy and Maria Dolores (Perrotin) (rectangular grave at front)  and Catherine (O'Grady) Perrotin and two of her grandchildren, Edward and Mary Clements Bennett (rear).  Rose Marie Bruton, the widow of Catherine's great-grandson, Leonard Fisher, still lives in  Ruardean Woodside and regularly brings flowers to the graves.

Edward Bennett died in Ruardean on June 3, 1899.  He was only eight years old.   Catherine is buried with him and with his younger sister, Mary Clements Bennett, who died at two-and-a-half years old in 1895. 

The marker on the left side of the grave reads,
 "Catherine Perrotin  1840 - 1901"

The marker in the center (front) of the grave reads,
"Edward Bennett 1891 - 1899"
The marker on the right of the grave reads,
"Mary Clements Bennett 1892 - 1895"

At the invitation of our English Bennett cousins, my husband and I travelled to Gloucestershire and the Forest of Dean in August of 2011.  We visited Ruardean a couple of times with Jennie and Don Murray and Dorothy, Bob, Tim, and Peter Stephens, who graciously endured our endless questions and my non-stop photography.  We also met new Bennett cousins:  Eileen, Linda, Susanne, Pearl, Marlene, Rebecca, and Joanne, among others.  It was such a wonderful feeling to know there were so many of this branch of our family, when at one time we thought there were none.

Rear view of Saint John the Baptist Church, Ruardean, Gloucestershire

It is one thing to see a picture of where your ancestors are buried.  It is another thing altogether to actually be able to stand next to the graves and touch them, knowing these same ancestors worshipped at this church, they walked the grounds at one time, that their remains are there now, and that generations of descendants like Rose Bruton (Jennie's mother) and Jennie and Dorothy have tended them and visited them over the years.  It overwhelms the senses.

I felt incredibly close to my great-great grandmother Catherine at that moment and still do.  The love of this family truly endures.  I feel so blessed - and grateful - to be a part of it.

Copyright ©  2012  Linda Huesca Tully

Did you know, or are you a member of the Perrotin, O'Grady, or Bennett families?  If so, share your memories and comments below.