How did a moving company acquire a box of about 150 photos taken in Scotland from the late 1890s to 1950s? Are the photos connected to someone in Nova Scotia? New Zealand? How did the photos end up for sale in Eastern Ontario near Quebec?
These are the mysteries author and historian Ginette Guy is trying to solve after she bought the photos, sight unseen, on an online auction in May.
Ms. Guy, who was in the military for 12 years, is the author of Unforgotten Mary Mack: Cornwall’s First Lady, published by the Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Historical Society.
The mystery box of Scottish photos contains many images of military personnel. Photo courtesy of Ginette Guy.
After purchasing the box of photos, Ms. Guy, who works in Montreal, went to Summerstown, Ontario, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, just east of Cornwall, to pick them up.
The seller told her the photos came from a moving company.
When she opened the box, Ms. Guy was surprised to see photos from the small village of Uphall Station in West Lothian, which is about an hour’s drive west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The box held family photos, street and shop scenes, and photos of men in military uniform.
She noticed some of the photos were of the Gilchrist and Leishman families.
Some documents in the box refer to Thomas, Anne and Robina Gilchrist. An envelope, containing a notice of assessment, is addressed to Mr. Thomas Gilchrist, Jr, who lived at 76 Station Rows, Uphall Station in November 1917.
There are photos of a man Ms. Guy believes is Harry Leishman, who married Anne Gilchrist. Ms. Guy wrote on her website that Mr. Leishman “would have been in India in 1945 with the British Army.”
These two men appear to have served with the Seaforth Highlanders during the First World War. Names unknown. Photo courtesy of Ginette Guy.
Also in the box is a 1946 military document and a 1950s Free Mason membership card from Bermuda for Capt. Warren Thompson of Nova Scotia.
Ms. Guy has posted some of the photos on her website, Treasures to Share, and continues to add more. She said, “I would love to reunite the box and the descendants.” She has been in touch with people in Scotland and, more recently, with possible relatives in New Zealand.
Anyone who recognizes the people in the photos is encouraged to contact Ms. Guy through her website.
