Extracts from Alf’s nephew Walter Briant 1934 diary. Gives a little insight into life on the island.

4th Sept 1934.’worked on Horace Robinsons car today, I mended the radiator and gave the engine a run. Barney Denholm and Merse, Dolly Diprose came to the garage today also the  W Robinson. Mrs Coster and Gracey came down tonight and spent the evening with us we had the wireless going. Elsie made uncle Alf a cake as he is not well. Ivy Cook has got bad shes at Tuck Robinson’s place Eric Robinson went for the sister in his car.’

6th Sept ‘I called and saw Uncle Alf in the bungalow he looked very ill, aunty was there too and Alfie. We also called at Uncles on the way back and Father and Horace saw him and he looked better. Elvie came back from the Corner today.’

13th Sept ‘Charlie Hill came tonight and told me to take Uncle Alf to the boat at White mark tomorrow.’

14th Sept ‘I went down to Lady Barron this morning and got Uncle Alf and Elvie and took them to white mark to catch the steamer.’

18th Oct ‘we heard the sad news of Fred Winfield dying with the flu, Horace brought the news.’

6th Dec ‘ I saw uncle Alf Briant today he looks very well but feels not to well’

This photo without names was found in November last year.

Again that sense of knowing I will be able to work out when the time is right at the back of my mind.

This is my interpretation!!

The women to the right of the man is most definitely Clara Jane Holt/Robinson. Clara is beside whom I believe is Alf Briant. Clara being my paternal grandfathers first cousin and Alf being my paternal grandmothers Uncle.

Is this a photo of their wedding day, or some other formal occasion. The hat is a little weird and there is either something going on with the hat or the tree. Does anyone have any  idea’s?

Alf and Clara married in August 1903, when Clara was 17, and Alf was 28. Clara’s elder sister Jessie was 24 and younger sister Viola only 9. It is highly probable Jessie is in this photo.

Below is the signature of Maria Jane Stephens in a letter to her daughter Adeline, Alf’s sister-in-law. The letter penned around 1907 when Maria Jane and Ed were residing in Launceston before they moved back to the Island to rejoin the community they so loved as seen by her post script.

Mrs Holt being Emily at Badger Corner.

This portrait was found in our Briant/Stephens papers a few weeks back.

When I first saw the photo I wondered who they were. Oct 1918 was on the back.

The woman did seem familiar!

The morning after finding the portrait I woke early with a thought, could this be Jessie Holt. A check to see if her eldest was a girl, & that didn’t fit, however Clara did….

Cross-referencing the children with the other photos, Una and Alfie in particular easy to pick!!

A beautiful casual portrait, Clara with her hair down, so different to the photos seen to date – to her family, I hope you enjoy.

At last time on the island to look through more history. This time through the albums of great grandmother Adeline’s elder daughters Ettie and Lily Briant’s photos. The big surprise is also finding great grandmothers youngest sister Maudie’s photo album.

There are dozens of photos to sift through, some named, many not – I’m surprised to name a few myself as a consequence of studying our extended family history over the past few years…..

I will add the relevant photos to each persons page so click the bold and this will take you through to the photo, starting off with this stunning photo of  Clara Jane Briant nee Robinson/Holt, whom my Robinson/Briant family relate to not once but twice. The picture being quite tiny, I thought may be great grandmother Adeline, stoked to find it was another of Clara Jane a stunning young women and lovely person as well.

I have found several others of Adeline as a young mum as well so not at all disappointed, as you can see below on this page.

We are proud to share what we discover and only ask when ‘on’ publishing to reference the source as samphiredeb.

If anyone has further information, stories or corrections please jump onto comments to share.