Saturday, October 15, 2016

SEPIA SATURDAY ~ From here to there–My great grandparents & family in a parade


This will be my first Sepia Saturday post.  This weeks theme is “from here to there.”  Many of the posts from others have to do with modes of transportation.
 
I thought I would begin this series with a very familiar photo – the one that you all see at the top of my blog page.

Gould_Wm Val in car with wife and others in parade_circa unknown

I just love this photo.  This appears to be some sort of a parade.  I see streamers on the windshield and flags on the car.  I see a Detroit pendant hanging near the driver.  You can see another vehicle in the background, with what appear to be similar streamers on it.

Is this photo reversed or is my great grandfather driving some sort of car from the U.K. or other European country.  Why is the steering wheel on the right side of the car instead of the left?

Who is in this car?

This is the family of my great grandparents, William Val Gould and his wife, Mae Thorp Gould.  In the front seat are my great grandfather, the driver, his daughter Helen and his son, Roy.  In the back seat, the women on the right is my great grandmother, Mae Thorp Gould.  The other two young ladies are probably the other two daughters of William and Mae, Gladys and Adele Gould, but I am not sure.

I have always wanted to know what type of car this is? What year model?  The car looks very shiny and new.  Was it borrowed, or did my great grandfather own it?

Since the daughter, Helen Gould, was born in 1901 and her brother Roy was born in 1888, I am guessing this photo to be 1910-1915.  How old do you think Helen (in the front seat) looks?  I think 10-12.

Any of you that are car buffs, please feel free to jump in and help me out.  I welcome your input.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION 

22 comments:

  1. Since Detroit is backwards (mirror image), and the steering wheel is on the "wrong" side for U.S., is it possible that the photo is reversed?

    Also, you could use Google Image Search to search for cars from the 1910-1915 period, which I think is a good guess. I shared a photo on my blog a few years ago and did a similar search to guess what the car might have been. See Almost Wordless Wednesday ~ 1904 Car.

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  2. This is a similar car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKX1KgIkBwg
    Or this: http://bright-cars.com/photo/white-steam-car/05/default.html (note that the steering wheel is on the right).
    -- Marshall

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  3. A wonderful photograph of your ancestors. I am sorry I cannot help with the car - could a local museum or archive centre help, given Detroit's role in the car industry? To me Helen looks a bit older than 10-12 - perhaps 13-14, though it is difficult to tell when she is seated. That would make Roy around 26 and the photograph around 1915.

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    1. Thanks Sue. Always difficult to narrow those dates down for certain. I appreciate your insight.

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  4. Great to have you adding to SS. I see Detroit as just upside down, so no mirror image for me, the "e" tells it all. It will be interesting to hear you tell more about your family!

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    1. I'm excited to be joining the Sepia Saturday posts too. Not sure if I will have one this week due to scheduling conflicts aka life :) :)

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  5. The torpedo-looking bumpers are typical of the early Buick. Welcome to Sepia Saturday!

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  6. Interesting post and photo. It is not reversed as you can read "Detroit" by tilting the photo; a reversed photo has the "Detroit" backwards and can not be read (See FB photo).

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  7. Diane:

    I tried to find the hood ornament/radiator cap ornament on Google as it is very distinct; but was unsuccessful. Will be interested in what you find out as to the make and year of the car. At first I thought it was a Buick; but couldn't find any photos on Google that matched it. Happy hunting.

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    1. Hey Del. I've had lots of suggestions on this one. From a little known make called Flanders to a Buick. I certainly appreciate everyone's interest.

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  8. I can't help you to identify the make & model of the car, but the picture is certainly charming, no matter! :)

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  9. Welcome to Sepia Saturday Diane! A great photo choice for your first post. It leaves you with a lot of questions but at least you know who most of the occupants are. I think you are right about Helen's age, or she could be a year or two older.

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    1. Thanks Jo. I have lots of sepia photos and I'm anxious to contribute.

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  10. I don't think your photo is reversed because the pennant or flag hanging from the mirror seems to be facing the right way. It's a wonderful photo, the streamers, the flags, the clothes and the condition of the car are all great. Nice to hear the story behind the photo on your header.

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    1. Thank you Anna. Sometimes we overlook things, like explaining a header photo on our blog. DUH!

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  11. Welcome to Sepia Saturday! It’s a fine photo and I’m no car buff but I dont think it’s a mirror image as I can read the name Dertroit and if it was reversed it wouldn’t be readable. Your great grandfather is very likely dribving a car imported from England (I'm guessing).

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  12. According to my husband, the car is a 1911-13 Packard Model 30 Touring Edition. Hope it helps!

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I look forward to reading your comments. If you have any connection to the people mentioned in this blog, please let me know. I write about mine and my husband's ancestors and would welcome new information or meeting a new cousin or two. Thanks for visiting and come back soon.