How can I find the identity of baby ‘Pickle’?

QPlease could you help me solve a mystery? I have a photo of a baby

and on the back is written: “My darling Pickle, born 6 July 1903 died 2 February

1905.” The dates do not tie up with my tree, but Pickle may not be a member of the family at all of course. Is there a database that could tie up these two dates and identify the child?

The photo has come to me via the descendants of Emily Kate Hammon who was the 11th child of John Hammon and Emma Atkinson. Emily Hammon’s married name was Offin and she went to the USA in 1905 with her two children, born 1889 and 1892. I have fairly extensive information about the Hammon family and as far as I can see nobody fits the dates on the photo, particularly as by 1903 many of them had emigrated or lived in Coventry. The photo of “Pickle” was taken in London probably in Holloway, Islington. One other surname which might be useful is Dover but I think it unlikely. Janet Robinson, via email

AI did a quick search on the GRO website ( www.gro.gov.uk) using the names above. The only entry I found for a 1903 birth with any of the aforementioned names is for Edith Emily Dover, mother’s maiden name Hammon, whose birth was registered in the Islington district (covering Holloway) in June quarter 1903 (vol 1b, p265). As Edith Emily’s birth was registered between April and June, she cannot have been born in July 1903. Unfortunately, it is difficult to search this site further with the dates as a surname is needed.

If Pickle was born in London and baptised there, it is possible that his/her birth details are contained in a baptism record. London Metropolitan Archives’ collection of baptisms in the capital has been uploaded to Ancestry ( ancestry.co.uk). However, not all London’s baptism registers are covered and not all include birth dates.

You could try searching burial registers. It is likely that Pickle was buried close to the death date of 2 February 1905. You could also try searching burial records for nearby cemeteries, such as Highgate and Islington. The burial records for both of these cemeteries are on Deceased Online ( deceasedonline.com).

The back of the photo shows that it was taken at the studios of J Avery and Sons. According to Photo London ( www.photo london.org.uk/pages/details.asp? pid= 215), its only studio in the Holloway area between 1903 and 1905 was at 76 Junction Road, Islington. Checking this address on a contemporary map could provide clues.

Another option is to search local newspapers held at Islington Local History Centre ( islington.gov.uk/libraries-artsand-heritage/heritage/local-historycentre) or using the British Newspaper Archive ( britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) for a birth, death or funeral announcement, for example. Without a definite surname, this search is likely to be time-consuming, but not necessarily impossible. Emma Jolly