Haven't Posted For Awhile ...

Due to a number of reasons (mostly that I lost access to my gmail account), I haven't really posted for awhile. Sad - I have been extremely busy. Over the next few weeks, I'll fill everyone in on what I have been up to.
One major event occurred last weekend. My maternal grandparents, Lawrence and Grace (Mudford) Dedrick, celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. They were married in 1941 on a hot August day in Port Burwell, Ontario.
Pictured to the left is a photo taken between 1928 and 1930. It is of the students of Plank Road School in South Walsingham Township, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada. If anyone is out there, and you recognize someone in the picture, drop me a line at trshelly@shellyfamilytree.com.
By the way, my grandfather is in the second row, 4th from the left. His brother, Wray, is holding the sign. As well, my great Aunts Ruby and Marie Mudford are in it as well as my great Uncles Fred, Harold, and Roy Mudford are in it too. Ruby's then-future husband, Ben "Hokey" Hazen is also in the picture.

Maple Creek, Saskatchewan and a Photo

About six months ago, my maternal Grandmother, Grace, phoned me to say that she had received a number of photographs from her cousin, Kay Jones. Kay had moved to a retirement home and wanted to give these family mementos to someone who would appreciate them. Among them was the photograph pictured to the left.

At first glance, it looks like a school photo, taken in the early part of the 20th century. I didn't really recognize anyone. So, after scanning the rest of the photographs in the collection, I returned all of them to Grandma. About six weeks ago, on Easter weekend, we were poring over the photos, and I picked up the large, cardboard mounted photograph again. Right away, I see my great great aunts Ada Ellen (1894-1959) and Mabel Ruth (1896-?) Mudford. By way of oral history, both had attended Normal School (aka teachers' college) in Saskatchewan. They show up in the 1911 Census of Maple Creek, Saskatchewan with their brother's family, headed by Austin W. Mudford (1890-1959).

So, is this a school photograph or something else. I see a young woman who may be Orpha Pearl Mudford (1899-?) and a man and woman who closely resemble my great great grandfather's second wife, Jane Ellen Robertson (1872-1944). It may be a Sunday School photo or possibly a grouping of attendees at a family reunion. Hopefully, there is someone out there that knows first, why there are so many people in the photo, second, who some of the attendees are, and third, where it was taken. Is anybody out there ...