Other People's Ancestors : Eliza Frances Fox

Eliza Frances Fox

[This is the first in what I hope are a series of posts about Other People’s Ancestors (OPA). My aim here is to have a little fun with the research process and, hopefully, to find the descendants of my subjects so I can return these photos to them.]

My first story is one of success and, in a way, failure. I had hoped to find a descendant of the girl in this photo, and there I succeeded. The failure, though I don’t claim it as my own, is in returning the photo to the family.

You see, the person who I contacted has no interest in the photo. They confirmed that it was, indeed, their ancestor, and offered some additional information about the family. But this person is elderly, and claims almost no memory of the lady in the photo, and as such, it held no meaning for them, and they had no interest in it.

This made me a little sad because I’d come to like Eliza Frances Fox, and had hoped to send her home to someone who cared about her at least as much as I do. Still, she had siblings and some of them surely had children. So perhaps there is a great-great-niece or nephew out there who might be happy to find her. I’m recording what I found here on the chance that someone might be looking for her.

If you’d like to learn more about Miss Eliza Frances Fox, read on.

Eliza Frances Fox in 1894, age 18.

Reverse of photo showing photographers
information, and Eliza Frances Fox's information.

The photo that you see here is one of several I found in an antique store in Virginia, professional portraits done in Boston, Massachusetts. The fact that they were all together in a pile, and that each had a name, the initials for a high school, and the year of graduation written on the back made me think that I might have some success returning these photos to the families that they belonged to.

I decided to start with the only girl in the group, Eliza Frances Fox, A[or N?].H.S., Class of '94 (Hardy Artist Photographer; Boston) And so, I headed over to Ancestry.com to see if I could turn up anything on Miss Eliza Frances Fox, high school graduate.

Eliza Frances Fox : A Timeline of Her Life

[Please note: I'm not including any information about living descendants. All of this was very easily found on Ancestry.com.]

Eliza Frances Fox was born on 7 February 1876 in Needham, Norfolk, Massachusetts to Wallace P. Fox and Eliza A. Lynes. [1]

In 1880, according to the U.S. Census, Eliza and her family were living at 129 Hill Side Avenue in Norfolk, MA.  It indicates that both of her parents were born in England. Her father was employed as a "Knitter of Hosiery," her mother kept house. At that time, Eliza was the youngest of their four children, all born in Massachusetts: M. Luella Fox, 13; Annie E. Fox, 11; Alexander Fox, 8; Eliza F. Fox, 4. Interestingly, the census indicates that she was "at school." [2]

In 1886 another daughter was born, Jeanette J L Fox. [3]

In 1888, Eliza's sister, Annie Editha Fox died at age 19 of  Erysipelas (a skin infection caused by streptococci bacteria) and Septicemia (an infection of the bloodstream). [4]

In 1894, Eliza Frances Fox, age 18, graduated from high school and had her picture taken. [I have not yet identified the high school, and can only base this on the written information on the back of her photo.

 In 1898 her oldest sister, Mary Luella (Fox) Carter, died from acute peritonitis. She was 31 years old. Her husband is listed as Frank P. Carter. [4]

By 1900, Eliza Frances was working as a bookkeeper. She was still living with her parents, at 98 Highland Avenue in Norfolk, MA. Her niece, Hanna E. Carter, daughter of Eliza's late sister Mary Luella (Fox) Carter, was also living with the family.

In 1902, Eliza Frances Fox married William Percival Wragg (1879-1966), son of William Wragg and Mary A. Holmes.  [5]

In 1906, the couple had a son, Raymond Prescott Wragg (1906-1983) [1]

By 1920, Frances and William had divorced, and Frances and and her son were living in Needham, MA with her mother, Eliza Fox. Frances was working as a bookkeeper in a mill office. [6]

In 1930, Frances was living in the household of her son and his wife, along with their young son. She was 52 years old, and was working as a payroll clerk in an underwear company. [7]

In 1938, Eliza Frances (Fox) Wragg died at the age of 62. [8] She is buried in Needham Cemetery, Needham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts along with her parents. You can view the memorial on Find A Grave, here.

Next Steps

• If you're a descendant of Frances, by all means, drop me a note! I'd love to send her back to her family.
  
• As time permits, I may do some research on her siblings' families to see if there are any descendants living in those lines. Perhaps they would like the photo.
  
• Is there a personal connection between Eliza Frances Fox and the boys in the other photos that I found? I look forward to finding out.

References

1. Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Birth Records, 1840-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911–1915. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

2. 1880 United States Federal Census, Record for Eliza F. Fox.  Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Original data: Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

3. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Year: 1900; Census Place: Needham, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: 670; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 1052; FHL microfilm: 1240670. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.

4. Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Death Records, 1841-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

5. Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Marriage Records, 1840-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911–1915. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

6. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

7. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Year: 1930; Census Place: Needham, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: 935; Page: 30A; Enumeration District: 0070; Image: 453.0; FHL microfilm: 2340670Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.

8. Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Death Index, 1901-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Department of Public Health, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. Massachusetts Vital Records Index to Deaths [1916–1970]. Volumes 66–145. Facsimile edition. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts. Volume Number: 60, Page Number: 361, Index Volume Number: 99, Reference Number:F63.M363 v.99.