Harold Wreglesworth, 70, of Holgate Road, came to our offices in Walmgate to collect the albums after reading an appeal in The Press for remaining family members to come forward.
Mr Wreglesworth said he read the article and noted the names mentioned in it were like those of his own family.
Then, when he saw the photograph alongside the story, he realised it was no coincidence.
The photograph albums, which were initially thought to belong to the Edwards family, which owned Edwards’ convenience store on the corner of Ash Street and a newsagent in Poppleton Road, actually belonged to Mr Wreglesworth’s aunt and uncle, Emily (Em) and Harold Brown.
Em Brown (nee Noel) lived in and managed the shop in Ash Street, so she was good friends with the Edwards family.
She was also a keen photographer, explaining the many photographs of them and the shop.
The albums also include many photographs of Em’s sister Phil, and Phil’s husband Harold Wreglesworth – Mr Wreglesworth’s mother and father – and their three children; Mr Wreglesworth himself, his brother, Noel, and his sister, Phil.
Mr Wreglesworth said: “Em was a fanatical photographer and her other claim to fame is she was one of the fastest knitters in York. She knitted socks for two or three members of the Poppleton Road junior football team.”
“We don’t have that many old photographs,” said Mr Wreglesworth, as he turned the pages of about 30 years of his family history, including their annual daytrip to Scarborough. He said they brought back many memories both happy and sad, but that he was pleased to see them.
Many people wrote into The Press with their memories from Ash Street during this era, including Eileen Gray (nee Scaife), of Beaverdyke, who lived on Poppleton Road between 1935 and 1961. Mrs Gray recognised Em Noel, who she used to keep company in the shop and was then her bridesmaid when she married Harold Brown in about 1946.
The furniture shop SM Gawthorne Ltd, incorrectly labelled as Mr Edward’s shop in the photograph albums, actually used to be based in Petergate.
What a great story!
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