Recent Acquisitions

Thomas and Jane This, the latest photographic acquisition for the Flewin Family History Centre, is perhaps the oldest Flewin photo to date. Thought to be taken around 1873, it shows Thomas and his wife, Jane (nee Caselton), twenty years after their epic emigration journey from England to Vancouver Island. The photo, located in Thomas' own family bible now held in the Vancouver home of his great, great grandson, Alasdair Bradley, was taken by Victoria photographer Samuel Allen Spencer, whose solo portrait work spanned most of the 1870s. The couple are shown with Jane holding a child of about two, possibly their last child, Isobel, born in 1871. The photograph gives the only glimpse we have so far of Jane who just a few weeks before the emigration married Thomas, also aged 19, in the village church at Wilmington, Kent. The photo calls into question the identification put on the photo used to date on the web site and captioned Thomas Flewin. This photo (left) came from the archives of British Columbia where it is identified as "Tno or Tho Flewin" by handwriting on its back. Below the different photos available which possibly show Thomas are compared. Photos B and C are the only ones which can be positively identified. Photo A is now thought unlikely to be of Jane's husband Thomas and Photos D and E, previously not thought to be of him, are now more likely to be so. One theroy is that the photo of the dapper gentleman with the stick under his arm is Thomas' business partner, Jarvis (or Jerry) Longhurst, who provided funding for Thomas' two saloons and who, in retirement, lodged at Thomas' house in Victoria. (see below)

Photo provided by Alasdair Ross MacLennan Bradley, of Vancouver, BC. Email: alasdairr@yahoo.com

PHOTO A (@1880)	PHOTO B (@1873)	PHOTO C (@1895)	PHOTO D (1887)	PHOTO E (1887)
Picture from Archives of British Columbia described as "Tno or Tho Flewin" and attributed to photographers Spencer and Hastings, Fort Street, Victoria. Undated, but Spencer and Hasting's work was mainly in the 1880s.	Picture from Family Bible of Thomas Flewin, held by his great, great grandson Alasdair Bradley, of Vancouver. Taken from portrait with wife and child thought to be circa 1873. Photographer S.A. Spencer, of Victoria, BC.	Picture from The Colonist newspaper (photocopy of photocopy) published in 1951 and looking back on Old BC families. Identified in caption as Thomas Flewin, and probably taken in late 1890s.	Extract from photo held in archives of British Columbia, the wider view having shown the front of the saloon of "Thomas Flewin." Dated 1887. No photographer attribution. The figure in the centre now looks more characteristic of the Thomas Flewin shown in photos B and C.	Close up and somewhat adjusted version of head of individual in Photo D.

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Jerry (Jarvis) Longhurst A comparison of Photo A with a newspaper photo (again a photocopy of a photocopy) of Thomas' business partner Jerry Longhurst shows an interesting likeness. The newspaper photograph is thought to have been taken more than 15 years after the portrait.
	Longhurst: circa 1895	Photo A : circa 1880
Jane Flewin A comparison of the features of Thomas' wife, Jane (nee Caselton), from the photograph above, shows a remarkable family likeness with her brother, Richard Caselton, who also married a few weeks before the emigration trip which the Caseltons shared with the Flewins.
	Jane Flewin (nee Caselton)	Richard Caselton

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The following other photos were also provided from the Thomas Family Bible by Alasdair Bradley.

John Flewin This portrait of John Flewin (1857-1942), son of Thomas and Jane, was by noted Victoria photographer John Savannah, (1868-1925), whose main portrait period lasted thirty years from the mid 1870s. The study of John compares well with the photo of John, taken by Spencer and Hastings in the 1880s, featured elsewhere. John, in his youth, was known as "Dashing Jack." Taken from Savannah study (right) Spencer and Hastings portrait from 1880s.
Helen Flewin (nee Copeland) Helen (nee Copeland), born in Victoria of Scottish immigrant parents, married John Flewin in the city in May 1881. They were married for over forty years before she died in 1925. Photo by Hall and Lowe, 63 Government St, Victoria. Circa 1880	Military Cross of Walter Ross Flewin One of the highest awards available in the First World War, the Military Cross, was awarded to Walter Ross Flewin, the second of six sons of John Flewin (above). Walter served with the Canadian Expeditionary forces, first with the Royal Engineers and then with Canadian Intelligence in Europe during the Great War. He was presented with the medal by King George V in 1918. Walter Ross Flewin (1885-1976)

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