More Jane Leprade

(To the right is a picture of the grave marker for the graves of George Elliott and his wife Jane (Leprade). This is the Moira Cemetery in Hastings Co., Ontario. I visited it with Mama in May 1990.)

If any of you have been reading the comments which have been posted to some of these blogs, maybe you’ve wondered the same things others have wondered. I’ll try to address some of these questions.

Vilate wondered if the camera flash was shining on gg-grandma Jane Leprade’s hair or if she was bald in front. It wasn’t the camera. The original picture – I think it’s a charcoal drawing – shows her with that very wide part in her hair. Perhaps it was meant to show the light shining on her head. I have seen other portraits of the same type, from the same era, with that same bald look.

The picture of Jane is about 18 inches wide by 22 inches tall. It has an ornate wooden frame, carved with flowers and leaves and painted a creamy white. Of course the paint is chipping off in places and huge screws were put into the sides to wind wire on for hanging. The back is two heavy pieces of wood, which I tried at one time to remove; luckily, I quit before I ruined anything. The paper on which the portrait was done is yellowed and has a couple of water stains. Two or three spider legs and such things have worked their way down between the glass and the picture. I’ve considered taking it to someone who could restore it, but somehow, it feels more like our ancestors as it is: sturdy, not too fancy, not afraid of a little dirt and hard work – and spiders.

Sister Hunt, who was helping me try to find Jane, asked me, “Is she wearing lace at her neck in the picture? All the Catholic girls wore lace when they had their pictures done. If they didn’t have any lace, they borrowed some for the picture. If she isn’t wearing lace, that means she converted to her husband’s religion.”

There’s a hint of lace at her throat.