Freelance reporter Helena Long was part of solving a mystery, a mystery that started with the purchase of an old frame featuring a still life.
What Long discovered when she dismantled the frame was an unscathed old portrait. Wanting to learn the identity of the subjects and perhaps locating a family member who might want the photo back, Long put out the word and a snapshot of the photo on her Facebook page.
Her post said, "Who are these guys? I like buying old frames at garage sales, to reuse them. Today I took out the backing of what I thought would be a cheap still life print. Hidden between it and the backing was this portrait. Please share it with your friends and family. It would be very cool to get this back to the family to whom it pertains to. I bought it in Saskatchewan I believe and the name says JE Trebbley or Trebley."
Long was given advice to try the Saskatchewan Archives Board and Sask. Genealogical Society with the name and image to see if this could help with the search.
Long was most surprised to get such a quick response that was followed by another quick result from Janine McConnell who already felt she could identify the people in the photo.
McConnell's response was, "I am fairly certain that on the left is John Darcy (Doss) Gallagher, my great-grandfather. On the right is his brother James Edgar Gallagher and the father is Robert Coulter Gallagher, my great-great-grandfather We have very few pictures of Doss as a child and I've only seen one of his father."
After some research was done, another response came to Long: "the boy on the left is John Darcy Gallagher. The boy on the right is his brother, who actually went by Ted instead of James (not sure of the reason behind that). The man is Robert Coulter Gallagher. They moved around a little bit but ended up settling around Tuxford Sask. He was a stonemason and built some of the first stone houses in the area. His son John Darcy was also a stonemason and farmer and ended up settling near Kindersley, Sask. where we have been since.
"When I initially saw your post it was on my cousin's timeline. My first reaction was that I'd never seen that picture of them before, and then I realized that it wasn't actually her picture and read your caption. I was so surprised I literally jumped out of my chair. The fact that a complete stranger had it cast some doubt on my conviction that it was Robert Gallagher, so I spent the day running around finding pictures and comparing them. I visited my mom and dad and another cousin and got them to check it out, too. We all agreed it was them. I'm going to attach a couple of pictures for you to see too. The kids are a little bit older in my picture, but still recognizable."
Long made arrangements to meet with McConnell to give her the portrait. McConnell said, "I can't tell you how appreciative I am that you are making the effort to return it to us."
After meeting with McConnell she confirmed the individuals in the photo were: The boy on the man's right shoulder (our left hand side) was her great-grandfather, John Darcy Gallagher. Her grandmother (dad's mom) was a Gallagher and that was her dad and the man, of course, was her grandfather. The man is Robert Coulter Gallagher 1848-1924.
It was noted the impressive breadth of the shoulders of the man holding the two children. McConnell told Long during their visit that as a stonemason, he was probably well built. He built the first stone house in Tuxford (near Moose Jaw) and there is a plaque there about Robert Gallagher's contributions.
McConnell lived in Edmonton for seven years but returned home to Kindersley last spring. Besides helping her dad on the farm, she will bethe front desk manager at the new hotel in Kindersley.
Long said it would have broken her heart to throw out such a wonderful portrait, as well as it being weird to have it hung somewhere in her own home. "I am very happy and excited that I found the people to whom the photo means something."
Facebook, although scorned by some for the negative actions that come from it, was a powerful source in solving this mystery and tracking down the owner of this precious portrait.
