THE STORY OF THE PAINTING

 

Great Grandmother Melting, a photo I acquired before the painting fell apart.

(info from the Kamloops Oakleys)

            When Samuel came to Canada, he brought four paintings.  These paintings were apparently painted at the same time.  They were Samuel’s grandfather and grandmother, Samuel at 3 years old holding a blue ribbon in his hands and a girl – whether she was Samuels sister, we don’t know.  The picture of the girl disintegrated early.

            We know nothing of the painters – father and son.  We never could find a name on the grandfather painting.  We do know the older painter was taken seriously ill and the son may have painted all or only the girl.  We do know the story goes that the older painter told his son that the picture of the girl would not stand up.

 Samuel gave the three remaining paintings to his children:

- Sarah Elizabeth Powell received the grandmother painting, referred to in her will as the “great grandmother Melting” picture.

- Alice Hutchings received the painting of Samuel

- Isaac Oakley received the painting of the grandfather 

             The grandfather painting slowly perished in the dry heat of Kamloops.  The canvas just disintegrated.  At the time, there were no professional services to preserve it.  Unfortunately, the same fate later befell the grandmother painting.  I have no idea what happened to the painting of Samuel.

Who were the older couple?  I don’t believe the Oakley grandparents ever left Bunbury. (Grandfather Samuel Oakley passed away in Bunbury in 1839). I assume it was Elizabeth’s parents, the Thomas’s - John & Margaret.  Was John's wife Margaret a Melting? Or did Sarah misunderstand the last name?  I have searched, there is a real shortage of people with “Melting” as a surname.  Interestingly though, the few references I found for the surname were in the Cheshire/Lancashire area.

Was Samuel an only child?  The painting of the girl may have been his sister and she died young.  Robert and Elizabeth were married in 1821 and Elizabeth was 40 when Samuel was born, so it is possible that there were other children.  The 1841 census shows Samuel is 5 but no siblings.  The 1851 census still only lists Samuel.