Someone had positioned her carefully to hide the worst signs of death. Someone had gone to extraordinary lengths to make her look alive. Now Marcus zoomed in on Lily’s face. tears barely visible at normal resolution but unmistakable at this magnification. Lily had been crying when the photograph was taken. Her eyes were red rimmed.
Tear tracks were visible on her cheeks beneath the powder she too was wearing. And there was something else. Something written on the mounting board beneath the photograph. So faint it was invisible without digital enhancement. Marcus adjusted the contrast and sharpening. Words appeared written in pencil in a child’s handwriting.
I promised Mama I would hold her hand forever. I kept my promise. June 12th, 1895. Helen immediately began searching historical records for the Davies family. Finding information from 1895 was challenging, but the Boston Historical Society had extensive archives and connections to genealogical databases. Within 2 days, Helen had found them.
The Davies family had lived in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. The father, Robert Davies, was a successful textile merchant. The mother, Eleanor Davies, came from old Boston money. They had two daughters, Lily, born March 1884, and Rose, born September 1888. Rose Davies died on June 3rd, 1895 at age 6 years and 9 months.
Cause of death, scarlet fever. Lily Davies died 7 days later on June 10th, 1895 at age 11 years and 3 months. cause of death, also scarlet fever. The photograph was dated June 1895, which meant it had been taken sometime between Rose’s death on June 3rd and Lily’s death on June 10th. Helen found the death certificates in the Massachusetts State Archives.
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