Hi everyone, James Wells is my 4th great grandfather and he was a Centenarian in the late 19th century. He was born on the 3rd August 1787 in Britford and died aged 103 in his 104th year on the 20th March 1891 in Bramshaw. He was the oldest person in Hampshire and was one of the focuses of many newspapers throughtout the UK, even reaching as far as Auckland. One of the copies of an original photo is published in a handful of the newspapers. I've been trying to search for the original photo by Debenham and Smith (Southampton) when he was 103. I've had no luck but have been told that the fact that his story was so newsworthy further strengthens the theory that it is probably in the archives or someone's possession. It was not everyday that you could ask a volunteer in the war with Napoleon about their experiences and what it was like! If anyone has any information as to where I might find it, please let me know. All help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Have you tried Southampton Archives https://www.southampton.gov.uk/arts-heritage/southampton-archives/ They do have a photographic collection and even if they haven’t a copy of the photo, they may have more suggestions as to where to look
Yes! I forgot to mention it but I did send them an email. They said that it might take a while to get a response because of restrictions but hopefully they can give me some information. Thanks Ann!
There’s also the Hampshire Cultural Trust Code: https://collections.hampshireculture.org.uk/photographs?_ga=2.213056084.1313384470.1613507759-143229928.1613507759 might be worth asking them. They have a Facebook page, where you could probably post a query
