Ref NoLDGSL/1078/A/61/5
TitlePhotographs and history of Janet Watson's extended family
Date[1800-1972]
LevelFile
Extent8 files
FormatPortrait
DescriptionMaterial relating to the history of the extended family of Janet Watson on her mother Katherine's side, including:

1) Family tree information, compiled by various, [nd], including will of Joseph Parker, 1842 and photograph of the Methodist minister Rev Isaiah Parker [Watson's maternal grandfather] and news cuttings reporting his death, 1934.

2) Gibson - Miscellaneous portrait photographs of 'Gibsons', the family of Isiah Parker's second wife Mary Gibson, [1870s-1900s] - includes images of Mary Gibson [one with a young child and her ?brothers and sisters William, Tilda, Bella and Alice, and an older figure identified as Hannah Gibson.

3) Parker - Various photographs likely to be of the Parker family, [1880s-1930s]. [Note: there are three cabinet cards taken in Brockley clearly of siblings. DMS Watson's grandfather was a stockbroker in London and one of the children bears a resemblance to Mary Watson so could be related.]

4) The Rev Isaiah Parker - letters, 1877-1909, from his first/second wife [?Mary] and latterly his children; three photographs of Parker, [1870s-1930s], envelope containing class tickets for the Wesleyan Methodist Society, 1861-1891; two notebooks, one containing notes of a voyage and tour from London to Cairo, Dec 1888-Jan 1889, the other containing notes on theology in part for an examination at Madingley College, 1890. At the back is a mss draft of a sermon by Parker, 9 Dec 1882. Lock of hair in folded paper marked 'M Parker aged 57 years' (presumably his wife Mary Gibson Parker).

5) School notebook of William Parker, of mathematical problems, [c.1800]

6) Dunnington - mss copy of a letter from Jane Dunnington to her brother Thomas, 1857; vellum bound notebook of diary of theological notes made by William Dunnington, 1814.

7) Loose, handwritten sermons/diary entries attributed to James Gill, the Methodist preacher great-grandfather of the Rev Isaiah Parker, 1802-[1830s].

8) Beatrice Parker [Katherine's sister and aunt of Janet Watson] - Letters written by or to Beatrice to various family members, 1910-1953; poster advertising a vocal recital to be given by Beatrice in Edinburgh, 1923; Reproduced commonplace book, with dedication by Beatrice, 1972.
ProvenanceThe rest of the collection came in two accessions (March 1993 and March 2012) from Mrs Betty Sutton, the widow and second wife of Professor John Sutton FRS (Janet Vida Watson was his first wife). The material in this accession was given to the Geologists' Association by Betty Sutton and was eventually donated to the Society in April 2026.
AppraisalThe third accession in particular was completely disordered, clearly what was left over from when Betty Sutton distributed the papers of Janet Watson, her husband John Sutton and her father DMS Watson to the various archive institutions. Many of the photographs are unidentified, particularly for the extended family, and are therefore loosely categorised.
Access ConditionsAccess is by appointment only, Please contact the Archivist for further information.
LanguageEnglish
Related MaterialThere is some more family material in the collection of DMS Watson at University College London.
ArchNoteDescription by Caroline Lam
Persons
CodePersonNameDates
DS/UK/420WATSON; Janet Vida (1923-1985); scientist and geologist1923-1985
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