My cousin, Sally Wilson, from Melbourne, Australia, has been in touch regarding a quest for information about her husband’s father, who died when he was only 13.

Her search has the support of a whole network of Wilson family members spread across the world, all descended from Frear Wilson, of Malton, and his wife, Charlotte (née Waite, from Terrington.

But none of us have ever seen a photograph of Frear and Charlotte.

For some reason, all the photographs that may have existed must have been lost or thrown away. And Frear lived to be 84 and died in 1920, so there must have been pictures of him. His wife died in 1919, aged 76.

Frear Wilson was born in 1836 in Malton, and died on August 3, 1920, in Malton. He lived at 84 Castlegate nearly all his life, worked in a brewery, later a flour mill and married Charlotte Waite in 1864 at Old Malton’s St Mary’s Church.

They had three sons and six daughters: William Storr Wilson, 1864 to 1911, – a soldier for 21 years; Robert Wilson, 1866 to 1945, a railway worker in Darlington; Jane Ann Wilson, 1868 to 1955, who married a soldier from the 8th Irish Hussars in 1890; Annie Elizabeth Wilson, 1870 to 1949, who married John Pye and lived in Leeds; Kate Wilson, 1873 to 1939 – married John Ruston, another soldier; Ellen Wilson, 1875 to 1910, who married Alfred Estill, yet another soldier; Ruth Wilson, 1879 to 1974 – married John Peake and moved to Cheshire; Henry Wilson 1882 to 1958 was the grandfather of Sally’s husband, Don. Henry (or Harry) is the only one who stayed in the Malton area – he died in Norton; Mary Wilson 1886 to 1953, who married Herbert Hebden and moved to Cleveland. Mary died in Malton.

If anyone can help us we would be very grateful.

Andrew Griffiths, Ober-Ramstadt, Germany, and Sally Wilson, Melbourne, Australia