ONE of the wonders of the age in which we live is that connections can be made around the globe in seconds.

After John Jackson’s sister, Susannah, emigrated to Idaho in the United States from South Shields in 1875, he kept her in touch of goings-on back at home by sending photographs of his growing family.

It was, perhaps, the only way Susannah could keep tabs on those goings-on: John married four times, had seven of his own children and acquired plenty more stepchildren so it became an extremely complicated family.

The Northern Echo: John Jackson with his family outside a South Shields pub. Jennie is the little girl in the centre at the front, this time without the maskJohn Jackson with his family outside a South Shields pub. His daughter, Jennie, is the little girl in the centre at the front

If John kept copies of the pictures he sent to the States, they no longer survive – but Susannah’s pictures do, and one of her descendants over there uploaded them onto Ancestry.com where they were spotted by Jane Laninga in Darlington.

“Wonderful!” says Jane. “I never dreamt I would find photos of the family of my two times great-grandfather, John Jackson.”

READ MORE: ALL CHANGE AT THE COCKS: OLD MIDDLETON ST GEORGE GETS NEW LIFE

The Northern Echo: John Jackson and his fourth wife, Emily, and Jennie (again not in a mask) on the left and her half-sister, FloraJohn Jackson and his fourth wife, Emily, and Jennie (again not in a mask) on the left and her half-sister, Flora

John started out as a blockmaker, making pulley blocks for ships, but then in 1889 took on the lease on the White Swan, a boarding house for sailors.

But with the pictures comes a completely new and unexpected set of questions. For instance, several pictures feature John’s daughter, Evelyn Jane Jackson, known as “Jennie”, who was born in Shields in 1900.

The Northern Echo: Jennie Jackson aged about four on the left on the wall on this family picture - but why ever would she be wearing a mask that completely covers her eyes?

“The odd thing about the family photo taken around 1904 is that Jennie is sitting on a wall wearing an eye mask,” says Jane.

The Northern Echo: mask

It appears to be a complete black-out mask. There are not even eyeholes in it that a highwayman might have cut out.

But there are no indications in censuses or family stories that Jennie had anything other than healthy, normal sight, and in the other photos she appears unmasked, just like everyone else.

“I’ve discussed the photo with a friend who is a GP, and he couldn’t think of a medical reason why she would have both her eyes covered,” says Jane. “He said that sometimes one eye might be covered if a person had a lazy eye, but not both eyes.

“So I wondered if any readers of Memories could suggest what might be going on – is there some early 20th Century child rearing practice that I know nothing about?”

If you can help, please email chris.lloyd@nne.co.uk

READ MORE: SCORPING, BURKING AND COWHOUSE-BUILDING: THE DUBIOUS VOTE-WINNING TACTICS THAT POLITICIANS USED TO USE

The Northern Echo: Jennie Jackson, with no hint of an eye complaint, and her half sister, Flora. Flora's father was a Jamaican sailorJennie Jackson, with no hint of an eye complaint, and her half sister, Flora. Flora's father was a Jamaican sailor