A wellknown online auction site is currently listing an old postcard carrying a fine photo of a blacksmith with his family, the listing helpfully includes excellent images of both sides of the card. The portrait background includes the name "J.Evans", chalked-on what is presumably his own smithy. The card has lost it's stamp and postmark, but the seller has estimated it's date around 1905. The message is from "Lizzie and baby, from? Newent", addressed to "Liz? and Fred" of the Ball family, 22 Mount Street, Gloucester. The card doesn't give any clues as to the publisher, presumably it was produced locally for the blacksmith, maybe as an advertising device. The image also includes a part-obscured poster which may read "Dymock".

As well as being an interesting family portrait, I'm posting this in the hope a forum reader might know the family, it would be great if the card could find it's way home. I hope this FoD site are happy with me posting this link, which must be opened in it's own new window;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181682208968?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK...

Please be assured I am not in any way linked to the seller, or the family, I will not be bidding.

My researches show this is the family in the photograph, the card's message presumably written by wife Elizabeth, the aforementioned "baby" being Mary aged 8months;

1911 Census; Pool Hill, Pauntley, Newent

Name Relation to Head Birth Date Age Gender Marital Status Years Married Occupation Birth Place Address
Joseph Evans Head 1874 37 Male Married 6yrs Master Blacksmith Woolaston, Gloucestershire
Elizabeth Evans Wife 1872 39 Female Married 6yrs Woolaston, Gloucestershire
Barbara Evans Daughter 1905 6 Female Pauntley, Gloucestershire
Mary Evans Daughter 1910 8/12 Female Pauntley, Gloucestershire

From this site's PRs;

Record_ID: 68353
Entry_Number: 689
Year: 1873
Month: Aug
Day: 10
Parents_Surname: EVANS
Child_Forenames: Joseph Jenkins
Fathers_Forenames: John
Mothers_Forenames: Harriett
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Woolaston
Occupation: Blacksmith
Officiating_Minister: William Somerset Rector
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P376 IN 1/5
Page_Number: 87
Parish_Chapel: Woolaston
Soundex: E152

Hence;

1901 Census, Alvington, Glos

Name Relation to Head Age Estimated Birth Year Gender Birth Place
John Evans Head(blacksmith) 54 1847 Male Alvington, Gloucestershire, England
Harriett Evans Wife 54 1847 Female Woollaston, Gloucestershire, England
Joseph Evans Son(gen labourer) 28 1873 Male Woollaston, Gloucestershire, England
George Evans Son 20 1881 Male Alvington, Gloucestershire, England
Kate Evans Daughter 18 1883 Female Alvington, Gloucestershire, England
Clara Evans Daughter 16 1885 Female Alvington, Gloucestershire, England
Mary Evans Daughter 14 1887 Female Alvington, Gloucestershire, England
Walter Evans Son 12 1889 Male Alvington, Gloucestershire, England

From GlosBMD;

Birth Details
Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
EVANS Joseph Jenkins EVANS EVANS JONES 1873 Forest of Dean Chepstow, Lydney 14 298

Marriage Details
Groom Surname Groom Forename Bride Surname Bride Forename District Parish Building Year Register Entry
EVANS Joseph Jenkins BALL Elizabeth Frances Gloucester Gloucester All Saints Closed 1904 23 No 3 177

Hence;

Record_ID: 68317
Entry_Number: 653
Year: 1871
Month: Oct
Day: 8
Parents_Surname: BALL
Child_Forenames: Elizabeth Frances
Fathers_Forenames: Sam
Mothers_Forenames: Margaret
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Woolaston
Occupation: Fisherman
Officiating_Minister: William Somerset Rector
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P376 IN 1/5
Page_Number: 82
Parish_Chapel: Woolaston
Soundex: B400

Marriage Details
Groom Surname Groom Forename Bride Surname Bride Forename District Parish Building Year Register Entry
BALL Samuel WATKINS Margaret Forest of Dean Woolaston St Andrew 1863 1 156

1911 Census, 22 Mount Street, Gloucester

Name Relation to Head Birth Date Age Gender Marital Status Years Married Occupation Birth Place Address
Frederick Thomas Ball Head 1878 33 Male Married 5yrs Police Constable Gloucester County Constabulary Woolaston, Gloucestershire
Alice Ball Wife 1881 30 Female Married 5yrs Woolaston, Gloucestershire
Samuel Thomas Ball Son 1907 4 Male Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Lizzie Protherough Boarder 1885 26 Female Single Laundress Charlton King, Gloucestershire
Alice Boughton Visitor 1885 26 Female Single Domestic servant Upleadon, Gloucestershire.

Record_ID: 34058
Entry_Number: 342
Year: 1905
Month: Jun
Day: 27
Grooms_Surname: BALL
Grooms_Forenames: Frederick Tom
Grooms_Age: 27
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Police Constable
Grooms_Residence: Woolaston
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Ball
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Samuel
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Fisherman
Brides_Surname: BOUGHTON
Brides_Forenames: Alice Eliza
Brides_Age: 25
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Residence: Woolaston
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Boughton
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: Thomas
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Labourer
Licence_or_Banns: [not stated]
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: Both sign
Witness_1: Alfred Henry Ball
Witness_2: Mary Remnant
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: Willis F A Lambert Rector
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P376 IN 1/12
Page_Number: 171
Parish_Chapel: Woolaston
Soundex_Groom: B400
Soundex_Bride: B235

Birth Details

Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
BALL Frederick Tom BALL BALL WATKINS 1877 Forest of Dean Chepstow, Lydney 16 164

So the card, and blacksmith's wife Elizabeth and baby, are travelling to visit her brother's in Gloucester. He is another PC Ball from Woolaston, see this prior thread.
http://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=20539

A photo towards the bottom of this page shows a PC 144 Frederick Ball on duty in Gloster in 1912, the same man perhaps ?
http://www.gloucestershirepolicemuseum.co.uk/page_2358856.html