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  • Do you recognise these surnames?

    Hi, I wonder if anyone recognises these surnames? Mrs J. Wallen, D. Stanmore, E. Taylor, A. Wheatly? I have an autograph book belonging to my Grandmother who I believe was put into care or in an institution or children's home of some sort having been born illegitimately in Colnbrook in 1915.
    I don't know where the home was but the book is dated 1930-1934 and there are lovely verses, some of a religious nature, attached to the names. There are many from, "Mother", who I imagine was the head of the home.
    Do you recognise any of these names? Could you have relatives who worked in a home/institution during this period? If so, I would love to hear from you if you could shed some light on where this place might be as I am completely stuck!
    My Grandmother was married in Birmingham in 1935 but prior to this I have no idea of her whereabouts.
    Thank you . CHINCH.

  • #2
    CHINCH

    What strikes me immediately is that she would have been aged 15-19 when the verses were written and that was rather "old" to be in a Home. Most youngsters were working by the age of 14.

    I know that is not what you asked, but perhaps the autographs were collected from her place of work rather than a Home.

    OC

    Comment


    • #3
      Unless they had to leave the childrens home when of employable age and go to some "hostel" type place, from which they went off to work every day.
      In the 1930's most young people would have remained in the parental home until their marriage, and sometimes afterwards, too. Obviously if you were brought up in a home/orphanage, you couldn't do that.

      Jay
      Janet in Yorkshire



      Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

      Comment


      • #4
        Yes, that's what I meant really, either a hostel or a place of employment but not a children's home. Many people, girls particularly, who were brought up in children's homes were sent to some kind of live in employment as a way of easing them into adult independence.

        OC

        Comment


        • #5
          What was the address for your grandmother when she got married?

          Jay
          Janet in Yorkshire



          Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Janet in Yorkshire View Post
            What was the address for your grandmother when she got married?

            Jay
            Hi Jay and OC, thank you for answering my question. I do know that she was living in Birmingham when she married in 1935 in Union Road, Shirley and she met my Grandfather whilst both were working at a large house , my Grandfather as a gardener my Grandmother I'm assuming was a domestic. I don't know where the house was only that it was "posh" and in Birmingham. I don't know why she was living in Birmingham as she was born in Buckingham?
            As the verses were dated from 1930-1934 she was obviously in that place for 4 years and there was a "Mother" there. I know "Mothers" ran some of the cottage homes in Birmingham but my Grandmother hasn't turned up on the search I had done recently at some of those places. Also, the verses are of a religious sentiment so I'm not sure if that alters things?
            It's been a long search with no success and it's frustrating. I have posted a similar message on other forums but so far no information has materialised.
            Thank you both for your help. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a breakthrough!!!!!
            Thanks again. CHINCH.

            Comment


            • #7
              As OC suggested above, many girls from orphanages/homes were eventually found placements in residential domestic service. Indeed, at that time, it was still regarded as quite an achievement to get taken on in a very large household, where you were trained, clothed and fed. And yes. quite often it did lead to walking out with and eventual marriage to another member of staff - I remember many couples from my childhood who had met when working at one of the several local "big" houses.
              Job vacancies were advertised in the national press and also with agencies specialising in providing domestic servants, so it was not uncommon for people to go into place some distance away from their home county. I think working in one of the large establishments provided greater prestige and better working conditions than being the sole or one of two or three staff in a smaller establishment, where you had to be jack of all trades and were continually on call.

              Jay
              Janet in Yorkshire



              Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

              Comment


              • #8
                One of my relatives was a house mother for the Scattered Homes scheme in Yorkshire. She kept up correspondence with and was visited by many of her ex charges who often called her Mother.

                Have you managed to track down what kind of house she lived in in Shirley?

                OC

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
                  One of my relatives was a house mother for the Scattered Homes scheme in Yorkshire. She kept up correspondence with and was visited by many of her ex charges who often called her Mother.

                  Have you managed to track down what kind of house she lived in in Shirley?

                  OC


                  Hi OC AND Jay, again you have given me another angle to investigate which I hadn't considered, so thank you both. I know from the marriage certificate that both Grandparents were living at 115, Union Road, Shirley, Birmingham. I'm not sure but wonder if the Workhouse was somewhere near to that road? After my Father was born, 7 months after the marriage!!!!, their address was 2, South Road, Kings Heath.
                  It has got me thinking, would a couple be living together in those days before marriage? It seems strange that they have given the same address on the marriage cert'.
                  I don't think my Grandfather was in the workhouse or Cottage homes.
                  I have my thinking cap on again and will try to search for Union Road and see what I can discover.
                  I like the idea of your relative keeping in touch with her charges. I like to think that my Grandmother was loved wherever she was and the verses in the book do give that impression. As my Grandmother didn't speak of her childhood I don't know if she ever kept in touch with "Mother". Although I do understand the reason behind the secrecy, it does make it sooooo difficult to search and discover the information to unlock those secrets.
                  I appreciate your help and your giving me a new perspective . I was beginning to give up and this has re-ignited my interest.
                  Thanks again, CHINCH.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I wonder if it is worth looking at the 1939 register to see who lived at 115 Union Red? May give a clue or two.

                    I wouldn't put much store in both giving the same address at marriage! My husband and I both gave the same address at marriage because one set of banns was cheaper than two. We were most certainly not living together in the modern sense, lol, our mums would have killed us!

                    My great great aunt, housemother, had a poignant story. I remember her when she was a very old woman and I was about six or seven. She stood in the doorway and watched me, never said a word and I was quite frightened of her intensity.

                    When I eventually started researching, I discovered she married at 20 and was a widow at 22 having lost both her husband and their baby daughter to TB. She never remarried, never had more children but I like to think she loved the children in her care and it would seem they loved her too. Sorry, off topic as usual!

                    OC

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
                      I wonder if it is worth looking at the 1939 register to see who lived at 115 Union Red? May give a clue or two.

                      I wouldn't put much store in both giving the same address at marriage! My husband and I both gave the same address at marriage because one set of banns was cheaper than two. We were most certainly not living together in the modern sense, lol, our mums would have killed us!

                      My great great aunt, housemother, had a poignant story. I remember her when she was a very old woman and I was about six or seven. She stood in the doorway and watched me, never said a word and I was quite frightened of her intensity.

                      When I eventually started researching, I discovered she married at 20 and was a widow at 22 having lost both her husband and their baby daughter to TB. She never remarried, never had more children but I like to think she loved the children in her care and it would seem they loved her too. Sorry, off topic as usual!

                      OC
                      No , please don't say sorry. I love to hear people's stories. How sad that she never re-married and had her own family as she obviously had a lot of love to give. Hopefully, the young children in her care gave her a purpose and helped her through her life.
                      Do you think it would tell me if it was a home if I look up the Union Rd; address in the 1939 census? I think I need to take a trip to the library and have a look.
                      Can you imagine telling our ancestors about the changes that have taken place since their times. It's now the norm to live together before marriage and to be single and have children and it's no longer deemed correct practice to sell pink clothes for girls and blue for boys.!!! Now I'm off topic!!!
                      Thanks for your help, OC. Kind regards, CHINCH.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        There is a site called Birmingham children’s homes which has a long list . Could it have been the working girls home in Hyperion Road?Although several of the old work houses are listed. Barb

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by sleepybarb View Post
                          There is a site called Birmingham children’s homes which has a long list . Could it have been the working girls home in Hyperion Road?Although several of the old work houses are listed. Barb

                          Hi Barb , I haven't heard of this home before so will look into that, thank you. I have actually seen the site for the children's homes. I am going to take a look at the Solihull electoral rolls today , hopefully, and just see if the house in Union Road, Shirley , given as the address for my Grandparents on the marriage certificate, was actually their home as I have now seen a photo' of it and it is quite a big place for just 2 people. If I could find out where she was working it might shed some light on things and possibly the people I have named may be found working there. I think there was a workhouse 2 miles away from their house so I ill try and see if that' s in the library's records to view, also.
                          I have written and e-mailed several places, some reply but not all,unfortunately. I suppose searching keeps me out of trouble!!!!!
                          Thanks again for being so kind and answering my post. CHINCH.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Hi, just a quick update. I have looked at Hyperion Road working girls home but it appears to have opened much later in 1967 from what I can see. I took a look at the electoral rolls in the library and found that the house on Union Road was actually a cottage and my Grandfather's parents rented it and my Grandmother lived there but isn't mentioned on the roll as she would have been only 19 and not allowed at that time to be registered. So, I am no further forward!! I hoped this would give me something to go on but it's back to the drawing board!!!
                            Thank you all for your help. CHINCH.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
                              I wonder if it is worth looking at the 1939 register to see who lived at 115 Union Red? May give a clue or two. OC
                              115 Union Road Solihull in 1939
                              Leonard J Barton 02 Nov 1884 Male Labourer Public Works Heavy Worker Married
                              Ella F Barton 15 Mar 1887 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married
                              Henry T Barton 23 Mar 1914 Male Air Frame Assembler Single
                              Philip H Barton 20 Mar 1921 Male Cinema Operator Single
                              Oliver Barton 20 Nov 1924 Male Errand Boy Single
                              Joan M Callender (Barton) 14 Sep 1927 Female At School Single
                              Jean M Miller (Barton) 14 Sep 1927 Female At School Single

                              Doesn't appear to be a big house with servants.

                              Margaret

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                Originally posted by margaretmarch View Post
                                115 Union Road Solihull in 1939
                                Leonard J Barton 02 Nov 1884 Male Labourer Public Works Heavy Worker Married
                                Ella F Barton 15 Mar 1887 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married
                                Henry T Barton 23 Mar 1914 Male Air Frame Assembler Single
                                Philip H Barton 20 Mar 1921 Male Cinema Operator Single
                                Oliver Barton 20 Nov 1924 Male Errand Boy Single
                                Joan M Callender (Barton) 14 Sep 1927 Female At School Single
                                Jean M Miller (Barton) 14 Sep 1927 Female At School Single

                                Doesn't appear to be a big house with servants.

                                Margaret

                                Hi Margaret, thank you for this information. I took a ride out to see the house on Union Road and actually knocked the door. A lovely gentleman answered and invited me in and told me a little about the place. It was just a cottage opposite farmland and his parents rented it . There was a large barn to the side of the cottage which he used to play in and one day when it was raining the barn collapsed, not long after he had been playing there. The land owner then decided to sell both the land and the cottage and his parents bought the cottage. The cottage itself was only quite small but has since been extended but it had a lovely feel about it . So, it definetely wasn't the big posh house I had hoped it would be. So, as I say I am no further forward.
                                I suppose my Grandmother could have been living elsewhere but put this address for ease as OC said in her earlier post.
                                So I don't know where to go next. I hoped with the names of the people from the autograph book I could find out where she spent those years from 1930-1934. I think the 1921 census is the only way of discovering this.
                                Thanks again, CHINCH

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  Originally posted by CHINCH View Post
                                  Hi Margaret, thank you for this information. I took a ride out to see the house on Union Road and actually knocked the door. A lovely gentleman answered and invited me in and told me a little about the place. It was just a cottage opposite farmland and his parents rented it . There was a large barn to the side of the cottage which he used to play in and one day when it was raining the barn collapsed, not long after he had been playing there. The land owner then decided to sell both the land and the cottage and his parents bought the cottage. The cottage itself was only quite small but has since been extended but it had a lovely feel about it . So, it definetely wasn't the big posh house I had hoped it would be. So, as I say I am no further forward.
                                  I suppose my Grandmother could have been living elsewhere but put this address for ease as OC said in her earlier post.
                                  So I don't know where to go next. I hoped with the names of the people from the autograph book I could find out where she spent those years from 1930-1934. I think the 1921 census is the only way of discovering this.
                                  Thanks again, CHINCH
                                  Well I hope we get to see the 1921 census as there is doubt about whether it will be published!

                                  Have you tried working up trees for the names concerned?

                                  Margaret

                                  Comment


                                  • #18
                                    Could try the electors roll though to see who was living there - she wouldn't have been old enough. Not sure if Shirley came under Solihull then.



                                    Researching Irish families: FARMER, McBRIDE McQUADE, McQUAID, KIRK, SANDS/SANAHAN (Cork), BARR,

                                    Comment


                                    • #19
                                      Originally posted by margaretmarch View Post
                                      Well I hope we get to see the 1921 census as there is doubt about whether it will be published!

                                      Have you tried working up trees for the names concerned?

                                      Margaret


                                      Hi Margaret, I hadn't heard that!!! Why would they not publish it? I was under the impression it would be available in 1922.
                                      As for making up the trees for the names, I wouldn't know where to start as I don't know if they are male or female or if they lived or worked in Birmingham or Buckingham or elsewhere. It's a bit of a needle in a haystack, really.
                                      Thanks, CHINCH.

                                      Comment


                                      • #20
                                        Originally posted by JBee View Post
                                        Could try the electors roll though to see who was living there - she wouldn't have been old enough. Not sure if Shirley came under Solihull then.

                                        Hi JBee, Yes I think Shirley did come under Solihull and was in Warwickshire. In the electoral roll for 1935 it shows my Grandfather and his Mother and step-Father living there but no mention of my Grandmother, but as you say, she would have been too young. I have had an e-mail from the gentleman living in the cottage now and he is going to try and find out about the history of it and wonders if there may be a connection between his family and mine. I think, having seen the names of the family living there in the 1939 register, that there wont be a connection as that name, Barton, hasn't featured in my tree.
                                        It's strange that the dates in the book are from 1930-1934 when my Grandmother would have been from 15-19 years old so could have been at work as suggested in earlier posts but the verses from "Mother" just make me think it was a home of some sort. I don't know when she met my Grandfather and how long they were together before their marriage in 1935. I'm confused!!!!! If I put her name into a search nothing shows up other than her birth and marriage. Hey-ho. Something might turn up out of the blue and all will be revealed.
                                        Thanks for your help. CHINCH

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