Lost aunt

[jayanne]

Hi there

I'm new to the site, and I desperately need some help! I can't find my aunt - my father's sister. I know she existed (she died in 1990) and lived with our family until she married in 1948 - I have her marriage certificate. She always told us she had been born on the 31 August 1900, and her name was Florrie (not Florence). But I can't find my grandparents on the 1900 census, and although I've traced them on the 1911 census she doesn't appear on it. There are a couple of Florry's but I sent for the birth certificates, listing my grandparents, and it wasn't her! There was never any doubt raised during my Dad's lifetime that she wasn't his sister. There were also 2 other sisters, one of whom lived with us also until her death.

Unfortunately there are now no relatives left to ask about this. Does anyone know how I can trace her?

[Elaine ..Spain]

Can you give us her maiden name - and the details of your grandparents from the 1911 census.

[jayanne]

Hi Elaine

Her maiden name was Florrie Parkes and her parents were John Thomas Parkes and Caroline Parkes (formerly Shakespeare).

[Elaine ..Spain]

When and where were John and Caroline born?

[Gwen@coggiecorner]

Welcome to FTF
what area was she born?

[jayanne]

Both John and Caroline were born in Dudley, Worcestershire - John in 1879 and Caroline in 1878 or possibly 1880.

[Patience of Pendle]

From FreeBMD

Marriage 1898 Dudley?

There are two Florry Parkes reg In Dudley Dec 1900 & a Florence in March 1898

[Elaine ..Spain]

Oops - very rude of me - welcome to FTF!

Can't see where they are hiding yet in 1901! Do you have the address of the 1911 census - are there any children listed who were born before 1901 - what was John's occupation?

[Gwen@coggiecorner]

So far the only Florrie parkes I've found on a census born 1900 is living with parents called William & Hannah cannot seem to find her. Also the only John I can find living with a caroline their dob are to early but they live in Dudley. Sorry

[jayanne]

The 1911 census adress is No. 13, Mambles, King Street, Dudley (and Mambles is very hard to find on the census!!).

There are two other children listed, my aunts Hannah and Mary - aunty Mary lived with my family, and aunty Hannah died in 1936 - their ages on the census are reversed, Mary was born 1905 and Hannah 1903. And another mystery is the reference to a child who died, which we never knew about. It gets worse, doesnt it??

I've researched to two Florry's mentioned, but they aren't her.

[jayanne]

Elaine - John's occupation is listed as general labourer although we always thought he was a jobbing blacksmith.

Thank you all for your welcome.

[Elaine ..Spain]

When Florrie died was her date of birth recorded as 31 August 1900?

[tugman]

Parkes

Hiya
Hiya
I searched for her grandparents Parkes & uncle Elijah Parkes. There is no Florrie or Florence with them.
John Thomas Parkes b.1878 in 1901 = John T Parkes a stone breaker aged 22 yrs civil parish Tipton Staffs.
Wife Caroline is not with him, believe she is visiting Shakespeare family at Rowley Regis Stafford
1901 census i have:
Florence Parkes aged 3 born Staffs Burnt Tree Staffordshire
civil parish Tipton

If correct John T Parkes & his daug Florence Parkes aged 3 & mum away
visiting family. Then maybe this correct.
Does anybody have access to 1901 to show John's family HOUSEHOLD
All the best
tugman

[Elaine ..Spain]

Tugman,

The John T Parkes in Tipton, occ. stonebreaker, appears to be with wife Alice and daughter Alice - so not the right one!

The Florence Parkes born 1898 living in Tipton is with parents George and Sarah Parkes - so not the right one!

None of the Parkes family are with Caroline´s parents in 1901 either!

[Elaine ..Spain]

From FreeBMD
There are two Florry Parkes reg In Dudley Dec 1900 ...

I've researched to two Florry's mentioned, but they aren't her.

When you say you have researched the two Florries, have you actually got their birth certificates or did you order them with a reference checking which was wrong?

[tugman]

Parkes

Hiya
That's fair enough, at least that them checked out.
tugman

[jayanne]

In response to Tugman - I have found a John Thomas Parkes recorded on the 1901 Census as visiting a Charles W Price in Tipton. Curiously, 'my' John T had a step-brother by his mother's first marriage - she was Rachel Price, nee Hale, and Charles W is shown on the 1891Census as Charles W Parkes. The fact that he has a daughter named Rachel is very persuasive, as we all know how family names are repeated through the generations.

Elaine - I've had copies of both Florry's birth certificates, neither of which was the right one.

I've gone down the route of trying to trace Caroline's Shakespeare relatives hoping that she may have been staying with one of them, but this has led nowhere too. Incidentally, a lot of my Parkes and Shakespeare ancestors lived in The Mambles in Dudley, which no longer exists, but was a square off one of the main streets.

On a slightly different theme - does anyone know how or if it's possible to find out who John T's and Caroline's child was who died?

[jayanne]

Elaine - yes, Florrie's birth on her death certificate is recorded as 31 August 1900.

[Uncle John]

Elaine - yes, Florrie's birth on her death certificate is recorded as 31 August 1900.

Who was the informant on the death cert.? They might have just been going by what the family "knew", so the birth could be quite a different date.

[Jac]

My grandparents brought up my aunts child as their own and most people believed he was my grandparents child.Even the family.As for the name my G'ma insisted she was Frances but no Fanny was her name.They do like to lead us on a merry dance don't they