Clara's death - help UPDATE #626

[maudarby]

Hi Steven
Maybe your contact's father got the number of the house wrong. Your photo on post #39 could be either no 57 or 61. Both houses have a side window on the left as you are facing the house & the front door on the right. The houses have obviously changed a lot since the 1940s but some that haven't had porches added have an outside post between the houses which I think is what is reflected in the side window of the photo. A pair of houses a bit further down the road.
Moggie

[stevie2006]

Thanks for the photo Moggie. I hope the contact at the library can maybe find them at 61 Thornton road. Maybe my grandad was staying with his aunt and grandmother when he signed up for the army or maybe Clara was staying with her second daughter Isabella rather than Ethel.

Steven

I do know that the 88a Ley Street address was one they lived at for years. Is there anyway you can check ER's online or does it need to be a library in Essex? I live in Scotland

[margaretmarch]

Unfortunately ERs are not online so we are reliant on personal visit to look or the kindness of the librarians.

Another option would be to ask on the Research Requests Board if someone could go to the library for you and they could do whatever searches you needed. It would be the same place as for Thornton Road - maybe you could ask when you are asking them to check again for that address.

Margaret

[maudarby]

Hi Steven
Only very early ERs on SEAX so as Margaret said your only option is the library.
Moggie

[margaretmarch]

I think also that Ilford whilst classed as Essex, is in fact comes under the London Borough of Redbridge so not sure if SEAX will cover that.
Margaret

[darannon]

hi steven - sorry to hear you don't have the right death yet - it gets very frustrating doesn't it! Re: Clara Pettit 1940 Eastry, I'm sure she isn't yours, as Walter Pettit married Clara Cavell in Eastry in 1888, so I think that would be her )-:
I have had a lot of help from libraries in the past, so I think it is well worth emailing the local one
Good luck
Darannon

[stevie2006]

Thanks Margaret you are right the library I had emailed was Redbridge and fingers crossed they can come up with something.

Thanks Moggie for the update re the libraries I thought that would be the case - unfortunately I cannot get down there but hopefully the library can help.

Thanks Denise for eliminating another Clara SO frustrating I agree!!!!

Steven

[stevie2006]

Hi there I went through every Clara Ward who died between 1939-1950 ish and the only other one that stands out is a Clara Ward who died in Brentford in 1944 (Jan-Mar) - could this be a potential death - Brentford is about 25 miles from Ilford Essex and about 18 miles from West Ham 2 places I know Clara lived in?

Steven

PS No word from library yet but fingers crossed

PPS Plus another death in Edmonton in Middlesex in 1950 - bit closer to West Ham

[margaretmarch]

Edmonton is more likely than Brentford. Londoners tend to stay in or near the areas where they are born/married/settled unless there is a specific reason to move. Edmonton is much nearer then Brentford.

Mostly people moved outwards from London so I would expect to see people from Ilford moving to Romford/Brentwood/Southend on Sea rather than another part of London unless they were going to other family members.

Might be best to wait to find out from the library about the addresses you have.

Margaret

[stevie2006]

Thanks Margaret for helping me out with that, my geography of the area is really poor.

I heard back from Redbridge today and they found Isabel on the electoral roll after the War in Ley Street in Ilford but no Clara but pre war none of the family are listed at Thornton Road. Unfortunately as already pointed out no ER's are available during WW2 when the family may have been there during the War. They were not there in 1939.

What I hoped was that Clara was going to be found at an address in 1939 perhaps with a different surname but I need to find out where Clara's daughter Ethel McKanna was staying in 1939 but haven't a clue where I will find that.

Steven

[Guest]

Steven wonder if it would help if you find James her supposedly second husband's death ?

[stevie2006]

I was thinking that val but nothing sticking out so far

Steven

[margaretmarch]

Did the McKanna's have any children and if so when - birth certs might be useful for addresses if the years are right.

Margaret

[maudarby]

Hi Steven
Did your contact at the library give you the names of the people who were living at 61 Thornton Rd before & after the war as they did with no 57? He/she is looking for specific names that you have given them to search for & are unfamiliar with the family so if for example a Clara & James Brown were living there they would disregard them. There are also 2 of Clara's daughters unaccounted for, one of them could have been living in Thornton Rd. It could also have been Clara's house & Ethel went to live with her & not the other way round.
The only thing we know for certain is that Clara was still alive in 1940 & at some point lived in 57 or 61 Thornton Rd.
Moggie

[stevie2006]

Hi Moggie here is the latest email re the addresses

Thank you for your email. I have checked the pre and post war electoral rolls for 61 Thornton Road as requested. Please find the details below:

1938



Girling, Charles

Girling, Ivy

Short, Ida Dora Bessie

Short, Reginald



1939



Davies, Phyllis

Davies, Thomas

Short, Ida Dora Bessie

Short, Reginald



1946



Fennessy, Thomas

Wiggins, Laura

Wiggins, William



Also I have checked Electoral Rolls for 88a Ley street. The following people were registered at the address:



1949



Clarke, Clifford

Deyes, John R

Deyes, Marjorie E

Rolfe , Eric

Rolfe, Isabel E



1951

Rolfe, Eric

Rolfe, Isabel E



1952



Oubridge, Albert

Oubridge, Dennis A

Oubridge, Rose H



Noone was registered at 88a Ley Street in 1982, 1983, 1984.

The only other address I have is 58 Deacon Street, Southwark where in 1960 Ethel was living when she died. I might try and see who was living there in 1940 - would anyone know what area Southwark is in?

Steven

[margaretmarch]

Southwark is a London Borough in its own right - just looking for info on the electoral register and where it is kept
Margaret

[stevie2006]

Thank you so much Margaret - maybe I can then try the voters roll for that address. Snowing here today so a day in front of the computer as well as sledging with my wee girl. Come on Clara give me a clue to where you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Steven

[margaretmarch]

Here is the link http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200...ral_register/2 and it seems to be 'take your pick' which one to approach. I think I would go for the local history one as the staff there might be intrigued by your search and possibly more likely to be helpful.

I'm in Spain at the mo' and it's a bit dull today but still quite mild - it was sunny and 19C yesterday!

Enjoy the snow.
Margaret

[stevie2006]

Would rather swap Spain and 19 degrees for Scotland that's for sure Margaret!!!!!

That's the various emails away for er searches. If I can just find her pre WW2 then that could really help either place her or find if she did in fact remarry. The problem is the ER's were done from 1939 to 1945 as already pointed out.

Toying the idea of ordering the Edmonton cert just as an early Xmas present lol.

Emailed my new relative today and she is going to recheck with her parents. One issue is that her father is elderly and addresses have become confused but fingers crossed for another clue. Either that or she isn't dead and alive and well at the grand old age of 150 and that's why I can't find her death!!!!!!!!!

Steven

[Guest]

Steven I was thinking ? wonder if that James Ward served in the Army ??? as if he was born in abt 1881 he would have been young enough and might have mentioned Clara and an address at that time.