Welcome, Guest. Please login or register for free.
Did you miss your activation email?
Monday 23 November 09 00:30 UTC (UK)
Welcome Home Help Surnames Library Shop Search Login Register

+  RootsChat.Com
|-+  England (Counties as in 1851-1901)
| |-+  England - General
| | |-+  Surrey
| | | |-+  Surrey Lookup Requests
| | | | |-+  Surrey Completed Look up Requests (Moderators: dawnsh, Valda)
| | | | | |-+  Mr and Mrs Shepherd(?) Royal Navy family stationed in HK 1920's-30's
« previous next »
Pages: [1] Print
Author Topic: Mr and Mrs Shepherd(?) Royal Navy family stationed in HK 1920's-30's  (Read 132 times)
Sue Lancashire
RootsChat Extra
**
Posts: 26


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Mr and Mrs Shepherd(?) Royal Navy family stationed in HK 1920's-30's
« on: Wednesday 12 August 09 08:15 UTC (UK) »
Kia ora from New Zealand.

I am hoping to rediscover my Gran and her adoptive parents.

Registered as  Irene Mary Saunders, born in Whippingham Road,  Brighton,  6 FEB 1911, to Elizabeth Saunders of Wiltshire.

My gran was adopted out as a baby, or infant, by an "aunt and uncle"..... Mr and Mrs Shepherd. No first names are known. I cannot find any connection with them and her birth family.

The only concrete info that I have about them is that Mr Shepherd (not sure of spelling) was in the Royal Navy and he (plus wife and child) were stationed in Hong Kong for about 13 years, returning to England around 1936-39.  There are possible links to Mt Victoria Hospital. Gran had a southern England accent and possible links to Kent or Surrey.

There is little else to go on, to gain further information about her adoptive parents.
Just hoping that someone in the Surrrey area may have a few drops in the bucket before I start trying to swim this ocean  of research from NZ. Irene Mary married John Read of Salford, Lancs in 1939. No Shepherd's are mentioned on the marriage cert.

Did children at this time need a passport to travel,  would she have been named exactly as registered, or just included as 'infant Shepherd' on the "parental" passports?

Would they have arrived in China by naval boat or separately from a naval employee? I am an absolute novice in naval history and protocol.

I have purchased the book "tracing naval ancestors" but research at this stage seems untenable, unless there is some access to records of the China squadron/fleet in existance.
 
Thank you for reading ...any clues, tips or advice  will be gratefully taken on board.

Sue
Logged
Baxter, Kellet, Jennings, Marsden, Read, Speakman in Lancashire
Read, Roberts  in Denbighshire
Saunders in  Wiltshire, Sussex
Batchelor,  Whalen in Sussex
Sheppard in Wiltshire, Hampshire
Valda
Moderator
RootsChat Marquessate
*******
Posts: 9670
Re: Mr and Mrs Shepherd(?) Royal Navy family stationed in HK 1920's-30's
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 12 August 09 11:12 UTC (UK) »
Hi Sue

There was no formal (legal) adoption system in this country until 1927, so before that date unless a child went into the poor law system or into a charity organisation such as Barnadoes there would be no paperwork if it was a private arrangement.


Brighton is in Sussex. You have really not been able to give any concrete link to Surrey to enable anyone to help with advice on Surrey records.


Royal Navy records are held at The National Archives but for that you really need a starting point that at least tells you whether you are researching officer records, no-comissioned officer records, or ratings.

Shepherd/Sheppard etc is a common English surname


The National Archives research guides are here

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/researchguidesindex.asp

They include a research guide on passports.


There is no evidence of an Irene Saunders on passenger lists. There is an Irene Sheppard aged 16 travelling 2nd class on the Macedonia, P & O, 5th May 1927.
Country of last permanent residency China. Travelling from Hong Kong to London. Proposed address in the UK - 65 Stanstead Road Southsea. Irene was travelling with Annie Sheppard aged 45

Southsea is in Hampshire very close to Portsmouth a very important naval base. See Google maps.

This may or may not be the Irene Saunders you are interested in as the time slot 1927 is earlier than you specified in the 1930s.

Depending on whether Annie Sheppard was married by the 1911 census and also resident in the country that gives you a long shot in searching for her on the 1911 census since you know her age.

http://www.1911census.co.uk/

If you find any likely candidates (you cannot ask for lookups on the 1911 census on Rootschat because of copyright reasons) post the information if you wish onto the topic and see if further help can be given to confirm or elimate Annie Sheppard as a possible candidate for Irene's 'aunt'.

Regards

Valda
Logged
This information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Valda
Moderator
RootsChat Marquessate
*******
Posts: 9670
Re: Mr and Mrs Shepherd(?) Royal Navy family stationed in HK 1920's-30's
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 12 August 09 11:19 UTC (UK) »
Please see duplicate topics on on Sussex, Wiltshire and Beginners board

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,385100.0.html
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,385098.0.html
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,398638.0.html


Regards

Valda
Logged
This information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Sue Lancashire
RootsChat Extra
**
Posts: 26


Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Re: Mr and Mrs Shepherd(?) Royal Navy family stationed in HK 1920's-30's
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 18 August 09 08:01 UTC (UK) »
 Cheesy
Thank you so much to Valda and Anna for your very helpful and informative replies to my request for help and advice.
I have many more avenues to begin researching. I had thought of "sisters" who may have adopted Irene but not her aunts.
Passenger list look ups were especially helpful as I now need to reassess dates I was given.
Another member has contacted me through this thread...she is also researching the same branch of my grandmother's birth family-very successful, and as good as it gets I think!
Thankyou again!
Sue
Logged
Baxter, Kellet, Jennings, Marsden, Read, Speakman in Lancashire
Read, Roberts  in Denbighshire
Saunders in  Wiltshire, Sussex
Batchelor,  Whalen in Sussex
Sheppard in Wiltshire, Hampshire
Pages: [1] Print 
« previous next »


[Copyright] [Shrink Link] [About Us] [Terms of Use]
All Census Lookups are Crown Copyright, National Archives for academic and non-commercial research purposes only
RootsChat.com cannot be held responsible directly or indirectly for the messages or content posted by others. Inline images in messages are the copyright of the respective linked sites.
RootsChat.com, Europa House, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 5BT

In loving memory of Eric George Davies, 1934-2009, the father of RootsChat.com































Powered by SMF 1.0.7 | SMF © 2006-2009, Simple Machines LLC
0.039:22