Clifford, Mary J, 1915 - 1944 Coventry

[josey]

The certificate from Mary's 2nd marriage came today.

12 Feb 1943 at the Catholic Church of Christ the King, Westhill Road:
Mary Josephine Macauley widow aged 28 years of 76 Lawrence Saunders Road Coventry daughter of Leonard George Clifford [deceased] to * Doherty aged 25 machine tool setter at aircraft works son of Daniel Doherty.

Also her death certificate:
4 Jan 1944 at Municipal Hospital aged 29 yrs of [address as above] wife of * Doherty; cause of death - Shock following technically successful [named operation]; certificate received from Walter Iliffe Coroner for Coventry. Inquest held 6 Jan 1944. [The coroner is the same from the inquest of her father's suicide in 1932]

SO - Mary names her father as Leonard George Clifford - where to go from here  I have searched again for her birth & 1st marriage to Mr Macauley. I found that in 1938 the daughter of Mary's mother's 2nd husband [married 1940] married * Macauley born 1912, son of Michael Macauley haulage contractor. Could he possibly have been brother to the Mr Macauley Mary married first? The spelling is the same & Mary & Mr M could have met through their respective step father & brother.

Josey

[lizdb]

Well, it seems the family story that you set out in your first post, is completely true so far. All documents are confirmng it.
Just reading the post through again, I notice that Kathleen, Mary's mum, was Irish.
I wonder if she went home to mum to have her baby , and thus Mary's birth was in Ireland? And possibly Mary met McCauley on a visit to Ireland and married him there?

[josey]

Hello Liz, welcome back to my hunt! Thanks for your thoughts.

I had thought of an Irish birth but the nearest I had found is on family search & seems too late:
name: Mary Josephine Clifford
registration district:Kenmare
event type:BIRTHS
registration quarter and year:Apr - Jun 1919
volume number:5
page number:208
GS Film number   101078

There is a Mary Josephine Clifford on rootsireland but born in County Derry in 1920. I spent credits viewing this but the parents are Henry Clifford & Mary Catherine Moines.

Mary's mother's mother Mary Holland was born in Nova Scotia but married an Irish soldier Patrick Murray. They were living in Dublin on the 1911 census [Kathleen was also there] but had moved to Coventry certainly by the mid 1920s - Patrick died there in 1929 & Mary in 1936. 

I have emailed the parish priest/secretary of the RC churches of St Osburgh's & Christ the King to see if they have baptism/1st marriage details. I now know the grave reference for Leonard, Mary may also be buried there.

I intend to go to Coventry next month - to look at newspapers, electoral rolls etc. As well as this particular hunt, I am looking for any descendants of Alice "Annie" [Murray] McGinty, Kathleen's older sister, who moved to Coventry some time after 1916. I have a postcard Annie wrote to my grandfather in 1916 in Coventry - he had moved there from Ireland with his young family in 1913. I know Annie married Charles McGinty, on the 1911 she is living in Partick married 4 years 4 children none living. She had a son who I would like to trace in case he has descendants. Annie may have had family photographs of much interest. I feel electoral rolls may give me her son's name.

Still one thing at a time, eh?

[josey]

An update:

I have found May's marriage to James Macauley [on Scotlands People] in 1940 in Dalziel, Lanarkshire & have sent for the certificate, also James' death in Paisley in July 1941 aged 26 from multiple injuries in a car accident. There was a fatal accident inquiry which is at the NRS ref SC7/19/1941/11.

I have also made contact with a niece of James via Genes Reunited. James was indeed the brother of Patrick Macauley and it was indirectly through him that May's mother met her second husband.   

When funds allow, I will order the Irish birth certificate from 1919 as in my last post & report back!

Josey

[aghadowey]

If Mary Josephine Clifford was born in Ireland the birth could eaily be registered as Mary (rather than Mary Josephine) or even 'female' (without name being chosen at the time of registration.

Kenmare registration district is in County Kerry (the west of Ireland) so unlikely to be a place for someone with Dublin (east coast) to have gone to give birth.

[josey]

Thank you aghadowey. I will first make further investigations then rather than order that certificate.

Josey

[topher1069]

Hi there, I just cam across this post ... if my collected history is correct, May J. would be my 2nd cousin twice removed

I am also from her grandmother Murray [nee Holland] line from NS.

I would love see hear from you if you would like to get any info from the Holland family in NS

Cheers,
Chris