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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Romantic Spirit on Sunday 30 October 11 11:25 GMT (UK)
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Can anyone inform me of the burial place or cause of death of the English child actress, Ann Stephens? She was born in London on May 21, 1931 and died on July 15, 1966 and was active, though never very famous, during the 1940s and 1950s. Her film debut was "In Which We Serve", made in 1942. I have tried to find out this information for my memorial of her at Find A Grave without success.
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Hi,
According to this site Ann is alive and well.
http://digiguide.tv/celebrity/Ann+Stephens/76619/
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My gratitude to JulieW for showing such immediate interest and help. Unfortunately, this site merely assumes she is still alive. In fact, she sadly died in 1966.
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Hi
There doesn't appear to be any evidence given either way that she has died?
http://www.britmovie.co.uk/forums/actors-actresses/104326-ann-stephens.html
There is no death registration for her for the date given in England (or any death registration for a birth circa 1931), but then of course she could have married and if died did so in another surname, if the death occurred in England that is.
If you are certain of her death then presumably you have also have some evidence?
Regards
Valda
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Hi,
I couldn't find a death registration for her either. She may have died abroad? Another suggestion is a funeral announcement in the newspaper.
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Hi,
When googling obituary Ann Stephens actress this site ORBITURI ES -free on line library comes up.
I tried having a look but didnt get very far perhaps you might have better luck. :)
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Thank you both very much indeed for your kind interest to my questions. On-line death registrations are full of missing entries and are no guide. There are several sites which state she died on July 15, 1966 and this is one.
http://www.trueknowledge.com/q/when_was_ann_stephens_born
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Hi
There may be several sites on the web but there is a tendency to copy once one has put the information up, others just add it to their websites. Unfortunately there is absolutely no evidence given that the information is correct. Websites like BFI, IMDB and Wikipedia which require information verified have not followed suit and include no death date for her.
True that the GRO index has missing entries but this is largely in the earlier volumes - this is a death being quoted for 1966 when a missing entry would be more unlikely.
Perhaps you could ask the information from the True Knowledge website? How do they know?
Regards
Valda
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Your logic and assistance Valda is very sound. I shall contact the True Knowledge website as you suggested. It would be a joy for me to discover she was still alive! Thank you!
The problem is why state an EXACT date of death in the first place and the websites you mentioned such as Wikipedia are only fed information by the interested public. This child actress was not very well known and then only to earlier generations so it is most likely no-one has ever recorded her (possible) death at those websites.
It is also strange her career and any mention of her all predate 1966. Most actresses, even after marriage when they may choose to retire, make odd appearances.
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A book has been written about Ann, the info has been taken from free online sources on the internet.
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Do you know the title and author of this book, please?
Thank you, JulieW, for your very kind and diligent assistance!
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Hi,
Title Ann Stephens author Zheng Cirino.
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Hi
From Amazon which is selling the book
'Product Description
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Ann Stephens (born 21 May 1931) was a British actress, popular in the 1950s. She was born in London. In July 1941 she recorded several songs including a setting of one of AA Milne's verses about Christopher Robin: "Changing Guard at Buckingham Palace" which often featured on the BBC Light Programme's Children's Favourites. Selected Filmography: Dear Octopus (1943), Fanny by Gaslight (1944), They Were Sisters (1945), The Upturned Glass (1947), No Room at the Inn (1948), The Franchise Affair (1951).'
Zheng Cirino seems to have quite a few similar books - he's very prolific, quite exceptionally so
http://berkelouw.com.au/browse/all/by/Zheng-Cirino
http://berkelouw.com.au/catalogue/books/9786137321744/ann-stephens
Regards
Valda
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@Romantic spirit I was watching a video of Ann Stephens of Youtube if you are still looking and the comment was made "The grave of the girl who inspired the character of alice can be found in Guestling, East Sussex." you can find the page at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Z5LpHuXVE&list=PLED5569A9AACB0FD6&index=20
Hope it helps
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Might be worth having a look at the online archive of The Stage - you can get a short-term subscription for about £5. It's possible to do some searching without a subscription to see if it's worth exploring.
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I know this is an old post, but I have been reading about Ann Stephens on and off for a while. I first heard of her when my nan said the girl on the TV test card looked like Ann Stephens. When I asked her Ann who?, she told me about Ann being a child actress.
I have looked at The Stage on the British Newspaper Archive and there is no mention of Ann's death in 1966. I'm not sure where all the sources come from sayign she died on 31st July 1966.
I was watching an episode of the early ITV series The Adventures of Sir Lancelot online yesterday and Ann appears in it, playing the main guest role. I noticed how "frightfully posh" she sounded, even compared to the other actors. The later episodes of The Adventures of Sir Lancelot were filmed in colour and it was the first British TV series in colour. The episode with Ann is important as it was the first colour episode and so the first ever colour episode of any British series.
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Still nothing on Ann Stephens' death :-\ However, a little more on her if it helps from checking some records and others research.
Ann G Stephens' birth is registered in Hampstead in 3rd Qrt 1931.
Her father, Lucian, was born in 1894 in Barnet. He married Kathleen Blake in Marylebone in 1925. The couple look to have had 3 girls:
Angela K. b. 1928 Hendon - d. 1982 London
Ann G. 1931 Hampstead - d. ?
X b. 1934 Battersea - do not know if she is deceased
Lucian, son of Julian Stephens and Minna Mary Pelisier, died in Marylebone in 1958.
Kathleen Blake b. 1905 - died in Devon in 1995.
'The Tatler' ran a story on 3 October 1945:
Infant Prodigy: Little Ann Stephens, Stage, Film and Radio Star
... Octopus, the child Fanny in Fanny by Gaslight, and Judith in They Were Sisters. Ann is the daughter of Lt.-Cdr. and Mrs. Lucien Stephens, and has one older sister at college, while her younger sister, xxx, appeared with her in They Were Sisters Mr. J. Laurier ...
www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
I haven't got access to the full story here.
But still no trace of Ann Stephens' death in the UK although people continue to quote the death date mentioned above in 1966.
Monica
Added: Apologies, Matt. Welcome to RootsChat :)
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The 1939 register has no additional info on the daughters, their records still redacted.
However, sister Angela's death does show in London under her married name in 1982.
Monica
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There are a number of shipping manifest entries for her.
She left England from Liverpool on the 'Parthia' on 11 April 1959 heading for New York. Her intention was to remain in the US. She was single, b. 21 May 1931 and gave her UK address as 8 Chepstow Mansions, Bayswater, London. Her occupation is given as Air Hostess. She potentially shows on a crew list for PanAm Airlines in the mid 1950s. One crew list in 1958 shows her as Ann G Stephens, with British nationality.
Monica
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There are pictures of her in that article. You haven't missed all that much in the full article. It just tells you about her career starting at nine years old as Alice in a gramophone recording of Alice in Wonderland. Mentions some of the other things she appeared in.
Interesting to note that her father is stated as being a Lt. Cdr. Presumably he joined one of the Forces during the second world war but after 1939.
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So I wonder if she stayed in the US then and either married there or died there as a single person.
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That is what I was thinking too. So many people seem to have been looking for her death details :-\ Would she show on the US SSDI I wonder (never remember the guidelines for it!).
Monica
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Nothing for Stephens or 1966. Two deaths showing for an Ann G and her birth date:
Ann G. McWhorter b. 25 May 1931 - d. 24 Aug 2011 - Decatur, Newton, Mississippi
Ann G. Haney b. 25 May 1931 - d. 13 Jun 2002 - Charleston, Kanawha, West Virginia, USA
Who knows!
Monica
Added: 3 entries without the middle name of G and with correct birth date. None in 1966.
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Could be, her middle name was Gillian according to the birth record
STEPHENS, ANN GILLIAN BLAKE
GRO Reference: 1931 S Quarter in HAMPSTEAD Volume 01A Page 754
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Yes, must be. That is certainly her birth entry.
Monica
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Not the McWhorter one then, different middle name
Ann Graham McWhorter
BIRTH 25 May 1931
DEATH 24 Aug 2011 (aged 80)
BURIAL
Newton County Memorial Gardens
Newton, Newton County, Mississippi, USA
From Find a Grave
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Her father, Lucian's Probate Calander entry has his address in 1958 when he died as 8 Chepstow Mansions, Paddington, London, widow Kathleen. So we do have right details for her confirmed I think.
So, what happened in her life after 1959 we have to wonder?
Monica
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Nothing showing on Find a Grave for Ann Haney.
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Still nothing on Ann Stephens' death :-\ However, a little more on her if it helps from checking some records and others research.
Ann G Stephens birth is registered in Hampstead in 3rd Qrt 1931.
Her father, Lucian, was born in 1894 in Barnet. He married Kathleen Blake in Marylebone in 1925. The couple look to have had 3 girls:
Angela K. b. 1928 Hendon - d. 1982 London
Ann G. 1931 Hampstead - d. ?
X b. 1934 Battersea - do not know if she is deceased
Lucian, son of Julian Stephens and Minna Mary Pelisier, died in Marylebone in 1958.
Kathleen Blake b. 1905 - died in Devon in 1995.
'The Tatler' ran a story on 3 October 1945:
Infant Prodigy: Little Ann Stephens, Stage, Film and Radio Star
... Octopus, the child Fanny in Fanny by Gaslight, and Judith in They Were Sisters. Ann is the daughter of Lt.-Cdr. and Mrs. Lucien Stephens, and has one older sister at college, while her younger sister, xxx, appeared with her in They Were Sisters Mr. J. Laurier ...
www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
I haven't got access to the full story here.
But still no trace of Ann Stephens' death in the UK although people continue to quote the death date mentioned above in 1966.
Monica
Added: Apologies, Matt. Welcome to RootsChat :)
Thanks. The British Newspaper Archive typically doesn't have any later information on Ann and I'm not sure where the death date of July 1966 comes from
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There are a number of shipping manifest entries for her.
She left England from Liverpool on the 'Parthia' on 11 April 1959 heading for New York. Her intention was to remain in the US. She was single, b. 21 May 1931 and gave her UK address as 8 Chepstow Mansions, Bayswater, London. Her occupation is given as Air Hostess. She potentially shows on a crew list for PanAm Airlines in the mid 1950s. One crew list in 1958 shows her as Ann G Stephens, with British nationality.
Monica
I had no idea about the shipping entries, this is very interesting. The IMDB has her last credit from 1959 so it appears she left acting and decided on a career change and it also appears she might have already worked on airlines while still doing acting jobs. It seems the Ann G. Haney could be her, but after seeign the 2002 death date it makes me wonder where the 1966 date came from.
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I think we lose the thread on Ann's life from the 1959 shipping manifest entry. Impossible to say what she did after this isn't it. She could have changed her mind about staying on in the US and moved elsewhere or stayed on and we are not seeing her death entry.
We should stay open minded on her location and date of death for now ;)
Monica
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The only way to verify if the Ann G Haney is her is by obtaining either a marriage certificate or the death certificate.
As I showed earlier her middle name was Gillian.
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Ancestry link that SSDI of Ann G Haney record to this record
U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Ann Gadd Haney
Born 25 May 1931, Charleston K, West Virginia
Death 13 June 2002
Father Cyrus H Gadd
Mother Wayne Welton
Anyway, in 1940 she appears to be Ann W Gadd age 8 in Charleston
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9M1-YWWL
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Ah Jon has beaten me to it. I had just discovered an obituary for Ann Gadd Haney in the
Bluefield Daily Telegraph 18 June 2002.
As Monica has said, just have to make a note of the information found so far. I don't know if it is possible to gain access to the employee records for Pan Am Airlines in the 1950s/60s.
Added: A link to what appears to be records for Pan Am Airlines. I assume you would need to contact the University for further information.
https://atom.library.miami.edu/asm0341-id345309
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Thanks for confirming Ann Haney wasn't Ann Stephens. So it seems she will remain a mystery. It also appears her date of birth was wrong, although she could have died in another country
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Why do you assume her date of birth is wrong? I put her birth details on Reply#24. Although the birth is in the September Quarter, they may have been a bit late in registering the birth and it went into the September Quarter.
The only way to definitely verify her date of birth is to obtain her birth cert. from the GRO which will cost £11.00
If someone on the 1939 dies abroad then the record won't appear until 100 years have gone by from the birth year. That would mean waiting until 2031/2032 for her details to be revealed.
Did you wish to try following up the link I gave you regarding Pan Am Airlines?
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Why do you assume her date of birth is wrong? I put her birth details on Reply#24. Although the birth is in the September Quarter, they may have been a bit late in registering the birth and it went into the September Quarter.
The only way to definitely verify her date of birth is to obtain her birth cert. from the GRO which will cost £11.00
If someone on the 1939 dies abroad then the record won't appear until 100 years have gone by from the birth year. That would mean waiting until 2031/2032 for her details to be revealed.
Did you wish to try following up the link I gave you regarding Pan Am Airlines?
Sorry, I didn't think her birth might have been registered late. I didn't know about the rule regarding people on the 1939 register who died abroad. I hadn't thought about contacting Pan Am Airlines yet, but thanks for the link.
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Anyone got any further on this ....
Looking at the threads you've gotten far further than I did !
The 1966 death seems like a complete mystery ....Didn't know about the US bit on Anne's life, but already knew her parents & sisters details ( one starred with her in a film )...
The search goes on ...
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Welcome to Rootschat Levvo :D
Do you have some connection to the family or just a curiosity about Ann?
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From an old post-
@Romantic spirit I was watching a video of Ann Stephens of Youtube if you are still looking and the comment was made "The grave of the girl who inspired the character of alice can be found in Guestling, East Sussex." you can find the page at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Z5LpHuXVE&list=PLED5569A9AACB0FD6&index=20
Hope it helps
The grave has nothing to do with Ann Stephens herself-
http://orig.villagenet.co.uk/?v=guestling_east%20sussex
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Welcome to Rootschat Levvo :D
Do you have some connection to the family or just a curiosity about Ann?
Not at all TBH....I'm an avid film buff & have seen most of her work on talking pictures...I wondered what happened to her at such a young age - but like many others , I could find no info relating to her passing which is puzzling - especially at such a young age ... Obviously I'm not alone in being curious hence this thread....
Many thanks for the welcome - it's much appreciated ....
It's incredibly sad if that date proved to be correct - and I've not seen anything to disprove it ....Levvo
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I think the person who has been suggested as being Ann's younger sister, whose birth was registered in 1934 in Battersea, is a red herring. I believe this person's birth was actually registered in Battle.
Edit: Looks like I am wrong - this person gave the same UK address as Ann did a year earlier (8 Chepstow Mansions) when she flew into the USA in 1960.
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Just a quick update, I e-mailed the University of Miami who had the PanAm record collections that included employees and they told me there's no record of an Ann Stephens.
I did find two marriage references on the general register office indexes for an Ann G. Stephens in the late 50s, but I am not sure if I can give the spouse's name on here. I did a search of the death records for Ann G. XXXX using both names and nothing came up for 1966 or anywhere around that time.
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Hi Matt ...
Thanks for the update ...It still remains a mystery, & yet that date recorded as her death is listed numerous times ...
Unless anyone has discovered any new info , we might have come to an end on this ...
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I agree, it does seem like we have reached the end. It has been a very interesting subject and it always makes me wonder where Ann's date of death comes from