RootsChat.Com
Independent Islands => Isle of Man => Isle of Man Lookup Requests => Topic started by: KirstyCait on Sunday 04 October 15 18:32 BST (UK)
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I am trying to learn my family history and whilst I have plenty from my grandfather's side, I have nothing on my Grandmother as she was put into children's homes and foster care before she was 2 years old. Her name was Jean McFee and she was born in Colby in 1929 and eventually married Fred Shimmin. I believe other children were born into the family but not all were put into care. Does anyone have any information about McFee's in Colby? thanks!
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Welcome to Rootschat :)
Does her marriage certificate list father's name and occupation (or mother?). Her birth certificate should give her mother's name (and her father is they were married or he attended the registrar with the mother)
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Take a look at www.ManxBMD.com for starters.
11 McFee births in Arbory parish between 1901 and 1948.
But no Jean?
Colby village is in the parish of Arbory.
Another good site is www.imuseum.im
Do you know when, and where, she married?
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Here's a link to the Manx site- there's a Jenny in 1929 ???
http://www.manxbmd.com/cgi-bin/db.cgi?do=search_form;db=births
Do remember that we aren't allowed to post details of living, or possibly living, people.
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I saw that one Aghadowey, but the birth is registered in Douglas, rather than a parish in the south of the island?
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Children weren't always born near home and since the OP seems to have only limited information it's worth mentioning.
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Wow! Thanks for all the replies! Her marriage certificate to my Granddad didnt show any parents details as she never knew them and was only ever with foster families. She only had her/their family name. I have registered to Ancestry.co.uk and am finding some great information dating further back (pre 1920's) for my Grandfather's side but because I know so little about her side, it's harder to sort of determine for sure if there is a link with the names I have come across.
If there was a census done during the time she was still with the family, then I might be able to find a hit but because they gave her up before she was 2, I'm not holding much hope.
Appreciate the comments and suggestions anyway, I will look into each one when I have a bit more time.
thanks ;D
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There's some info here on Adoption Records from the Isle of Man:
https://www.gov.im/categories/births-deaths-and-marriages/adoption/
Original birth records may be released at the discretion of the Chief Registrar.
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were you in Manx Museum a week or so ago ? - as someone was researching McFees then - the most likely place for a birth given possibly difficult home circumstances would be the Jane Crookall which is in Douglas - if she was placed in an on-Island home then you could try IoM Social Services (much easier if you are Island based) - it may be worthwhile looking at newspapers of the period to see if a McFee family has any court appearances.
Cecil Cannell McFee (now deceased was a noted local historian of the Colby Methodist Chapel) came from a local family and possibly the family is still around the Colby area
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You may have this already, link to IOM parish images on Family Search, more useful for records earlier than the 1900s though:-
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1784428
Blue
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the major problem is that you need a birth cert to determine mother (? was she illegitimate to a young daughter - the McFees ran the Colby Mill for a couple of generations - they were also noted Methodists an illegitimacy would not go down too well in that period (also the bapts pre civil reg in 1877 may well in Methodist chapel rather than parish church) - you can trace the Colby family back to a a James McFee (McFie, MacFee) who was I think the son of Capt Wm McFee one of the early IoMSPCo captains (look him up on my web site) by his first wife Cath Gracy (she died in 1849 - their first child James had died in 1838 + several other of their later children - see MIs in St Peter's Peel the wife's parish)) - in 1851 James can be found with Ellen (from Isle of Bute who I think was Capt Wm's 2nd wife but havn't proof of this) + her dau Ellen - Ellen was at 26 New Bond Street Douglas in 1851 - Capt Wm was shortly afterwards transferred to Liverpool + died 1860 (acc to Bio) in 1881 Ellen is found as a widow living with her dau + son-in-law in Liverpool - James seemed to have married Margaret - was at Ballaglonney No 2 in Malew in 1881 but he and wife were buried in her parish of Santan - their son Wm married Margt Jane Cannell and it is from them I think the Colby family descend
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Thanks to everyone who replied.
My grandmother unfortunately passed earlier this month. I thought it was a lost cause with such little information but I since found out that the father on her birth certificate was "Comish".
I'm not sure why she was given up at 2 years old, and I'm not necessarily trying to find out. But would still love to try and locate the right McFee and Comish family.
I will have a look at adoption records during 1929 and 1930 which is when I think she was put in care, though is that classed as adoption? I really don't know about this type of thing!!
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hi my name is james mcfee and my family have lived in colby fore meney generations. did you fiend wot you wher looking fore? i also no the Comish family. my grandad wos boren in 1926 ish (lawrence mcfee) he also had a brother ( maxwell mcfee)
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Thanks to everyone who replied.
My grandmother unfortunately passed earlier this month. I thought it was a lost cause with such little information but I since found out that the father on her birth certificate was "Comish".
I'm not sure why she was given up at 2 years old, and I'm not necessarily trying to find out. But would still love to try and locate the right McFee and Comish family.
I will have a look at adoption records during 1929 and 1930 which is when I think she was put in care, though is that classed as adoption? I really don't know about this type of thing!!
So, you do have a birth certificate?
Can you quote the details?