Wilcox Shrewsbury/Ditherington

[RachelK]

Anyone researching this name?

Looking for information on the following, all born Shrewsbury (probably at 5 Cross Row, Ditherington.)

Jane E Wilcox 1918 (might have been known as Ethel)
William Thomas Wilcox 1923
Raymond Wilcox 1929

They were the children of May Poole who also used the surname Moreton, her step father's name, and her husband William Thomas Wilcox. William snr died in 1936 and May remarried in 1939 to a Robert Jones. There were two other daughters - May Victoria Wilcox 1921 (moved to Liverpool)
Mary Doreen Wilcox 1927 (known as Doreen) brought up by grandmother Frances Moreton nee Poole.

If anyone thinks they might be connected please let me know.

[Lloydy]

I suggest you post the names you are researching in the Surname Interest Table (a wonderful idea produced by Berlin Bob).  You can also search the SIT to see if any other Rootschat members are researching the same names as you.

http://www.rootschat.com/surname/

Jan

[janey a]

Hello Rachelk!
 I am trying to research my family history, and i came across your message re. the children of May Poole, i have been trying to find information on this myself, as my father was one of her sons! his name was Edwin Charles Wilcox born in 1933, i have also found he had siblings who are:- William T Wilcox, Frances Wilcox, Daisy E Wilcox, Raymond Wilcox, John and Rita, all of which were registered in Atcham, mothers maiden name Poole. i did not know of Jane E Wilcox until i read you mail, this is of some interest to me as i am also called Jane! so thank you for that info, and i hope this message has been of some assistance to yourself.
Kind regards Jane Wilcox.

[RachelK]

Hi Jane,

Was very pleased to read your message. It seems my Nan and her sister either knew very little about their upbringing or they lied about it.

Do you know anything from your father about his childhood? As far as I'm aware after their father died in 1939 the siblings (some of which I've never heard of by the looks of it!) were seperated and May Poole remarried.

Do you have the registration details of the other children and what years? What I have is the following...

Jane E Wilcox (Poole) June qtr 1918
May Victoria Wilcox (Moreton) Dec qtr 1921
William T Wilcox (Pool) June qtr 1924
Mary Doreen Wilcox (Moreton) Dec qtr 1927
Raymond Wilcox (Poole) June qtr 1929

It seems you wouldn't have found May jnr or my nan Mary Doreen as they were registered under the different name. My nan had mentioned a possible sibling named Daisy but she seemed to think her mother had this child with her 2nd husband Robert Jones?

Would love to hear from you and find out more!

[janey a]

Hello Rachel,
Thank you for your reply, The plot thickens eh?! Here is the info on the other possible children i have found,
Frances, reg. Sept quarter, 1926,
Daisy E, reg. Mar quarter, 1931,
John, reg. Mar quarter, 1935,
Rita, reg. Sept quarter, 1936,
Also my father Edwin Charles reg. June quarter, 1933, All of these were reg. in Atcham mothers maiden name Poole, William T reg. states mothers maiden name Pool without the "E", but i think this may just be a mistake on the registrars entry.
Unfortunately my Dad passed away in 1998 so i am unable to find out any further info from him on these possible links, However i know he spent quite a time in hospital as a child, Other than that he is a bit of a mystery! This is what prompted me to start investigating my family history. My sister remembers visiting one of my Dads sisters when we were children back in the early 80'S, she apparently lived in Morecambe, I don't recall much of this event as i was probably too young.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Jane

[RachelK]

The only family we knew of were my Nan and her older sister May Victoria. May passed away more than ten years ago, and my nan died just this September. Neither of them revealed much about their childhood, although my nan before she died suffered several small strokes which changed her personality and I was able to ask her more. I don't think they really liked to talk about their past.

My Nan remembers being brought up by her grandmother. She said her name was Emma but I've since found it was Frances Moreton (nee Poole). She told me her mother's name was May Moreton, and I only found out it was actually Poole through my own investigations, I don't think she realised her mother was illegitimate. It was difficult to find as on the 1901 census May Moreton was mistranscribed as Mary, I was only sure it was the right family thanks to the address which bizzarely my nan could remember as 5 cross row. I think May junior claimed to have been brought up in a children's home and my nan only remembers them being reunited when she was around 14 and May would have been older.

May Victoria moved to Liverpool, apparently to stay at an Aunt's and married the boy next door, and my Nan married in Ammanford, Wales but went on to live in Oswestry. The only two brothers they both mentioned were William and Raymond. William supposedly joined the navy and died at sea, and Raymond was either adopted or died in childhood, he had some kind of bowel condition? My nan thought she had an older sister who she called Ethel, and she also mentioned a girl called Frances who lived with her at their grandmother's who she didn't get on with but she said it was her Aunty rather than her sister.

The Poole family seemed to have skeletons in their closet going way back. Frances Poole (the grandmother) had a sister called Hannah who on the 1881 census was in Shrewsbury prison with her occupation listed as prostitute.

My mum and her brother are quite surprised to hear about all these possible siblings, therefore aunt's and uncles to them - as they always felt like they came from a very small family.

My nan also claimed she stayed in a convent at one point, but their whole background seems to be shrouded in mystery, and I wonder how much they actually knew about themselves?

[RachelK]

Just bringing this one back up incase anyone can add to it, or if Jane would like to contact me again - have tried to message her with no success. I would love any help, although obviously it may have to be through private messages as the people concerned may still be living.

Been doing some more research. May Poole who became May Wilcox and died as May Jones had in total 12 children that I know of. Ten from her first marriage followed by two daughters from her second who I can't name as they may still be alive. Both Jane Elizabeth (1918) and Frances (1926) died as babies, the rest I am trying to account for.

May Jones died in Shrewsbury in 1977, her last address being in Sultan street, she was again a widow and her youngest daughter was living with her and was the informant.

Jane's story from her father that he visited one of his sisters in Morecambe holds up as very possible. I have a marriage cert for Daisy which shows she married in Morecambe, although the section naming her father is left blank. I believe this to be because she may have not been able to remember her father, as she would have been separated from the family at a very young age.

I also have a marriage for John in shrewsbury so it seems he stayed in the area. I have a death cert for who I think is Raymond but it is not entirely conclusive.

[RachelK]

Things move fast when you have the hard facts from certificates and registers, and I am getting closer to finding the brothers and sisters.

Since my post yesterday I did some work tracing John's line and managed to find his living descendants and am now in contact with some of them via facebook. (They're still in the Shropshire area). They informed me unfortunately John passed away last year, and they also knew nothing of the seemingly large family we come from.

My main hope is just to find out to the best of my knowledge, what happened to each sibling and where their families ended up. Jane I am still hoping you will read this at some point and get in touch again. 

[aaron wilcox]

hello racheal,

i am currently looking into my family tree with the help of my father, my grandads name is a John Wilcox born 1920 i think (im reading my fathers notes) my grandad married a Alice Irene Davies born in 1927 they married on the 28/10/1950.
My grandfathers name is also John, his father is Joseph and his mother is Sarah, they lived in Lydbury North.

i hope this helps you find what you are looking for, but if you could give me any information i would be really happy.

thank you for your time,

aaron wilcox