Annie LANE

[Bookbox]

Presumably you've already checked the whereabouts of any other children she might have had, in case she lived with them during/after the war?

It's a difficult period because of the lack of electoral rolls, and because people tended to move around during the war years. Unless you can eliminate death index records by matching them with the 1939 Register, the probate calendar and/or burial records, you will inevitably be buying death certificates speculatively.

Also bear in mind that if she died away from her family, the informant may not have known the name of her late husband. Without that single important piece of data, it might be difficult to identify her positively from any death certificate.

That said, I'd be tempted to look at this 1945 Maidenhead death, as there is no middle initial, and it is not far from her location in 1939. Maybe the age was a guess by the informant?

Dec Qtr 1945
Barnard  Annie    age 75   
Maidenhead   vol 2c   page 502

[Greaves]

Her name was definitely Annie, according to both her birth certificate and her baptismal record. I have never seen her referred to as anything other than Annie. And as far as I know, she never had a middle name or initial.

Agree about the problems surrounding the WW2 period. As well as the 1945 Maidenhead possibility, there is another death in Wandsworth in 1958, which might be possible if she returned to her South London roots where most of her children were still based. And a little further out from Maidenhead, there is a 1940 death in Newbury.

I might try a speculative punt or two.

[Bookbox]

As well as the 1945 Maidenhead possibility, there is another death in Wandsworth in 1958

Probably the spinster who died in Tooting Bec hospital, as suggested in your original post.

[Greaves]

I am now in a position to update this post a little. In 1946, Annie BARNARD was living with her married daughter Mabel COLE in Hayes. Following the death of her daughter in 1947, Annie moved in with her son William J Chambers, with whom she was living in 1949 also in Hayes.

In 1949, when last recordedAnnie would have been 77.

I still have no idea where or when she died.

[Greaves]

I am just updating this thread in the hope that someone might have some new insights. To summarise we now know that Annie BARNARD, formerly CHAMBERS and born LANE, who was born in 1872 was still alive in 1949.

According to the 1950 Electoral Register, she was living at 24 Mansfield Road, Hayes with her son William CHAMBERS and his wife.

She was not at that address in the 1951 Electoral Register. So presumably she has died or been admitted to some institution.

Any ideas.

[Greaves]

Just refreshing this thread, in case any one has got any new ideas.