Elizabeth F Smith, 1901 census - verify middle initial please

[trish1120]

If you get her Death Cert it will answer some of your questions.

I did a bit of googling;

KENTS's towns were bombed throughout the war and casualties on the ground were often heavy in spite of the fact that thousands of people went underground to avoid the raids.
On 1 June 1942, Canterbury suffered a particularly heavy attack as high explosives and incendiary bombs were dropped on the city for 75 minutes. Hundreds of historic buildings were destroyed and entire streets flattened or burned. Miraculously, the cathedral was spared.
Ramsgate, Folkestone and Dover were under almost constant attack, as for much of the war the Germans had effective control of the Channel, shelling the Kent coast indiscriminately. Such was the intensity of fighting around Britain's frontline coastal towns that the area became known as 'Hellfire Corner'.
In June 1944, the first of almost 1,500 flying bombs, or Doodlebugs, began to fall on the county. Kent once again found itself on the front line and the RAF, gunners and balloon handlers fought hard to limit the damage on the ground. At the end of 1944, V2 rockets were fired on the county, again with devastating consequences.

So if she was living in Kent during WW2 what has been said about her could be possible.

Also FreeBMD has 2 possible PORT Birth Regs 1913/1915 Thanet Kent.
Mothers maiden name SMITH.



Trish

[dtcoulson]

Hello again, Trish. Good to see you joining the conversation.

I have since had a look for Chartham in Kent and found that it is well documented as a hospital for the mentally unwell. Will read more later.

I just remembered Mum describing the explosion further, saying "... it may have been bullets from an aircraft..."  She wasn't sure but that was one of the ways it may have happened. That would be more consistent with WW2?

-DC

[trish1120]

Hi-DC,

Anything is possible. It was a terrible time for them during WW2.

Are  you aware of the Children?

The 1913 Birth is for STANLEY C Port.
Just looked him up on Anc. and someone has him on their Tree. He died 2001 in Suffolk.
Parents Charles Henry Port and Elizabeth L Smith.

Another Tree has the 2nd second Son on it + a Daug 1922**
They have in right Father but Mother as Beatrice L SMITH, Parents George/Ellen.
So some confusion there!

[dtcoulson]

Oh dear! I never expected a marriage, much less children.

Anything we can say about Lizzie's husband, Charles Port?

-DC

[trish1120]

Give me a few minutes and I'll go back and look.

[trish1120]

Have PM'd you

[trish1120]

Hi David, just realised you must live in NZ from what you posted earlier.
I was born and grew up in Hamilton

[redtonyt]

Census returns for Charles Henry Port (bn 1884)
1891 RG12, Piece 132, Folio152, Page, 23, Lorne Cottages, Lorne Road, Ramsgate.
1901 RG13, Piece 826, Folio 85, Page 20, Rodney Street, Ramsgate.
1911 Vessels, Piece 34973, Mediterranean, Leading Seaman.
Born 1884 and baptised at St George’s Church on 24 February 1885, the son of Charles and Mary Ann Port.
Mary Ann’s maiden name was Isaacs, the marriage taking place in early 1884 somewhere in Thanet District.

Tony

[dtcoulson]

Thanks Tony,

I think I saw evidence a few days ago that there were in fact two men named Charles Henry Port living in the same region (Kent) in the early 1900s, with separate families in Cranbrook and Ramsgate. Therefore we may need to disambiguate the birthdates and careers for these two gents.

Have I judged this correctly?

-DC