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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Surrey => Topic started by: DianeElijah on Friday 23 February 18 22:00 GMT (UK)

Title: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: DianeElijah on Friday 23 February 18 22:00 GMT (UK)
Hi, I'm searching for the Lady/relations of  Ethel Margaret Roberts who in 1945 was living in the Farnham Farncobe are of Surrey ,she was employed  as a Clerical Officer for the GPO any help gratefully recieved 😊
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: CaroleW on Friday 23 February 18 22:18 GMT (UK)
Welcome to Rootschat

Was Roberts her married name or her maiden name?

When and where was she born?

Rootschat has a “no living persons” policy so we cannot give out info on anybody who may still be alive (eg) her children

If Roberts was her maiden name there are 2 Ethel M Roberts marriages in Surrey - 1947 and 1948
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: rosie99 on Friday 23 February 18 22:37 GMT (UK)
Welcome to rootschat

1945 electoral registers have someone of that name living at Prospect Place, Badshot Lea.  Badshot Lea is between Aldershot & Farnham.
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: DianeElijah on Saturday 24 February 18 10:06 GMT (UK)
Hello,sadly it is highly unlikely that the Ethel Margaret Roberts I am searching for would still be alive,the last address I have for her is also Prospect Cottages ,i have been searching for many years for this lady as she is the biological Mother of my Mother, sadly Mum passed away last July at the age of 72 yrs having previously been searching for many years for her family history/ roots 
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: avm228 on Saturday 24 February 18 10:37 GMT (UK)
1945 electoral registers have someone of that name living at Prospect Place, Badshot Lea.  Badshot Lea is between Aldershot & Farnham.

It looks as though she was born Ethel M Nash in Hambledon district on 13 May 1919 to parents Harry Nash and Fanny Louise nee Lamport or Wild-Lamport (married 1907), who were at 3 Prospect Place, Badshot Lea in 1932-1939 and still there after the war in the 1945 electoral register.  Harry spent his career as a police constable.

Ethel M Nash married John W Roberts, Farnham district, Mar qtr 1944.
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: avm228 on Saturday 24 February 18 11:10 GMT (UK)
Is there a positive link between the daughter’s birth certificate and the Prospect Place address, and does it show the mother’s name as Ethel Margaret Roberts formerly Nash?

I can’t easily see a Roberts/Nash birth registration in the Farnham area c1945 ???
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: CaroleW on Saturday 24 February 18 11:43 GMT (UK)
If your mum was 72 when she died, her birth year was either 1944 or 1945 depending on her birth month.

The Nash/Roberts marriage was the first qtr 1944 but I can’t find a Nash/Nash birth in Surrey prior to or shortly after

Was your mother adopted and did she ever apply for a copy of her adoption records
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: DianeElijah on Saturday 24 February 18 16:11 GMT (UK)
😮 WOW ...All the information ,where was it as we (me and Mum have been looking since my Grandfather passed in 1999 ,yes Mum was adopted ,she was born in Guildford but her Adoption was arranged through Farnham Juvenile Court,Mum was born given the surname Roberts in May 1945,we applied for both her Adoption file and Court Adoption papers but alas both (Social services and the Court ) did thorough searches and nothing was found ,i contacted the Court custodians who were supposed to have them archived they did another search after confirming both the previous had done them and again nothing found which they also found alarming ,we then posted messages on and also searched on various sights and contacted numerous Historical organisations /groups in that area and nothing ...but then this ,thank you so much 😊 ,do you know where Harry and Ethel lived after marriage ?
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: rosie99 on Saturday 24 February 18 16:18 GMT (UK)
What document gives the information that her mother was Ethel Margaret Roberts,  Is the Badshot Lea address mentioned  :-\
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: avm228 on Saturday 24 February 18 16:19 GMT (UK)
Before taking this too far we need to make sure we have the right Ethel!  The one we have found is the one connected with Badshot Lea - but do you have documents to establish that the Badshot Lea one is the one who gave birth to your Mum?

Do you have the relevant birth certificate?

I can see a Roberts birth in Surrey SW in Jun qtr 1945 - a girl whose first name begins with S - but on that one the mother’s maiden name is given as Roberts also.
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: DianeElijah on Saturday 24 February 18 16:20 GMT (UK)
Sorry, just read through my last post ,i meant to ask John and Ethel not Harry and Ethel lived after they wed, the thing I can't make sense of is why would my Mum be adopted if Ethel and John were already married when she was born ?+ John is not mentioned where it says Father on Mums Birth Cert 🙈
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: avm228 on Saturday 24 February 18 16:22 GMT (UK)
John is not mentioned where it says Father on Mums Birth Cert 🙈

Could you tell us exactly what it says on the birth certificate (all columns)?  That will help us to help you.
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: DianeElijah on Saturday 24 February 18 16:31 GMT (UK)
On Mums Birth Cert it says that Ethel was staying /care of ..5 Green Lane Farncombe (a Britnall family lived there at the time ) I managed to trace the Granddaughter who told me that during the warher Grandmother took in Lodgers whilst her Granfather was away at War ,perhaps there is a connection between Nash and the Britnall family ? Surrey History Society have helped me previously and told me the Ethel who lived at Prospect is the same who lived previously at Green lane ,my Grandparents at the time of Mums adoption lived at Weybourne lane Badshot leas ,my Granfather was a Probation Officer so maybe another connection with Ethels Father being a Policeman ???
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: avm228 on Saturday 24 February 18 16:48 GMT (UK)
The people who lived at 5 Green Lane, Farncombe in the 1930s-1940s were Francis Henry Britnell (this spelling) and his wife Gwendoline Margaret nee Chant.

How did those helping you at Surrey History Centre establish that the Ethel who was lodging at Farncombe was one who was from Badshot Lea? (I agree that the fact that the adoptive parents were from Badshot Lea is encouraging, but is there something more than that?).

It would still be helpful to us to know exactly what the 1945 birth certificate says, column by column.
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: rosie99 on Saturday 24 February 18 16:52 GMT (UK)
Hi, I'm searching for the Lady/relations of  Ethel Margaret Roberts who in 1945 was living in the Farnham Farncobe are of Surrey , she was employed  as a Clerical Officer for the GPO any help gratefully recieved 😊

I wonder if any employment records exist  :-\

I also wondered how Surrey HC can confirm that she is the same person as the one living at Badshot Lea in 1939
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: avm228 on Saturday 24 February 18 17:11 GMT (UK)
I must say I can’t easily see any obvious children of the Roberts/Nash marriage - I wonder whether the marriage broke down early or perhaps he died in the war?
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: DianeElijah on Saturday 24 February 18 17:27 GMT (UK)
All the information I have from Mums Birth Cert I think I have Already given apart from her DOB...31st May 1945 ,no Father Mentioned 😕 perhaps you are right the Marriage broke down (though that would be quick ) or maybe John did die during the War but that would be rather harsh ,i don't want to think I'll of Ethel but another thought is perhaps she had a relationship whilst John was away at War and Mum wasn't his 😕
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: rosie99 on Saturday 24 February 18 17:32 GMT (UK)
Are you saying that it gives her name as Ethel Roberts with no maiden name  :-\


Oct 1945 electoral register has Ethel M Roberts at Prospect Place I can't see her afterwards
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: DianeElijah on Saturday 24 February 18 18:23 GMT (UK)
Sadly yes 🙈 that's what it says
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: rosie99 on Saturday 24 February 18 19:57 GMT (UK)
I think that it may be an idea to buy that marriage certificate.  It MAY give an occupation for Ethel but it should also give us some information on her husband that could help us progress with it.
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: CaroleW on Saturday 24 February 18 20:28 GMT (UK)
If your mum's birth cert says her mother was Ethel Margaret Roberts and no maiden name is shown for Ethel - it suggests she was possibly single at that time hence the adoption

If that's the case - then the Nash/Roberts marriage may not be correct and she may have left Surrey after your mum's birth and married elsewhere

That marriage was March qtr 1944 and your mum was born 31.5.1945 so was conceived roughly 6 - 8mths after that marriage. 

If she was a child of that marriage - even if Mr Roberts died in WW2 - her details would be different on the birth cert

Ethel may be the 1947 or 1948 marriage but again - it's not certain





Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: DianeElijah on Saturday 24 February 18 20:55 GMT (UK)
I've found a document someone messaged me and on It it says that  Harry is a retired Policeman aged 81,  Fanny is 80 and an unpaid and Ethel is 19 and works as a Shop assistant for Woolworths it also had on Ethels Surname that Nash is crossed out and Roberts put over the top just before in another colomn it has an M ...DIVN and the date 20th July 1944 😕
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: avm228 on Saturday 24 February 18 21:16 GMT (UK)
The crossing out (etc) is the updating of her name, originally Nash, to her married name of Roberts when she provided evidence of her marriage in 1944.
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: avm228 on Saturday 24 February 18 21:20 GMT (UK)
I've found a document someone messaged me and on It it says that  Harry is a retired Policeman aged 81,  Fanny is 80 and an unpaid and Ethel is 19 and works as a Shop assistant for Woolworths it also had on Ethels Surname that Nash is crossed out and Roberts put over the top just before in another colomn it has an M ...DIVN and the date 20th July 1944 😕

Have another look at the numbers, which are birthdates rather than ages (so 80 means 1880, etc).
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: CaroleW on Saturday 24 February 18 21:26 GMT (UK)
On your mother’s birth cert - is Ethel shown as Ethel Margaret or just as Ethel?
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: DianeElijah on Saturday 24 February 18 23:36 GMT (UK)
Thank you for clarifying the numbers for me 😊 It says Ethel Margaret on Mums Birth Cert
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: rosie99 on Sunday 25 February 18 07:19 GMT (UK)
I think that it may be an idea to buy that marriage certificate.  It MAY give an occupation for Ethel but it should also give us some information on her husband that could help us progress with it.

The reason I suggested this is like Carol I am concerned that the birth certificate does not mention Ethel's maiden name.  Hopefully if an occupation is given for Ethel it will tie in with the birth certificate.  John's occupation may also give clues as to where they may be after WW2

As I mentioned earlier I cannot see how Surrey HC could confirm that it is the same person. 
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: avm228 on Sunday 25 February 18 08:13 GMT (UK)
Yes I agree about the marriage certificate - any detail it gives about John (including his middle name) should help in tracing what happened to him and to the marriage.

It is possible that if something untoward had happened Ethel might have presented as a single woman on the registration of the birth, but it is unusual and definitely requires further investigation.

Was Ethel the informant of the birth (column 7)?  Is the address in column 7 the same as that in column 1 for “where born” - and was that 5 Green Lane, Farncombe?
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: DianeElijah on Sunday 25 February 18 09:22 GMT (UK)
Good morning , yes Ethel was the informant and also same addresses in both columns
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: DianeElijah on Sunday 25 February 18 09:27 GMT (UK)
Sorry morning eyes 🙈 Mums place of birth was 10 Warren road Guildford ,this was an old Asylum which during the War was  being used as a Military Hospital ,it had a 10 bed Maternity wing attached this is where Mum was born,
 makes me question if Ethel was something to do with the military ?, this place is now a Museum called The Old Spike (to me years to research this 😕
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: avm228 on Sunday 25 February 18 09:49 GMT (UK)
No, I don’t think the fact that military casualties were treated at the hospital would imply that the small number of maternity patients had any connection with the military.  They are likely just to be local women, often in difficult circumstances (the preference at the time would have been to give birth at home, if safe and possible, rather than in a former workhouse hospital).

I see from the historical account below that, when it became Warren Road Hospital some years earlier, the few maternity beds in this hospital were “mainly for unmarried mothers”:

www.hospitalproject.co.uk/category/workhouse-2/
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: DianeElijah on Sunday 25 February 18 10:09 GMT (UK)
I've just read this but can't find where it says it was mainly for unmarried Mothers 😕 , I'm totally at a loss as you can imagine
Title: Re: Ethel Margaret Roberts
Post by: rosie99 on Sunday 25 February 18 10:39 GMT (UK)
10 Warren Road is part of what is now St Lukes hospital.  A relation of mine was born there around the same time and neither parent was in the military (they were married)
http://www.hospitalproject.co.uk/a-short-history-of-st-lukes-hospital-from-workhouse-to-hospital/