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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: Jenburd on Saturday 29 September 18 20:22 BST (UK)
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Hi everyone!
This is my first post (I'm ashamed to say!) but I was looking for some kind of help and advice regarding the 1939 Register. I'll try to keep this as short as I can but basically my Nan (Joan Hodgson née Beard) was born in 1933 and adopted in 1936 - I'm struggling to actually find anything out for the adoption mum or the birth mum. I've found my Nan on the 1939 Register living as a visitor in Billericay, Essex with a Laura Beard born in 1912 (annotation next to Laura in address column shows as "Hay Med 23 5 61 SY M (310)". When I was younger I knew Nan had a sister called Laura. First off I was wondering if the Laura Beard on the Register would be the adopted Mum and secondly there are 2 names above my Nan and Laura (Dennis b. 1939 and Anne). The record above Anne says it is officially closed, but next to Anne in the address column it literally says "STOP! Refer all (looks like) pigs (?!) to Mr Jennings".
Has anyone seen this before or could anyone guess what it means!
I do have a copy of the Register if anyone wanted to see it to try and make sense of it all! (Wasn't sure whether it would be ok to post it on here or not).
Sorry to go on but I'm at a real brick wall with Nan and would appreciate any help.
Thanks
Jenny
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Hi Jenny and welcome to Rootschat!
I'm sure there'll be some people along shortly to give their views on your interesting query,
but please remove your email address so as to avoid spam.
If you post one more time to take your total to 3 posts, anyone who needs to get in touch with you not on the board will be able to Private Message you.
:)
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Could the divorced Laura Beard be a daughter of the Knight family?
The 23 5 61 in Laura’s annotation should be the date of an amendment to her entry - perhaps the notification of her change of surname to Allen? Can’t immediately see a corresponding marriage.
I can’t help on the other annotation. Others here know much more about the technicalities of these annotations than I do :)
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Hi Jenny and welcome to Rootschat!
I'm sure there'll be some people along shortly to give their views on your interesting query,
but please remove your email address so as to avoid spam.
If you post one more time to take your total to 3 posts, anyone who needs to get in touch with you not on the board will be able to Private Message you.
:)
Thank you! I have amended my post - was not sure if I could put my email in or not. Thanks for the welcome :)
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Could the divorced Laura Beard be a daughter of the Knight family?
The 23 5 61 in Laura’s annotation should be the date of an amendment to her entry - perhaps the notification of her change of surname to Allen? Can’t immediately see a corresponding marriage.
I can’t help on the other annotation. Others here know much more about the technicalities of these annotations than I do :)
Thank you IgorStrav for your quick reply. My Mum had mentioned a Harry in the past but she was not quite sure on the family connection - plus on Harry and Georgina's entries there is no O, V etc but I can only guess they are husband and wife and the blanked out records could be the children?
That's the problem with adoptions - but I know Beard was definitely my Nan's maiden name. It was just the annotation with Stop! that made me question.
Plus my Nan was actually born in Lambeth and of course the address on the Register is Billericay, Essex so I'm guessing Nan was evacuated with family? Nan settled in Billericay as she met my Grandad there and I was born there too.
Sorry for going on! But I really need some help!
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I think Laura was born Laura Lilian May KNIGHT, mother’s maiden name KING, Dec qtr 1912 West Ham.
Died as Laura Lilian M BEARD, born 24.10.1912 - death reg Sep qtr 1983 Surrey SE.
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Harry Knight & Georgina King were married Jun qtr 1910 Canterbury.
Their first child was Harry Charles Thomas Knight, b 12 Feb 1911 East Ham (reg West Ham).
It looks as though Laura b 24 Oct 1912 was their second child.
They then had Reginald and Dennis (twins) on 2 Oct 1915. Dennis died in early infancy, Dec qtr 1915.
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Laura M L Knight married Reginald W Allen in 1936
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When I was younger I knew Nan had a sister called Laura.
I looked for Beard/Knight children - in Mar 1940 there is a child born Beard MMN Knight - Brentwood 4a 1540 - she is also indexed under Allen MMN Knight
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So was Joan’s birth registered as Joan M Beard, mmn Smith, Jun qtr 1933 Lambeth?
What does her birth certificate tell you about her birth parents?
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Thank you to everyone who has helped with my Nan's adoption family so far. I apologise for not coming back to you all sooner.
I am actually waiting for my Nan's birth certificate to arrive. I have ordered it through GRO just as a birth certificate and not as an adoptive record with birth certificate; guessing I ordered correctly?!
This has been a brick wall for a long time. The problem is Nan died in 2005, but when she was alive she didn't really talk about her natural parents or adoptive parents - the only thing we knew was that her Dad used to clean the clock face of Big Ben - think they used to call them Steeple Jacks?
Jenny
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Yes, that is the right way to order it. If she was legally adopted it will be endorsed with the word Adopted in the right-hand margin, but will otherwise be just like any other birth certificate of the time. It will not give any details of the adoption or the adoptive parents.
Do update when it arrives.
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Hi everyone!
I've finally received my Nan's birth certificate after all that time!
The certificate states Nan's father as William John Beard (a steel erector) and mother as Margaret Beard formerly Smith.
The strange thing is after speaking with my Mum about the name William, she remembered Nan used to talk about an Uncle Bill. So I am guessing it was an informal adoption as the family allowed the real dad to visit my Nan, but under the guise of 'Uncle'. This would certainly not be ethical these days - just sad to think Nan knew her Dad but only as her Uncle.
I need to try and move backwards from them now, but am struggling!
Jenny
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Possible marriage 4th qtr 1932 Lambeth 1d / 397
William J Beard to Margaret Smith
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OP is also posting here
http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/forum/topic17361-20.html
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Nan's father as William John Beard (a steel erector) and mother as Margaret Beard formerly Smith.
The strange thing is after speaking with my Mum about the name William, she remembered Nan used to talk about an Uncle Bill. So I am guessing it was an informal adoption as the family allowed the real dad to visit my Nan, but under the guise of 'Uncle'.
I need to try and move backwards from them now, but am struggling!
Would the next step not be to buy the marriage cert. for W J Beard & Margaret Smith?
When did Margaret Smith Beard die, soon after the birth of Joan?
Did W J Beard remarry hence being known as 'uncle'?
Lots to look at I think?
Annie
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OP is also posting here
http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/forum/topic17361-20.html
Pity this wasn't shared previously as it would have saved a lot of people time & effort researching info. already known?
Annie
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OP is also posting here
http://www.whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/forum/topic17361-20.html
Pity this wasn't shared previously as it would have saved a lot of people time & effort researching info. already known?
Annie
Agreed - though on this occasion it looks as though we sorted things out on here first, so the time spent duplicating effort was of the people on the other site.
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http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C8090200
Reginald Whittaker Allen divorced Laura May Lilian Allen in 1937, naming co-respondent as William J Beard.
There is no sign of a marriage between Laura and William though...
The child born 1940 (I will remove the name as they may still be living) was presumably theirs but the nature of the indexing suggests they weren't legally married at that point.
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Hi everyone
Thank you all so much for your help!! This adopted family has certainly been interesting working out who is who and how they're connected.
I have ordered the marriage certificate for my Nan's natural parents William John Beard and Margaret Smith.
I was wondering if it could be something like Laura (1912) slept with William and it bought shame on the family, but to allow William access to his daughter (my Nan Joan) he could, but under the guise of 'Uncle Bill'. I don't know if that's just my mind getting carried away, but something strange happened that's for sure.
I have been spending time tracing Georgina and Harry's family back, but I really need to figure out what happened and for the childhood years of my Nan's life who brought her up.
Again thank you to everyone for your help - it is very much appreciated.
Jenny
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http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C8090200
Reginald Whittaker Allen divorced Laura May Lilian Allen in 1937, naming co-respondent as William J Beard.
There is no sign of a marriage between Laura and William though...
The child born 1940 (I will remove the name as they may still be living) was presumably theirs but the nature of the indexing suggests they weren't legally married at that point.
Jorose - I cannot believe it has taken me til now to see your reply!! You have literally just given me some of the answers I have been looking for. That Divorce Court File blatantly says Laura was having an affair with William (I sadly had to Google what Co-Respondent means in a divorce). So that makes my idea of William being allowed to see my Nan but under the guise of Uncle Bill correct.