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Sorry, I forgot to add the scan of the (almost) complete birth certificate. (I have great difficult in cutting my images down to below 500Ko).

Thanks Chempat for sending me that old map of Brookbank Avenue. No mention of Levenvale Hut... I had expected to get the number of the house on the birth certificate. My grandmother never mentioned Levenvale Hut.

Checking the electoral register would be a very good idea, but I will have to ask for a look-up as I live in Belgium.

For what it is worth, here is a brief account of my grandparents stay in Redcar:

Michael Magee and his wife emigrated from Belfast to Redcar in approx. 1920/21. He worked as a bus driver (and later mechanic?) in Dormanstown depot - see attached photo.

They had a first child, Joseph, in 1922. I've asked his son for a copy of his birth certificate but he has not answered so far...

When my mother was born in 1924, my grandparents separated. My grandmother took her children back to Belfast and Mick stayed on in Redcar, became involved in trade unionism and socialist politics until he emigrated to Detroit in 1930, where he became a leading figure in the Ford car factory trade union UAW.

Hello!

Has anyone ever heard of a "Levensvale Hut" in Redcar?

My mother, Eileen Magee, was born in Redcar on 5 July 1924. On her birth certificate the place of birth is given as "Levensvale Hut, Brookbank Avenue". The use of the word "Hut" is curious. My grandfather was a bus driver at the time and probably able to pay for decent accommodation for his family.

I did a Google search for "Levensvale Hut" but could not find any leads. Could it have been a temporary hostel which would explain why there is no longer any trace of it?

Am I right in thinking that the nearest Catholic church to Brookbank Avenue would have been the Sacred Heart? I want to get a copy of her baptism lines to see who her godparents were.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Thanks again KGarrad! It is not a question of subtle differences. It is just the result of the English-speaking officials in 19th. century Ireland trying to put down in writing the Irish names they were hearing. The Irish form of the name, which I use, is Ó Ruairc. This leads to further variants such as Ruarc, Ruark, etc. I once saw a site or blog about the O'Rourke's and it listed, I think, 30 odd variants found in the USA...!